Article published in News Letter - Thursday September 4th 2008

A former ME sufferer from Ulster is taking his 'lightning' cure back home in a bid to give others hope. HELEN McGURK reports

A few years ago, Alastair Gibson, was so ill he spent most of his time in bed paralysed by fatigue. The 49year-old, who grew up between London and Co Antrim, had ME, a condition which left him barely able to eat, let alone walk. He had a carer 14 hours a week and had to rely on an electric scooter. Alastair, who now lives in Bournemouth, was holidaying in Mauritius in 1999 when he became ill with gastroenteritis, which then developed into hepatitis. On St Patrick's Day 2000, the former insurance broker was diagnosed as having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), more commonly known as ME. The main symptoms are fatigue, muscle pain, brain fog and feeling overwhelmed. Alastair says: "I would sleep 12 to 14 hours a day and wake up feeling like I'd been in boxing ring with Mike Tyson. It was like having a hangover and flu at the same time. I was hypersensitive to light and noise. I didn't have the energy to see friends. The only appointments I ever had in my diary were to see doctors and specialists." Exactly what causes ME is still a bit of a mystery. Researchers are investigating a number of possible links, including viruses, stress, pollution, changes in the nervous system and genetic disorders. Conventional treatments include painkillers, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and anti-depressants. But there is no cure, and patients! can often struggle for years to find a treatment that makes any difference at all. Alastair says after the diagnosis his life soon went into "freefall". "I was made redundant and my body continued to fail. I had even given up going to my local shops, a mere 100 metres away, beause I found it too exhausting." But a ray of hope shone into Alastair's life in February 2006 when listening to a radio programme which suggested the Lightning Process, a simple mind over matter programme, could allow ME sufferers to rid themselves of the illness in as little as three days.

A few months after hearing that radio programme Alastair did his Lightning Process training in Wales. Alastair says he arrived at the training centre for treatment "totally exhausted". "But my life changed that first afternoon. I went home and did my homework, and was able to walk up a hill for the first time in six years. The next day I woke up a new man. I had refreshed sleep and woke up with energy and wanting to run. The three days got better and better and I've never looked back since. I never used my electric scooter again and my carer had a months notice. I've got my life back." The Lightning Process is a three- day training program designed by osteopath Phil Parker, principal of the European College of Holistic Medicine. Founded in the late 1990s, it has created interest in the effects it is reported to produce in cases of chronic illness, and especially in regard to ME. The system combines osteopathy, hypnotherapy, neuro linguistic programming (NLP) and life coaching, but rather than focusing on modifying behavioural patterns, the technique is used to treat physical illnesses.

Alastair was so impressed with the extraordinary transformation the Lightning Process made to his life he decided to train as a practitioner .. "I am just staggered by what it can do for people," he says. "It's not just ME, it can change the lives of people suffering from depression, low self-esteem, IBS, weight problems and other ailments." These days Alastair is fit and active, playing tennis, swimming, training for a lOk run and running round after his I8-month old daughter. While the treatment has had a number of high profile successes, (including the daughter of Esther Rantzen, and wife of rugby union player, Austin Healey), there has been criticism of the Lightning Process. Some have commented on the high cost of the three-day course, while others have pointed to the inconsistency of the results, with some patients reporting less than positive outcomes, or suffering from relapses after the conclusion of the treatment. Dr Neil Abbot, director of operations at ME Research UK, is sceptical about adrenaline playing a role in the condition. "We should like to see some evidence that there is an adrenaline rise in ME sufferers, and if there is, whether lowering adrenaline induces a "lightning" cure, he said. "The only thing that will create general acceptance of the principles and treatment techniques applied by the Lightning Process will be large-scale tests." But while the jury is still out in the medical world, among those, like Alastair, for whom it has worked there is absolutely no doubt. Alastair will be running a three-day training programme in Antrim from September 30 - October 2.