Ted Shaw article

[Guest guest]

Christie, thanks for the Ted Shaw speech. It sounds as if some would

have us make a giant leap backwards onto Freud's couch!

Neurasthenia?????? I wish they were just kidding. If those doctors spent

half as much time trying to actually treat and cure patients as they did

playing with their diagnostic labels and trying to gain more power

within the medical profession, patients might actually benefit instead

of being harmfully labeled " psychiatric case " as a first step to

denying benefits and care under HMO's and " managed care " . Don't kid

yourself folks, this type of thing is not only happening to CFS/FMS, but

within the full range of medical conditions. As soon as there is any

kind of middleman between a patient and a doctor, the sacred

relationship required for healing is violated by issues that should

never be there. The patients and the doctors both suffer. A typical

patient who has full use of their cognitive functions now has trouble

understanding their own health insurance forms and lingo. Just think of

what happens when we with CFS brain fog try and tackle these onerous

forms or talk on the phone with insurance reps.

And as to agencies that take away children from their parents because

they think they know how to " help " these children, I get so upset that

words fail me. Maybe someone can refer those of us who are upset to an

advocacy group or ongoing project where we can do something concrete. I

know that is beyond the scope of this group. My deepest empathy goes out

to those families whose structure has been ripped apart, and to those

children who are not getting compassionate and appropriate treatment.

Jodi