By David Tuller, DrPH
Sander Zurhake is an investigative reporter for Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), a major Dutch broadcasting organization. On May 30th, NOS released television, radio and online reports about the potential harms of psycho-behavioral treatments for children with ME/CFS. In particular, the stories focused on the kind of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT, although rendered CGT in Dutch) offered to these patients, which also involves encouraging them to gradually increase their activity levels.
The stories triggered a detailed response and charges of inaccuracy from the Dutch Association for Pediatrics (NVK). The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (VGCt) also issued a statement of concern. Zurhake offered robust rebuttals to these complaints (here and here). Most recently, more than 100 doctors, psychologists and other health care providers released an open letter in support of Zurhake’s reporting.
I recently spoke with Zurhake about his work on this story and the pushback he received.
Very well done.
Zurhake is extremely well informed about the situation of ME patients in the Netherlands and a very sharp observer since a number of years.
NOS is the national broadcast https://over.nos.nl/organisatie/about-nos/ and the impact of its broadcast great
Excellent, what a great achievement.
I’d be interested to know if CBT/GET adherents have already pushed back with the White et al 2023 “anomalies” paper or could they be keeping that one in reserve?
Thank you, Mr. Zurhake, for your interest in ME/CFS and for your diligent work, courage and integrity. All your efforts on behalf of ME/CFS patients are greatly appreciated.
Thank you Sander!!! This is fantastic news as word will get back to English speaking countries and journalists about it, and hopefully we will see some of them have the same courage and bravery of Sander. Although credit also to George Monbiot in the UK who did a fantastic job too, and Maeve’s father Sean O’Neill a journalist at The Times (Sadly his daughter Maeve died due to the disease not being taken seriously).
I’d like to see a full length documentary on the subject in the UK and US on Netflix or another streaming platform. Including patients who were put through these draconian backward psycho-behavioral treatments and disbelief that harmed patients and stalled research. Maeve, needs honoured too.
And how that this medical malfeasance on a mass scale, also meant Long Covid patients who suddenly all landed into a world of the same absurd pseudo science advice, and actual suggestions of “mass hysteria” by the likes of that clown Michael Sharpe who simply can’t accept he’s wrong (he’s the one who needs therapy to treat his damaged ego!). Unbelievable all that happened in today’s so called modern medicine profession.
Thanking David too for all your work too … collecting and correlating all the information from patients but also your own deep dives into the subject over all these many years, that Sander was able to use. Credit where credit is due, as Sander recognised that too.
https://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2025/07/genetic-constants-in-dna-and-rna-6.html