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By David Tuller, DrPH The Journal of Psychosomatic Research has often served as a house organ of sorts for the “biopsychosocial” ideological brigades. That’s to be expected, given that folks like Per Fink, Michael Sharpe, and Jon Stone are all members of the journal’s editorial board. It should therefore not be surprising that the journal … Trial By Error: Yet Another CBT Trial for Long Covid with Poor Results Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH Cognitive dysfunction, also known as “brain fog,” is among the most disabling aspects of Long Covid—and investigators have struggled to figure out what causes it and how to treat it. Last fall, a study from the National Institutes of Health’s RECOVER initiative, which focuses on Long Covid, found no benefits in … Trial By Error: Can “Cognitive Rehabilitation” for Long Covid “Reverse” Brain Fog? Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH I am reposting below a blog about a “living systematic review” of interventions for Long Covid, which was published by The BMJ in late 2024. This systematic review figured prominently in the opening of the recent Wired piece about mind-body interventions for Long Covid. (I’ve posted about the Wired piece here, … Trial By Error: The BMJ Review on Long Covid Interventions Cited in Wired Article Read More »
by Gertrud U. Rey On June 18, 2026, the top advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously recommended Moderna’s new mRNA influenza vaccine, mRNA‑1010 (mFlusiva), for adults aged 50 and older. The vote marked the committee’s first review of a new vaccine application since 2023 and demonstrated strong support ahead of a … A Better Flu Vaccine Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH The furor over the Wired epic about mind-body treatments for Long Covid simmers on. “The Truth About Long Covid,” published on June 1st, proposed that these sorts of interventions might cure people, but that angry patient have censored science and blocked research progress. The piece generated fierce pushback—not least from popular … Trial By Error: Furor Over Wired’s “Mind-Body” Article Continues Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH Media watchdog covers how major news articles have psychologized Long Covid The organization Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), based in New York City, is a progressive news watchdog focused on exposing bias and censorship. FAIR recently published an article called “Media Won’t Stop Psychologizing Long Covid,” by writer and investigative … Trial By Error: Some Things I’ve Read Recently–FAIR on Wired; German Psychiatrists on LC and ME/CFS; UK’s ME/CFS Delivery Plan at…
By David Tuller, DrPH On June 1st, Wired published a 7,600-word lollapalooza about mind-body interventions for Long Covid. The article, written by Alan Levinovitz, a professor of religion at James Madison University, posited that angry patients were derailing important research into these and other psychological and behavioral treatments. For balance, Levinovitz quoted multiple critics of … Trial By Error: The Wired Debate over an Exercise Study for Long Covid at University of Virginia Read…
By David Tuller, DrPH Much has already been written about Alan Levinovitz’ 7,600-word love poem to the potential healing powers of so-called “mind-body” interventions for Long Covid. Wired published the article last Monday under the title “The Painful Truth About Long Covid.” As the word “painful” suggests, the epic is also infused with darker notes. … Trial By Error: The Truth According to Wired (and Alan Levinovitz) Read More »
by Gertrud U. Rey On May 17, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in response to an Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The situation is escalating rapidly, with over 300 confirmed cases and 48 deaths as of today, highlighting the severity … Ebola 2026 Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH Last year’s release of the results from the DecodeME, a UK-based genome wide association study of more than 15,000 DNA samples, generated significant excitement. Action for ME, which spearheaded DecodeME, recently announced a multi-phase follow-up project called Sequence ME & Long Covid. The UK government has committed £4,750,000, and private donors … Trial By Error: Interview with Chris Ponting about “Sequence ME & Long Covid” Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH When I write about functional neurological disorder (FND) or functional neurological symptoms, I sometimes get feedback from Zachary Grin, a physical therapist in New York. As an FND specialist, he disagrees with pretty much everything I write about the topic. At first, I tried to engage with Zachary in a good-natured … Trial By Error: My Exchange with an FND Physical Therapy Specialist Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH This morning I sent the following letter to CNS Spectrums, a neuroscience journal published by Cambridge University Press. Subject line: “Correction needed for etiological statement in ‘Functional neurological symptoms occur commonly in healthy adults: implications for the pathophysiology of FND.'” Depending on the response, or lack of one, I might also … Trial By Error: My Request for Correction of Causal Claim for Functional Neurological Symptoms Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH For decades, experts in functional neurological disorder (FND) have categorically asserted that the condition is strictly a “brain network” disorder, representing an issue solely with the brain’s so-called “software,” or functioning, rather than its “hardware,” or structural elements. According to this framework, structural elements of the brain, or other organic or … Trial By Error: So FND Is Not Only a Brain “Software” Issue After All… Read More »
A number of posts on social media have suggested that Andes hantavirus, which most recently caused an outbreak on the MV Hondius, is sexually transmitted. These claims are based on a 2023 paper (Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen). Let’s take a look at the data and see what conclusions can … Is Andes hantavirus sexually transmitted? Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH I don’t generally write much myself on May 12th, which is an international day of awareness for ME. I’m aware of ME most of the time and write about it constantly, so I don’t feel a particular need to say anything special today. I usually consider it a day for patients … Trial By Error: More on Long COVID panel at Psychiatrists’ Gathering Read More »
by Gertrud U. Rey Contrary to popular belief, most vaccines don’t actually prevent infection with a pathogen, instead, they prevent the disease that follows infection. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine stands out as a notable exception in this regard. A recent study indicates that antibodies produced in response to the HPV vaccine can neutralize the … The Perfect Vaccine Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** “Frail and Furious” on May 12th Each year on May 12th, an international day of ME awareness, #MillionsMissing protests are held in cities across the world and draw significant media attention. This … Trial By Error: News Bits–“Frail & Furious” for #Millions Missing; Usual Suspects at Psych Confab; Long COVID Advocates Channel ACT UP Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. I posted two days ago that a Lancet journal, eClinicalMedicine, had just published a letter of mine, as well as an unsatisfactory corrigendum to the study I had criticized. That study, “Effects of … Trial By Error: Claims on Exercise for Long COVID Were “Overly Assertive,” Agree Meta-Analysis Authors Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. Last year, eClinicalMedicine, a journal in the Lancet stable, published an article called “Effects of therapeutic interventions on long COVID: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” The paper reported that, according to “high-certainty … Trial By Error: Lancet Journal Publishes My Letter Challenging Claims on Exercise and Long COVID Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** When it comes to exercise and Long COVID, investigators have routinely claimed success for their interventions–and many news articles have followed their lead in covering the issue. Most reporters don’t have the … Trial By Error: Article in New Scientist Questions Value of Exercise for Long COVID (and quotes me) Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** BBC Radio 4 highlights criticism of interview with neurologist and author Suzanne O’Sullivan In March, neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan spoke on a BBC Radio 4 podcast called Radical, hosted by journalist Amol Rajan. … Trial By Error: Pushback Against Psychologizing on BBC and in Medical Journal Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** Once again, I get into Damon’s tub “Tub Talks with Damon” is a series hosted by Damon Jacobs, a sex-positive therapist and advocate for gay men’s and queer people’s health. And yes, … Trial By Error: Two Interviews–My Latest Appearance on “Tub Talks with Damon”; Julie Rehmeyer on her NYT “Modern Love” Piece Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH How many bad papers can Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s factually and mathematically challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), churn out? The woman’s name seems attached to an inexhaustible supply of scientific drek. Just this month I critiqued two papers (here and here) for which she served as a co-author. … Trial By Error: How Many Awful Papers Can Trudie Chalder Produce? Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** Julie Rehmeyer explores a friend’s death in New York Times’ Modern Love column It is hard to imagine having to cope with the aftermath of someone dying of suicide in your home. … Trial By Error: Some Things I’ve Read Recently… Read More »
by Gertrud U. Rey Vaccination with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson adenovirus‑based COVID-19 vaccines has been linked to a very rare but serious adverse event known as vaccine‑induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Based on this small but significant risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the emergency use authorization for the Johnson & … A Case of Misdirected Immunity Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. In a medical context, what does “recovery” mean? A pretty standard understanding is this one offered by The Free Dictionary: “a return to a normal or healthy condition.” If experts suggest a … Trial By Error: Are Claims of “Recovery” from Psycho-Behavioral Interventions a Form of Bait-and-Switch ? Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH President Trump’s words and actions are routinely mind-boggling but never surprising, given past experience. The same is true of papers co-authored by Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy. In a recent article, she holds true to form. In “Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome: … Trial By Error: Professor Chalder Downgrades Definition of “Recovery” Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH When researchers cite fraudulent studies in support of their claims, it is best not to take anything they write at face value. That is certainly the case with a recent paper titled “Persistent physical symptoms not explained by structural abnormalities or disease processes: a primary care approach to promote recovery,” published … Trial By Error: Claims Built on Fraudulent Trials Should Be Ignored Read More »
By David Tuller, DrPH Professor Esther Crawley, the methodically and ethically challenged pediatrician and former grant queen at the University of Bristol, retired from medical practice and, apparently, from academia at some point in the recent past. So why does her name still appear on websites as if she were an active participant in research … Trial By Error: Is Professor Crawley Retired from Bristol, or Isn’t She? Read More »
