MEDICAL MATTERS
- Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
- Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association's other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
- Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
- It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.
Search all questions
Choose a letter to see our categories
- Show all
- A
- B
- C
- D
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- Y
- HBOT
- HGS
- HIV
- HPA
- HPA Axis
- HPV
- HRT
- Haemochromatosis
- Hair Analysis
- Halitosis
- Hand Grip Strength
- Hand Strength
- Hand Tremor
- Hands
- Hay Fever
- Headache
- Health Insurance
- Healthcare Professionals
- Healthy Diet
- Hearing
- Heart
- Heart Disease
- Heart Failure
- Heat
- Heatstroke
- Heatwave
- Hereditary
- Histimine
- Homeopathy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Hormones
- Hospital
- Hot or Cold Extremities
- Hydrocortisone
- Hydrotherapy
- Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
- Hypermobile Joints
- Hypermobility
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hypersensitivities
- Hypersomnia
- Hypertension
- Hypocortisolaemia
- Hypoglycaemia
- Hyponatraemia
- Hypoperfusion
- Hypotension
- Hypothalamic
- Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis
- Hypothalamus
- Hypothyroidism
Questions in the Category: Hypersensitivities
Allodynia – increased sensitivity to touch and movement
I have just been told that as part of ME I have a condition called allodynia which, as I understand it, affects the brain and nerves. As a result, my brain is detecting pain which is often caused by touch or sometimes movement. The painkillers that I'm currently taking – ibuprofen and paracetamol – don't really help. Is allodynia more common in people with ME? And are there any other drug treatments that I could try? I should add that I also suffer from occasional migraine-type headaches.
NHS: In-patient services
We are elderly parents (both in our late sixties) who have been looking after a daughter with moderate to severe ME/CFS for the past 20 years. Like many people severely affected she is not receiving any care from a hospital-based ME/CFS services and she only receives very occasional visits from the GP – who admits that she has no idea about how to manage people with severe ME/CFS. We have, however, been fortunate in obtaining some good social care support.
We are becoming increasingly concerned about the overall state of our daughter’s health and having discussed this with the GP who agrees that she requires a thorough medical re-assessment. The problem is that the local ME/CFS service does not carry out domiciliary (home-based) visits and they don't have any in-patient beds for assessment or management of people with severe ME/CFS.
The GP is willing to make a referral outside our local area but does not know of anywhere suitable. We would also be willing to pay for a private hospital if we were sure that this would be suitable. Are you able to help?
Dr Charles Shepherd
Dr Shepherd has been Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association for more than 40 years. He is integral to the charity's activities and provides information and support based on his professional knowledge, personal experience as a doctor with ME/CFS, and the understanding gained from helping many thousands of people with the condition. He was a member of the comittee responsible for the 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline and is a recognised expert on ME/CFS in the UK. His knowledge extends to Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes (PVFS), Myalgic Encephalopathy/Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long Covid.
If you have questions about ME/CFS or Long Covid, you can:
- Review the free information in the What is ME/CFS section of the website, and the free Covid-19 and Long Covid information in the website shop.
- Review the largest range of literature covering all aspects of living with ME/CFS. Download detailed information about symptoms, diagnosis, management, co-mordidities, employment, education, related health conditions, The 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline, welfare benefits etc.
- Join the ME Association as a member and you'll receive the highly-rated ME Essential magazine, and you can ask questions of the charity’s expert advisers including Dr Shepherd.
- Contact us via the ME Connect Telephone Helpline (open 365 days a year) and speak to one of the national team of fully-trained volunteers who waiting to provide information and support.
- Contact us via email or social media:
Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor‘ series featured in the highly-regarded member’s magazine, ME Essential, and in the healthcare professional magazine, ME Medical. Both are produced by the ME Association and published as hard-copy magazines every 3 months and sent to members and healthcare professionals by post to home or business addresses.
If you are a Health Care Professional you can sign-up to receive ME Medical magazine (people with ME/CFS can also nominate their HCP by completing the sign-up form).