Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide [Paperback]

Lauren M. Gellman (Author), Erica F. Verrillo (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1576260534 | ISBN-13: 978-1576260531 | Publication Date: January 15, 1998 | Edition: 1st

The CDC estimates that over half a million Americans currently suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a disease which has defied researchers to discover a cause or a cure. Authors Verrillo and Gellman, both long-term CFS patients, have now 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 who suffers from the disease. Combining a self-help manual, the personal histories of CFS sufferers, and a symptom and treatment dictionary, this comprehensive volume details every facet of the illness and thoroughly discusses every treatment currently available. From diagnosis to symptoms, from traditional and alternative therapies to coping strategies, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide is one of the only references on this disease written from the patient's perspective.

As a physician, understanding the common symptoms of CFS sufferers may help you diagnose with better accuracy. Recommending this book to your patients could be their most important step to health, as it encourages them to take an active role in their recovery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This reference guide is objective, comprehensive, and clear. It will be a valuable tool for all CFS patients. Every health-care professional who treats CFS should also have a copy of this book." --Dr. Thomas Steinbach, CFS specialist and internist, Houston, Texas

"I am going to recommend this book to every new patient I see. It is well balanced and complete. It is the best book I have read on this topic in yeras." --Dr. David Bell, CFS specialist, Lyndonville, New York and author of The Doctor's Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


"Erica Verrillo and Lauren Gellman have put together the book about CFIDS that we have all been waiting for - a guide to treating CFIDS which covers everything from Ampligen to Zinc. This book is a must have for anyone who is coping with or treating patients with this complex, multi-systemic disorder. It provides clear, concise, and objective information on CFIDS treatment options in one very readable volume. Endorsed by David Bell, M.D. and Thomas Steinback, M.D., the information in the book is accurate and responsible, and the extensive bibliography at the end provides the reader with references which can be consulted for more in-depth information on any of the topics covered in the text." --Medical Professionals/Persons With CFIDS Newsletter (1998)

"This book puts nearly all the options between the covers, gives you the protocol, the pros and cons, and even its availability and cost! There are special chapters with alternative methods, nutritional help, mail order supplies, the special needs of kids with CFIDS, and how to monitor your symptoms. It's jam-packed full of information and is the most helpful book we've read since The Doctor's Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome." --The National CFIDS Foundation (1998)

About the Author

Erica M. Verrillo was completing her doctorate before becoming ill with CFS in 1992.
Lauren M. Gellman was a vice president for a Fortune 500 Company before calling ill in 1987.

Product Details

• Paperback: 404 pages
• Publisher: Quality Medical Publishing; 1st edition (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576260534
• ISBN-13: 978-1576260531
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,806,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I refer constantly to this best book on CFIDS, August 27, 2000

By 

tamara (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment: A Treatment Guide (Quality Medical Home Health Library) (Paperback)

If you buy just one book on CFIDS, make it this one. The authors cover just about every CFIDS symptom imaginable along with suggested treatments and the treatments' pros and cons. Added bonuses include a cataloging of medications and natural remedies used to treat CFIDS with notes on possible side effects. I found discussions of even my wackiest symptoms, those I thought no one could ever possibly understand (including the "sensory storm" which a previous reviewer mentions). The authors are CFIDS sufferers themselves, so reading the book is like talking to an extra-knowledgeable and empathetic friend. As a previous reviewer mentioned, this impressively researched and thorough book is a great one to bring along to the doctor.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A concise resource: What it is like and what to do about it., September 8, 1999

By 

Stephen A. Dorr "kemsoup" (Vancouver, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment: A Treatment Guide (Quality Medical Home Health Library) (Paperback)

I think that I have read them all and this is one of the better ones. If one cannot adequately desribe what a symptom is like to a health care provider, take this with you. For example the sensory "storm" on page 116 clearly defines in one paragraph a phenoma that the patient and physician can both understand. The pros and cons of each treatment possibility makes one a better informed consumer of health care. If you read this you will know what to expect.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to understanding this highly complex illness., April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment: A Treatment Guide (Quality Medical Home Health Library) (Paperback)

When diagnosed with CFS, I didn't know anything about it. I immediately decided to learn all I could about this syndrome, and this book provided more information than I ever hoped for. The authors truly understand what it is like to have CFS, and absolutely validated my feelings and symptoms. The book offers information about prescription drugs, herbal remedies and vitamins that is thorough and helpful. I am glad to report that I am feeling much better after taking some of the recommended supplements, which are not mentioned in any of the other literature I found on this subject. If you are going to buy one book about CFS, this is the one to get. It's the only one you'll need.