On Friday 12th May we will be joined by Adam Lowe to hear about the part he played in the biggest step forward for the medical recognition of ME this century.
Adam sat on the NICE guidelines committee for ME/CFS as a lay member and person with ME. He represented patients across the nation to NICE, the organisation that explains conditions and the correct treatment pathways for them to all doctors.
Prior to the 2021 guideline review the 2007 NICE guideline for doctors was not just inadequate in its recognition of the severity of the condition, but actively damaging in its recommendation of CBT as treatment - implying that ME is 'all in your head' - and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET), which caused many patients to deteriorate due to triggering post-exertional malaise.
Not only did the 2021 guideline remove the recommendation for Graded Exercise Therapy, saving thousands of people from being put through this ordeal, but it also downgraded CBT from a treatment or cure to a support tool for helping people cope with the impact of the condition on their lives. The guideline also officially recognises 'brain fog' for the first time.
Adam Lowe's achievement and campaigning will make a difference to everyone affected by ME. Doctors are no longer being guided to see ME as a psychological problem but as a biomedical condition. Armed with this information, ME patients can have greater confidence in approaching doctors and engaging with healthcare professionals.
We are delighted to be able to hear about the process of making ME history with Adam Lowe on 12th May from 2pm (following our AGM at 12:30pm). The event is free (with lunch!) and we welcome questions submitted in advance.
Please register to attend in person at The Circle, Rockingham Lane or online on Zoom here: