'The Work' of Byron Katie is a way of identifying and questioning the thoughts that cause all the fear, violence, depression, frustration, and suffering in the world. Experience the happiness of undoing those thoughts through The Work, and allow your mind to return to its true, awakened, peaceful, creative nature.
This is not 'a cure' for ME/CFS but a method of enquiry and working with yourself to assist in giving you the highest quality of life possible. ME/CFS often beckons us to places previously unexplored, and Katie's method is one avenue that can lead us to deeper understanding of how we relate with ourselves, others and the world around us.
(NaturalNews) CDC researcher Poul Thorsen, who famously headed up the "Denmark Study" that many claim disproved any link between autism and vaccines, has been indicted in Atlanta by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud, money laundering and defrauding research institutions of grant money.
Poul Thorson is a scientist who formerly worked for the CDC, and over the last several years, he oversaw millions of dollars in grant money that was used to conduct research to "prove" that vaccines have no link to autism. Dr. Thorson's research papers include the famous "Danish Study" entitled Thimerosal and the occurrence of autism: negative ecological evidence from Danish population-based data. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...)
This paper concludes that thimerosal, the mercury-based preservative used in vaccines around the world, has no statistically significant link to autism. It is one of the key papers used by vaccination proponents who argue that thimerosal is safe to inject into young children. That Poul Thorson's credibility is now being called into question by a federal indictment of fraud and money laundering will, of course, have ripple effects throughout both the vaccine industries and autism support groups (more about that below).
Be sure to see our "Web of Alleged Fraud" chart which accompanies this article: http://www.naturalnews.com/files/We...
Follow the money
According to the official announcement of the indictment, Thorsen was awarded grant money by the CDC as far back as the 1990s. He arranged for the grant money to be awarded to an entity in Denmark, where he provided "input and guidance" for the research projects.
From 2000 to 2009, the CDC awarded $11 million in grant money to two Denmark government agencies to study, among other things, the possible link between vaccines and autism. In 2002, Thorsen moved to Denmark and became the "principal investigator" for the grant money, responsible for administering the research money that the CDC awarded.
But here's where things get interesting: According to the Dept. of Justice, Thorsen began allegedly stealing grant money by submitting fraudulent expense documents that were supposedly related to the Danish study. These fraudulent expense documents were given to the Danish government, Aarhus University and Odense University Hospital, the institutions involved in the research.
From February 2004 through June 2008, says the DOJ indictment, Thorsen allegedly submitted over a dozen fraudulent invoices requesting reimbursement for expenses that were fabricated. Interestingly, these allegedly fraudulent invoices were signed by a laboratory section chief at the CDC, indicating that someone inside the CDC was either duped by Thorsen or potentially involved in the alleged fraud.
What was Thorsen claiming in these allegedly fraudulent invoices requesting reimbursement? He claimed that a CDC laboratory had conducted work in conjunction with the research and was owed funds out of the grant money. These invoices were then handed over to Aarhus University, where Thorsen held a faculty position. Aarhus then transferred "hundreds of thousands of dollars to bank accounts held at the CDC Federal Credit Union in Atlanta," says the DOJ.
But here's the clever part: Those bank accounts were not official CDC accounts at all. They were allegedly private bank accounts belonging to none other than Dr. Poul Thorsen.
Once the money was transferred into Thorsen's private accounts, Thorsen "allegedly withdrew it for his own personal use, buying a home in Atlanta, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and Audi and Honda vehicles, and obtaining numerous cashier's checks, from the fraud proceeds," says the DOJ.
According to government documents, Dr. Poul Thorsen, one of the key researchers in "disproving" any link between vaccines and autism, allegedly defrauded the scientific research community of over one million dollars.
See the chart we've assembled for this to help show you the web of money and influence at work here:
http://www.naturalnews.com/files/We...
Aarhus distances itself from Thorsen
More details are revealed through a statement issued in January by Aarhus University, which sought to sever its ties with Thorsen. It says, "Unfortunately, a considerable shortfall in funding at Aarhus University associated with the CDC grant was discovered. In investigating the shortfalls associated with the grant, DASTI and Aarhus University became aware of two alleged CDC funding documents as well as a letter regarding funding commitments allegedly written by Randolph B. Williams of CDC's Procurement Grants Office which was used to secure advances from Aarhus University. Upon investigation by CDC, a suspicion arose that the documents are forgeries." (http://www.rescuepost.com/files/tho...)
This letter goes on to state that Dr Thorsen was essentially hoodwinking others into thinking he was still a faculty member at Aarhus University:
In March 2009, Dr. Thorsen resigned his faculty position at Aarhus University. In the meantime, it has come to the attention of Aarhus University that Dr Thomsen has continued to act in such a manner as to create the impression that he still retains a connection to Aarhus University after the termination of his employment by the university. Furthermore, it has come to the attention of Aarhus University that Dr Poul Thorsen has held full-time positions at both Emory University and Aarhus University simultaneously. Dr Thorsen's double Full-time employment was unauthorised by Aarhus University, and he engaged in this employment situation despite the express prohibition of Aarhus University.
The federal indictment against Thorsen
Today, Thorsen is facing 13 counts of wire fraud and 9 counts of money laundering. NaturalNews spoke with the Department of Justice and confirmed that extradition proceedings are under way to bring Thorsen to the United States from Denmark, although no particular timetable for that extradition has been announced.
Thorsen now faces up to 260 years in prison from the wire fraud charges, and up to an additional 90 years in prison for the money laundering charges, plus a total of $22.5 million in possible fines. In addition, the federal indictment also contains a so-called "forfeiture provision" which seeks the forfeiture of the personal property Dr. Thorsen allegedly purchased with money he stole from the CDC's grant activities: A house in Atlanta, two cars and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Stephen H. McClain and Michael J. Brown, both out of the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta). This Atlanta office has a well-known reputation for going after crooks, regardless of the political implications. This is the same office, for example, that indicted Atlanta's own mayor for corruption and tax charges in 2004 (http://www.justice.gov/tax/usaopres...).
The prosecuting attorney for that case, Sally Quillian Yates, is the same attorney contributing to this case. She said of Thorsen: "Grant money for disease research is a precious commodity. When grant funds are stolen, we lose not only the money, but also the opportunity to better understand and cure debilitating diseases. This defendant is alleged to have orchestrated a scheme to steal over $1 million in CDC grant money earmarked for autism research. We will now seek the defendant’s extradition for him to face federal charges in the United States."
Understand what is being alleged here: That Thorsen stole taxpayer dollars intended for medical research, then pocketed them in his own private bank accounts and used the money to buy luxury items for his personal use. This is a man with a history of strong ties to the CDC, research universities and medical journals. This is a person whose research has been widely quoted by the vaccine apologists who say vaccines are safe. And now, in the midst of all this, how many mainstream newspapers do you see covering Thorsen's indictment and his ties to the CDC? Virtually none.
This is the great untold story of an alleged criminal ring operating inside the CDC, with the purpose of falsifying research that would "disprove" any links between vaccines and toxic side effects.
The upshot of all this
What you read above are the facts of the case. What you're about to read is my own opinion analysis as the editor of NaturalNews. While I spoke with the U.S. Attorney's Office on these matters, what you're about to read are my own opinions, not theirs.
For starters, given that the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the American Journal of Epidemiology and many other medical journals have published Dr. Thorsen's work, will they retract his scientific papers now that he has been indicted for fraud and money laundering?
Or do the medical journals only retract papers only from those whose research suggests that vaccines do, in fact, have a link to intestinal disorders and neurological problems in children? Remember, of course, that the conventional medical industry almost couldn't wait to denounce Dr. Andrew Wakefield's research, based on only the flimsiest of allegations which don't even stand up to basic scrutiny. And yet when one of their own "insider" scientists like Dr. Poul Thorsen is indicted for fraud and money laundering, they don't question the integrity of his scientific research in the least. In fact, the CDC is now publicly defending his research! His research is still openly cited on the CDC's own website! (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/ar...)
So don't hold your breath waiting for the medical journals to denounce Dr. Thorsen's research. His so-called "scientific findings" are such an important cornerstone in the false "scientific" evidence dispelling any link between vaccines and autism that they would probably let his research stand even if he was convicted of rape, murder and incest. No criminal is too criminal for the medical journals, it seems -- especially if his conclusions support the vaccine industry.
Secondly, did you notice that the allegedly falsified invoices submitted by Dr. Thosen to Aarhus University were signed off by a CDC lab section chief? Someone inside the CDC, in other words, was enabling Dr. Thorsen to allegedly engage in this fraud. The question is: Was this person a co-conspirator?
To answer all this, you have to keep one thing in perspective: During the years of 2006 - 2008 when all this alleged fraud was taking place, the vaccine industry was under increasing attack by scientists who questioned their safety. The evidence linking vaccines with autism and gastrointestinal disorders was becoming increasingly evident and increasingly difficult to cover up. Dr. Julie Gerberding was at the help of the CDC, and she was no doubt trying to impress her future employers at Merck, where she is now the president of Merck's global vaccine division, having left the CDC the very next year following Dr. Thorsen's alleged money laundering scheme.
Question: Did the CDC actively enable and support Dr. Thorsen's alleged fraud in order to "pay him off" for falsifying the research that would supposedly disprove any link between vaccines and autism? And was this being masterminded by Dr. Julie Gerberding as part of her effort to prove her loyalty to Merck, where she now runs the global vaccine division?
Consider the ties here: Dr. Poul Thorsen used to have a CDC email address (pct9@cdc.gov). He was on the CDC payroll and spoke at CDC events. He had a private bank account at the CDC Credit Union!
Dr. Thorsen had enough pull with the CDC to get his pet grant project approved, even to the point of having the money wired overseas to a university in Denmark where -- guess what? -- he just happened to be a faculty member with "oversight" of where the money went. For Dr. Thorsen to have pulled off his alleged fraud, he would have needed help from inside the CDC -- from the "lab section chief" who signed his invoices that were submitted to Aarhus University for "reimbursement." Those funds, of course, were then allegedly used by Dr. Thorsen to purchase a home, cars and a motorcycle, among other things.
Was Thorsen a patsy for a larger scheme?
I see two possibilities here: Either the CDC conspired with Dr. Thorsen, or they set him up to take the fall. Every great scam needs a fall guy, you see, and the vaccine industry's fraudulent scientific cover-up of the truth about vaccine dangers is one of the greatest scams ever pulled off in the history of human civilization. The CDC has its fingerprints all over this case, as a former employer of Thorsen, the source of the money (which is really taxpayer money, of course), and even the source of the "lab section chief" employee who allegedly helped make all this happen.
To believe that the CDC may have conspired with Dr. Thorsen is not even a stretch. The CDC, as we've already shown, is deeply in bed with the vaccine industry and the drug companies. That's why the former head of the CDC is now the president of Merck's vaccine division (http://www.naturalnews.com/027789_D...). It's also why the CDC urges everyone to "get vaccinated" at the first sign of a seasonal flu or an emerging epidemic. The pro-vaccine bias of the CDC has been blatant for years.
Other CDC scientists also involved in the fraud?
Writers Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill from the AgeOfAutism.com website have done additional research on this point, and they've found some solid evidence that should raise questions about the CDC's involvement in Thorsen's alleged fraud. As they published recently in an article entitled Poul Thorsen's Mutating Resume: (http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/03/...)
In addition, several current CDC employees including Drs. Diana Schendel, Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp and Catherine Rice were affiliated with Thorsen's now-defunct research group. Age of Autism has obtained Internet-archived pages from the Web site of the North Atlantic Neuro-Epidemiology Alliances (NANEA) that list the members of the “Atlanta autism team” including Schendel, Yeargin-Allsopp and Rice, all of whom have been in leadership positions in the CDC’s autism epidemiology projects. Schendel is described as NANEA’s “coordinator at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA.”
This article goes on to say, by the way, that Thorsen was also working with the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to alter the definition of "autism" in the DSM-V (the psychiatric industry's bible of diagnosis and treatment).
The CDC, of course, has downplayed the whole thing. It released a statement that attempted to characterize Poul Thorsen's alleged fraud as a "fiscal" matter, not something involving his science, as if to imply that a man can be a crook when it comes to his money, but an angel when it comes to his science.
They said:
"CDC is aware of the allegations by Aarhus University against Poul Thorsen, a Danish doctor who participated in CDC funded research. For the past 10 years, CDC has had a cooperative agreement with the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation (DASTI) and Aarhus University in Denmark to conduct research studies on issues such as cerebral palsy, autism, alcohol use in pregnancy and Down syndrome. Dr. Thorsen was one of many co-authors on these research projects. All of these were subject to extensive peer review and we have no reason to suspect that there are any issues related to the integrity of the science. The allegations that are fiscal in nature against Dr. Thorsen are being looked into by appropriate authorities."
(http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/03/...)
But the other possibility in all this is that someone inside the CDC wanted to protect the CDC's reputation from all the quackery and fraud they saw happening there. Perhaps they were clued in to Dr. Thorsen's alleged money laundering, and they were sick of it. Maybe they saw Dr. Gerberding collect a multi-million-dollar salary from Merck while the rest of the people were left behind at the CDC collecting government wages. This is conjecture, of course, but it seems reasonable to suppose that someone from within the CDC could be the whistleblower on all this.
And if that someone reads this, we want to hear from you. Feel free to leak internal documents to NaturalNews any time you want, through our public feedback form. We protect the identities of all our sources and we are interested in seeing justice served. If there is an element in the CDC that is knowingly engaged in criminal fraud and conspiracy, that elements needs to be exposed and removed from the CDC for the good of the entire institution. Otherwise, more of this kind of news will only come out in the years ahead, and the reputation of the CDC will only continue to plummet.
Don't think the world isn't noticing already: Just two years ago, the CDC's reputation was relatively high even among natural health practitioners. But after watching the CDC's behavior through these last couple of flu scares, more intelligent people now fully realize the CDC has become little more than a mouthpiece for the pharmaceutical industry. It was the CDC, after all, that helped hype up the Swine Flu scare that resulted in billions of taxpayer dollars being needlessly spent on vaccines which were mostly thrown away unused after the scare passed.
The DOJ earns street cred
The real hero in all this, it turns out, is the Department of Justice (DOJ). Rather than bowing to the profit interests of the vaccine industry, the DOJ is going after Dr. Poul Thorsen based solely on his alleged criminal behavior, not based on politics or science. It's refreshing to know that some elements of the federal government are actually doing good work. I've seen this before from the DOJ in its indictments of various pharmaceutical companies, and I continue to believe that the DOJ may be the last remaining hope for justice at the federal level.
I did tell my contact at the DOJ, however, that they should watch out for pressure from the vaccine industry. There will be efforts made, no doubt, to limit the exposure of this case to only Dr. Poul Thorsen and not involve any other CDC employees or officials. Honestly, in talking to the DOJ about this case, I think they vastly underestimate the level of commitment the drug companies have to their vaccine profit machine; meaning they also vastly underestimate the tactics that are traditionally used by these companies to limit their damage.
For example, most NaturalNews readers know full well that I've had multiple threats placed on my life, I've been stalked, I've been impersonated, and there have been assassination attempts made on other leaders in the natural health movement who have dared to question vaccines. What the DOJ doesn't know (but I hope they will soon realize) is that the drug companies will stop at nothing to get their way: They will poison your dog, hack your website, threaten your family, leave nasty notes in your mailbox, plant fake bombs under your car and do whatever else it takes to get you to back off.
I know that DOJ prosecutors and attorneys will be reading this, so let me share something with you that you need to know: When you go up against the pharmaceutical industry, you are doing battle with what is essentially organized crime. We're talking a modern-day mob here, and they will not hesitate to engaged in attempted bribery, corruption or threats of violence to get their way. If the DOJ begins to uncover a deeper connection between Thorsen, the CDC and the drug companies, beware of the backlash headed your way from both the industry and even the top folks in D.C. The depth of the fraud and crimes being committed right now in the pursuit of vaccine profits is nothing short of astonishing. We've reported on many here at NaturalNews, and yet we've just barely scratched the surface of the real story.
Even the vaccine pushers in the online world engage in precisely the same kind of criminal behavior; fixing online polls, creating robots to maliciously attack anti-vax websites, engaging in the widespread posting of false information, and so on. This is, of course, a reflection of the exact same psychopathic criminal-minded behavior found inside the vaccine industry itself -- an industry staffed by sick-minded human beings who belong in federal prison, not running research for the CDC.
As the editor of NaturalNews, I have publicly, on numerous occasions, called for the Department of Justice to investigate the CEOs of drug companies for fraud, racketeering and conspiracy. While this indictment of Dr. Poul Thorsen isn't all that, it's at least a step in the right direction that may help uncover the truth about what really goes on behind the scenes with taxpayer "research money."
How much vaccine research is based on outright fraud?
It also raises the question: How many other scientific researchers and grant money administrators are on the take, pocketing taxpayer dollars that were intended for research purposes? How many of these people falsify their research data in order to keep getting grant money injections into their private bank accounts? Just how deep does the collusion between the corrupt scientific community and the fraudulent vaccine industry really go?
And, of course, what is the CDC's role in all this? It has been one of the top cheerleaders for the vaccine industry for at least the past decade. Now, we are learning that a CDC section chief knowingly or unknowingly colluded with a physician and researcher who has now been indicted for fraud and money laundering. How high up the CDC does this alleged fraud really go?
I don't know the answer to that. But it's not that complicated to figure out, especially when CDC employees become Big Pharma vaccine employees, and vice-versa. It's all a giant government-corporate-medicine orgy where the scientific trust was abandoned long ago in favor of Big Pharma profits.
We'll do our best here at NaturalNews to find out the rest of this story and bring it to you. That's what we do. That's why we're the 4th largest alternative news website in the world (and growing every day). We bring you the news about the fraud and corruption in the pharmaceutical industry that most mainstream media sources won't dare touch. Subscribe to my free daily email newsletter to receive a daily email that I send out, containing links to the top stories you need to know about. It's free, so sign up now at: http://www.naturalnews.com/readerre...
By the way, I strongly recommend that you become a regular readers of www.AgeOfAutism.com which provides outstanding reporting on these issues. Make that sight one of your regular sources of information. You'll be amazed by what they are able to report.
Additional sources for this story include:
http://kerboblog.blogspot.com/2010/...
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...
http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/04/...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011...
Articles Related to This Article:
• Flu Vaccines, pharma fraud, quack science, the CDC and WHO -- all exposed by Richard Gale and Gary Null
• CDC Laboratories Revealed as Incapable of Accurate Count of H1N1 Influenza Infections, Deaths
• Former head of CDC lands lucrative job as president of Merck vaccine division (opinion)
• Thousands of Americans died from H1N1 even after receiving vaccine shots
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/032216_Thorsen_fraud.html#ixzz1KosMztVw
via ProHealth.com
by Justin Frankel and Jason Newfield, Attorneys at Law*
April 27, 2011
* Attorneys Justin Frankel and Jason Newfield head a disability insurance law firm (www.frankelnewfield.com) that: 1) Works with patients before they file long term disability benefit claims to negotiate medical, paperwork, and insurer minefields; and 2) Represents policyholders whose disability claims have been denied or delayed. They represent many claimants across the US with fibromyalgia (FM), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and other potentially disabling "invisible" illnesses.
Disability insurance is not like regular health insurance; claims for both involve paperwork and frustration, but disability insurance is spring-loaded with challenges, and offers a limited arena for appeals, along with a challenging landscape in litigation.
When the disability claims of people with 'invisible' illnesses hit the adjuster's desk, they are certainly red flagged. And so the challenging process begins. Here’s what you need to know to skirt the typical pitfalls.
Locate the original disability insurance policy issued when the policy was first purchased or secure a copy from your employer.
Policies change over time, and the policy purchased five years ago is not the same as those sold today. The policy serves as the governing document through the claims process and contains specific language that tells the insurance company and the Court what its legal obligations are.
Speak with your primary treating physician about filing a claim.
Unless your doctor has had patients who have gone through the disability claims process, it is not likely that he or she will know how to document your diagnosis to support a claim.
For a disability claim involving FM, ME/CFS, or indeed any chronic pain-related disease to succeed, it must address the restrictions and limitations of your occupational duties that exist as a result of your illness.
Medical records that state that a dentist can no longer work because of fibromyalgia will not support a claim. The records must include a detailed definition of the tasks required to perform the job: standing for extended periods, leaning over patients, working with hands while keeping head and neck at a particular position, maintaining focus and energy levels over extended periods of time.
It is not the diagnosis that makes a person disabled in the eye of the disability insurance adjuster – it is the restrictions and limitations that the condition causes.
It is very important that you and your doctor make a very clear distinction between physical and mental conditions.
Often, disability insurance companies will try to push a fibromyalgia or ME/CFS claim into the mental/nervous category so that they can limit and restrict payments.
If your medical records note that you are depressed because of the FM or ME/CFS, the disability insurance company may attempt to change your diagnosis to depression so they can limit your benefits.
The files that an insurance company uses to review claims are also the files used if your claim is denied - in preparing your file, they are preparing to defend a denial of claim.
Keep that in mind.
• Fill out the forms honestly and truthfully.
• Be specific about how many days a week you can conduct daily activities and how many you cannot.
• If the forms are not long enough, or if there is not enough room for details, make a note on the page that you are attaching pages containing more information.
Document every contact with the insurance company and representatives.
• Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with, and the details of the conversation.
• Send follow-up letters to confirm the conversation and include details.
• Keep a copy of everything you send and send everything by registered mail.
• Follow-up letters are often sent by the insurance company to document conversations. Don’t throw them in a pile – read them, and if they are not accurate, write back to correct them.
Insurance companies often use in-house medical staffers to contact treating physicians, review claims and build cases against the claimants.
A typical scenario is this:
• The medical staffer calls the doctor’s office, has a conversation discussing the claimant, then sends a letter to the doctor’s office confirming the conversation.
• The letter does not accurately represent the conversation that took place,
• And the letter contains a statement that indicates “unless we hear back from you by (a certain date), you accept the statements in the letter as fact.”
If you are unable to manage recording the correspondence and phone calls, have a trusted friend or a professional help you.
Tell the insurance company representative if another person will be on a phone call, and make sure any follow up letters include this information.
Be mindful of time limitations.
Your policy should clearly state when a claim must be filed. Many, but not all, policies have a 60-day filing.
• File all paperwork ahead of deadlines,
• Send everything by overnight registered mail,
• And stay as far ahead of deadlines as possible.
Keep your claim and your life off the web.
Insurance companies today monitor Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, forums, chat rooms and social networking sites.
• Use common sense - as long as you are in the claims process and while you are “on claim” (being paid benefits) keep the claims process and your illness private.
• Whatever is posted online is available to the insurance company and will be used against you.
Most policies require claimants to undergo an IME – Independent Medical Exam.
• Be aware that the doctor performing the examination is paid by the insurance company and is not independent at all.
• Many people drop their guard during an IME, believing that they are meeting with a doctor who is sympathetic to their situation. Don’t. (Courts are watching this conflict of interest carefully.)
If you are ordered to take a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE), be careful.
• Review your policy to determine whether or not it specifically requires this test. If the FCE is not in the policy, you are not required to take it.
• There is controversy surrounding it, because it can be dangerous. The FCE is used to test maximum effort.
• If you go for an FCE, don’t go alone.
• If you are asked to do anything that you know you cannot do without pain or discomfort, say no and do not perform the action.
• Document how you feel after the test and if possible, see your treating physician after the test for a follow-up evaluation.
Financial records are requested to evaluate income, assets and earnings.
• Check the language of the policy for a description of what is required.
• If you are asked to provide something that is not included in the policy, contact the insurance company and have them clarify and explain the request.
• Carefully document questions to minimize non-compliance issues.
Following is a recent case illustrating the claim 'brush-off' system, which we won on appeal.
It involves a disabled ME/CFS & FM patient who was denied benefits by one of the world's biggest insurance companies without a real medical exam.
Late night television commercials sell life insurance, boasting that no medical exam is required. How about a disability insurance company that doesn’t need a medical exam to deny a claim? Maybe these companies need to get together.
Our client is a CPA whose conditions, including ME/CFS, FM, and chronic pain with degenerative disc disease, were too debilitating for her to perform the duties of her job.
Key issues driving this matter on the part of the insurer – a top player in the industry (Company X) - were lack of a proper medical review and a complete failure to accurately assess the tasks and duties of her occupation.
• The doctor who did the peer review works for a company whose sole function is to review medical claims on behalf of insurance companies. Their reviews are supposed to be independent, but the company’s only clients are insurance companies. The physician was not well versed in any areas of the client’s numerous disabilities. Most outrageously, the doctor never examined the client in person, even though the policy gives the company the right to do so.
• Company X relied on a generic classification of the client’s job as a “desk job” and totally ignored the strenuous cognitive demands of a CPA position. We have seen this same tactic time and time again – an occupational review based on an outdated document –the DOT (Dictionary of Occupational Titles). The DOT is completely useless for a service-based economy, but the insurance companies continue to use it, as it works to their benefit in claim disputes.
Company X failed to afford the client a full and fair review of her claim, by:
• Failing to consider her credible subjective description of her complaints,
• Selectively reviewing the medical records,
• Failing to conduct an appropriate vocational analysis, and
• Failing to act as a neutral fiduciary. Rather, Company X acted as an interested party, influenced by its financial stake in the claim.
We fought back, with a vigorous appeal denouncing Company X’s irresponsible medical review, occupational review and failure to act as a disinterested party.
We won – and now our client is able to focus on taking care of her health challenges and not fighting with a massive insurance company that was determined to deny her claim.
In summary, disability insurance claims pose many challenges for FM and ME/CFS sufferers.
Knowing what to expect in the claims process can be helpful. It is best to work with an experienced professional before filling a claim to avoid some of the most common problems. And if you are a professional who has become disabled, do not accept a denial based on an inaccurate evaluation of your ability to perform the tasks and duties of your career.
- Justin Frankel and Jason Newfield, Attorneys at Law, April 2011
* To learn more,
Visit www.frankelnewfield.com
Frankel & Newfield
585 Stewart Avenue
Garden City, New York 11530
Tel: 516-222-1600
Fax: 516-222-0513
jcf@frankelnewfield.com
jan@frankelnewfield.com
Note: This article is published with the intent to provide general information and is not intended, nor should it be used, as a substitute for legal advice rendered by a professional in the context of a specific situation.
Hopefully every province will follow suit to offer complex chronic care in these areas. When I was hospitalized, my condition was not regarded as ' complex chronic, though the hospital was supposed to specialize in this type of care. They pegged me as psychiatric, which worsened my condition considerably by dismissing my ME/CFS needs. Please consider writing to your MPP and the Minister of Health to petition a center for your province.
EFT was developed by Gary Craig, who was inspired to create a technique to elicit change in people's lives much faster than psychotherapy did. Inspired by a similar technique developed by a mentor, he simplified this system of tapping along meridian points to clear charges from emotional events that keep us stuck. It was discovered that EFT was also helpful for physical ailments such as SLE (Lupus), MS, ME/CFS as well as for simpler discomforts such as headaches. This is likely because we are physical, emotional and spirit beings; change in one area spreads to creating change in others. The applications are endless, and as long as you have the energy to tap, it's well worth a try. It is also used as part of the Lightning Process Training for MEHere's an introduction:
Personally, I don't like the scare tactics in this ad that was put together by patient groups. XMRV is linked to ME/CFS and prostate cancer, though as of yet not proven as a cause of either. Hopefully it will raise awareness in a good way.
Some very exciting news!
BELGIUM via the NATIONAL ME/FM ACTION NETWORK
Dr. Kenny De Meirleir of the Brussels Free University (VUB) has announced that he has successfully developed a diagnostic test for ME/CFS. The Myalgic Encephalopathy Association Belgium (MEAB) estimates there are between 30,000 to 40,000 people in Belgium with ME/CFS.
Since 2002, the Flemish government has invested over €10 million in five "reference centres" across the region in Leuven, Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels for the diagnosis and treatment for ME/CFS but offer only cognitive behavioural therapy and physical rehabilitation.
"These people have been mistreated for years," Dr De Meirleir says. "CFS was treated as a psychosomatic complaint. But someone who runs 10 metres after a bus and then has to spend a week in bed recovering has a serious medical problem."
The test, manufactured by Protea Biopharma, in which Dr De Meirleir is a partner, detects the presence of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which is produced in the intestines when bacteria come in contact with heavy metals. People with ME/ CFS have been shown to have higher concentrations of intestinal bacteria than normal, which leads to higher levels of H2S.
H2S is a gas present in minuscule concentrations in normal people but at toxic levels in ME/CFS patients. The reasons for overproduction of bacteria can range from lactose intolerance to viral infection to stress.
According to the draft of a journal article soon to be published by Dr. De Meirleir and his team, H2S causes intolerance to light and noise, a depressed immune system and low white blood cell count. It also leads to retention of mercury by the body, which in turn produces cell death and damage to energy metabolism. The biggest effects, though, are produced on the central nervous system, explaining the main symptoms of ME/CFS.
“There’s still a great deal of work to be done to find a cure” Dr. De Meirleir told Radio 1 listeners "CFS is not an illness, it's a condition," which means that the underlying causes of ME/CFS could vary widely and that each would have to be treated on its own.
Note: Dr. Kenny De Meirleir was one of the panel members of the Canadian ME/CFS Working Case Clinical Definition, Diagnostic & Treatment Protocols, a Consensus Document published in 2003.
Hydrogen Sulphude (H2S) and Aberrant Prion Disease: A Preliminary Abstract
Posted On 2011-03-21
ABSTRACT OF UPCOMING JOURNAL ARTICLE – Preliminary Draft
The De Meirleir research team will also publish a journal article on their work. The following draft was disseminated via the CO-CURE listserv May 28 by ME research reporter Jan van Roijen (j.van.roijen@CHELLO.NL).
Research on Extremely Disabled M.E. Patients Reveals the True Nature of the Disorder
By Kenny De Meirleir(1), Chris Roelant(2), Marc Fremont(2), Kristin Metzger(2), Henry Butt(3)
(1) Vrije Universiteit Brussel & HIMMUNITAS foundation, Brussels, Belgium
(2) Protea Biopharma, Brussels, Belgium
(3) Bioscreen & Bio 21, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
In this study we compared totally bedridden patients (Karnofski score 20-30) with less ill ME patients (Karnofski score 60-70), family controls, contact controls and non-contact controls.
EBV, HHV6 and Borna virus titers were not different in the three groups. Plasma LPS distinguished the groups, with the highest values in the bedridden patients.
LPS [lipopolysaccharide] is a strong activator of the immune system, and high plasma concentrations suggest a hyperpermeable gut. There are many possible causes for this, but a lack of 'local' energy production is one of them.
In a separate study (In Vivo, in press) we observed intestinal overgrowth of Gram positive D/L lactate-producing bacteria which are also known to produce H2S [hydrogen sulfide] in presence of certain heavy metals as a survival defense mechanism.
We therefore hypothesized that the urine of the bedridden ME patients would contain more H2S derived metabolites than the less ill and the controls. Using a proprietary simple color change urine test this hypothesis was confirmed.
In the extremely ill, urine added to the yellow color reagent immediately turns dark blue, whereas in the less ill the reaction is slower and in the controls no reaction occurs.
Being a potent neurotoxin, H2S induces photophobia, intolerance to noise, mitochondrial dysfunction by inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, and depresses the cellular immune system and induces neutropenia and low numbers of CD8+ lymphocytes.
Its effects, at least in part explain the clinical condition of the severely disabled ME patients.
Furthermore the effects of the bacterial H2S induces increased ROS production by the liver and retaining of heavy metals particularly mercury in the body.
The latter is also neurotoxic, induces apoptosis, and interferes with the aerobic metabolism. Chronic increased production of H2S by intestinal bacteria leads to build-up of mercury in the body as proven by a Zn DTPA/DMPS challenge test.
Finally in 20% of the ME patients (in the severely ill) we found, using a special luminescence technique, aberrant prions which also interfere with the energy metabolism.
These patients have gone on to develop A.P.D. (aberrant prion disease – patent pending). These aberrant prions give rise to a transmissible disorder. 10% of the A.P.D. patients have very high prion counts in their saliva and can directly transmit it to others.
APD patients can transmit these proteins via blood and likely also through sexual contact which then can give rise to slowly developing aberrant prion disease.
In a separate experiment 40 healthy blood donors were screened for A.P.D. One individual tested very positive, indicating that apparently healthy individuals can already be carriers and that blood transfusion carries the risk of transmitting A.P.D.
In conclusion, ME is a disorder which is caused by increased endogenous H2S production. For the latter many factors can be present.
Because of the effects of H2S in the body a chain of events will develop which have more and more negative effects on the aerobic metabolism and depression of the immune system leading to more and more infections and reactivation of endogenous viruses.
In its final stage aberrant transmissible prions develop which put the patients in a total energy depleted state.
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