Letter, Re: 'Husband's illness was a sign for me to offer hope to others' (Sun Woman, 8 February 2012)

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Sun Letters.

Since there is no universally agreed diagnostic test for M.E. (Myalgic

Encephalomyelitis), it is not possible to say with certainty whether Ben

Linus ('Husband's illness was a sign for me to offer hope to others',

Sun Woman, 8 February 2012 --

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/4115077/Hubbys-illness-was-a-sign-for\

-me-to-offer-hope-to-others-with-messages-of-love.html)

had it, rather than, say, career/lifestyle burnout or depression, which

is not a prerequisite for M.E.

If that were the case, his wife, Starling's offer of hope could be the

worst possible message for those who do have M.E. Hard knock experience

and research shows that talking (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) is

disappointingly ineffective and exercise can make things irrecoverably

worse. If they worked, the same numbers would not remain ill for decades.

Good for Ben but we must be sure that we are talking about the same

illnesses here,

Yours sincerely

drjohngreensmith@...

Dr H Greensmith

ME Community Trust.org