Product Description
THE HIDDEN EPIDEMIC There are legions, literally millions upon millions of people, living in pain and suffering in silence and is the number one reason for doctor visits in the U.S. and nothing else even comes close. The number of people is staggering: 200 million who suffer pain on some regular basis, at least once a month, and 92 million people in unrelenting, chronic pain every day without letup seven days a week. Everything to be found regarding dealing with pain revolves around managing, coping with, or in some way learning how to live with pain. There is not a word to be found as regards how one might go about removing the cause of the pain because it has been accepted as fact that the cause is unknown.At present there are many books on the topic of pain in general, as well as numerous books on specific conditions, but not a single one of them reveals the underlying cause of the pain and how to remove it, eliminating the need for drugs. Until now. Harvey Diamond is the bestselling author of the enormously successful series of FIT FOR LIFE books. Harvey has one of the most compelling and moving human interest stories you will ever hear. While serving his country in Vietnam, as a 21 year old in 1966, he was exposed to Agent Orange which brought on a condition called peripheral neuropathy. Along with extreme, unrelenting pain, this condition also slowly deteriorates muscles until individuals are confined to a wheelchair unable to move. Most cases are fatal. In his landmark new book, LIVING WITHOUT PAIN, Harvey reveals to those 200 million people who are in pain and looking for answers, how they too can live life free of pain without having to rely on dangerous drugs. Harvey's engaging and light-hearted, reader-friendly writing style highlights this book which is brimming over with common sense information that changes people's lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

No Pain
I found this book informative and helpful.I suffer with Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and felt that some of the information was very well stated.I will definitely reread this book and use it as a reference for my conditions.I can recomend this book to others suffering from these conditions with confidence.The information given is not a cure-all but I know I enjoyed reading it (it is easy reading)and there are several things I am going to try. ... Read more

Product Description
You’ve been repeatedly poked, prodded, tested and scanned, yet, despite how awful you feel, your doctor, like many of your friends, co-workers, and family members have begun dropping subtle (and some not-so-subtle) hints that they think it’s “all in your head.” Maybe you’re one of the lucky few CFS sufferers who’ve received an accurate diagnosis but nothing your health care provider does seems to help. Well, you’re not alone. According to recent estimates, of the approximately 800,000 Americans with CFS, more than 90% have been misdiagnosed, dismissed, or are not receiving proper treatment.

Don’t despair, help has arrived. Written by a national expert who has successfully treated scores of CFS patients in her own practice, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for Dummies gives you the knowledge and tools you need to beat CFS and get back to living a normal life. In plain English Doctor Susan Lisman fills you in on:

• What CFS is, how you get it, and how it effects your body     
• Its major symptoms and warning signs
• Getting an accurate diagnosis
• Avoiding situations that might be making you sicker
• Teaming up with the right doctor and crafting a treatment plan
• The most effective drugs, therapies and alternative approaches
• Coping with CFS in your personal and professional lives

Packed with checklists, self-tests, questionnaires, and other powerful tools, and featuring many inspiring real-life stories of patients who’ve licked CFS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for Dummies puts you on the road to recovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

DO let bad reviews put you off, you should be!
CFS is always a misdiagnosis. What patients told they have 'CFS' need is a real diagnosis, not advice from 'CFS' experts.

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. 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.

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. And avoid books like this one like the plague!

Don't Let That One Bad Review Scare You
This is a good book with some great information in it.If you want solid medical advice, this is where you turn. Some of it's a little basic, but I think it would be really useful to someone who's just been diagnosed. By the way, Anesthesiologists treat all kinds of pain (a hallmark of CFS) and are certainly experienced in drugs.Yes, drugs have side effects.But, they have been proven to work and are acceptable medical practice.

The book is well written, funny, and immensely helpful.I suffer from both fibromyalgia AND chronic fatigue syndrome, so I know what I am talking about. Please, everyone, give the book a chance and don't let the ravings of one anti-medicine fringe-type scare you away.

basic CFS info 101
The book is large but the information is the same you get in any book on Chronic Fatique Syndrome but too much filler to create a regular size book from the Dummies series. Most of the smaller books I ordered I found to be much more helpful.

Highly recommended; enlightening, educational and accessable.
Highly recommended as a primer on this difficult subject!Chronic Fatigue Symdrome for Dummies is an easy read that sheds much light on this syndrome. My sister has suffered from CFS for years, and this is the first book I've read that explained what she's going through in a comprehensive and understandable manner. I sent a copy to my mom, who was finally able to "get it".Kudo's to the author for providing a step by step guide to understanding the dynamics to this much misunderstood and malaigned disorder.

This is my new cfs bible!
I've had cfids for 3 years. I have read many books and wasted many hours on the net for information. This book is the best I've encountered yet. It has so much information and is all right on the money. She is very practical and down to earth as well as diving into the scientific stuff. Since CFS is so complex she covers all kinds of aspects and suggests things to help cope. As far as excercise, yes it can make you feel worse if you overdo it, of course you aren't going to do what normal people do or do it on a 'bad' day but on decent days most can do stretching and walking. It doesn't help to just let yourself go. I'm surprised at the other review here that gave one star. I say check it out for yourself so you don't miss out on this awsome book as a result of one bad review. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

a great book for the average person to understand
I have CF and was looking for a book that was simple to understand and simple to follow.This book is it. The information is laid out very clearly and I found it very helpful without being overloaded with information.

Empowering book
I was diagnosed with CFS more than 10 years ago, and this was one of the books I got at that time.I just finished re-reading it, and remembered why I liked it so much.It emphasizes that there are many things *we* can do to help ourselves rather than waiting for the doctor to dole out little pills.The other two books I'd gotten were much more focused on a victim-mentality.

One of the reviewer mentions Murray's recommendation for exercise.Yes, hard exercise or physical strain knocks me flat on my back for a few days.But, gradual amounts of light exercise do make me feel better, and I've been able to do more over the years.Murray perhaps doesn't emphasize the gradual part of the exercise program.I wish he'd been clearer about what kind of exercises are useful, and how to gage how much is too much.He doesn't mention anything about yoga, either.He *does* mention in other portions of the text that physical exertion does lead to excessive exhaustion.

One problem with the book is the overview nature.It does cover a lot of different things, but doesn't really delve deeply into any one.It does have some recommendations for herbal support, and gives a good sample diet.But, as it does cover a breadth of things, it does suggest further avenues to explore.

I don't feel this book is the end-all and be-all of CFS self-treatment books, but it is a positive book, and well worth the money.

Do NOT but this book
This is the worst book about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that I have ever read! His suggestions to exercise show clearly that he NO understanding of CFS/CFIDS! Yes, exercise will help many people with fatigue, even chronic fatigue; but not Chronic Fatigue SYNDROME. For someone with true CFS (also known as CFDIS) exercise will make things worse, sometimes far worse!
He also talks about all kinds of other things (such as hypothiroidism) that can cause fatigue but have nothing to do with CFS. (other than the fact that if you have CFS these things have already been ruled out by your doctor and are not the cause). So long discussions of those causes of fatigue are useless if you've already been diagnosed!
There are a lot of other holes in this book. It was a total waste of money, and I'll be throwing it out!
There are many GOOD CFS/CFIDS books, buy one of those!
(such as "Running on Empty" by Katrina Berne,PH.D , "The Doctors Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" by David S. Bell,M.D. or "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, A Treatment Guide" by Erica F. Verrillo and Lauren M. Gellam these 3 books are very helpful and have accurate information.)

Great Help
Most doctors give us medication that doesn't help. This book offers real ways we can help ourselves!

Do Me A Favor...
Before you read any farther, scroll up and look to the left column.
Click on the link that says "table of contents", read it,
and then come back here.Done?Good.That in itself should be
enough to get you to buy this book.All of Dr. Murray's books are as
thoroughly organized. You have explanations, common symptoms, and then
a whole array of dietary options and explanations of how any number of
nutritional supplements can help your condition....Michael Murray is a
standard in the alternative medicine field because of the research he
does and cites and because the supplements he recommends have found a
valid place in today's society.
... 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
Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia are like thieves, stealing from their victims. They take lives and leave people who have the diseases in pain and totally drained. People are affected physically, emotionally, sexually, socially, and financially. The lucky ones can function... somewhat. Some people with these illnesses are so weak and debilitated they feel that they couldn't move to save themselves if their house was on fire.

This book makes it clear that the symptoms are real, not something that is trivial or imagined. It urges the reader to accept the disease, learn to cope with its ups and downs, and search for ways to make life better. There is no cure yet, but this book describes ways to live more fully. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

chronic fatigue syndrome from fine to feeling better
did enjoy the truthfulness of this book, found it helpful to me and family found it easy to understand andsaddened by the facts of this disease. sad at what i have been going through, did open up lines of communicationbetweenus. feel able to stop hiding symptoms. worth the read and reread
janice m
so. berwick

So Helpful!
Reading this book was like sitting down for a long chat with someone who genuinely cared about me and who understood me.It is full of wisdom, humour, antecdotes, and practical suggestions to help those who have these diseases cope with them.I can see people returning to it again and again, consulting different chapters depending on their need at the moment.The advice is practical and considerate.The range of subjects covered (emotional and physical needs, medication advice, how to talk to a doctor, and how to understand lab tests are just a few!) is immense and will be useful in all sorts of situations.The suggestions are given as suggestions and not mandates, which I also appreciated.I particularly loved the suggested daily diary in the Appendix that would help someone chronicle and study what exactly makes them feel worse or better.It is excellent and thorough.If you have these diseases or love someone who does, buy the book and be prepared to learn, laugh, cry and grow in your understanding.Great job!

This book is for everyone.
This book is for everyone.Well written and reader friendly, it is useful not only for people who suffer from CFS or Fibromyalgia, but also for those who know people who do.It is valuable for any person who has undergone medical tests for vague symptoms and received no specific diagnosis or treatment plan.This book invites the reader to formulate an attitude adjustment about illness of any kind and is filled with information about tests, medications, and nutrition as well as a lot of good common sense about things that affect us all such as sleep, exercise and stress.A healthy person will learn techniques on how to live better but also how to have compassion for people who struggle with illness.Those of us who are not privileged to have a medical background will find this book sufficeintly technical to be helpful, simple enough to understand and practical enough to apply.Every library should have a copy.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia
This book was a long time coming.Women have been suffering for many many years with these symptoms and no doctor could explain them or at least give them the assurance that they were really sick and not mentally ill or a hypchondriac.This book has helped me immensely and I would recommend it to any woman who has the feeling she knows something is wrong with her but no doctor has been able to help her.It will give woman who suffer from both CFS or Fibromyalgia their life back!

34 Names for One Set of Symptoms
If you check out the cover of this book, you will see 34 names that have all been given to the same set of symptoms: pain, foggy thinking, lack of energy, and 83 more symptoms listed in the book. No one knows for sure what causes the symptoms for any of these diseases.

People have reported these symptoms, but doctors, employers, and loved ones have not believed them.

That's the great message of this book. The pain is real. The foggy thinking is real. The lack of energy is real. We are not alone. Others have had the same problems and learned to cope with the disease, whatever its name.

Nancy Fowler and Lisa Ball have put together a practical book that describes the problems associated with this set of diseases and then offers solutions. You can see that they have been helping others for a long time. They talk about medical tests and how to advocate for appropriate lab work. They discuss traditional and alternate therapies, medications, nutrition, exercise, and sleep. I may not agree with every bit of the book (I think they should have included Emotional Freedom Techniques), but overall it is a really helpful set of ideas. I highly recommend it. ... 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
(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
Personal testimony from patients and their medical practitioners frames the resounding message of this book: there are a host of alternative therapies available to help people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, a condition of chronic pain. An important resource for people with these conditions, this book also covers health insurance and disability benefit considerations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Superb Book!
I found this book to be hugely informative and helpful. The authors give readers information from both the physicians' and patients' point of view. Definitely recommended for FM and CFS patients and the people who care about them.

This book not recommended
I found this book to be very disappointing.All this book basically is is interviews with doctors and patients in regards to different treatment alternatives.If you are trying to TREAT fibromyalgia, i definitely do not recommend this book.If you really want someones gripes and groans about fibromyalgia you can get that point of view FREE on line on Fibromyalgia web sites.If you want alternative treatments options- try The Fibromyalgia Nutrition Guide, although this book is all about nutrition, it is very easy to us and very helpful- All us fibromyalgics know about homeopathic stuff already such as massage and Alternative Treatments just reiterates that and has patients and doctor points of view on Massage, Chiropractic care, Etc....

Superb Resource!
It's so rare to read a piece of nonfiction, particularly medical nonfiction, and be able to tell that the authors truly care. This is one of these books! Many thanks to the authors for putting it together sobeautifully!

Excellent book!
I really enjoyed this book.It is easy to read and provides a wealth of information about various ways to treat and cope with fibromyalgia.It is particularly nice to hear the stories and experiences of others who havethis illness.This book is unlike any other out there and I want to thankthe authors for writing it.

A wonderful resource for anybody with either FM or CFS
This is the book that I've been trying to find for years!The authors have done a wonderful job of interweaving the stories of patients with the helpful advise from practitioners of all kinds.It is great to have thefull range of treatments from both conventional medicine as well asalternative & complementary medicine.The stories from the patientsare so validating to hear.It helps to know that I am not alone in mydaily job of managing this illness.The resource guide and bibliographyare invaluable.Thank you SO much for writing this book! ... Read more

Product Description
Extracts from just a couple of Testimonials Miraculously a door of hope was opened for me. 6 months following my initial treatment I am permanently cured and free of the ME.Thank you Reverse Therapy for releasing me from this cycle of negativity.It is one year now since I have been cured from Hypothalamitis.I continue to go about my everyday business like I always used to before my illness.I still cannot believe how lucky I was to have that chance.It really has changed my life.It saved me and my mother says she now has her daughter back.I just dread to think where I would be now if I hadn't picked up the phone that day and made an appointment.Thanks to Reverse Therapy and the dedication of my therapist, I now have a life again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

I'm ME again!
I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
On May 20th, 2006, I found the Mickel Therapy website and read it.
Then I ordered this book and read it.
I began applying the Mickel Therapy process to the best of my understanding and seeing improvements in my health.

June 13th I had my first session with a Mickel Therapist.

October 2006, I am well and have not had any symptoms for a month.
I have just ordered five copies of this book for friends who have CFS/ME, FM, IBS, Depression or Anxiety.

The book doesn't appear to have been proofread but I found the content brilliant and believe that it contains the keys to open the doors to excellent health for most everyone, not just CFS sufferers.

Excellent
This book is a must read for those who suffer from these chronic conditions, as well as for those with an interest in health more generally.

As I understand it, the book is designed to be read by those suffering from the conditions of Chronic Fatigue, Post Viral Fatigue, ME and Fibromyalgia.It is brief because many sufferers have problems with concentration and memory.Dr Mickel is trying to convey complex information in a simple manner and I believe he is successful in this venture.

I, unlike the first reviewer, know a number of people who have been successfully treated by Dr Mickel and his colleagues.His claims are far from ludicrous.Increasing numbers of professionals concur with the role of the hypothalamus in these conditions and the approach Dr Mickel takes of treating the cause of the problems rather than just the effect or symptoms seems eminently sensible!.

Disappointing
This book is expensive - about 70 pages for $16.
It is poorly written and some of the claims made
by Dr Mickel are frankly ludicrous - for example
- that he had 'a 100% success' rate curing his
clients.

He says Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is caused by
disturbances in the energy of the cells but
doesn't give any proof or explain how.

Nor does the book say much about how the 'cure'
actually works - so that people have to pay to
come and find out?

There is hope!
This is highly recommended for anyone suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME or Fibromyalgia. Dr Mickel explains the theory behind Mickel Reverse Therapy, an exciting new treatment for these conditions. It is relatively short and easy to understand, which is crucial for sufferers who are unable to concentrate for long periods of time. Nevertheless, it serves to introduce the reader to the key concepts behind the treatment. For anyone suffering from these conditions and considering undertaking Mickel Reverse Therapy, reading this book will help answer many questions and will serve as a first step to a cure. There is hope! ... Read more

Product Description

A Personalized Approach to Feeling Better

Customer Reviews (2)

A Holistic Approach
Bassman has written a book unlike others I've read on fibromyalgia & chronic fatigue syndrome.Her book is extremely well researched & offers many different options for treatment, both conventional & holistic.In addition to treating physical symptoms, she provides guidance for dealing with emotional, psychological & spiritual aspects of these syndromes.There is a wealth of good scientific information in this book, written in a user-friendly style.

Wealth of Information
As a health-care professional, I began having significant health problems
and followed a traditional medical course of treatment.After about a
year, I was getting sickerand sicker despite my doctor's reassurances
that the multiple medications I was taking were working.I stopped seeing
my doctor and tried several alternative therapies that eventually led me
to becoming healthy again.As I read Dr. Bassman's book, I wish it had
beenavailable to me when I was doing mysearch.It has a wealth of
information written in plainlanguage that is extremely important in our
society which emphasizes disease instead of the wellness model that Dr.
Bassman presents. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a timely and comforting book that offers intelligent advice on a previously unrecognized ailment. The book offers extensive advice and information geared toward overcoming the illness. Includes information on warning signs, which medications and alternative therapies can make a difference, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

very useful recipes, easy and enjoyable
I have 2 shelves of cookbooks and this one is the one I turn to most often.The recipes here are clean enough that they work with my somewhat capricious-seeming system, and my husband loves the food, too.Mary andChris's book has lots of fairly easy, very tasty main dishes.For me,having had to move to a fairly focused diet centered on vegetables andlight meats, this book provides diversity and fun!

very useful recipes, easy and enjoyable
I have 2 shelves of cookbooks and this one is the one I turn to most often.The recipes here are clean enough that they work with my somehat capricious-seeming system, and my husband loves the food, too.Mary andChris's book has lots of fairly easy, very tasty main dishes.For me,having had to move to a fairly focused diet centered on vegetables andlight meats, this book provides diversity and fun!

Okay, but not for everyone
According to Mary Hale her diet therapy for CFIDS will help everyone but Idon't agree.It is very strict and punishing and according to her you musteliminate any kind of fruit from your diet because it contains sugar. According to her sugar is a no-no for people with CFIDS but that has notbeen proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.No two people who have CFIDS arethe same and she makes it sound like everyone is.Just remember this,check with your doctor before starting any kind of diet. ... 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
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains one of the most controversial illnesses, both in terms of its causes, and the best ways to treat the illness. For years, sufferers have had to deal with scepticism from their families, employers, and even health care professionals. The vast amount of conflicting advice that has been published up to now has served only to confuse sufferers, and professionals, even more. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Facts presents a compassionate guide to this illness, providing sufferers and their families, with practical advice, based solely on scientific evidence. It is unique in being written by both a sufferer and a physician, both of whom have had extensive experience of talking to, and helping, patients. Included in the book is a detailed guide to self-help, written from a patient's perspective, but evidence-based. The book also deals with a number of special issues, advising on how to choose therapies and therapists, and how to deal with CFS in children. The book additionally includes an overview of the history of the illness, looking at the nature and causes of CFS, and the opportunities for the future. The book will be invaluable for sufferers from CFS, their friends and families, and the numerous health professionals who come into contact with sufferers from this illness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

CFS (the BS)
This propaganda piece does have some more accurate facts than some of the more atrociously unscientific publications on ME, so I was considering giving it 2 stars, but then I thought this was akin to "letting the terrorists win." And let's be clear, terrorists like Michael Sharpe, Simon Wesseley, Bill Reeves, etc., have caused much more suffering than the 9/11 terrorists.They need to be immediately put out on the street, have the embarassingly inaccurate UK, Oxford and Reeves definitions burned and all governments and researchers adopt the Canadian ME definition and have research funding increased 100 - 1,000 fold and have it put toward actual science, not the current garbage supported by the US and UK governments.
For the real story on ME, read the amazing Osler's Web: Inside the Labyrinth of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Epidemic

Completely useless
This is a worthless little book that contains very few facts, in spite of being part of "The Facts" series. While it is imperative that with a disease as complex and poorly understood as CFS, authors muster as much data as possible, the authors of this book appear to have done very little scientific research.The sections on testing, causes, prevalence, and prognosis fail to cite a single study, ignoring the plethora of articles that have appeared in medical journals over the past three decades documenting immune system abnormalities, nervous system defects, cellular dysfunction, viral reactivation and hypoxia. Instead the authors rely on vague generalizations couched in language geared to an eight-year-old. The area of greatest concern to people with CFS--treatments--was positively skeletal, devoting as little as a single sentence to some of the more widely used medications. In sharp contrast, chapter after chapter was devoted to "psychosocial treatments" not one of which has ever been shown effective for treating CFS.

The underlying problem with this book is that the principal author is a psychologist who clearly has little, if any, experience treating CFS outside of recommending that patients avoid "negative thinking." The bulk of this book is comprised of chapters on depression, anxiety, panic attacks, managing relationships, mood, etc. For a person who is too exhausted to lift a hairbrush "managing your thinking" is about as helpful as an exorcism. If you are a person with CFS, there is a good chance that after reading the section about your "happiness diary" you may be tempted to do a little exorcism of your own.

Best CFS/ME book!
This is THE BEST CFS/ME book by far!!! If you have this, or know someone who does, get this book!!! ... Read more

Product Description
A self-help book exploring the spiritual, physical and emotional dimensions of having ME.

Can God Help M.E? is packed full of helpful information and advice on managing ME. It attempts to answer the many questions that ME raises, for example — Why me? Is ME a punishment from God? Who is God? Why suffering? Does God heal today? Can God help me? ... Read more

Product Description
This non technical account is based on the author's experience of recovering from ME.It mixes tips on physical factors such as sleep quality and diet with a Bible based approach to dealing with spiritual root issues which led the author quickly to healing.

Paul Flynn is an author of short stories, articles and language teaching texts for students of English in China.In 2001 he moved to China from London with his wife Choi.They currently live in Hong Kong.

Author Review:

I would love to be able to point to a moment when I received divine healing and that was the end of it.To my embarrassment, it never happened.I had to deal slowly with physical factors, finding the kind of short and sharp exercise that deepens sleep, gradually increasing the angle of tilt at which I needed to rest, discovering that all supplements are worse than useless in the acute and chronic stages (because they ‘boost the immune system’ when the illness is caused by an already highly active immune system).
Dealing with spiritual roots went on at the same time.The physical and the spiritual went hand in hand.I healed while sorting out both, but I could see no connection between the two.
The roots of sickness amount to failure to hear the word of God and keep it.At the heart of modern western culture there is an error, the belief that all religion is good, that there are so many different ways to the same destination.The Bible warns against this idea on just about every page, telling us that there is only one Healer and that all blessing comes from worshiping him alone and leaving the others to one side.Once I woke up to this truth I began to heal, and to heal quickly.It astonished me that a simple switch in thinking could have this effect, but that is how it happened.I didn’t need to ‘try hard.’I only needed to have faith in the only Healer and to steer clear of the others.
Some people object to the ‘spiritual roots’ approach to healing because they feel it implies that the person is to blame for being sick.It doesn’t.Jesus explicitly rejected that idea that sick people are more guilty than others.Don’t let this issue prevent you from identifying your own spiritual roots, because it is the key to real and lasting healing.If you can get the roots out, your healing is secure.If the roots are still in, then even though you cut the tree down until it is invisible the sickness can make a comeback.

... Read more