Worcster News

Dear Sir or Madam,

With regard to the recent article in which your paper inadvertently
advertises the Lightning Process as a successful treatment for the
neurological illness, M.E.:

Yes, it is wonderful that some people seem to be miraculously cured
like this by this therapy. However, I really do feel that one has to
start looking closely at what their G.P.'s interpretation of M.E.
actually was. I wonder if this lucky girl actually had been
misdiagnosed and really had C.F.S. or another form of psychosomatic
illness.

I keep thinking of that poor girl,Sophia Mirza, who had M.E. and
sadly died after being sectioned because people were so convinced
that she was NOT in physical distress:

www.sophiaandme. org.uk

and wondering if this interesting therapy your reader has praised
would have cured the inflammation on her spine,which was obviously
causing her so much pain, and the herpes virus that was found after
the post-mortem but which had not been identified prior to death.

I do feel that it is probably worth trying the therapy you have
discussed if one has the extra money and is able to attend a three
day course away from home. Although Cognitive Behavioural Therapy may
work just as well for people who have Chronic Fatigue and it is free
on the NHS.

However, anyone as ill as Sophia Mirza was, who has M.E. (Which is
classified as a neurological illness by the World Health
Organization) , will need treatment aimed at physical symptoms.

There has been a lot of confusion in this country over the difference
between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and M.E. (Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis) . Sadly, our own medical profession seem unable to
distinguish between them.

It is unfortunate that the treatment your article praises is one of
many alternative treatments which have not been scientifically
proven, are expensive and exploit an area of medical uncertainty.

There is an urgent need in this country for funding into biomedical
research to establish the underlying causes of M.E. so that medical
professionals and patients know what they are dealing with.

Jill Cooper.