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.
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Questions in the Category: Research
Research into ME/CFS – Time for more joined-up thinking?
I am pleased to see increasing levels of research into ME/CFS with lots of papers being published. But is there one site or institution that is pulling all these findings together and monitoring this research to confirm that the methods being used are robust and valid.
What I’m reading appears to be lots of fragmented research studies with no forward-looking strategy and a lack of joined-up thinking. Does a research strategy exist anywhere? We also need to know what has been studied and didn’t show anything significant.
Why does the MEA refer to ME as a complex multisystem disease?
The MEA often refers to ME as being a chronic and complex multisystem disease that involves the brain, muscle and immune system. Can you explain what this means in simple language.
Mitochondrial dysfunction
I keep reading about research into what is called mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS and how this may help to explain why people with ME/CFS have a constantly flat energy battery. So what are mitochondria? And are any of the researchers looking at treatments that could improve mitochondrial function?
Acetylcysteine
Please could you tell me whether there is any value in taking an N-acetylcysteine supplement? A friend with ME has told me that this is a drug that helps with brain fog. But I’d like to know if there is any actual science behind these claims.
What is the best general anaesthetic for a person with ME/CFS?
I am due to go into hospital later in the year to have a major operation that will obviously involve a general anaesthetic. I have a copy of your excellent ‘Going into Hospital’ information pack and the new MEA information leaflet covering anaesthetics. I have read elsewhere that there are general anaesthetics that people with ME should avoid having and others which may be more appropriate to use. Why is there no guidance on specific anaesthetics in your leaflet?
What is a pre-print research paper?
Thank you for the way in which you publish new research papers on the MEA website – along with explanations about what has been found in non-scientific language. A growing number of these papers are called pre-prints and I see that the results of the DecodeME research have been published as a pre-print. Can you explain what a pre-print is and how it differs from a normal research publication?
The DHSC Delivery Plan – Why won’t the government provide any funding for referral services or research?
I listened to the excellent speech from Tessa Munt in the House of Commons debate on ME/CFS. It’s perfectly clear that all the well-meaning words in the DHSC Delivery Plan are of very little use if there isn’t going to be any new money for either the specialist referral services or for research. Why is this?
Can nimodipine be used to treat ME/CFS?
I know that nimodipine, a drug that dilates blood vessels, has been used by some doctors in the past to treat ME but this no longer appears to be the case. In view of some of the recent research into both ME/CFS and Long Covid, which indicates that part of the problem may involve reduced blood supply to the brain, I wonder whether this is a drug that we should be looking at again.
DecodeME results – Quick answers to four common questions
a) Have the researchers found a specific gene for ME?
b) Do the genetic markers that have been found cause ME?
c) Are people with ME born with these genetic markers?
d) Do these results mean that we can now find a drug treatment for the underlying disease process in ME/CFS – instead of just managing symptoms?
Does the MEA fund research that involves the use of Animals?
I understand that there may be some research into ME/CFS and Long Covid being undertaken or planned that involves the use of experiments that use mice. Does the MEA Ramsay Research Fund support or fund any research that involves the use of animals?
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.
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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).