@davetuller1.bsky.social
Senior Fellow in Public Health and Journalism, Center for Global Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. I blog at Virology Blog (virology.ws). My academic position is largely funded by donations from patients. davetuller@berkeley.edu
What's up with the GPs in Australia? They keep promoting GET as if the PACE trial were actually not a fraudulent, discredited piece of crap! virology.ws/2026/03/09/t...
The British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS issued a "therapy guide" last year. Very unsatisfactory. Professor Jonathan Edwards and colleagues have responded in an open letter. I spoke with Professor Edwards about it. virology.ws/2026/02/20/t...
The book Invisible Illness has caused a bit of a stir among many patients. Here are some further thoughts on the controversy.
virology.ws/2026/02/16/t...
A few things I've read recently: Maryland supports Long Covid research, @anilvanderzee.bsky.social on CBT in the Netherlands, and thoughts on hope and chronic illness:
virology.ws/2026/02/11/t...
I do think there's a difference between US and UK on this. CBT is not the be-all and end-all in US. It seems in UK all talk therapy is called CBT. Here, we just talk about "therapy" as short hand for counseling, talk psychotherapy, etc. "I'm in therapy." No one asks about CBT.
Yes, I understand that that's what people with these diagnoses get. but that wasn't really what I was referring to, which was the sort of supportive CBT referenced in the 2021 NICE guidelines.
As I mentioned, I haven't read the whole book at this point and was only rsponding to the sections that involved me, so I could explain my role in that. I realize that concerns had been raised about the content overall.
Yes, I understand that. I meant regular coping CBT and not PACE-style CBT.
Here's my take on some of the debate over Invisible Illness, the new medical anthropology book that has triggered debates and controversy. This post examines the back and forth over the chapter that includes PACE and the history of the creation of the CFS construct.
virology.ws/2026/02/01/t...
I've taken three weeks of medical leave because of bruised ribs sustained in a fall on the pavement. I'm slowly trying to get back to work and catch up. Here's an insightful and moving piece someone sent me about living with severe ME.
virology.ws/2026/01/27/t...
This is an extremely disturbing situation. I am familiar with legal noises from this cohort of people. How awful. I've been totally out of commission with a back injury the last two weeks so just becoming aware of this mess...
What is this thing about the U.S. being "the hottest country in the world"? It's preposterous. What the fuck does that even mean? Hottest on what metric? By whose assessment other than Trump's??
it's so hard to know from individual cases whether chronological events mean they're causative. It's possible it could be great for one person and awful for another. I think there might have been a question of short-term apparent benefit followed by long-term negative impact. But very hard to know.
Remarkably, Alem Matthees, the Australian patient whose freedom of information request liberated the raw data from the PACE TRIAL, has reported some improvements in his condition: virology.ws/2026/01/02/t...
The medical field still hasn't figured out what to call illnesses defined by symptoms whose pathophysiology remains unclear, or even what they are, but nonetheless insists that multidisciplinary interventions are the way to go: virology.ws/2025/12/31/t...
This was originally just for German and Austrian research, right? Are they planning to expand further??
Oh my! I wrote about a dozen or more pieces for NYT over the XMRV situation back 15 years ago...
but at least normally those receiving an intervention after randomization are given information about the intervention. In this case, the participants are being told it's "standard" treatment.
Can you actually lie to participants in a clinical trial and still pass ethical review? It seems so, at least at Western University in Ontario, Canada. virology.ws/2025/12/11/t...
Some things I've read recently: Australian aboriginals and Long COVID, Medscape on LC and ME/CFS disability claims, Stanford Medicine magazine profile of Ron Davis @croakeynews.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @janetdafoe.bsky.social
virology.ws/2025/12/05/t...
In recent @jamanetworkopen.com exercise study with clinically insiginficant findings, all participants scored way below healthy adults--a major fact overlooked by the paper. Also, @thesicktimes.org reports on exercise trials. virology.ws/2025/11/25/t...
Why do these people keep promoting exercise studies with reported benefits that do not reach the threshold for clinical significance? Here's another one of these, from @jamanetworkopen.com: virology.ws/2025/11/21/t...
Someone asked me yesterday if they could still donate to the crowdfunder even though it technically ended Friday night and they missed the deadline. Yes! Berkeley has left the link open until midnight tonight, California time, for just this reason.
crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
Yes, it's excellent! I've just seen it. Thanks to @mecfsskeptic.bsky.social for applying his usual care in highlighting @bmhughes.bsky.social's key points!!!
Berkeley's crowdfunding campaign for Trial By Error, which investigates problematic psycho-behavioral research involving ME, ME/CFS, Long COVID, etc., has reached 98% of the goal, with one day remaining:
crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
Thanks for flagging it @drfionac.bsky.social. For those interested, Berkeley's crowdfunding campaign for Trial By Error has reached 98% of the goal, with 500+ donations and one day remaining. crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
With several days left to go, the current Berkeley crowdfunder for Trial By Error has received 400 donations! The support is greatly appreciated!!
crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
For the first time, Berkeley's Trial By Error crowdfunding campaign has reached 50% of the goal right at the 15-day half-way point. Most times, it's at about a third at this point. If you'd like to donate, here's the link:
crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
For several years, I have spent my time busting terrible and even fraudulent research into ME, ME/CFS, Long COVID, etc. If this crowdfunding works out, I will do one more in the spring and then retire from Berkeley. If you'd like to support my work, here's how: crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
Dutch Paper on Medical Abuse of Kids Ignores NICE Guidance on ME/CFS-Related Safeguarding Issues
virology.ws/2025/10/20/t...