Last week, the BBC broadcast a radio documentary and publsihed an article about the Lightning Process, the controversial mind-body training program that claims to be able to cure ME/CFS and Long Covid. The BBC did a good job, as I noted in a post today. 

If you'd like me to continue with my project, please donate to this month's crowdfunding. With a week to go, the goal is within reach. Here's the link: https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/42302

PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW. THAT GOES TO A PREVIOUS AND COMPLETED CAMPAIGN.

It's always worth taking a moment to appreciate when a crowdfunding campaign has met more than half of the goal. That's already an achievement! In my experience, that moment usually occurs about two-thirds of the way into the month--like about now. We'll see what happens from here on out. Thanks to all past, present and future donors!!!

To donate to this month's campaign, here's the link:

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/42302

PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW. THAT GOES TO A PREVIOUS AND COMPLETED CAMPAIGN.

It's been eight years since I launched Trial By Error with a 15,000-word investigation of the PACE trial, and six years since I began crowdfunding donations to Berkeley so I could continue to pursue the project. I have been honored to be able to do this work, and overwhelmed by the support I have received and continue to receive. I am not aware of another example of an academic position at a major research university being supported solely by crowdfunding--so it seems to be a unique arrangement. 

If you'd like to donate to the current campaign and help me to keep backing against the continuing flow of nonsense still being published in this domain, please use this link:  

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/40018

DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! THAT'S A DEFAULT LINK THAT GOES TO A PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN.

Thanks much!--David

As in past campaigns, the most donations by far--156--have come from the UK, with the US a distant second with 102. Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands are next, with 68, 29, and 16 donations, respectively. And there's one donation from Jordan! 

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THIS LINK:

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/37217

DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! 

Thanks much for the support!--David

I am always really touched by the support, especially because there are many more ME-related efforts seeking funding than when I began crowdfunding six years ago. I had thought about ending a year or so ago but decided to continue for a bit longer when I saw how the same folks I had been arguing with over ME and CFS were now trying to dominate the long Covid debate.

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THIS LINK:

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/37217

DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! THAT'S A DEFAULT LINK THAT GOES TO A PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN

Thanks much! It has meant a lot to me that I have been able to continue with this project for the last few years through the generosity of the patient and advocacy communities.--David

Last week I was focused on my presentations at Cambridge. This week, I've been focused on Professor Esther Crawley's missing corrections. Here is my latest letter to the Health Research Authority regarding this matter. I am now following up with the relevant journals to find out if they have any record of correspondence regarding these corrections, which were requested by a joint report from the HRA and the University of Bristol.

I am always amazed at the generosity of patients and carers (and interested others) in supporting my work. If you would still like to donate to this month's campaign, here's the link:

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/33528

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to a previously completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

I spoke at Cambridge yesterday but there was no video to post afterwards because of recording glitches. So i'm doing it again today! If interested, here's the link.

I love doing this work. That's why I keep crowdfunding in order to be able to continue the project. If you'd like me to continue my efforts to debunk poor science, please consider a donation, which are tax-deductible in the US and in Canada. 

Here's the link:

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/33528

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to a previously completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Month-long crowdfunding campaigns are real slogs. They slow to a crawl mid-way through and tend to pick up pace in the last week or so. We'll see if that's the case again this time. 

For those following the ongoing saga of Professor Esther Crawley, Bristol University's methodologically, ethically and factually challenged pediatrician and grant magnet, here's my latest update on her seven missing corrections. Bristol has delayed responding to questions from the Health Research Authority. So what happened here? Did the dog eat Professor Crawley's corrections?

If you'd like me to continue my efforts to debunk poor science, please consider supporting my Berkeley project again this month, to cover January through June of 2023. Donations are tax-deductible in the US and in Canada. Here's the link:

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/33528

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to a previously completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

I started this project in 2015 with a 15,000-word investigation of the piece of nonsense known as the PACE trial of treatments for ME/CFS. PACE has been pretty authoritatively discredited, but the authors and their powerful allies refuse to accept the science and the facts. They continue to reject the public repudiation of their work, and they're seeking to revive the same treatment approach for long Covid. That's bad news for everyone. 

If you'd like to support April's Trial By Error crowdfunder and have put it off, here's the link--and thank you!: 

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/31347

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to a previously completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Thanks so much for being a past supporter! This is a tough time to be crowdfunding and I wasn't sure what to expect, so I'm humbled to have reached 60% of the goal--with nine days still remaining. Even though leading health agencies in both the US and now the UK have rejected the shoddy research into psychological and behavioral treatments for ME/CFS, the GET/CBT ideological brigades are not giving up. 

They are seeking to revive their failed psychosocial approach in the face of long Covid. That's bad news for ME/CFS as well as long Covid patients. So I'm continuing the project for the next academic year, with that issue in my sights, among others. 

If you would like to read more and support Trial By Error again, here's the link--and thank you!: 

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/31347

TO DONATE TO THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to a previously completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Thanks so much for being a past supporter of the Trial By Error project!! I am planning to continue the project for one more academic year after this one--through June, 2023. This month's campaign will cover the costs from July through December of this year.

With the month half over, the campaign has almost reached 50% of the goal. The funds go to Berkeley's Center for Global Public Health and cover the costs of my academic position. This project is my sole job responsibility at Berkeley. I would prefer to be able to support my work through standard academic funding streams but that just hasn't been possible. 

This week I wrote about what looks like something of a "PACE Rehabilitation Tour"--the latest efforts by the PACE investigators to rehabilitate their reputations and promote the CBT/GET treatment approach for long Covid patients--even though it has been discredited for ME/CFS. The efforts to psychologize long Covid patients is terrible news not only for them but for ME patients as well and demonstrates that much work remains to be done. 

If you would like to support Trial By Error again, here's the link: 

crowdfund.berkeley.edu/tbe 

TO DONATE, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to last fall's completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Thanks so much for being a past supporter of the Trial By Error project!! I am planning to continue the project for one more academic year after this one--through June, 2023. This month's campaign will cover the costs from July through December of this year.

With the month half over, the campaign has almost reached 50% of the goal. The funds go to Berkeley's Center for Global Public Health and cover the costs of my academic position. This project is my sole job responsibility at Berkeley. I would prefer to be able to support my work through standard academic funding streams but that just hasn't been possible. 

This week I wrote about what looks like something of a "PACE Rehabilitation Tour"--the latest efforts by the PACE investigators to rehabilitate their reputations and promote the CBT/GET treatment approach for long Covid patients--even though it has been discredited for ME/CFS. The efforts to psychologize long Covid patients is terrible news not only for them but for ME patients as well and demonstrates that much work remains to be done. 

If you would like to support Trial By Error again, here's the link: 

 https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/31347

TO DONATE, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to last fall's completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Thanks so much for being a past supporter of the Trial By Error project!!

This month's campaign has reached 20% of the goal. The funds go to Berkeley's Center for Global Public Health and cover the costs of my position. I would definitely prefer to have been able to find support for my work through standard academic channels and funding streams.

Trial By Error is dedicated to exposing problematic research on ME (including ME/CFS, CFS, etc), and so-called "medically unexplained symptoms." I have also been reporting on long Covid, since the folks who brought you the GET/CBT approach for ME are trying to do the same with this worldwide phenomenon. 

I had thought of winding down this project after the release last October of the new ME/CFS guidelines from the UK's National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, which rescinded the previous CBT/GET recommendations. But the efforts to psychologize and impose the CBT/GET regimen on long Covid patients is terrible news not only for them but for ME patients as well. I'm doing my best to reveal the flaws in this research as well as ongoing ME research and make sure the focus is on proper science.

If you would like to support Trial By Error again, here's the link: 

https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/31347

TO DONATE, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to last fall's completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Hi, Everyone--

Thanks much for your past support for my Trial By Error project, which focuses on ME, CFS, ME/CFS, so-called "medically unexplained symptoms," and related issues--and on exposing poor quality research in these domains. 

October is again crowdfunding month at Berkeley. If you would like to support Trial By Error again, here's the link:

 https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/27513

TO DONATE, PLEASE USE THE ABOVE LINK!

(DO NOT CLICK ON THE "READ UPDATE" BUTTON BELOW! That default button is automatically included in this message and will take you to last fall's completed campaign--not to the page for donating now.)

Thanks much for your support!--David

Hi, everyone--Thanks so much for your support this time around--the crowdfunding reached the goal this morning! I am very gratified to be able to focus on work again. 

At this point, I am urging anyone who is still in a mood to donate before the end of April--that is, by Friday night--to think about also supporting Dr Keith Geraghty. Keith is a colleague and friend writing terrific, peer-reviewed analyses of low-quality research from the biopsychosocial ideological brigades. His work has also been essential in the ongoing debunking of PACE and the CBT/GET paradigm. You can see his crowdfunding campaign here:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/keithgeraghty

Thanks again!--David