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cbme-mark.bsky.social

@cbme-mark.bsky.social
956 followers 93 following 155 posts

Severe ME/CFS with added Long Covid. Running a support group in Cambridge, UK. Pronouns: depends how the day pans out

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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The Royal College of Psychiatrists responded to our letter pointing out that the biopsychosocial emperor had no clothes and asking them to stop trying to cover up its nakedness.
cambridgeme.org.uk
Take action
ME is a very neglected illness. Many medical professionals know little about it beyond being aware of something called ‘chronic fatigue syndrome’. This was the name given to it by psych…
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Three ME support groups have written an open letter to the Royal College of Psychiatrists challenging its defence of last month’s Congress session on ME and Long Covid. A vague “biopsychosocial” framework cannot rescue treatments the evidence has already rejected.
cambridgeme.org.uk
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Isn’t it good to know that there are people fighting on our behalf? If you have severe or very severe ME, this is urgent. If you have moderate or mild ME, it’s about your future. www.crowdjustice.com/case/justice...
crowdjustice.com
NHS care for ME now
Campaigning for ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) to be medically managed safely, to protect families from permanent disability or death from neglect of the illness.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Total welfare spending: ~10.6% of GDP — the same band it has occupied since the early 1980s. Official forecast: 10.9% → 11.2% by 2030. That’s not a “ballooning welfare budget”, @theguardian.com. It’s a flat line. Stop doing the Treasury’s copywriting for free.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Every one of our committee members is severely affected by ME and we are immensely grateful to the group members who have volunteered to help train GPs www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/cambrid...
cambridgeindependent.co.uk
Cambridge ME group organises GP trainees event in anniversary year
Chair Mark Harper features in BBC Lifeline appeal.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
TWO DAYS LEFT There are two days of David Tuller’s fundraiser to fund him to work for us for another year. So far 77% of the necessary amount has been donated. David has worked tirelessly to expose the fraud of the claims that ME (and now LC) are “all in your mind” for well over a decade.
crowdfund.berkeley.edu
Trial By Error: Reporting on ME and ME/CFS, Long COVID, etc
Help UC Berkeley raise $75,000 for the project: Trial By Error: Reporting on ME and ME/CFS, Long COVID, etc. Your gift will make a difference!
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Dr Steve Taylor @drstevetaylor.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Benefits There has barely been any increase in the number of people claiming benefits if you take into account population growth, aging population, increase in morbidity & pension age rising so it include more people Not the narrative you hear in media obr.uk/wtr/welfare-...
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
meassociation.org.uk/2025/06/the-...
meassociation.org.uk
The Truth About the Government’s “Concessions”: They Don’t Go Far Enough - The ME Association
The government has agreed to protect existing disability benefit claimants […]
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
John McDonnell is great.
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Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
I’ve been making my way through the Welfare Reform Bill and this paragraph on the gov.uk website is genuinely disgusting. Receiving a decent disability benefits rate “encourages sickness”, does it? Funny, I thought it just enabled severely ill and disabled people to eat.
Nearly 4 million households will also receive an income boost with the main rate of Universal Credit set to increase above inflation every year for the next four years – estimated to be worth £725 by 2029/30 for a single household 25 or over. This is around £250 higher than an inflation only increases.

The Bill will also rebalance Universal Credit rates by reducing the health element for new UC claims to £50 from April 2026, fixing a system which encourages sickness by paying health element recipients more than double the standard amount.
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Peter White @mediumwhite.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
If we want change, we need to fundraise for it. Around half of medical research is funded through the charity sector. Many people won't be able to donate, but for those who can, I cannot think of a more deserving cause than driving change for people with ME.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
www.ed.ac.uk/news/scale-o...
ed.ac.uk
Scale of how ME/CFS affects blood revealed
People with ME/CFS have significant differences in their blood compared with healthy individuals, a new study reveals, suggesting a path towards more reliable diagnosis of the long-term debilitating i...
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Peter White @mediumwhite.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Great presentation made by Prof Chris Ponting (@cgatist.bsky.social) to the UK APPGs on ME & Long Covid about the ongoing failure to fund research into ME. UKRI is failing #pwME and #LongCovid Time for Wes Streeting to step in: @tessamunt.bsky.social Please share. Pt2 in next post.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Awareness Month petition - final call If you haven't signed yet, please do - and just as importantly, share the link with everyone you know. You can do this from the petition web page. Thanks!! you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ri...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Ring-fence funds for research into ME/CFS
Hundreds of thousands of people were already living with the chronic post-viral illness ME/CFS before the covid pandemic. COVID turned out to be highly effective at producing chronic post-acute illnes...
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
the.organise.network/surveys/stop...
the.organise.network
Thanks for voting! Please can you answer a few questions to help stop the government cuts?
Please join me and take this quick survey to stop the government stripping cash payments from sick and disabled people:
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
An excellent response to recent opinion in the BMJ that behavioural treatments address the right approach to ME/CFS. www.bmj.com/content/389/...
bmj.com
The risk of blaming patients for their lack of recovery
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Lucibee @lucibee.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
👏👏👏
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Me too - first generation Englishman
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Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
My grandmas were immigrants, my mum & sisters in law are immigrants; my sister & nephews are migrants. My kids study maths, Shakespeare, dance, act & score tries alongside the kids of immigrants. My dad’s life was saved by immigrants. Immigrants have made us richer, wiser, stronger Win the fight
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Ely Cathedral Octagon Tower illuminated in blue for Cambridge ME and Long Covid Support, on World ME Day
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
This proposal, backed by some of the major charities, is to establish a national-funded research consortium on ME. Please sign the open letter calling on public Funders to back it. A proposal for an ME/CFS, Long Covid and Post-Infectious Disease research platform organise.network/s/167c15ca80c0
organise.network
A proposal for an ME/CFS, Long Covid and Post-Infectious Disease research platform
Add your name:
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Text of an open letter by Disability organisations to our Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner MP (Cambridge)
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
www.buffalo.edu/news/release...
buffalo.edu
Doctors must learn to communicate better with their patients with complex chronic disorders
Complex disorders like long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome are often dismissed or misdiagnosed: better communication can help, say UB researchers.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
The #MECFS community should be concerned about this. A right-wing bias is likely to play into the hands of powerful vested interests who betray ME/CFS as a psychological problem.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Abandon DWP Pathways to Work Green Paper & create National Disability Strategy
The DWP Green Paper Pathways to Work proposes what we think are devastating cuts to disability benefits. We think the Government must drop these proposals and instead begin a process of co-production ...
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
If we really want to take on chronic diseases.... by @virusesimmunity.bsky.social and @hmkyale.bsky.social #LongCovid, post-infection syndromes, immune system assessment and intervention gift link www.wsj.com/opinion/how-...
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
New @science.org Exposomics. We're not doing nearly enough to understand and mitigate our toxic environmental exposures. A very insightful perspective www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Over 150,000 more people in England have ME than previously thought, study finds
Research into myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome also reveals diagnosis ‘postcode lottery’
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Labour’s benefit cuts will cost UK economy billions, charity says
Trussell report finds that higher levels of poverty mean Britain is losing out on £38bn a year of potential output
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
the.organise.network/campaigns/ne...
the.organise.network
Our NHS is not for sale: keep it out of Trump's trade deal
Add your name:
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
It’s so depressing. I watched the first episode of the Netflix drama House, about a misanthropic hospital consultant. And guess what, they make fun of a guy who reports symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
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ME/CFS Science @mecfsscience.org · 19/04/2025
This looks like an interesting and much needed project. In Neunkirchen-Seelscheid in Germany, a housing project is being planned especially for severely ME/CFS sufferers with 24-hour assistance. sozialhummel.de/wohn...
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Long Covid Advocacy @longcovidadvoc.com · 19/04/2025
25-30% of people report Long Covid 6+ months after infection Rates are highest in lower-income countries & among Arab, N. African groups. Risk rises with age, reinfection & hospitalization Once again the most marginalized bear the heaviest burden 📝🖇️ tinyurl.com/msxbbshx
Alt text:
Dark-themed infographic showing a global map with glowing city lights and light-blue data arcs connecting different regions. Title reads: “Studies across 14 nations show 25% to 30% rate of long COVID.” Subtitle notes: “2 studies show devastating Long Covid prevalence. With poorer nations most affected.” Header label: “LONG COVID NEWS” by Stephanie Soucheray. Source: CIDRAP, 17 April, 2025. A stylized purple and blue hand icon appears in the top right corner.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
This is the petition that Cambridge ME and Long Covid Support’s ME Awareness Week poster will be pointing people to. If you haven’t already, please help us get off to a good start by signing, and asking friends, family and other groups to sign as well! you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ri...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Ring-fence funds for research into ME/CFS
Hundreds of thousands of people were already living with the chronic post-viral illness ME/CFS before the covid pandemic. COVID turned out to be highly effective at producing chronic post-acute illnes...
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Long Covid Advocacy @longcovidadvoc.com · 16/04/2025
This study shows the real harm done by psychosomatic misdiagnosis: ⬆️ Mental distress ⬆️ Testimonial Smothering 90% affected were women in their 50's Patients recommended 'a restorative action & reconciliation process' 📝🖇️https://tinyurl.com/mtrkdvmj
Alt text: Graphic titled "Iatrogenic Harm" from a "Latest Research" series on psychosomatic issues. It shows the word "PSYCHOSOMATIC" in colorful letters on a wooden surface, alongside a stethoscope. Below, text summarizes research findings that people misdiagnosed with psychosomatic conditions often delay help-seeking and experience emotional distress, stigma, and invalidation from healthcare professionals. At the bottom is a logo for Long Covid Advocacy and a citation for Sloan et al., 2025, Rheumatology.
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Long Covid Advocacy @longcovidadvoc.com · 16/04/2025
🤔Where does this widespread disbelief of disease come from? Melanie Sloan shows that one reason for this is the assumption in medicine that complex illness with "many symptoms" is a 🚩 Rooted in neurology & psychiatry literature by Sharpe, Stone & Carson.
Graphic with a dark blue background featuring a large turquoise quotation mark and bold white text stating: “belief held by some physicians, as reported in the literature, that: ‘A long list of symptoms should therefore be a ‘red flag’ that the presenting symptom will not be ‘explained by disease.’” Below, turquoise text reads: “Note that this belief is rooted in a paper by Stone, Carson & Sharpe.” Branding at the bottom: Long Covid Advocacy. Source: Sloan et al, 2025, Rheumatology.
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
forms.gle/N8Dg9bNkFRQH...
forms.gle
The new proposed welfare reforms: understanding the impact on people with Long Covid and ME/CFS
This survey is for individuals with Long Covid (LC) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) who are receiving benefits affected by the government's proposed reforms. If the pers...
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Tom Kindlon @tomkindlon.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
"The lost earnings due to long COVID among working-aged adults [in the US] are estimated to total $211 billion in 2022 and $218 billion in 2023." www.nature.com/articles/s43... Image is from latest Science for ME weekly update #LongCovid #PASC
Nature Communications Medicine
A nationwide study of risk factors for long COVID and its economic and mental health consequences in the United States — Kim
"Overall, an estimated 24 million working-aged adults with long COVID had been or may still be at risk of adverse socioeconomic and mental health outcomes. The lost earnings due to long COVID among working-aged adults are estimated to total $211 billion in 2022 and $218 billion in 2023."
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Dr Jay Watts @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Please take a moment to sign this petition: ‘Protect Disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits’. Thank you so much: tinyurl.com/5erjajtv #WelfareNotWarfare
tinyurl.com
Petition: Protect Disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits
We want the Government to halt all planned benefit cuts for disabled people unable to work. Instead of reducing benefits, we want them to rise in line with inflation. We want support, not hardship and...
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
YES! This is the article I’ve been longing to write (but haven’t had the spoons). Thank you!
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Another petition. Keep signing - we need the government to get the message loud and clear. Saving a few quid by pushing the disabled into destitution is WRONG. campaigns.scope.org.uk/page/165719/...
campaigns.scope.org.uk
Add your name 📢
Cuts to disability benefits would be catastrophic
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Protect Disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits
We want the Government to halt all planned benefit cuts for disabled people unable to work. Instead of reducing benefits, we want them to rise in line with inflation. We want support, not hardship and...
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Our community is very vulnerable. I’m horribly afraid that we will see a big increase in suicides following the UK government’s cuts to disability related benefits. #StoptheCuts
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Tom Kindlon @tomkindlon.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Wearable Devices Enable #LongCOVID Patients to Decrease Symptom Severity:A Case Series From Pilot User Testing journals.lww.com/cptj/fulltex... “Through this wearables study…I have made adjustments & accommodations in my lifestyle, empowering me to care for myself in a more proactive way” #mecfs
Clinical Pearls
•Pacing, the careful management of exertion, is used to manage conditions such as ME/CFS; however, it is difficult to implement.
•Early data from user testing to inform a larger study is consistent with the patient community's reported benefit of using wrist-worn wearables to support people with Long COVID in implementing pacing.
•By providing personalized, real-time data, wrist-worn wearables can help people with Long COVID identify and prioritize exertion based on their personal disease presentation and lifestyle.
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betsy ladyzhets 😷 @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Today @thesicktimes.bsky.social: really important story by @jewstein3000.bsky.social about how the tilt table test, commonly used to diagnose POTS, can be dangerous for people with Long COVID and ME. thesicktimes.org/2025/04/08/i...
thesicktimes.org
“It’s like torture”: The tilt table test could be risky for many people with Long COVID - The Sick Times
“The tilt table test is likely to be contraindicated in people with severe ME/CFS and related conditions,” Harvey said. Studies show about half of all Long COVID patients meet the diagnostic criteria ...
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Ill and disabled people will be made ‘invisible’ by UK benefit cuts, say experts Those who lose benefit payments will find it difficult to access care and support services, says Policy in Practice www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Ill and disabled people will be made ‘invisible’ by UK benefit cuts, say experts
Those who lose benefit payments will find it difficult to access care and support services, says Policy in Practice
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Tom Kindlon @tomkindlon.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
April International Research and Advocacy Roundup www.emerge.org.au/news/april-2... The image is only a summary of the piece, not the full item #MEcfs #LongCovid
April International Research and Advocacy Roundup


Our International Roundup provides a brief snapshot of some of the ME/CFS and long COVID research funding, clinical care and advocacy actions around the world in the last few months topics include;

The ME/CFS research program at Columbia University in the US has been shut down following the US government’s cuts to the university’s funding.
Solve ME/CFS Initiative and Bateman Horne Center co-hosted a series of four webinars on severe ME/CFS, the topics were (1) caregiving, (2) legal planning, (3) medical care and (4) research.
The Cochrane Group announced in December that, more than five years after they promised to update the Exercise for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome review, they would no longer update the review. The announcement has been met with strong condemnation from around the world.
#MEAction and the Patient-Led Research Collaborative published a letter calling on US Secretary of Health, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to reinstate the Long COVID Advisory Committee, which was recently disbanded.
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Long Covid UK @longcoviduk.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Can you access this?: threadreaderapp.com/thread/19095...
threadreaderapp.com
Thread by @WorkingWithLC on Thread Reader App
@WorkingWithLC: Thread by our Dr Clare Rayner @crr7310 Today we published an article I was commissioned to write: ‘Guidelines for a sustained return to work (#RTW) with #LongCovid ' A resource for wor...
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cbme-mark.bsky.social @cbme-mark.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
This cause is close to my heart - please sign: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ri...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Ring-fence funds for research into ME/CFS
Hundreds of thousands of people were already living with the chronic post-viral illness ME/CFS before the covid pandemic. COVID turned out to be highly effective at producing chronic post-acute illnes...
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