USF- led study suggests some chronic fatigue syndrome patients may benefit from anti-herpesvirus drug treatment

Press Release: Morsani College of Medicine, July 25, 2013

Tampa, FL (July 25, 2013) – Many experts believe that chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has several root causes including some viruses.

Now, lead scientists Shara Pantry, Maria Medveczky and Peter Medveczky of the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine, along with the help of several collaborating scientists and clinicians, have published an article  in the Journal of Medical Virology suggesting that a common virus, Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), is the possible cause of some CFS cases.

Over 95 percent of the population is infected with HHV-6 by age 3, but in those with normal immune systems the virus remains inactive. HHV-6 causes fever and rash (or roseola) in infants during early childhood, and is spread by saliva. In immunocompromised patients, it can reactivate to cause neurological dysfunction, encephalitis, pneumonia and organ failure.

“The good news reported in our study is that antiviral drugs improve the severe neurological symptoms, including chronic pain and long-term fatigue, suffered by a certain group of patients with CFS,” said Medveczky, who is a professor of molecular medicine at USF Health and the study’s principal investigator. “An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 patients with this CFS-like disease in the United States alone may ultimately benefit from the application of this research including antiviral drug therapy.”

The link between HHV-6 infection and CFS is quite complex. After the first encounter, or “primary infection,” all nine known human herpesviruses become silent, or “latent,” but may reactivate and cause diseases upon immunosuppression or during aging. A previous study from the Medveczky laboratory showed that HHV-6 is unique among human herpesviruses; during latency, its DNA integrates into the structures at the end of chromosomes known as telomeres.

Furthermore, this integrated HHV-6 genome can be inherited from parent to child, a condition commonly referred to as “chromosomally integrated HHV-6,” or CIHHV-6. By contrast, the “latent” genome of all other human herpesviruses converts to a circular form in the nucleus of the cell, not integrated into the chromosomes, and not inheritable by future generations.

Most studies suggest that around 0.8 percent of the U.S. and U.K. population is CIHHV6 positive, thus carrying a copy of HHV-6 in each cell. While most CIHHV-6 individuals appear healthy, they may be less able to defend themselves against other strains of HHV-6 that they might encounter. Medveczky reports that some of these individuals suffer from a CFS-like illness. In a cohort of CFS patients with serious neurological symptoms, the researchers found that the prevalence of CIHHV-6 was over 2 percent, or more than twice the level found in the general public. In light of this finding, the authors of the study suggest naming this sub-category of CFS “Inherited Human Herpesvirus 6 Syndrome,” or IHS.

Medveczky’s team discovered that untreated CIHHV-6 patients with CFS showed signs that the HHV-6 virus was actively replicating: determined by the presence of HHV-6 messenger RNA (mRNA), a substance produced only when the virus is active. The team followed these patients during treatment, and discovered that the HHV-6 mRNA disappeared by the sixth week of antiviral therapy with valganciclovir, a drug used to treat closely related cytomegalovirus (HHV-5).  Of note, the group also found that short-term treatment regimens, even up to three weeks, had little or no impact on the HHV-6 mRNA level.

The investigators assumed that the integrated virus had become reactivated in these patients; however, to their surprise, they found that these IHS patients were infected by a second unrelated strain of HHV-6.

The USF-led study was supported by the HHV-6 Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Further studies are needed to confirm that immune dysregulation, along with subsequent chronic persistence of the HHV-6 virus, is the root cause of the IHS patients’ clinical symptoms, the researchers report.

Article citation: “Persistent human herpesvirus-6 infection in patients with an inherited form of the virus." Shara N. Pantry, Maria M. Medveczky, Jesse H. Arbuckle,  Janos Luka,Jose G. Montoya, Jianhong Hu, Rolf Renne, Daniel Peterson, Joshua C. Pritchett, Dharam V. Ablashi, andPeter G. Medveczky; Journal of Medical Virology; published online July 25, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/jmv.23685

Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Understanding and Remembrance Day - August 8

Press Release: The 25% M.E. Group, August 8, 2013

By Simon Lawrence

'I am a ghost in the land of the living – forgotten, ignored and drifting on the edges of life, whispering my message in the ears of the lucky ones who can participate in life. I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. I call it paralysis, muscle and cardiac failure, brain injury, a living plague that kills only slowly, but does kill..." ~Aylwin (Jennifer) Catchpole, who died in August 2010

Why have an Understanding and Remembrance Day highlighting the plight of the severely affected?

The severity of this illness often makes it impossible for people to have contact with loved ones, doctors, or the outside world. This is a group of thousands of people in the UK who are generally invisible. People with the severe forms of this disease can no longer pursue their careers, hobbies, or everyday lives.

In helping us to make visible the stories of people living with severe M.E., and of those who have died as a result of the illness, you can help end years of misrepresentation about M.E. and increase the understanding of the general public, who often underestimate the seriousness of the disease.

This ignorance causes much suffering to those with M.E., who have a double battle, not only with the disease itself, but also to get the illness taken seriously by those around them. There is an urgent need to raise awareness.

What's the significance of 8th August?

This is the birth date of Sophia Mirza. Sophia was bed-bound with severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and was a victim of medical abuse.

Her doctors did not believe that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis was a physical disease and so she was forcibly taken from her bed/home by social workers, police officers and doctors, and kept in a psychiatric facility where she received inappropriate treatment and care.

Sophia subsequently died of M.E. at the age of 32.

Her post-mortem revealed widespread inflammation in the spinal cord. This same inexcusable abuse still goes on.

Emily Collingridge - 17th April 1981 - 18th March 2012

“When our daughter, Emily, died in 2012, my husband and I were overwhelmed by the hundreds of messages of sympathy we received, even from people we did not know.
They came from friends, from those expressing gratitude for her endless campaigning to spread awareness of ME and from readers of her guide to living with severe M.E., many of whom said it had changed their lives.”

The inquest into Emily’s death took place on 24th May 2013. In her summary the Coroner referred to ME as a condition which is not understood, and expressed the need for more research.

She was echoing an appeal made by Emily in 2011 highlighting what she described as “the scandalous lack of research into the most severe form of M.E. and the lack of appropriate support for those suffering from it.”

A final plea in Emily’s own words: “Please put an end to the abandonment of people with severe ME and give us all real reason to hope”.

Emily may have lost her personal battle, but her battle on behalf of all those still suffering from severe ME should not be ignored.

What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis?

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis literally means muscle pain (myalgia) with brain and spinal cord inflammation (encephalomyelitis). It is a complex neurological illness.

The most characteristic distinguishing feature is that symptoms are exacerbated by activity and sensory stimuli beyond the patient's limitations.

Activities that trigger flare-ups can be tiny by healthy standards, depending on the severity of the illness. Simple things like talking, watching a TV programme, or eating a meal, can cause an exacerbation.

Dysfunction has been found in all the major systems - neurological, immune, endocrine, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and genito-urinary, which is why people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis can have such a wide range of symptoms.

Common symptoms include widespread pain, cognitive dysfunctions (e.g. problems with concentration and memory), disabling sensitivities to everyday stimuli (such as light and noise), difficulty being upright (including sitting up in bed), sleep disorders and gastrointestinal problems.

You can read Sophia's story here: www.sophiaandme.org.uk

Her story also features powerfully in the film 'Voices from the Shadows' which is available from: www.voicesfromtheshadowsfilm.co.uk

Emily also wrote an informative book entitled:

'Severe ME/CFS: A Guide to Living' which can be found at: www.severeme.info

Further website information can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/oasltvy

The parents of those mentioned in this Press Release are happy to be contacted by members of the Media. This can be arranged through contacting the 25% ME Group, (the national support group for severely affected ME Sufferers).
Contact details below.

25% ME GROUP
21 CHURCH STREET
TROON
AYRSHIRE, KA10 6HT
Tel: 01292 318 611
www.25megroup.org
E-MAIL: enquiry@25megroup.org

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, IBS, MCS, and Chronic Pain Redefined as Mental Disorders

In 2010, Drs. Fink and Schröder, two Danish psychiatrists, redefined several physiological illnesses as a single mental disorder: "bodily distress syndrome." Among the illnesses which Drs. Fink and Schröder reclassified are: Neurasthenia, chronic pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, IBS, Syndrome X, “heart-ache," Fibromyalgia, Whiplash Associated Disorder, pain in the pelvis when pregnant, electricity-hypersensitivity, infrasound-hypersensitivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). 

The unstated rationale for the reclassification is that because these conditions don't fit into a medical "cookbook," a single psychiatric diagnosis would relieve physicians of the onerous task of spending the time required (i.e. more than 10 minutes) to diagnose and treat these patients. In short, patients with "unexplained" illnesses could now be shunted off to a therapist -  therapy being less costly than extended visits, extensive testing, and expensive treatment.

The diagnosis of "bodily distress syndrome" has as much scientific validity as "possession by evil spirits." But that has not prevented Danish agencies from adopting "bodily distress syndrome" as a legitimate diagnosis. This "diagnosis" provided the grounds for removing Karina Hansen from her home in February 2013 to a psychiatric hospital, for revoking her right to legal representation, for enforcing "evidence-based care" (exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy), and for prohibiting visits from her parents. 

(Below is the abstract of the Fink and Schröder study.)

One single diagnosis, bodily distress syndrome, succeeded to capture 10 diagnostic categories of functional somatic syndromes and somatoform disorders

By P. Fink and A. Schröder

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In order to clarify the classification of physical complaints not attributable to verifiable, conventionally defined diseases, a new diagnosis of bodily distress syndrome was introduced. The aim of this study was to test if patients diagnosed with one of six different functional somatic syndromes or a DSM-IV somatoform disorder characterized by physical symptoms were captured by the new diagnosis.

METHOD: A stratified sample of 978 consecutive patients from neurological (n=120) and medical (n=157) departments and from primary care (n=701) was examined applying post-hoc diagnoses based on the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry diagnostic instrument. Diagnoses were assigned only to clinically relevant cases, i.e., patients with impairing illness.

RESULTS: Bodily distress syndrome included all patients with fibromyalgia (n=58); chronic fatigue syndrome (n=54) and hyperventilation syndrome (n=49); 98% of those with irritable bowel syndrome (n=43); and at least 90% of patients with noncardiac chest pain (n=129), pain syndrome (n=130), or any somatoform disorder (n=178). The overall agreement of bodily distress syndrome with any of these diagnostic categories was 95% (95% CI 93.1-96.0; kappa 0.86, P<.0001). Symptom profiles of bodily distress syndrome organ subtypes were similar to those of the corresponding functional somatic syndromes with diagnostic agreement ranging from 90% to 95%.

CONCLUSION: Bodily distress syndrome seem to cover most of the relevant "somatoform" or "functional" syndromes presenting with physical symptoms, not explained by well-recognized medical illness, thereby offering a common ground for the understanding of functional somatic symptoms. This may help unifying research efforts across medical disciplines and facilitate delivery of evidence-based care.

Source: J Psychosom Res. 2010 May;68(5):415-26. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.02.004. P. Fink and A. Schröder. The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark. per.fink@aarhus.rm.dk

A Constitutional Right to Health Care

Press Release: UCLA, July 18, 2013

By Mark Wheeler

Uruguay has it. So does Latvia, and Senegal. In fact, more than half of the world's countries have some degree of a guaranteed, specific right to public health and medical care for their citizens written into their national constitutions.

The United States is one of 86 countries whose constitutions do not guarantee their citizens any kind of health protection. That's the finding of a new study from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health that examined the level and scope of constitutional protection of specific rights to public health and medical care, as well as the broad right to health.

The study examined the constitutions of all United Nations member states and found the results to be mixed, despite the fact that all U.N. members have universally recognized the right to health, which is written into the original foundational document establishing the international body in 1948.The researchers reviewed the constitutions of all the member states as amended to two points in time: August 2007 and June 2011.

The report appears in the July issue of the journal Global Public Health.

The study also calls for regular and long-term monitoring of all countries' protection of health rights, whether or not such rights are written into specific country's constitutions.

That's because a constitutional definition of what health protection actually is varies widely between nations. Further, how such protections have been implemented varies widely, said the study's first author, Dr. Jody Heymann, dean of the Fielding School of Public Health.

"With respect to specific rights to health, the status of the world's constitutions can be described as either half empty or half full," Heymann said.

The study found that 73 U.N. member countries (38 percent) guaranteed the right to medical care services, while 27 (14 percent) aspired to protect this right in 2011. When it came to guaranteeing public health, the global performance was even poorer: Only 27 countries (14 percent) guaranteed this right, and 21 (11 percent) aspired to it.

But doing the math doesn't provide a comprehensive picture, said Heymann.

"There also exists gaps between individual countries that may have strong constitutional protections but poor records of implementing health rights on the ground," she said. "On the other hand, there are countries that lack constitutional provisions that have excellent health care systems in place."

The latter is particularly true in the case of older constitutions that have not been significantly amended since constitutional rights to health became common, she noted.

The good news, Heymann said, is the clear trend toward greater constitutional protection of health rights overtime. While only 33 percent of the constitutions adopted prior to 1970 addressed at least one health right, 60 percent of those introduced between 1970 and 1979 included the right to health, public health and/or medical care. Three-quarters of the constitutions introduced in the 1980s, and 94 percent of those adopted in the 1990s, protected at least one of these rights. Only one of the 33 constitutions adopted between 2000 and 2011 did not protect at least one health right.

"The global recognition of a right to health is a powerful step in guaranteeing health as a fundamental human right for all people," said Heymann. "But it is important to ensure this moral right moves from the philosophical to the practical. That will require a kind of transparency and accountability where the public can readily access information on which countries are implementing these guarantees.

"The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in June 2012 to uphold the Affordable Care Act was based on viewing the legislation as legal," said Heymann. "While the acknowledgement that Congress can provide for health is a step in the right direction, it is a long way from a guaranteed constitutional right to public health and medical care. The U.S., unfortunately, lags far behind many of the world's nations."

Other authors of the study included Amy Raub of UCLA, and Adele Cassolab and Lipi Mishrab of McGill University in Canada. Funding was provided by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research; training future leaders and health professionals; translating research into policy and practice; and serving local, national and international communities.

Dr. De Meirleir Talks About ME Treatments

Web Seminar by Dr. Kenny De Meirleir, March 1, 2013

The video can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO_VR73v2Ns

Q: Oxygen Therapy: What Are the Pros and Cons?

Administration of oxygen therapy has advantages and disadvantages. Oxygen increases the release of free radicals, which can be harmful. On the other hand oxygen can be very useful for people with severe pain and strong acidification. The oxygen used at home isn’t administered in oxygen cylinders any more. It comes from a device that transforms the air into almost 100% pure oxygen.

Q: Is the oxygen one gets in the hospital the same as your oxygen therapy?

The oxygen one gets from an oxygenator is the equivalent to the oxygen one gets in a hospital.

Q: What do you expect from rituximab?

I don’t consider this to be a long-term solution, because practically all patients relapse. A new injection is necessary after six to twelve months, which is extremely expensive. The young and healthy B-cells formed after rituximab treatment will function properly in the beginning, but after a while they will again become involved in the disease process. Therefore rituximab isn’t a definitive solution.

Q: Is Ampligen effective? For whom? How does it work?

My experience with Ampligen dates from 1992-2001.  We gave Ampligen to approximately 150 people during that time. Ampligen partially works like interferon and combats the viral aspect of the disease. So, those ME patients in whom the viral aspect of the disease is dominant will profit most from it.

Q: Are you familiar with fecal transplants? Is this a useful approach?

We have heard of some patients who have chosen to have a stool transplant. During the transplant, stool from the intestines is removed and replaced by stool from a healthy individual. I believe this can also provide temporary improvement as fewer toxins are released in the body. But, again, it is not a definitive solution, because the problem isn’t so much the intestines as the immunity of the intestines. The abnormal flora will grow again. In addition, a stool transplant isn’t a pleasant experience, and must be repeated regularly. The only indication for this in ME patients is for those who have an overgrowth of C. difficile, which is extremely toxic, but the same would hold true even for people who don’t have ME.

Q: Can you briefly explain heart-rate monitoring and pacing? What do you expect from these?

Several researchers have found that ME patients have irregular heart rhythms. This is due to changes in the sympathetic nervous system, causing inadequate control over heart rhythm. I do think that monitoring can help, but again, this isn’t a treatment of the cause. Pacing helps patients to use less energy. That is, energy is reserved for those things which are essential, in order to make it through the day. Pacing is an alternative for people who are chronically ill and who have few treatment options. They must learn to deal with the amount of energy they have left. Pacing should be addressed when the patient has tried all normal treatments.

Q: Doesn’t long-term administration of antibiotics kill the colonic flora?

When one administers broad-spectrum antibiotics for a very long time, then one destroys the colonic flora. But when one is very careful and uses narrow-spectrum antibiotics to treat a specific infection this will not happen. There are numerous examples, as in tuberculosis, in which one administers antibiotics for eighteen months. But treatment involves a narrow-spectrum antibiotic, and therefore the colonic flora aren’t seriously disturbed. In the case of very acute infection one chooses broad-spectrum antibiotics. But when one is going to use long-term antibiotics to combat a very specific intracellular infection one chooses a narrow-spectrum antibiotic that has little effect on the colonic flora.

RELEASE KARINA HANSEN

Karina Hansen

This article originally appeared on ProHealth.

By Holly Latham 

Why should the M.E./CFS community rally around Karina Hansen and her family?

Karina Hansen is a 24-year-old Danish woman who has had M.E. (myalgic encephalomyeltitis) since she was 16. On February 12, 2013, five policemen, two doctors, two social workers, and a locksmith came to her home and forcibly removed Karina Hansen from her bed and transported her to Hammel Neurocenter. 

Karina was able to make a call the next day to her mother saying, "“How can I get out of here? I can’t take this." Since that time her parents have been prohibited from seeing her even though preventing relatives from visiting their family members in the hospital is a violation of basic human rights.

Shortly afterwards, Karina’s parents received a letter from a psychiatrist, Nils Balle Christensen, which said that he would be in charge of Karina’s treatment at Hammel Neurocenter. (In May 2012 a previous attempt to section Karina was unsuccessful, as she has always been declared psychologically healthy.) There is no evidence or even any charge of physical, mental, or emotional abuse by Karina's parents and also no evidence that Karina is mentally ill. She was taken from her home because she and her parents chose against the type of treatment the Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics offers. Her parents had chosen to pay for a private physician and dietician to treat Karina, because they strongly felt that the treatment offered by Dr. Nils Balle Christensen would be detrimental. 

What is this treatment? Why is this treatment bad for her?  

Nils Balle Christensen, the psychiatrist in charge of Karina's care, works for The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics. This clinic classifies illnesses such as CFS, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome as “bodily distress syndrome.” This is a new diagnosis created by these doctors and is classed as a type of functional disorder. The treatment for a functional disorder is listed on their website as cognitive behavioral therapy, graded exercise therapy, and in some cases antidepressants.* 

Graded exercise therapy can be detrimental to patients with M.E. (Twisk, Maes 2009).* Studies have proven that people with M.E. respond poorly to exercise, especially patients who are severely ill, like Karina (VanNess et al 2008 and Ciccolella et al 2007). 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was not designed to treat serious illnesses, such as M.E.  It is intended to change how people think, specifically “illness worries.” According to the Research Clinic, “Illness worries are thoughts about your illness or symptoms that make you worry that you may be seriously ill."* Karina Hansen and her parents have already said no to CBT. Karina is seriously ill, not “worried.”

Why should you care?

Karina's case sets a very bad precedent for other M.E. sufferers in Denmark and around the world. Is this the future of M.E. treatment? If this diagnosis and treatment are included in diagnostic and/or treatment manuals used worldwide, forced treatments, such as the ones Karina is being subjected to, could reach far beyond Denmark. Will you be able to seek any kind of treatment anywhere if you fear this will be the result? 

We need to remember that Karina Hansen did not choose this treatment. Karina Hansen had hired a lawyer and given her parents power of attorney. She had a physician. Yet, their efforts to give her the right to choose her own treatment were ignored. This could happen to any of us.

How do we make this case widely known?

Share! Share! Share! The more people that show they care, the more likely it is that officials will take notice and act.

Here are just some of the places you can find information and updates about Karina:

• YouTube video.Please note this video has a posted amendment to the information about Sophia Mirza.
• ME Association, Denmark Facebook page. 
• Justice for Karina Hansen Facebook page.
• YouTube video update.

What can you do to help?

• Send a postcard! Karina is getting these postcards! Let's show her and the hospital staff that Karina has worldwide support! Information for sending postcards is here. The ipetiton is here.
• Sign these petitions! Sending a postcard can be more than some of us can manage. Here are some petitions you can sign in addition to the ipetition: Change, Causes
• Write a polite letter or email to Danish officials. We want the M.E./CFS patient community to be represented in a positive manner. A sample template written in consultation with Rebecca Hansen, chairperson of the ME Association Denmark , can be found below. There is a place to fill in your own experience with M.E. on the template. Remember to sign your name at the end! You can find the addresses here.
• Write a letter to Amnesty International. The template for the letter is here.

Any and all opinions are my own. Information was gathered from these sources as well as the referenced materials listed below:

•  ME Association, Denmark 
•  A Visit to Karina – a Question of Human Rights by Rebecca Hansen

Referenced materials:

1. Functional Disorders
2. Twisk and Maes, A Review on CBT and GET
3. VanNess M, Snell C, Stevens S. Diminished cardiopulmonary capacity during post-exertional malaise. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2007; 14(2): 77-85 
4. Ciccolella M, Stevens S, Snell C, VanNess M. Legal and scientific considerations of the exercise stress test. Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2007; 14(2): 61-75
5. Bodily Distress Syndrome

Template for writing officials in Denmark:

(Please add your personal experience with M.E. and any problems you have suffered resulting from any inappropriate treatment you have received.)

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to you concerning the treatment being offered in Denmark to those suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.). In case you are unfamiliar with M.E., it is a debilitating physical illness that has been classified as a neurological illness by the World Health Organization since 1969. 

It has been brought to my attention that a young woman with myalgic encephalomyelitis named Karina Hansen has been forcibly removed from her home on February 12, 2013 for treatment she did not choose.

Karina is at Hammel Neurocenter and being treated by Nils Balle Christensen, a psychiatrist with The Research Clinic for Functional Disorders and Psychosomatics. Karina's parents have not been allowed to visit her despite the fact that preventing relatives from visiting their family members in the hospital in Denmark is not allowed. It is my understanding that human rights, such as being allowed to visit one's family, should be given the highest priority.

This situation has prompted many people around the world to ask:

• Does Denmark recognize the World Health Organization code for M.E.? Please note that benign myalgic encephalomyelitis is coded as G93.3 in the chapter entitled "Diseases of the Nervous System" under the subheading "Other disorders of brain." To further clarify, myalgic encephalomyelitis is listed under diseases of the nervous system and NOT mental and behavioural disorders. It is my understanding that any country that accepts the WHO Regulations for nomenclature is obligated to accept the ICD classification. If Denmark accepts the ICD classification of M.E. as a neurological illness, than why are doctors who specialize in mental and behavioural disorders in charge of an M.E. patient's treatment?
• Is forced psychiatric treatment the future of all M.E. patients and their families? Myalgic encephalomyelitis can result in death without proper medical treatment. One well-known case is that of Sophia Mirza in England. 
• Do M.E. patients in Denmark not have the right to choose which treatment they receive?
• Who monitors experimental treatments for M.E. such as Graded Exercise Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to be certain that no basic human rights are being denied?
• Do patients with M.E. not have the basic human right to see their families?

Many people around the world are concerned with Karina Hansen's treatment and have signed petitions in support of Karina and her family. These actions show that Karina Hansen and her family have worldwide support.

I ask that you please do all within your power to restore Karina Hansen's human rights and see that she has proper medical treatment for myalgic encephalomyelitis.

I would appreciate your prompt attention to the matter. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
(your name)

Karina Hansen - "You are killing me."

This is the first in a series of videos documenting the plight of Karina Hansen, a young woman with severe ME/CFS who was forcibly removed from her home on February 12, 2013 and placed under the care of psychiatrists. She is currently being treated with GET (graded exercise therapy) and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). Karina has told the staff at the Hammel Neurocenter, "You are killing me."