Wednesday, June 9, 2010

One of the most misconceived treatments

When ME/CFS patients go to doctors, they're often told to get more exercise. Sometimes this is because the doctors don't believe ME/CFS is a real thing. They assume the patient is depressed, and that a little physical exertion will prove to them that there's nothing wrong. Other physicians do believe the disease is real, but they fear the effects of deconditioning.

Either way, they're wrong. A recent study out of Norway surveyed 828 people with ME/CFS to find out which treatments helped and which didn't. Among their findings:
One of the most misconceived treatments recommended by the medical profession is graded exercise therapy, yet 79% of the participants experience deterioration as a result. It stands to reason that with such limited energy to expend, using too much on exercise leaves woefully little, if any, energy for tasks of survival such as fixing meals, eating, paying bills, and bathing.
The full article about the study is here. Might be a handy printout for ME/CFS patients who are dreading their next appointment with the GP.

3 comments:

DeppityBob said...

Excellent article. Unfortunately, doctors can fall for the same flaw most people do, which is to refuse to let go of ideas that are entangled with their ego, their sense of accomplishment, even their very identity as healers. Letting go of an idea takes much self-confidence and some introspection. Not everyone can do it.

cinderkeys said...

You're not wrong.

Jannie Funster said...

Geez, I hope those doctors read the study results.

xo