For me, the most problematic thing about the FDA Ampligen committee meeting wasn't Ampligen's nonapproval. It was a sick ME patient leaning on a cane who showed me the prescription a neurologist had given her—after admonishing her for using a cane. Gazing at the script for several seconds, I first felt confusion and then the patient's humiliation. The prescription read:
Tai Chi
I told this story to a friend who's had ME for more than 20 years, and he said in all seriousness: At this point, I'd take that cane and bash the doctor's head with it.