Tom Kindlon

Tom Kindlon is known for his extensive analysis, publications and correspondence with ME/CFS researchers, particularly in relation to the PACE trial. He became ill with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in February 1989, when he was just 16 years old.

Kindlon is Assistant Chairperson of the Irish ME/CFS Association. He was profiled in an Irish publication in 2015.

Kindlon studied Mathematical Sciences in Trinity College Dublin, giving him the background to analyze and publish a paper on the reporting of harms associated with graded exercise therapy (GET) for ME/CFS patients.

His extensive body of work is on ResearchGate and PubMed. His comments are listed here on PubMed Commons.

Talks, interviews, and articles

 * 2013, Cort Johnson interviews Tom Kindlon (Introduction)
 * 2015, "No one chooses to have ME - everything changed when I became ill"
 * 2017, Can patients with chronic fatigue syndrome really recover after graded exercise or cognitive behavioural therapy? A critical commentary and preliminary re-analysis of the PACE trial (Abstract)
 * Jan 2017, PACE trial claims of recovery are not justified by the data: A Rejoinder to Sharpe, Chalder, Johnson, Goldsmith and White (2017) (Abstract) by Carolyn Wilshire, Tom Kindlon, & Simon McGrath
 * Mar 20, 2017, Do graded activity therapies cause harm in chronic fatigue syndrome? (Abstract)"Reporting of harms was much better in the PACE (Pacing, graded Activity, and Cognitive behavioural therapy: a randomised Evaluation) trial than earlier chronic fatigue syndrome trials of graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. However, some issues remain. The trial’s poor results on objective measures of fitness suggest a lack of adherence to the activity component of these therapies. Therefore, the safety findings may not apply in other clinical contexts. Outside of clinical trials, many patients report deterioration with cognitive behavioural therapy and particularly graded exercise therapy. Also, exercise physiology studies reveal abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome patients’ responses to exertion. Given these considerations, one cannot conclude that these interventions are safe and risk-free."
 * 2018, Rethinking the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome—A reanalysis and evaluation of findings from a recent major trial of graded exercise and CBT (Full Text)

Awards

 * 2014, Third Annual Wego Health finalist for "Best in Show-Twitter" for a health activist
 * 2015, Fourth Annual Wego Awards - Nominated for Health Activist Hero
 * 2016, Fifth Annual Wego Health finalist for "Best in Show-Twitter" for a health activist
 * 2017, Sixth Annual Wego Health nominee for "Best in Show-Twitter" for a health activist
 * 2017, Certificate of Appreciation from the Open Medicine Foundation

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Advisory Committee testimony

 * May 2009, Written Testimony for May 2009 meeting
 * Oct 2009, Written testimony at Oct 2009 CFSAC meeting

Online Presence

 * Twitter
 * Facebook - Tom Kindlon's ME CFS & related page
 * Facebook - Tom Kindlon-pwme
 * Pinterest
 * Tumblr
 * ResearchGate
 * Google+
 * Instagram