The Doctor's Guide To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Understanding, Treating, And Living With Cfids [Paperback]

David S. Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 1995

Written by one of the world’s leading experts in Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), this book is the most authoritative guide to a devastating illness that affects millions of people. Misunderstood by both the public and the medical community, CFIDS has been subject to rumors and misinformation, making it next to impossible to determine what the facts are. David S. Bell, M.D., a noted expert and pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of CFIDS, has written this book to provide accurate, up-to-date, and accessible information for all those who need to understand this emerging health epidemic. This definitive guide to the history, symptoms, effects, theories, treatment, continuing research, and recent advances covers all that anyone who has been touched by this devastating illness needs to know to understand, treat, and live with it. Furthermore, this book details the tremendous strides that are being made in the search for the cause and the cure for CFIDS, and provides sufferers with the latest information on what they can do to best treat the symptoms they suffer from. For many of the victims of CFIDS, there are often more questions than answers. Here at last are the facts from the acknowledged expert.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Baptized by the press in 1985 as the "Yuppie Flu," Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, otherwise known as CFIDS, is a bewilderingly little understood disease which combines severe fatigue with the presence of immune system markers. Bell, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, seeks to "provide an overview of the current knowledge of CFIDS, including history, signs and symptoms, clinical course, laboratory findings and recent advances." The book is organized into five parts: an overview, a description of the disease, diagnostic tests, treatment options and the search for a cause. The author estimates that millions of Americans suffer from CFIDS, 30% of them children. The disease is still considered one of exclusion--a diagnosis of CFIDS is only considered when all other diseases which may cause the same groups of symptoms are ruled out. And diagnosis is difficult; the symptoms are misleading and may range from fatigue or exhaustion, headaches and muscle pain to depression, short-term memory loss and difficulty concentrating. Bell describes the hardships patients encounter when they seek medical help due to the lack of information currently available about CFIDS. He also recognizes the frustration of physicians and researchers who want to alleviate the suffering but have not yet found a way.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This text is a physician's primer on Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), a condition whose hallmark is debilitating fatigue of six months' duration or longer. Initially dismissed as "yuppie flu," CFIDS ("see-fids") is a diagnosis of exclusion lacking a definitive lab test or biological marker. Bell, a leader in CFIDS research, writes clearly and passionately about its history, symptoms, theoretical causes, treatments, and research in progress. For a book from the patient's perspective, see Susan Conant's Living with Chronic Fatigue ( LJ 7/90). Recommended for popular health collections.
- Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (January 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201407973
• ISBN-13: 978-0201407976
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and humane, July 15, 2001

By 

"pspa" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Doctor's Guide To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Understanding, Treating, And Living With Cfids (Paperback)

A marvelous, humane, comprehensive look at the mysteries of chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Bell, perhaps the best medical writer I have ever encountered, takes on an immensely complex subject and sets forth in clear and concise terms what is known about CFS, what still isn't, what theories and treatments have been rejected and what theories and treatments are still under exploration, and where he thinks the future is headed. Most importantly, Dr. Bell clearly and decisively rejects the misguided notions that this disease is somehow the product of malingering or just a fancy word for depression, and offers encouragment to those who suffer not only from the disease but from the frustration of not being understood by their families or their physicians. I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone with an interest in CFS.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THIS BOOK FOR YOUR DOCTOR, October 26, 2004

By 

K. Campbell (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Doctor's Guide To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Understanding, Treating, And Living With Cfids (Paperback)

Buy two copies of this book: one for you and one for your doctor.

Dr. Bell repeatedly makes the point that if the symptoms "don't make sense" it's because the doctor doesn't recognize what he's seeing, and not because the patient is imagining things.

He tells you (and your doctor) how to differentiate between CFS and look-alikes, such as depression, and goes into great detail about what *subtle* things the doctor should be looking for in a physical exam, things that might otherwise be overlooked because they're almost normal.

I've been quoting from this book since it was written, and expect to still be quoting from it (and using it to bash recalcitrant doctors over the head!) for another 20 years.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous book! I learned so much!, May 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Doctor's Guide To Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Understanding, Treating, And Living With Cfids (Paperback)

This book is great and I would recommend it to anyone with CFIDS or anyone who cares about someone with CFIDS. Great background on the upstate NY epidemic of CFIDS and info about the latest treatments. A must read!!