Published on Friday 20 January 2012 12:15
WHAT it is like to have an illness which makes sufferers feel so tired
they can=92t put one foot in front of the other, or even drink a glass
of water, and which many doctors don=92t believe even exists, is
examined in a new two part BBC ALBA documentary: An Sgiths Nimheil
(The Toxic Tiredness).
ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), also known as Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome, now affects around 250,000 people in the UK =96 including a
number of islanders =96 but medical opinion remains split over its
cause.
It is characterised by severe fatigue that can leave sufferers unable
to continue with normal life.
Some claim its roots are purely physical, occurring post-virally,
others believe that psychological triggers are involved.
The truth is unclear and there are wide divisions between the
different schools of though, all explored through the new Trusadh
documentary.
The first show focuses on five people who have ME, finding out the
impact the illness has on their lives and their quest for respite =96
Allison MacColl, a nurse and mother from Lewis; Sean Ankers, a
divinity student from Inverness; Neil MacLean, a policeman originally
from Lewis but no living in Easter Ross; Kim Ayres, a photographer and
entrepreneur from Dumfries; and author Nasim Marie Jafry.
The second programme takes a closer look at the scientific debate
behind the frustrating uncertain world of ME and its treatments,
exploring the work of David Michel, a Scottish doctor who believes he
has found the =91cure=92 for MR though a talking therapy which addresses
an imbalance in the emotional centre of the brain.
Although he has no scientific proof, he claims a positive success rate.
The Trusadh team follow Allison and Kim as they undergo Mickel=92s
controversial therapy, as well as hearing a very different perspective
on the illness from neurologist Prof. Peter Behan, who has carried out
ground-breaking studies on ME at the Southern General Hospital in
Glasgow.
Trusadh =96 ME: An Sgiths Nimheil / The Toxic Tiredness begins on
Monday, January 23 and concludes the following week, Monday, January
30, on BBC ALBA.
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