Product Description
Are you one of the millions who suffer from chronic fatigue syndroms?Finally some answers...

The CDC estimates that more than half a million Americans currently suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a disease that has defied researchers to discover a cause--or a cure.Authors Erica Verrillo and Lauren Gellman, both long-term CFS patients, have no assembled a one-of-a-kind sourcebook for both patients and clinicians.

This concise, easy-to-understand reference offers the latest medical knowledge, sound advice, and hope to anyone suffering from this disease.Combining a self-helop manual, the personal histories of CFS sufferers, and a symptom and treament dictionary, this comprehensive volume details every facetj of the illness and thoroughly discusses every treatment currently available.From diagnosis to symptoms, from traditional to alternative therapties to coping strategies, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide is on eof the only references on this disease written from the patient's perspective.Reading this book could be your single most important step to recovery.

Features:
More than one hundred effective treatments
Details and up-to-date information on availability, costs, and administration of each treatment
In-depth discussion of symptoms, cross-referenced with coping and treatment sections
Extensive appendices covering resources, articles, videotapes, Internet sites, doctors, clinics, mail-order suppliers, and support groups.
Special coping tips for people with environmental sensitivities and dietary restrictions
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

The book about M.E. I refer to more than any other
It's just so good.

This book has case studies of people with ME (although it unfortunately uses the term 'CFIDS' make no mistake this is primarily a book about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), it has an extremely in-depth discussion of symptoms cross referenced with treatment information, sections on food issues and avoiding chemicals in the home, sections on pharmaceuticals as well as other treatments from acupuncture to vitamins, tips on coping with ME emotionally and just about everything else you could think of as well! The authors are both long-term sufferers and they say they tried to make this book the resource they wish they'd had years ago.

Some of my friends and I refer to this book as the ME Bible it's just so useful (It's second only to Dr Hyde's M.E. textbook). I'm always referring back to it when I get a new symptom or a new medication.

Everything is so well organized and it has a perfect balance between making complicated medical information understandable but not making it feel dumbed down at all.

It also has a really great bit about how we need to stop talking about `fatigue' too.

The fact it doesn't ever really mention the severely affected lets this book down however. It just doesn't tell you how to deal with severe symptoms or illness at all really. It's an enormous omission.

The other downsides about this book are that the section on history and politics is misleading...and that throughout the book, while most of the information given is about M.E. there is a significant amount of silly 'CFS' info mixed in; facts which have nothing to do with M.E. at all and refer to the made up fatigue syndrome. My guess would be this 'CFS' info makes up about 25% of the book unfortunately. But if you know a bit about M.E. before you lick up this book, you should be able to tell fairly easily whuch informtion is valid and which should be ignored.

But apart from all that, 75% of the book is excellent! Buy this book:)

An updated version or new edition is needed...
This book is great and should be part of your CFS library.However, it was published in 1998, a new edition needs to come with upated information. There is plenty of revised and newinformation that has occured with CFS in the last 7 years.

Excellent Source
This is a detailed, concise guide to CFS.Very useful in explaining all of the symptoms, and includes both pharmaceutical and herbal treatments.If you believe you are suffering from chronic fatigue, this book will answer the questions you have.

Irefer constantlyto this best book on CFIDS
If you buy just one book on CFIDS, make it this one.The authors coverjust about every CFIDS symptom imaginable along with suggested treatmentsand the treatments' pros and cons.Added bonuses include a cataloging ofmedications and natural remedies used to treat CFIDS with notes on possibleside effects.I found discussions of even my wackiest symptoms, those Ithought no one could ever possibly understand (including the "sensorystorm" which a previous reviewer mentions). The authors are CFIDSsufferers themselves, so reading the book is like talking to anextra-knowledgeable and empathetic friend.As a previous reviewermentioned, this impressively researched and thorough book is a great one tobring along to the doctor.

Irefer constantlyto this best book on CFIDS
If you buy just one book on CFIDS, make it this one.The authors coverjust about every CFIDS symptom imaginable along with suggested treatmentsand the treatments' pros and cons.Added bonuses include a cataloging ofmedications and natural remedies used to treat CFIDS with notes on possibleside effects.I found discussions of even my wackiest symptoms, those Ithought no one could ever possibly understand (including the "sensorystorm" which a previous reviewer mentions). The authors are CFIDSsufferers themselves, so reading the book is like talking to anextra-knowledgeable and empathetic friend.As a previous reviewermentioned, this impressively researched and thorough book is a great one tobring along to the doctor. ... Read more

Product Description
Revised and expanded, this edition offers the latest findings on chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and overlapping diseases such as Gulf War Syndrome. It includes new information on the interaction of the brain, emotions, and immune system as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The definitive book for FM and CFS patients
This wonderful book is our second copy of Berne's book. We have both CFS and
FM and have found this book very helpful and informative. Since these two syndromes are very difficult to diagnosis, having information that is practicaland realistic is invalluable.............

Wonderful book
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which was honest both in the debilitating nature of the diseases and had a much better discussion of pain medication then many other books.Too often books on fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, while claiming to recognize that these are real, physical illnesses, then spend most of their time on lifestyle changes and counseling and antidepressants being the best treatment for fibromyalgia, showing that they do believe it's all in your head and if you just did "x" better, you'd feel better.This book isn't condesending and doesn't try to play psychiatrist, which I greatly appreciated. A great read, especially for the newly diagnosed.

Excellent Resource
I have finished all but the conclusion of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Other Invisible Illnesses. This is an excellent resource for sufferers of these diseases. The one and only difficulty with this book is its age; it was published in 2002. Next time I visit the bookstore I will be looking around for an updated book. However that in no way negates the usefulness of this particular work. Dr. Berne (PhD) suffers from Chronic Fatigue herself and she has done a masterful job of portraying a life so afflicted. The book begins with descriptions of both Fibromyalgia and CFS, moves on to discuss overlapping symptoms of both these illnesses and numerous others such as Gulf War Syndrome, Lupus, etc. Then she heads into the symptoms and these were a revelation to me. A lot of things I had been passing off as age or menopause could be symptoms of these illnesses. The book follows the history of diagnosis for these two diseases and paints a portrait of the typical sufferer. I asked my husband to read this chapter and he said it sounded just like me. It is some comfort to know that you are not going insane. Unfortunately the health care industry has shown little interest in researching these illnesses but here is where the age of the book is a detriment. The pharmaceutical industry has produced Lyrica recently and it shows signs of affecting the brain chemistry which may be responsible for the symptoms. As far as that brain chemistry goes it is a strong possibility there is a neurotransmitter glitch that is sending signals of pain for no reason. Environmental and other toxins could be responsible for this glitch, however, you need a predisposition to this malady which should be obvious because otherwise everyone would have it. There are toxins in everything. The latter part of the books deals with treatments (there are none) and alleviation of symptoms, including your own attitude adjustment. Berne mentions Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and I would just like to add my two cents about CBT. When I was seriously depressed the most helpful thing my psychiatrist did was introduce me to Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I have been using it ever since and I believe it is this mental discipline which allows me to be happier than I have ever been even while living with the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. All in all I recommend this book to anyone suffering from these illnesses. It really does help to know you are not alone and you are not crazy - it is not all in your mind although it is quite possibly in your brain. Good luck to all my fellow sufferers.

Great book!
This is a wonderful book for patients, doctors, family members, caregivers, or anyone wanting more information on what CFS/FMS really is and how to live with it and have a productive life. As a FMS patient, I strongly identified with the symptoms and feelings, and found the sample letters to my doctor, my family, my friends, extremely valid and able to put my feelings into perspective.

While it was hard for me to keep reading the "reality" that this disease has no cure -- (I face that in daily life too but it's easier to forget about it than when you're reading it every few pages!), it was important for me to realize that I'm not just "dreaming this up" -- nor am I "faking it". For years, I went undiagnosed, and had many doctor's tell me that it was "all in my head"....this book helps patients realize that these ARE real diseases that have not been given the proper "title" or validation by the CDC that they deserve.

This book was a great source of information and support for me and I highly recommended it to my doctor and to other FMS/CFS patients as well.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Other Invisible
An excellent book, full of useful advice and support. As a Consultant Psychiatrist, I have been treating Chronic Fatigue Syndromes since 1982 and this is one of the best books on the subject, that I have ever read. I would thoroughly recommend this book to all sufferers and their relatives. The illness is extremely difficult to treat and is very frustrating for both the patient and also the therapist. However, books like this offer considerable hope and guidance.
Keep up ther good work.
Dr. Adrian Winbow, Consultant Psychiatrist ... Read more

Product Description
An Eight Step Protocol - Developed by the author which enabled her to fully recover from CFS - When I was three months pregnant with my second child, I caught a flu virus that changed my life. For the next four years I lived in the clutches of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When I realized that most of the medical profession considered my illness to be "in my head", I felt so isolated, struggling to understand what was wrong with me knowing that it was a real physical illness. CFS shut down my life as I knew it and forced me to become a recluse spending most of my time in bed between short lived efforts to have a "normal" life. But slowly, through much trial and error, I began to understand the patterns and the cruelty of CFS. In the end, I defeated Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and now live a full and healthy life - totally free of CFS. This book shares in detail the eight step protocol that I developed and followed as I slowly and steadily regained my health. It s written in a clear, concise format, understanding the struggle that CFS sufferers have with memory and concentration. By consistently following these steps, I hope that you too can defeat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. You don t have to live with it! My motivation for writing this book is to bring a new voice to the Chronic Fatigue dialogue - contrary to the message of a permanently compromised lifestyle which is prevalent in the medical and patient communities, there are many former CFS patients who are fully recovered. I'm one of them! My message to patients, medical practitioners and care givers is that despite the unknowns of CFS, you CAN manage those aspects of CFS that you ARE in control of. My protocol is a proactive, self-management approach implemented 24-7. Decide to defeat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

best so far
Recently diagnosed but suffering for a few years. The part about low blood pressure was also true for me. But my blood pressure was still low even though I already ate alot of salt and drank alot of water.Trying to do things to get the blood pressure up. The 10 hours a night of sleep is the most important and "helped" with the exhaustion.However, I have worse nausea, dizziness, a flu like symptoms.I think the point is that you have to make recovery your priority.Stop work and go on disability. Keep a diary.The diary will also help you prove your disability case.

Then Why Am I Still Sick as Hell 20 Years Later?
I must confess up front that I have not -- at least not yet -- read this book. But I have read two dozen more or less like it in over 20 years of suffering from a fairly typical, if more severe than most, case of rapid onset CFS.All I can tell those of you out there who are ACTUALLY suffering with well-diagnosed, "CFS," and are not yet another victimized soul who has merely finally been inserted under the CFS or ME or FM or some similar DMS numbered rubric, simply because you physician, like 99 in 100 of them, is required to check some insurance diagnosis box for you to receive your billing coverage, but who in fact, despite feeling "chronically fatigued," "having loads of sore muscles and joints, which move mysteriously around your body over time" and also have "serious to severe sleep disorders" and/or several other of the typical CFS "diagnostic markers," may well be suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, or dozens of other similar, although far from identical maladies.Since so many different medical pathogens can cause symptoms which mimic the cenrtal CFS symptoms, it is very dificult to determine, especially with any alacrity, who really has CFS and who has something else that causes similar symptoms, like "Darwin's Syndrome" to name just one other, totally REAL, but decidedly different, and probably unrelated, disease from CFS.

But, let us assume that you, like me, and zillions of other miserably semi-, or quite FULLY-invalided folks, have spent years visiting clinics throughout the U.S. and Canada etc., only to be told, even by, say, the 1 in of of the best of the lot, something like Dr. Fred Ruben, a brilliant infectious disease expert, told me in 1991: [paraphrase]: "well, I see maybe ten new cases of patients every week with almost exactly the same symptoms of which you complain.Unfortunately, all I can do is tell them and you that there is some indication that we are on the trail of a sensitive and selective diagnostic test, for CFS, but we aren't even that far yet."

Several other top notch physicians I have seen since -- and not to toot my own horn, but I am a tenured professor at a major research university, so I have a pretty good nose for ferreting out a genuinely scientific researcher from a grant-grubbing "new age," "holistic" impostor -- have told me virtually the same thing; namely, unless the recent British studies showing that specific retro-viral sequences have indeed been detected at 97% rates in the vast majority of CFS patients, but have turned up only in a few random control cases, among those displaying no symptoms of the condition, it's "back to the drawing board" once again however painful that may be to those of us feeling slowly weaker and worse each year.

If. however, it should turn out that many new test protocols DO vindicate the British research, it could well only be a number of years before anti-retro-viral agents, like say, Vancyclovir, or some combination of these and other drugs, may well be found that can produce and sustain remission in the vast majority of cases.As one who has never felt a single hour of my old health for over twenty years now, I certainly hope some kind of drug "cocktail,' -- ala' current AIDS treatments -- is discovered before I, and the millions of other persons who came down with this mysterious malady spreading rapidly at the end of the last millennium, are no longer still around to have some last taste of real HEALTH before we are impervious to all pain or pleasure forever.

P.S.: I will read and comment again on the book should anyone desire I do so.But, unless there is truly some new revolutionary treatment described there, of which I, an inveterate CFS monitor, have not heard, I will remain profoundly skeptical and would urge everyone else to do the same.

Dr. Bill Fusfield

Depends what you mean by 'CFS'
What patients told they have 'CFS' need is a real diagnosis, not advice from 'CFS' experts. CFS is always a misdiagnosis.

Illnesses most often misdiagnosed as 'CFS' include Lyme disease, vitamin deficiencies, cancer, MS, Bechet's disease, thyroid and adrenal illnesses, FM and so on.

Many of the illnesses misdiagnosed as 'CFS' are testable and treatable...but only once patients and their doctors ditch the useless 'CFS' misdiagnosis. Many illneses can also be very serious or fatal if not correctly diagnosed and treated, and this includes Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. (M.E. is NOT the same thing as 'CFS'! M.E. is also not invisible or untestable as 'CFS' is.)

The last thing patients need are books telling them 'CFS' can be easily cured or treated and treating them as if they each had the same disease.

People with vitamin deficiencies need that vitamin. People with Lyme disease need certain antibiotics. M.E. patinets must be advised to REST.

A correct diagnosis is everything and 'CFS' books like this do not help, no matter how kind they seem on the surface of things. Patients need real information relevant to their actual disease.

It is offensive to imply many of the diseases often misdiagnosed as 'CFS' are diseases you can CHOOSE to recover from. many fatigue diseases you can, but serious diseases like cancer and MS and M.E. you can't. It really harms patients when poeple say you can choose to recover from 'CFS'...because it really depends what you mean by 'CFS.' This can lead to serious abuse by family members and friends sadly who seem to think 'she did it, so why can't you.' Hardly fair when we are talking about often very differnet diseases. Not nice stuff.

Please, if you have a 'CFS' (mis)diagnosis, do everything you can to find your correct diagnosis, do not accept 'CFS' ever as an end point to the process of diagnosis.

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E.

Helpful for a day to day solution.
This is a great book for learning how to live day to day so that your body can heal, and hopefully recover, from CFS/FM.Very practial and to the point, it only took an hour or so to read.I would recommending adding this book to your must-read list if you or someone you know has CFS/FM.As a compliment, I would recommend From Fatigued to Fantastic for detailed information on various herbal and perscription medication to assist in recovering.

I'm really happy I read this book!

Helpful resource
I've read a ton of books looking for answers for CFS. This book helped me because it was written by someone who had actaully experienced CFS and overcame it. If for no other reason than the encouragement factor, it was worth buying. I've been struggling for 10 years and felt close to giving up the fight. But after reading the book, I felt encouraged and ready to fight on, but with new tools and a new perspective.
... Read more

Product Description
Written by the nation's most recognized CFIDS authority and officially endorsed by the CFIDS Association, this book is the definitive, up-to-date guide for the three to five million people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. Now at last, anyone touched by this illness can have the solid information they need to understand and live with CFIDS. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

If you have CFS, or suspect you have it, GET THIS BOOK!
This is the best CFS book I have read. It dispels all the myths that try to make CFS into a psychiatric illness. Most of us with CFS have been branded as head cases for a long time before we were diagnosed. Some with CFS have still not been diagnosed. This book proves you are not crazy and that your symptoms are real, and shows how all the symptoms fit together to make the CFS diagnosis. Throughout reading this book, I can't tell you haw many times I said to myself "That's me!" or "That's what I went through, too!" Get a copy for yourself, and one for your doctor if you haven't been diagnosed yet. Many doctors don't understand CFS, and some don't believe in it. I found this out myself the hard way, as I was not properly diagnosed until seeing my ninth different doctor in 8 months. This book is written by one of the first doctors to take an active role in understanding CFS when there was an outbreak in his community in the 80's. He has hundreds of patients with CFS and has done several small studies (there isn't enough funding available for nearly adequate research) that have been corroborated by other independent studies. If you are a CFS sufferer like me, get it!

This Doctor Is WONDERFUL!
Dr. Bell is WONDERFUL!!!For years I was going from doctor to doctor trying to get a CORRECT diagnosis for what I had and then I found him.The man had just met me and it was like he had been my doctor all my life!He was able to describe health issues and symptoms I had been experiencing from childhood into my adult life.What a relief to FINALLY understand what it is that I have.His books are the next best thing to him being your doctor and I would recommend anything that he has written.

Chronic Fatigue Described
This is by far the best book I've read on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I've suffered with it for 30 years. Anyone who has it or knows someone who has it would benefit from reading what Dr. Bell has to say.

ring a Bell?
Bell's book is now an antique, but I suggest it if you really cannot get a dignosis of that mysterious, painful disease which, among other things, has virtually eliminated any possibility of sustained exercise; that is, provided you can get no meaningful diagnosis of it. Do not expect one.Possibly the most denied, derided, trivialized disease of the Western world, with absurd diagnostic criteria and case definition attributed to it, this ancient echo of reason is an isolated one.

A comprehensive guide
A good grounding in Chronic Fatigue Syndromes with a comprehensive guide into the syndrome. Suitable for medical practitioners and also the general public.
I would recommend it
Dr Adrian Winbow
Consultant Psychiatrist ... Read more

Product Description

It has been said that chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (CFS/FM) are like the old Indian story of the blind men and the elephant. As the men felt various parts of the elephant, they described it as a snake, a brush, a tree, or a wall, depending on which part they had touched. Each thought of the elephant in terms of his own experience, mistaking part of the elephant for all of it. Likewise, everybody working with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia has a piece of the puzzle, but much work remains to be done before a complete picture emerges.

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia is designed to educate patients suffering from CFS/FM about their illnesses and to teach them coping skills that will improve their quality of life. And while the good news is that people who suffer from CFS/FM aren't dying, they bad news is that it's going to take a lot of time and effort to get better since there is no one specific treatment that works for everyone.

Some of the issues covered are:

• Understanding the symptoms and how diagnoses are made
• Causes of CFS/FM and common psychological consequences, including anxiety and depression
• The role of stress and how to manage it
• The connection between the mind and the body in coping with CFS/FM
• The potential of medications, nutrition, and lifestyle changes
• The role of complementary medications and dietary supplements in pain management
• The value and limitations of alternative or complementary therapies such as acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, and aromatherapy
• Legal issues about how to deal with medical and legal problems that may arise if insurance benefits have been stopped

Customer Reviews (6)

Wonderful overall discussion of the illness and healing ideas!
Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (Second Edition) (Hope & Help for)

I've had this illness for 20 years and have, during this time, read any new information that comes out. I'm currently beginning to see a doctor in Dr Nancy Klimas' clinic at the University of Miami Medical Center and she recommended this book. It was easy to read but packed with information. Even though I knew much of it, having it all together in one place was extremely helpful, all the way down to charts for making sure you build in your rest periods to treatment options to supplements that help to research to alternative therapies. I would recommend this to anyone with CFS or Fibromyalgia.

Good information
Good overview of available treatment options for FMS and CFS. Since they often strike together, it's nice to have information on both in one book. Buyer should remember that not all treatment modalities work for everyone. If read and shared with an open mind this book can be a good way to encourage those who haven't found the right treatment/medication regimen yet to press on until they do.

'CFS' is never fatal, but poeple do die with this diagnosis
Many patients are told 'CFS' is never fatal, and it is why we push ourselves so hard and end up so so ill. (It is a big part of why I am now housebound and bedbound, and ridiculously ill.) Some of us even die.

Of course 'CFS' isn't fatal, but M.E. is and many with M.E. are told incorrectly that what they have is 'CFS.'

'CFS' however isn't just a misdiagnosis for M.E. patients, it's a misdiagnosis for everyone, always.

Illnesses most often misdiagnosed as 'CFS' include Lyme disease, vitamin deficiencies, cancer, MS, Bechet's disease, thyroid and adrenal illnesses, FM and so on.

Many of the illnesses misdiagnosed as 'CFS' are testable and treatable...but only once patients and their doctors ditch the useless 'CFS' misdiagnosis. Many illneses can also be very serious or fatal if not correctly diagnosed and treated, and this includes Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. (M.E. is NOT the same thing as 'CFS'!)

Please, if you have a 'CFS' (mis)diagnosis, do everything you can to find your correct diagnosis, do not accept 'CFS' ever as an end point to the process of diagnosis.

Some of the diseases misdiagnosed as 'CFS' ARE fatal despite what this book claims. All patients given this misdiagnosis need a corect diagnosis and treatment finally. The needless deaths need to stop!

Jodi Bassett, HFME

Excellent Informative book
This book was the most helpful book I have read on Fibromyalgia.It was a book that was also recommended by my doctor.

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
A MUST READ!In a personal, informal manner, the authors explain these complex illnesses in layman's language. They offer patients -

HOPE through knowledge and understanding:
* Learn about the exciting advances in research.
* Understand how the mechanisms of multi-system abnormalities cause the array of seemingly unrelated symptoms and how diagnoses are made.
* Learn about the potential benefits and limitations of various mainstream medical and complementary treatments.

HELP through awareness and guidance:
* Become aware of what you can do to help yourself.
* Learn how to improve your quality of life through various life-style changes and Self-Help-Strategies such as pacing and energy conservation, sleep hygiene, pain management and nutritional/dietary support.
* Learn mind-body techniques to lessen stress.
* Become aware of how to deal with disability and associated legal issues.

Authors are experts in their field:
Dr. Alison Bested, a hematological pathologist, is a clinician and medical lecturer specializing in chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities.She was a member of the Expert Medical Consensus Panel, selected by Health Canada, which developed the Canadian Consensus Document for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.She played a key role in the implementation of a billing code and time-based billing for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia by the Ontario Medical Association.Dr. Alan Logan is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has published numerous papers and is the Nutrition Editor of the International Journal of Naturopathic Medicine.Mr. Russell Howe is a well-known attorney who specializes in medical disability cases.

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia is a valuable and uplifting patients' resource, which we are pleased to advertise on our website!

Marjorie van de Sande, B Ed, Grad Dip Ed
Consensus Coordinator for Canadian Consensus Documents for ME/CFS and FMS
National ME/FM Action Network, Advisor & Webmaster
... Read more

Product Description

A comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia -- vital help for the millions of people suffering from pain, fatigue, and sleep problems

Customer Reviews (13)

ALOT of GREAT INFORMATION!!
I had borrowed this book from the library, but when I saw it on Amazon for a reasonable price, I bought it and returned the one to the library.I wanted to be able to refer to it over and over, as I have been recently diagnosed and have several different books that I am reading and like to compare information in them.I knew this would be a good book before I purchased it, because I really liked it when I got it from the library.Anyone with FM or symptoms suggesting they may have it should buy this book.If you do have FM or something like it, you know sitting at the computer for any length of time can be very painful, whereas if you have the book, you can sit in your comfy chair, bed, or wherever is the most comfortable for you.I HIGHLY recommend this book!Just make sure you have a pen or pencil and paper clips to mark pages and paragraphs you will want to refer back to.It's full of valuable information!

Great Book
I can't say enough about this book.Since the moment I have received this book for my wife she hasn't put the book down.It is really helping me and her cope with the fact that she has CFS and Fibromyalgia.I would recommend this to everyone who needs help understanding this.[...].

My favorite book in my CFIDS/Fibro "library"
I run a support group for CFIDS and Fibromyalgia and this is the first book I recommend to people. I have read MANY books on the illnesses over the past few years since I was first diagnosed, and I always come back to this one!It's my favorite book in my CFIDS/Fibro "library" I ahve accumulated.I also recommend Mary Shomon's books on thyroid disorders.

Too complicated
The book is extremely well written. However, I had a hard time understanding everything because of the medical words being used.

not helpful
I don't believe in writing negative reviews unless they're really useful.I ordered this book based on all the good things I'd read about it.As I read it I wondered if these reviewers had read the same book!It's a dense and not terribly readable listing of all the readily researched material on CFS and fibromyalgia.Nothing in it is helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
Difficult to diagnose, impossible to "cure," Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) appears to be a modern medical nightmare-come-true for a growing number of victims. A disorder known by names ranging from "Raggedy Ann Syndrome" to Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus disease, CFS strikes with the following devastating symptoms:

Customer Reviews (6)

Chronic Fatigue System
A great book that will help put an end to a lot of the questions about CFS.This should be read by anyone who has been diagnosed with CFS or has a loved one with CFS.

Endorsed by the Institute of Anti-Aging and Longevity
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the Hidden Epidemic is an amazing book. Initially, it can be difficult to get through the first two chapters, but a real gem of a book with anyone dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Epstein Barr Virus, Cytomeglovirus, HHV-6, Fibromyalgia and Environmental Toxins. We have been using the advice from Dr. Jesse Stoff for years at the Institute of Anti-Aging and Longevity in Carson City, Nevada because we believe that Dr. Stoff is correct in the belief that the body can heal itself through it's own immune system when dealing with the five issues that weaken the immune system called the P.I.T.T.S. which stands for Poor Nutrition, Infection, Toxins, Trauma and Stress.We have been applying the protocals from Dr. Stoff with excellent results.This book is a godsend from Dr. Stoff.It really goes into detail of the hows and whys of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and how to put it into remission with your own immune system.Dr. Stoff give excellent protocals to help the patient and the book gives 80 per cent of his treatments, but if you combine this book with his lastest one called The Prostate Miracle on cancer you have an excellent outline of what to do to improve you health, your immune system and putting the disease into remission.We have been using his research for years and find that the key to helping the patient the most is dealing with the stress and the new nutrient AiE10 in the Body Wise AG Immune to "trigger" the communication pathways of the immune system; especially as a modulator since so many patients (especially women) are dealing with auto-immune difficulties such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Candida, Fibromyalgia and other combinations of viruses and bacteria.If anyone would like receive the advanced protocals of Dr. Jesse Stoff's lastest research in this area we would be more than glad to offer help at 1-800-878-6659 at the Institute of Anti-Aging and Longevity.What has been very helpful from Dr. Stoff is the T and B subset panel of white blood cells that allows the wellness professional to interpret the data on the immune function of the patient which leads to the proper protocals to take on immune reconstitution in dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Unlike other reviewers, I found this book very disappointing: confusingly, sensationally(and obviously hurriedly) written, and, worst of all, medically out of date.

This book was a tremendous help
I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr 6 years ago at the age of 22.My doctor told me to go home and get some rest.I had no idea what to do to rebuild my immune system.My future mother-in-law sent me the book, and I immediately began following the suggestions about diet, sleep, etc.I called 1800solstice and ordered the vitamin/herb supplements and homeopathic remedies Dr. Stoff had formulated specifically for CFS patients.Within 3 months I felt better than I had in years.

I recommend this book to anyone who is suffering from CFS, fibromyalgia, Candida, or any other immune deficiency disease.

A must read for those with questions about Chronic Fatigue.
I have been diagnosed with CFIDS for over ten years and I promise you that no other publication comes close to informing the reader with more accurate and detailed information.I myself was a human "guinea pig" for doctors in my area who just couldn't seem to understand all the changes that my body was undergoing.I truly am pleased that Dr. Stoff can deliver such a straightforward idea of the private suffering and ridicule that those of us who are diagnosed go through, while explaining the unknown changes that take place in our bodies that seem to defy medical explaination by "experts".This is a must read for all those who are newly diagnosed or know someone close to them that is diagnosed. ... Read more

Product Description
Mainstream medicine, however useful in other areas of healing, has failed to effectively treat the complexities of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. This useful book focuses on alternative therapies for these prevalent diseases. Patients from around the world describe their experiences and coping strategies, while dozens of experts in fields ranging from naturopathy, ayurveda, and reflexology, to guided imagery, hypnosis, and guaifenesin therapy, share their knowledge. With 70 percent new material, this guide offers both insight and inspiration for those dealing with these challenging conditions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful, Informative, best book on Fibro, ME/CFS, MCS
This book has changed my life already and I am only halfway through reading it. It discusses and confirms what most of us already know, that this condition is real and that is is very difficult to diagnose and to treat. It also discusses the importance of avoiding chemicals and of eating organic foods when we are sick. Also talks about how mold and other environmental toxins can help contribute to this illness. Some of us also have MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity)and this is also discussed a lot too. Also patients other concerns are addressed like Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), Raynauds Phenomenon and other conditions that are all too common for those of us with these conditions. I am so very thankful for this book, in so many ways!

Very good!
I read a lot of books about fibro, but this is one of my preferite. This second edition is very up-to-date and full of information every patient should know!
Highly recomended

Excellent
Ms. Skelly accepted questionaires from many people and then culled through them to include the best in her 2nd edition book.Very real.

Alternative treatments for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
My partner has both Fibromyalgia and CFS and this booklet with its fully explained contents on Alternative Treatments has given us a most informative insight into these. In the area we live one of the biggest problems is finding a Doctor thats fully understands and can treat accordingly by using conventional and alternative means. We also do not have a support group in the area and we both have learnt so much in this wonderful book.We can now from the book understand a lot of what has happened almost on a daily basis for my partner as sections in this book are spot on with regular body signs and symptoms. ... Read more

Product Description
You Can Feel Good Again!Dr. Murphree explains it all in concise, easy-to-understand terms:How FMS and CFS are diagnosed and the underlying conditions that contribute to them.Why traditional medicine alone isn't successful in treating FMS and CFS.Why you can't sleep and how to safely and consistently solve this problem with natural supplements.Why you're in pain and how to reduce or eliminate chronic muscle aches.What tests should be performed and how to interpret these tests.What dysautonomia is and how to effectively treat it.Why you have "fibro fog" and how to correct it.How to accurately and easily test your thyroid at home.And how to feel good again!

About the Author: Dr. Murphree has been in private practice for 12 years, and he has been successfully treating fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for the past seven years.He is the founder and past clinical director of a large integrated medical clinic staffed with medical doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and a nutritionist, who combine prescription and natural medicines to treat chronic illnesses.Dr. Murphree is a board-certified nutritional specialist, chiropractic physician, author, speaker and health consultant.He lives with his wife and daughter in Birmingham, Alabama. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Please Note!!!!
The Treating and Beating book that's red and yellow is the SAME book as the green one. The green one is the 3rd edition and is much larger. I noticed that amazon's software tries to sell you both because the titles are slightly different - so please be advised. You can buy both but will be happier with the green one with the redwood trees on it.

Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia
This is a terrific book, it gives valid and interesting information as well as tips for improving your life, great info about vitamins, minerals and other supplements to try if you're tired of prescription drugs. And includes ways to integrate both Eastern and Western medicine, tips for a more healthy lifestyle, tests to ask for to determine if you have associated health problems. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is frustrated about being tired, and aching all the time- tips are great to help cope with this. I would really like to see the author, Dr. Murphree, in Birmingham, Alabama. In fact this my new goal. ... Read more

Product Description
I understand. For most of the world, it's a common little phrase. But for people who have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome (or both), it's amazingly powerful, not to mention rare. Because you have an illness that's hard to "prove," loved ones may secretly accuse you of hypochondria or laziness. You may be told "it's all in your head." Phusicians can be even worse. If they believe that conditions exist at all - and some don't - their first impulse is to mask the symptoms with prescription drugs. Patients often end up on a medical merry-go-round, seeing doctor after doctor after doctor. They end up more confused and disoriented than ever, often concluding, "Maybe I am crazy, after all." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Fibromyalgia People Don't get on Meds until you read this!
I agree with the doctor on many point in regards to supplements and medications.I believe this book has a lot of great information for people that want to live more naturally and don't buy into all of the garbage out there that the Pharmaceutical companies want us to believe.

Might help - but skeptical
I have some of the doctor's books about fibromyalgia and while there is good information about this disorder, I can't help but be a bit skeptical about authors who just happen to sell supplements as well as books.

very detailed
Looks at the underlying reasons for this syndrome. Found book to be one that i pick up to read again and again. I would recommend it.

Don't waste your money!
After being diagnosed in 2007 with fibromyalgia--which explained alot--I started researching the syndrome/disease on the Internet. There are legitimate foundations and medical sites as well as the NIH medical library. This book added nothing to what I had already learned on my own for free! In addition, I met other sufferers who shared their experience, strength, and hope with me. And, there were my physicians. Murphree's book is nothing more than a selling platform for his overpriced supplements. Bear in mind also, dear reader, that the ingredients for ALL nutritional supplements come from the same handful of factories--ie, a chemical formula is a chemical formula, period. This author reminds me of Gary Null, who claimed he had cured both cancer and AIDS. It turned out that Null didn't even write his own books (my ex met his ghostwriter in our neighborhood). I feel like a real sucker for having bought Murphree's book. It's going to the recycle bin--today.

Incrediblly helpful, this doc "gets the disease and can treat it" like few others do!
The cover of the new book is a bit strange to me, however, I have the 2006 version of this book and and am ordering the updated version for the content. I have had Fibro and CFS for 10 years. I am an RN. I have gone every direction possible to figure out how to cure these conditions......not just treat symptoms. I have spent well over $10,000 out of pocket on Fibro docs, chiropractors, massage, Rolfing, Iridology, Nutritionalist, diets, forms of exercise, meds and on an on. Doctor Murphee really understands the disease and it's triggers and he has concrete solutions. After reading book (which I reread often...so full of valuable content),I then consulted by phone. It has made a huge difference. Thank you, Dr Murphee! It's the closest thing to the Bible on the topic.

Amazon, note that you misspelled the word Chronic in the title listing. ... Read more

Product Description
If you're struggling with fibromyalgia or CFS, this book can help you. It offers an evidence-based improvement program that can help you achieve a healthy balance between activity, rest, and leisure-a balance that can significantly reduce pain and fatigue and increase your energy. In this book, author Fred Friedberg, a clinical psychologist and a leading researcher in chronic fatigue, first explains how lifestyle impacts the severity and persistence of fibromyalgia and CFS. He then goes on to show how the seven step lifestyle balance program can help you to function and feel better.In step one, you'll learn how to use active relaxation techniques to lessen ongoing stress. Better sleep, anger management, and activity pacing make up steps two, three, and four. Step five focuses on overcoming worry and guilt, and you'll learn how low-effort pleasurable activities can ease pain and fatigue in step six. Finally, in step seven, the importance of finding and maintaining personal support is covered. This effective lifestyle-focused program has brought relief to many others like you who have struggled with these misunderstood illnesses-illnesses that modern medicine cannot cure. You can start on the path to a better quality of life today! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Blaming the victim
Attributing an illness to a "personality type" has as much validity as blaming evil spirits or original sin. Whether you believe in karma, voodoo, or "personality types", the fact is that none of these cause diseases. So, why does Fred Friedberg claim on page 24 that those who have CFS and FM are "hard driving" individuals, whose character traits "play an important role in the onset and persistence of these illnesses"? This is pure hogwash. If a "hard driving" personality can cause CFS, what is the character trait of people who get the flu? How about the character trait of oysters that get cancer? Do they have "overbooked lives"? Think about it for a minute.

Equally silly is the claim that "stress" causes CFS/FM. The studies that Friedberg cites, in which people with CFS reported "stress" in the year before falling ill, have no control groups. If you asked any random group of Americans if they experienced "stress" during the previous year, 90% of them would say "yes." Stress, particularly physical stress, will worsen CFS, but this has nothing to do with causation. (Diseases are not caused by stress. They are caused by pathogens.)

In 2006, when this book was published, CFS had long been established as a neuro-immunological illness with a viral etiology. But while Friedberg mentions that overactivity in the RNase L pathway (indicative of viral infections) is linked to CFS symptoms, he then goes on to claim that correcting "personality traits" can lessen the severity of the illness. Friedberg's ability to talk out of both sides of his mouth is only matched by his disregard for basic biology. The failure of Cognitive Behavior Therapy to improve a single CFS symptom stands as proof that viruses don't give a hoot about personality factors.

The truly ironic thing about this book is that it was published the same year that Sophia Mirza died of CFS. Hers was the first recorded death in the UK officially attributed to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. But in reality Sophia was killed by psychologists who stuck her in a mental institution rather than treat her illness. Sophia's autopsy revealed damage to 80% of the dorsal ganglia in her spinal column due to widespread inflammation. (Damage to the dorsal ganglia would account for most CFS symptoms.) Perhaps Fred can explain how a "type A personality" can destroy 80% of a person's spinal cord. (No doubt he'd claim the destruction was due to "catastrophizing.")

If you have been diagnosed with CFS, don't waste your energy reading this book. Get a copy of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide instead. And, for the sake of your health, avoid pop psychologists.

Learning to Live With My Limitations
I got hold of this book by chance; a friend of mine had seen an article on it along with an interview of the author and it was given as a gift to me. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia almost ten years ago after some back surgeries and subsequent infections. Like everyone else who deals with Chronic Fatigue or Fibro, I refused to believe that it would limit me in any way. But as the years went by, I went from rebelling to retreating into my house and not participating in life. I had to stop working. I couldn't participate in my kids school trips or PTA as I had before. I couldn't run/walk/jog/bike/hike like I had. How could I do anything but give up?

This book was a light for me in what I thought would be the dismal remaining years of my life. It gave me basic, good information to increase my overall health, stamina and ensure that I was at the most fit I could be despite the constraints of my illness. I would recommend that any person newly diagnosed, or even, as in my case, any person that has had a chronic fatiguing illness for years, should have this book in their library.

Not much help for me , I'm afraid
I really didn't see much in this book that I didn't see on the CFS web site or the CDC or pro health web sites.

I'll grant you, I am quite ill with both FMS and CFS , absolutely homebound with the CFS, so maybe I'm not grasping all the author is trying to convey.

Maybe if ever I don't feel so foggy or even as debilitated as I do now, I will reread this book and find what I so obviously missed.

Not much new...
There is not much new in this book for a long-time FM patient like me.I was disappointed.I expected a newly-published book to contain more new information.

Real help for CFS/FM sufferers. An awesome book!
I have had CFS/FM for 18 years. I was 29 when it first hit me. I have suffered incredibly all these years. Relapse and recessions over and over again. I've been unable to work. Been in denial all these years, beating myself up thinking it will one day just disappear. Put my life on hold. Felt guilty I wasn't able to socialize as I wanted etc. I have been feeling pretty hopeless after another bad bout. Then, this book was given to me as a gift.Dr. Friedberg, who also, has CFS and suffered for many years, writes in an easy to understand format, with compassion and experience of discovering how to cope with CFS and lead a happier life. The 7 steps DO work! I highly recommend reading it or give it to someone you love you has it.I have researched tons of things about CFS, but I have never understood it like I do now. I have never understood how I can help myself feel better and keep my symptoms at bay. A definite 5 star review. Wonderfully written. ... Read more

Product Description
It is estimated that 4-8 million people in the United States sufferwith Fibromyalgia. Another one million also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.Some statistics state that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgiamay directly affect 5% of the world's population.

I am one of the individuals in this growing epidemic. In 1997, after achaotic year of intense medical and psychological testing, I was diagnosedwith Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. I spent muchof the last ten years in deep denial feeling alone, confused, frustrated,and angry. It has taken me a great deal of soul searching, but I believethat today I am a better, more centered person because of my experiences.

I've never been someone who dictates advice, so my book provides worksheets you can develop to tailor your personal responses to symptoms and crises. It is the good, the bad, and the ugly of my personal journey that I share with you, my fellow Fibromites. My hope is simple, that you will find solace and renewed hope in my words.

What People Are Saying About Strategies

"This book is a passionate, intense account of one person's conquest over suffering. As a psychologist working with chronic pain sufferers, I can endorse Ms. Brady's philosophy, approach and tools." -Bob Rich, PhD, author Cancer: A Personal Challenge

Author info at http://tami-brady.com

Another great self-help book from Loving Healing Presshttp://LovingHealing.com ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A valuable resource of various means of coping with fibromyalgia and stress that leads to exhaustion.
As Tami Brady suffered from the painful and peace-haunting symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, she lost control of her life. To mask her fears, she pressed harder on herself in her field work as an archeology student, trying to convey that she was strong as ever. But one day, when she collapsed in the field and was raised to her feet by her friends, she heard the most important thing from one of the students; that she was human just like them. In her latest book Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey (Loving Healing Press, Michigan, 2008), Tami Brady tells the story of transformation as a person after her painful experience of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.In a very important sense, Dr. Brady found herself a more confident and wiser person even to the point of thanking the two diseases for visiting her and making this shift in personality possible.

Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are quite prevalent with no exact cause or cure known so far and often being wrongly diagnosed as one or more of several other disorders with similar symptoms. Strategies explores the nature of these two debilitating diseases via the author's personal journey through them. Realizing the hazards of passively receiving treatment with prescribed medicine, Tami started to formulate her own treatment strategies, targeting both specific symptoms and general well-being. Thus we learn about three main strategies that every patient of these diseases can benefit from: physical support, stress management, and natural medication. Tami's book is a valuable resource of various means of coping with fibromyalgia and stress that leads to exhaustion.

Strategies also includes a complete treatment plan in form of the many pages to be used by readers who are patients of fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndrome. By presenting her own treatment plan as a model, the book makes self-treatment easy and simple enough to be used with confidence by any and all readers. For every health conscious individual, and particularly for those who want to win their battle over stress and fatigue, Tami Brady's book is highly recommended.

Save your money...borrow or buy used!
I admire Brady for telling her story in Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey.I found many of her experiences to be interesting and comforting.I especially liked the list of resources at the back of the book and the inspirational quotes that open each chapter.
However, I did not find the charts and tables which are meant to help with executing the suggested strategies to be helpful, but rather wasted space.Moreover, while I am an advocate for trying alternative therapies and treatments, I found Brady's relentless suggestion to practice Reiki aggravating.Overall, this book is geared toward a Canadian audience - as an American I wasn't familiar with some of the drugs and medicaments that were suggested.

An excellent choice for those who want to overcome what ails them
To be faced with a rare disorder is a lonely thing. "Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey" is an inspirational guide to those who have either of these debilitating diseases that zap the energy out of its sufferer. Tami Brady has dealt with it for much of her life, and relays her story hoping to motivate others not to let the disorder control their life. "Strategies" is an excellent choice for those who want to overcome what ails them.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey
Reviewed by Randy A. Lakin for RebeccasReads (1/09)


Tami Brady's newest book, "Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey" is excellent.The book starts out with Tami explaining how she came to be diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.The author explains how the process was lengthy: at first she had undergone all sorts of blood tests.The doctors had ruled out chemical imbalances, cancer, diabetes, lupus, and a whole variety of other conditions and they were still stumped.It was at this point they sent her to a Neurologist to rule out MS or Multiple Sclerosis, which they did.

This process can be very unnerving for an individual, I know because my wife has gone through the same process.It's just like the author explains.My wife, Colleen, went from doctor to doctor trying to find out what was wrong with her.It took quite some time until we found a very good doctor that took the time needed to diagnose my wife with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.Unfortunately, my wife was also diagnosed with Parkinson's.It wasn't until Tami went to a sports medicine specialist that she was told she had Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.The process the author went through is very similar for many other people to find out what is wrong with them.Once the author received her diagnoses of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia she went into denial for almost a decade.

Once the author accepted her condition and stopped seeing it as a weakness, she was able to move on.The author discusses several ways to treat Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.She states there are vitamins, herbs, over the counter drugs, prescription drugs which the author did not use and meditation.The author uses meditation and visualization to help overcome the pain.Tami created several different meditation and visualization routines for herself, depending on how her pain was and where it was.

After reading Tami Brady's book and all the trouble my wife has gone through with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia I have to say the author has a real winner with this book.I would recommend that if you have been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, both, or if you even think you have them to buy this book.And when it comes to doctors you can see that they don't know everything.So many doctors take the quick route and blame a person's problem on weight or stress.If the author had settled for that reasoning or that kind of doctor, her life would have been very dreary.She would have no hope of ever finding out what was wrong with her and continued to think of her illness as a weakness or some kind of atonement for past wrongs.So I recommend this book to everyone with the same condition as the author.I know my wife and I enjoyed reading it.

More Journey than Strategy
Every Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia patient has a unique story to tell.In Strategies: A Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Journey, Tami Brady shares her experiences with these two debilitating illnesses.

I could see a lot of my own experiences in those of Ms. Brady.Like Ms. Brady, my illness made itself apparent after a very stressful period in my life.I also endured the frustration that came from waiting for months for a correct diagnosis. Even after I received that diagnosis, there was very little offered to me in the way of treatment options.As Ms. Brady noted: "No follow up visits. No care regime.The rest was left up to me."Many patients will see something of themselves in the author's struggle to adjust to life with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.

The book, however, seems a little unbalanced.The first ten chapters chronicle her journey to diagnosis and accepting the limitations that come from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.The last four chapters are aimed at specific strategies for living with both conditions.These four chapters are incredibly helpful and well-organized, but they make up a very small portion of the book.

There were also many typographical and grammatical errors throughout the book.These were extremely distracting to me during my reading.I hope that these errors will be corrected in future printings.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it helpful to my own struggle - both physical and mental - that comes from living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.As Ms. Brady states in the Foreword, "In the end, we are all changed forever.On good days, I believe for the better." ... Read more

Product Description
Fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain from muscle trigger points, and chronic fatigue syndrome are often seen as interchangeable conditions. Nothing could be further from the truth--however, they do often coexist. Knowing what you have will help you in determining the right treatment.

Written by a registered nurse with these three disorders, and a psychologist who has been treating chronic pain since 1994, this book presents an integrative approach. The authors understand these conditions are not curable, but they provide a thorough guide for treatment options that can benefit you. They answers questions like:
 
How can I be more than a bystander in my own care?
Why is proper documentation in my medical record important?
How are FM, CFID and CMP different,  how do they cross over and why should I know?
What are common co-existing conditions and what conditions mimic or aggravate mine?
How do I communicate my needs and symptoms successfully?
Where is that word I had two seconds ago?
What different forms of exercise are available for my specific needs?
How do I write a poem or meditate and why is the feedback to my brain important?
Why do some treatments make me worse when everyone swears they will make me better?
What should I look for in the "right" doctor?
What are my patient rights?
What foods should I avoid, and why?
Why should safe use of medications, herbal remedies and supplements  concern me?
Why can't I sleep, what can I do?
What is a flare, and how do I deal with crisis?'
Why don't my family and friends understand?
How do I assess and document the effectiveness of treatments, and medications?
What are the different types of bodywork, and who provides it?
What are the dos and don'ts of exercise?
How big is big brother?
How can I help my doctor overcome fear of prescribing the medications I need?
How do I write my thoughts and feelings down, and why is it important to me?
How do I apply for the benefits I need, what are they looking for?
What is an appeals process?
How do I get my needs met at work?
Why is nurturing my spiritual side important?
How can I resist isolation and feel empowered?
How do I accept what has happened to me and maintain forward momentum? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lotus Guide magazine
For many diseases in our world, we are finally learning that treatments using only allopathic or only homeopathic remedies are seldom the best approach in and of themselves. Much of the confusion has come from the polarized arguments of both sides attempting to defend their points of view, but like most truths the answers are often found in the middle ground, hence "integrative medicine." I found this book, at 448 pages, to be very comprehensive and I highly recommend it for anyone searching for a balanced approach for the treatment of these diseases.



Dhara Lemos, Lotus GuideDhara's Active Meditation

One of the best
One of the best books on the subject. It was almost as if it was written from my own experiences.
I connected with everything they spoke of. I absolutely am keeping it for my reference when ever Ineed to speak to my doctor or I need validation. It made me feel good that there was absolutely another person going through what I'm going through with this devastating disease.

Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain
Based upon my own personal experiences, I know that getting that Fibromyalgia and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome diagnosis is difficult. Saying that you hurt all over for no particular reason, that you just can't seem to get out of bed each morning, that you could sleep for days and still be tired, or that you feel like you are thinking through several layers of cotton just tends to confuse most doctors. Even though there is nothing new about these conditions and there are a growing number of individuals suffering from them, few doctors know much about Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or Myofascial Pain. Diagnosis, even if your doctor believes you, can take months or even years. Then, once diagnosed, there is no set treatment options leaving us with the primary responsibility of finding options that ease our suffering.

Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain is the book that I wish I could have been given when I started this journey. I highly recommend it to anyone who thinks they might have Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or Myofascial Pain. This multifunctional book will educate you while reminding you that you are not alone.

Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain begins by explaining the similarities and differences between the three conditions. Many doctors and most of the literature tend to lump these together because the symptoms are very similar. Nonetheless, the root cause may not necessarily be the same which definitely suggests different treatment strategies.

Next, the book tells us how to talk to our doctor. How to explain our symptoms: their location, the intensity, and the duration. Also, knowing our rights and when to find another doctor. This is important as after repeated testing and specialist visits, we all start to wonder if the pain is in our head. However, it is at this point that we need to stand up for ourselves and find appropriate healthcare specialists.

The final sections are for after the diagnosis. Things like finding support, educating yourself, and figuring out what treatment options might be useful to you. There are also some invaluable tips on living, getting through your day, reworking relationships, and understanding the emotional aspects of these conditions.
... Read more

Product Description
People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)/ME experience extreme tiredness and a range of other symptoms, including pain, headaches, impaired concentration and memory, anxiety, sleep problems, and palpitations. The condition can affect all areas of a sufferer's life and, in turn, the lives of those who are close to them. This book provides the families and friends of people with CFS/ME with an accessible introduction to the condition, and explains what can be done to support those who have it. It offers useful advice on how to help a loved one cope with the illness, and suggests ways to help them with everyday issues such as personal hygeine, nutrition, finances, and relationships. Recognising that coping with the impact of CFS/ME can be just as difficult for the relatives and friends of those with the condition, it addresses the emotional, social, and practical aspects of having a loved one with CFS/ME, explains how to understand the changes in their relationship with the sufferer, how to manage stress, and where to go for further help and support. The book also includes detailed case studies and practical advice from a wide range of people with mild, moderate, and severe CFS/ME, and their loved ones. This book offers much-needed information and support to the friends, families, and carers of people with CFS/ME. It will also be a useful resource for health professionals who wish to deepen their understanding of CFS/ME, including home helps, care staff, counsellors, therapists, doctors, and nurses. ... Read more

Product Description
(The Haworth Medical Press) Offers a window into the author's suffering and challenges the disabled and healthy to reject our culture's limiting view defining success in life. Without minimizing the losses and the difficulties, the author's biblical views provide encouragement and support. For any interested reader. Softcover, hardcover not yet available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not worth the paper it was printed on...
This is not really a book about CFS. As a firsthand account of the illness, it contains relatively few details about the treatments the author tried, tests that were performed, who diagnosed him and how, the pattern of his symptoms, and progression of his illness. This is important information, not just because it validates the experience of other people with CFS, but because CFS memoirs are, in essence, case studies. Detailed memoirs provide patients and doctors alike with valuable information about the course of the illness, effects that different medications have on specific symptoms, and so forth. In that sense this book was a double failure, because Rotholz had the opportunity to describe not only his own experience, but that ofhis wife, who came down with CFS five years earlier. It would have been useful to know how their illnesses differed, if any treatments helped her, how her doctor came up with the diagnosis and which exclusionary tests were performed. But Rotholz glosses over his wife's illness as if it were somehow not pertinent.

Instead of focusing on CFS, Rotholz uses this book as an opportunity to air his thoughts about culture and religion. Unfortunately, Rotholz is not an original thinker on either topic. A critical exploration of our cultural beliefs about illness might have been fascinating, but what Rotholz offers up is nothing more than tired old saws and some rather mundane criticisms of our notions of success, capitalism (qualified by a hearty: "I'm not advocating socialism"!), wealth and power, and, of course, a suggestion for a "new" name--not for CFS, which is absolutely essential if this illness is ever to be taken seriously--but for "disabled" ("differently abled" is the term he recommends).

Rotholz's forays into anthropology (Bushmen of the Kalahari, Bruderhof Society) were no better. In both cases, vague generalizations (based on other people's fieldwork) were all Rotholz could muster. In a book about CFS, wouldn't it have been more valuable to point out those cultural differences which directly relate to illness? For example, among the Maya, the concept of "malingering" is entirely unknown. There is literally no such thing as an "all in your head" illness: if you feel ill, you are ill. It would have far more interesting to contrast their experience of illness with our own, rather than delve into the Bushmen's concept of success.

As for Christianity, Rotholz reinvents the wheel. "There is no higher goal in life than to live out the Christian ideal" is a sentiment that he expresses for nearly half of this book. This sentiment has been expressed before, and no doubt will find its way into print again. The question is, why did Haworth MEDICAL Press publish it?

Unique perspective on chronic illness
This short and insightful reflection is unique and uniquely needed in at least two ways. First, it is a near-miracle that the book exists at all, given the fact that the author was struck down with chronic fatigue syndrome (or CFIDS, chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome) several years before writing it. Those familiar with this cruel disorder know that mere survival presents a challenge to its sufferers. The rigors of writing a book elude most healthy people. Second, the subject matter is (to my knowledge) unique. There are many books on treating chronic fatigue and coping with chronic fatigue and there are a few books that attempt to help loved ones understand this disorder in order to provide intelligent and caring assistance. However, this is the first book to put the experience of chronic fatigue into a larger cultural and theological framework.

There are also numerous books on the problem of evil (of a philosophical and theological bent) and books on the vicissitudes of suffering through evil (of a pastoral and psychological bent). But these efforts nearly always ignore a category of evil and suffering that afflicts millions of people: chronic illness. Those in the vice grip of chronic illness-whether chronic fatigue, lupus, MS, irritable bowel syndrome, or other disabilities-must often endure a double malady. They not only lose their health, their dreams, and any semblance of normal life; they also end up becoming opaque mysteries even to those closest to them. This phenomenon lies in the nature of those chronic illnesses that are "invisible" to the uncaring eye. An invisible illness is one that is real, but not easily detectable visibly. Many who endure the life sentence of chronic illness "look fine" but feel miserable-more disconsolate than can be imagined by the those not stricken. Many unsympathetic friends and relatives put pressure on the sufferers to "buck up" or "stop feeling sorry for themselves" and "just get on with life." After all, they are not in a wheel chair, they can see and hear, they have all their limbs, and they don't have cancer.
So, what, exactly, is their problem?

James Rotholz writes from a place of understanding and wisdom. Trained as an anthropologist, he knows the dynamics of cultural values. As a Christian, he knows that pain and suffering are part of a universe that groans in travail awaiting its final freedom. He further knows that in Christ there is hope and meaning for even the most debilitated human being. As a chronic fatigue victim, he knows the fear, disappointment, anger, and frustration of this dark fate. After his wife fell ill with chronic fatigue, this young professor succumbed as well. (His wife eventually improved.) He was forced to leave the academy, yet try to provide for his family and carve out a meaningful existence in spite of it all. Rotholz tells his story without lapsing into either self-pity or pious platitudes. Those not touched by chronic illness need to listen to his tale-especially pastors and caregivers. Rotholz grants that many believers and non-believers have suffered nobly. Nevertheless, chronic illness is a bitter pill that must be swallowed again and again.
Rotholz's first-person narrative unveils a world of which most people know nothing. It is a world about which many would rather remain oblivious. His account is not a diversion from the unpleasant, but an immersion into the unspeakable. Those who are ignorant-willfully or otherwise-of the sufferings of others are exempting themselves from part of the human condition.In avoiding knowledge of the experience of pain, such people cheapen their own relatively painless lives.

After two chapters explaining his descent into the illness and his coming to terms with it, Rotholz utilizes his anthropological background to reflect on the larger questions of how American culture responds to and evaluates chronic illness. He explores the American "culture of success" and how it marginalizes the disabled, who cannot perform economically or culturally in the ways deemed worthy.

But Rotholz is not content merely to level accusations at American insensitivity, however needful this is. The remaining chapters present an alternative understanding of worth and meaning before God. Instead of emphasizing material achievement, the Bible calls us to value character and faithfulness. Instead of valorizing the wealthy, the beautiful, and the influential, God calls us to value all people-no matter how lowly-because they bear the image of their Creator. Our ultimate achievements are not quantifiable, but are matters of qualities-qualities of the soul as it rests in and gives glory to God, come what may.
Rotholz wrestles with some of the deeper philosophical and theological problems in the concluding chapter, "Called to Dignity." Rotholz finds meaning through his suffering in the wise providence of a sometimes mysterious God. As he notes in the previous chapter, "A New Vision of Success," naturalism offers exactly no meaning or explanation for human suffering. "Any view of human life that is devoid of God must ultimately be dehumanizing, for it means that human life has no real purpose, thus, it is meaningless. Suicide would then become a reasonable response" (101).

"Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Christianity, and Culture" is not a feel-good, self-help manual. It doesn't tell you how to be "successful" in a worldly way (or how to be successful in a worldly way while pretending to be spiritual). It is not a "success story" as our culture defines it. The author is not a celebrity. Instead, this book tackles a subject most people would rather ignore or forget. But never mind that. By composing a contemplative book on a neglected topic, James Rotholz has won a moral and spiritual victory. His readers will find a story that ends not in despair, but in hope. This is a book for all those who want to honor and minister to a largely forgotten subsection of "the least of these, my brethren"-the chronically ill.

Douglas Groothuis ... Read more

Product Description

Most people's diets are woefully inadequate for providing proper nutrition. Even good diets fail to deliver sufficient levels of nutrients. The Vitamin Cure book series highlights the safe and clinically effective use of vitamin supplements for a variety of illnesses. Research continues to prove the immense value of vitamins for maintaining health and fighting disease. The Vitamin Cure books, written by authors who are recognized experts in their field, give you authoritative, up-to-date, and practical information on taking vitamins for particular health problems.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an elusive, difficult-to-treat condition in which the entire human organism has gone out of kilter. Symptoms include fatigue, muscle and joint pain, feeling unwell after exercise, unrefreshing sleep, and memory/concentration problems. A combination of factors is implicated in the development of CFS: allergies, nervous system dysfunction, environmental toxins, immune dysfunction, and oxidative stress. Unfortunately, mainstream medicine relies on a piecemeal and inadequate approach to the problem.

This groundbreaking book directly addresses the myriad causes of CFS and offers restorative vitamin and other treatments capable of safely reducing symptoms. Orthomolecular (megavitamin) therapy encompasses common over-the-counter vitamins, in combination with sound medical and scientific evidence. These natural treatments can provide profound relief for those with chronic fatigue.
... Read more

Product Description
Much talked about but little understood, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) lacks a well-defined cause or treatment. Based on up-to-the-minute research findings, Friedberg--who suffers himself from CFS--has devised a nine-point plan for taking control of CFS that incorporates a potent link between stress and CFS symptoms. ... Read more

Product Description
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated disorder characterised by extreme fatigue that doesn't improve with bed rest and may worsen with physical or mental activity. Chronic fatigue syndrome may occur after an infection, such as a cold or viral illness. The onset can also be during or shortly after a time of great stress, or it may come on gradually without a clear starting point or obvious cause. This book discusses new research in CFS, including the effects that CFS may have on immune system responses. The possible implications and prevention of CFS are also explored. ... Read more

Product Description
"An important investigation of a little-understood illness with much to teach doctors and patients alike. General readers will find her personal story compelling as well as beautifully told."â€"Lynne Sharon Schwartz, author of The Fatigue Artist

"Carefully researched and documented, Encounters with the Invisible takes the reader on a sweeping journey of a life, although the story rarely leaves Ms. Wall's bedroom."â€"K. Kimberly McCleary, President, Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome Association of America

Blending personal drama with literary reflection, reportage, and medical history, Dorothy Wall illuminates the conflicts and controversies surrounding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and graphically depicts the way a virus resculpts a life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Fantastic Book
This book is amazing.As the spouse of a CFS/ME sufferer, the book opened doors and shined the light on things that I knew but couldn't put into words.A must read for any person with CFS/ME or their loved ones.

Encounters With the Invisible:Unseen Illness, Controversy, And Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Medical Humanities
I think this book is terrific, however, I have ME AND Fibromyalgia. (chronic fatigue with chronic pain everywhere).Does anyone know of a great book on this subject?

Thank you,Cyn

A useful book about CFS.
I suffer from CFS and I find this book has helped me quite a lot. It's clearly and well written, gatherig all the main facts about this complex illness.

ENLIGHTENING
I have suffered from CFS since the late 70's although I was able to "push" through the majority of those years.I am now back in an accute phase and found Dorothy Wall's book fascinating , beautifully written and helpful.It helped make my illness real for me since I have never "looked" ill and have learned to doubt that what I have is real. I found it a story of the truth, which was most refreshing and inspiring.

Experience plus information
I found this to be an excellent book on CFIDS. I too suffer from it and feel sometimes I am the only one in my corner of the world that has it. It is helpful to read about someone else who has the same symptoms so I realize I am not " losing it" and it is real. The author also provides comphrensive data relating to medical, historical, and social aspects of this troubling illness. I would highly suggest this to people who have CFIDS and those who want to learn more about it. It is a a very readable book that is packed with information and is not boring or dry. ... Read more

Product Description
An updated guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome draws on current medical research, patient interviews, and alternative health sources to provide a detailed study of the history and possible causes of, and effective treatments for, the disease. Simultaneous. IP. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Running On Empty
If you think you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also referred to as CFIDS-Chronic Fatigue Immume Disfunction Syndrone, or have been diagnosed with CFIDS, THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.When I got this book, I said "Hooray, I'm not just lazy and crazy".I cannot begin to say how much better I felt after reading this book.It didn't help my symptoms, but it let me know why I had these symptoms.Chronic Fatigue is such an undiagnosable disease that most physicians think that you are just crazy, a hypochondriac, or they misdiagnose you and put you through hundreds of dollars worth of tests.Even when I was diagnosed with it, my other doctors refused to believe it. It was not until my husband saw an Olympic contestant talk about her battle with CFIDS and how she hoped she had a "good" day on the day of her performance that he then understood what I was going through, and he became my main supporter.

Running On Empty Revised Edition 1995 by Katrina Berne PH.D
This is by far the best book I have read on CFIDS.Would recommend it to everyone.As the other reviewer states, it was written in 1995 but science hasn't brought us a cause or cure since that time, so it is still a very valuable book on ALL aspects of this illness.The author is writing from experience...as she has CFIDS.Book is very informative, she's very relatable, and she shows a deep understanding of the challenge in living with this life changing illness. A truly outstanding book! Read this one.

Great for PWC and their family members!!
This book is not only informative for the patient, but helps family members truly understand this illness. I was touched deeply by this book because I felt the author truly understood me and my illness. It gives great insight for the family members and helps them to understand all the ramifcations of this devastating illness.

Great Book
This book may be getting a bit dated, but it's still among the best resources available on CFIDS. Many CFIDS self help guides read like advertisements for their authors, but not so with "Running onEmpty". I'm hoping that Dr. Berne will offer an updated editionsometime soon. If/when she does, I'll be back to order my copy (to replacethe old, dog-eared one I passed along to someone who needed it more than Idid).

A full approach to living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
I feel this book was full of information; in which helps everyone! It's not always easy to make the right choices, when you're not well. This book's advise (along with my favorite doctor; Daniel L. Peterson, M.D.)gives PWC hope, compassion, and most of all, understanding! ... Read more