By David Tuller, DrPH Emily Mendenhall’s new book, Invisible Illness: A History from Hysteria to Long COVID, has caused a bit of an uproar in some circles. Mendenhall, a medical anthropologist at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., covers a range of what she calls “complex chronic illnesses,” including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and so on. …
Trial By Error: More on the Controversy over Invisible Illness Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH My rib injury sidelined me for a month. Now that I’m mostly better, I’ve been trying to get back up to speed and catch up with lots of lots of reading (and some viewing). Here are a few items that caught my eye. Maryland seeks to boost Long COVID research, per …
By David Tuller, DrPH While I was on medical leave for the last few weeks, the fascist regime’s brownshirts executed two people protesting the military occupation of Minneapolis. (It seems important to make that point before anything else.) Of course, other stuff has been happening too. In the domain of common interest here, a new …
Trial By Error: New Medical Anthropology Book on Chronic Illness Triggers Controversy Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH I’ve been totally out of commission for three weeks while recovering from bruised ribs sustained in a fall. I have devoted most of my time trying to find sitting and lying positions that did not cause excruciating pain. That part is over, and I’m slowly getting back to work and catching …
Trial By Error: An Essay on Living with Severe ME Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH In recent months, one of the most high-profile people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)—Australian Alem Matthees—has reported significant improvement in his condition. He is still bed-bound, and is still not speaking. This is not, by any means, “recovery.” Nonetheless, the change in Alem’s ability to read, consume information and communicate …
Trial By Error: My Unexpected E-Mail Exchange with Alem Matthees Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH As part of its December issue, Future Healthcare Journal, sponsored by the UK’s Royal College of Physicians, has published a special section called “Challenging Myths: Debunking Functional Disorders.” The special section title itself creates confusion. In what way are functional disorders being “debunked”? I assume the idea is to debunk the …
Trial By Error: Journal Publishes Confusing Section on “Enduring Symptoms” Read More »
