Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2009 Aug 26;30(3):300-311. [Epub ahead of print]
Maes M, Maes Clinics,
Antwerp,
Belgium.
crc.mh@telenet.be 2
Frank N.M. Twisk Twisk FNM 1
1 ME-de-patiënten Foundation,
Limmen, the Netherlands
2 Clinical Research Center for
Mental Health (CRC-MH), Antwerp, Belgium.
Abstract:
The World Health Organization acknowledges
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
to be a medical illness.
ME/CFS is characterized by
disorders in
the inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress (IO&NS) pathways.
In 2002, the Belgian government started with the development of
CFS "Reference Centers", which implement a "psychosocial" model.
The medical practices of these CFS Centers
are defined by the Superior Health Council,
e.g. treatment should be based upon
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET);
and biological assessments and treatments
of ME/CFS should not be employed.
Recently,
the Belgian government has evaluated
the outcome of the treatments at the CFS Centers.
They concluded that
a "rehabilitation therapy" with CBT/GET
yielded no significant efficacy in the treatment of ME/CFS and
that CBT/GET cannot be considered to be curative therapies.
In case reports,
we have shown that patients
who were "treated" at those CFS centers with CBT/GET
in fact suffered
from IO&NS disorders,
including intracellular inflammation,
an increased translocation of gram-negative enterobacteria (leaky gut),
autoimmune reactions and
damage by O&NS.
Considering the fact that
these findings are exemplary for ME/CFS patients and
that GET may even be harmful,
it means that many patients are maltreated by the Belgian CFS Centers.
Notwithstanding the above,
the government and the CFS Centers not only continue
this unethical and immoral policy,
but also reinforce their use of CBT/GET
in patients with ME/CFS
treated at those Centers.
PMID: 19855351 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19855351
http://node.nel.edu/?node_id=8929
published by
Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2009 Aug 26;30(3):300-311
Last Updated:
07/11/2009
