From Fatigued to Fantastic (Paperback)

by Jacob Teitelbaum (Author) "A curious thing happened during the rigorous process I went through to become a physician..." (more)
Key Phrases: bone health, ribose therapy, zoo milligrams, United States, Optimizing Your Body's Ability, More Natural Remedies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The original, bestselling guide to treating chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia-now completely revised and updated.

For the more than twenty-five million Americans who suffer from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other fatigue-related illnesses, there is only one bestselling guide-From Fatigued to Fantastic. This new, completely updated third edition incorporates the latest advances in science and technology to help alleviate the baffling, often dismissed symptoms associated with severe, almost unrelenting fatigue.

Dr. Teitelbaum's integrated treatment program is based on the clinically proven results of his landmark study and on his more than thirty years of experience in working with patients to overcome their illnesses. Using the most current information, Dr. Teitelbaum helps his readers evaluate their symptoms and develop an individualized program to eliminate them. Specific guidelines for diagnosis and care are clearly and concisely presented, along with supporting scientific studies and treatment recommendations that include the latest and best strategies for using prescription and over-the-counter medications, nutritional supplements, alternative therapies, and/or dietary and lifestyle modifications.

In addition to providing cutting-edge research, up-to-date scientific information, and practical advice, Dr. Teitelbaum offers the compassionate understanding of one who has himself battled and overcome these disorders.

About the Author
Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., is a board-certified internist and a leading researcher in the field of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. He is the national medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, and is director of the Annapolis Research Center for Effective FMS/CFS Therapies, a specialized practice for chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome and fibromyalgia syndrome patients in Annapolis, Maryland. He travels across the world promoting his integrated treatment protocol both to practitioners and to the general public. Dr. Teitelbaum divides his time between Virginia and Hawaii.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Avery Trade; 3 edition (October 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583332898
• ISBN-13: 978-1583332894
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,619 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & Fibromyalgia
  #3 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Musculoskeletal Diseases
  #8 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Herbal Remedies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Book on Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia, December 27, 2007

By	Jeffrey Dach MD (Hollywood, FL USA) - See all my reviews

From Fatigued to Fantastic by Jacob Teitelbaum MD, Third Edition.

Most doctors are familiar with Dr. Teitelbaum featured as an eloquent keynote speaker on the medical lecture circuit, dazzling the audience with his encyclopedic knowledge of both conventional and natural medicine. Trained in internal medicine, Jacob Teitelbaum, is a gifted and brilliant medical researcher and clinician. He is also a model for ethical business conduct, because unlike other crass, commercially oriented docs who hide their knowledge or charge for it, Teitelbaum openly shares his medical knowledge with the public and other doctors. All of Teitelbaum's treatment protocols are listed in Appendix G of the book, and are posted on his web site. In addition, all profits from books and nutritional supplements are donated to charity.

The 400 page book is lengthy, and is actually four books in one. Where previous authors have written entire books on each of the four main topics, with the acronym SHIN for Sleep, Hormones, Infections and Nutrition, Teitelbaum combines them all into one large volume which can be used as desk reference on chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

In addition, the book can serve as an introductory text for the open minded MD interested in integrating natural medicine into a conventional medical practice, since sleep disorders, hormonal imbalance, chronic or hidden infections, and nutritional deficiencies are some of the more common reasons to seek medical attention.

This is the third edition of his book, and Teitelbaum has managed to make a great book even better. Those familiar with the work of the Connecticut cardiologist, Steven Sinatra MD, will recognize the triad of D-Ribose, L-carnitine and Co-Enzyme Q-10 mentioned by Teitelbaum to jump start energy in the chronicly fatigued.

Insomnia or poor quality sleep is a major issue for many chronic fatigue sufferers, creating a vicious cycle which perpetuates the disorder. Teitelbaum provides a long list of natural remedies such as L-theanine 5-HTP, L-Tryptophan, Melatonin, and Magnesium, as well as today's prescription drugs for sleep heavily advertised on television.

The Hormonal Support chapter is the meat of the book, with Teitelbaum crediting the landmark work, the Safe Use of Cortisol, by McK Jefferies, and Broda Barnes' work on natural thyroid. To these medical greats, Teitelbaum adds his own unique insights gleaned from years of clinical practice. For example, Teitelbaum finds that most patients need only 5 to 12.5 mg of cortisol, and recommends keeping cortisol dosage below 20 mg per day to avoid adrenal suppression.

Like many other natural medicine docs, Teitelbaum finds bio-identical hormone supplementation important for a successful outcome, and asserts that bio-identicals are safe, a conclusion based on his own clinical experience and medical literature reviews by Kent Holtorf, MD, posted on Teitelbaum's website.

Teitelbaum found that many of his patients had chronic infections of sinuses, urinary tract, prostate, and respiratory system, and had taken multiple courses of antibiotics leading to kill-off of the friendly bacteria in the colon, as well as fungal overgrowth, also called Candidiasis. Teitelbaum credits The Yeast Connection by William Crooks for much of this information which includes a lengthy discussion of anti-fungal drugs and natural remedies for Candidiasis.

The Nutrition chapter covers a detailed program with a complete vitamin, mineral program with recommended dosages, and discusses dietary avoidance of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, white flour and other practical considerations.

My hat is off in admiration and thanks to Jacob Teitelbaum MD, for this third edition of an important book, the definitive work on chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. No doubt, many have benefitted and will continue to benefit from the medical insights in this book. We expect and look forward to a continuing stream of valuable insights in future works as his medical career continues.

Other books recommended are Pain Free 1,2,3 by Jacob Teitelbaum MD, The Safe Use of Cortisol by McK Jefferies, and Adrenal Fatigue by Wilson.

Jeffrey Dach MD

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this even if you have read the 2nd edition, October 13, 2007

By	Steven Sponaugle "Research Director, Florida ... - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The second edition of From Fatigued to Fantastic was the best discussion of fibromyalgia treatment, until the current third edition was printed. Please read my review of the second edition of this book, in addition to this review.

Even if you have already read the second edition, you will find considerable new information in the latest edition. The third edition contains new sections discussing:

increasing energy with Ribose;

an enlightening discussion of the dangers of Premarin and progestins, in comparison to bioidentical hormone replacement;

new antiviral treatments, including Nexavir and Valcyte;

extensive information concerning sleep apnea and CPAP treatment;

information explaining how to win a disability claim;

a succinct, comprehensible, streamlined explanation of the Shoemaker protocols, for testing and treatment of Lymes Disease and other neurotoxic illnesses, which are often the cause of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Updated information concerning prevalence of Ambien triggered sleepwalking;

and using theanine and magnolia extracts to lower anxiety.

Some of the treatment protocols have been moved to an appendix, labled "for physicians," which makes the remainder of the book more readable for nonphysicians, but the physician section, is comprehensible to well read laymen.

The infectious disease section deals with the causes of fibromyalgia and their treatment. Dr. Teitelbaum observes that Immunoglobin G titers for Epstein Barr Virus frequently decrease with antiviral treatment.

Teitelbaum provides an integrated, comprehensive nutritional, hormonal, herbal and pharmaceutical treatment approach to fibromyalgia. He is very aware of the costs of testing, nutrients, herbals, prescription and nonprescription drugs and often suggests less expensive diagnostic and treatment protocols, realizing many fibromyalgia patients have been bankrupted and lost health insurance coverage, due to this illness.
Dr. Teitelbaum is quick to credit or acknowlege the contributions and effective testing and treatment protocols of other leading researchers and practitioners, and this book contains contact information for some of them.

I have never seen a fibromyalgia patient who did not experience at least some improvement, with at least one of the treatments recommended in this book. Many of these fibromyalgia patients had consulted dozens of practitioners, in an agonizing, frustrating seven or eight year quest for treatment and experienced no improvement, prior to following treatments recommended in this book. Treatment of the thyroid, testosterone, estradiol, progesterone and DHEA hormonal deficiencies often produces rapid relief of some of the fatigue, anxiety, insomnia and pain.

Clinical testing of fibromyalgia patients, at Florida Detox, has confirmed many of the hormonal and nutritional deficiencies, hypercoagulopathies, allergies, and infections causing fibromyalgia, including viruses, fungal overgrowths, and Lymes Disease, which are discussed in this book.

The exceptions I would take to this book concern use of Xanax, Klonopin, Gabatril and Ultram. From our perspective treating chemical dependency, of patients thoughout the United States, it appears these addictions are more frequent than they may appear. Ultram, in particular, appears to be far more addictive than published literature indicates and Ultram withdrawal is severe. Xanax is one of most difficult addictions treated by Florida Detox. Klonopin is one of the three most difficult addictions treated by Florida Detox. With skilled use of Jacob Teitelbaum's protocols, almost all insomnia should be treatable, without using Klonopin or Xanax. In patients with anxiety disorders, Xanax does not appear to offer any advantage over longer half life benzodiazepines, including Klonopin and Valium, while it does allow anxiety to peak, two to four times daily, due to the short half life.

Although Gabatril is very effective for anxiety and insomnia, the slight risk of seizures prevents us from prescribing Gabatril to anyone who operates a motor vehicle or is alone, for more than a few minutes.

Steven Sponaugle
Research Director, Florida Detox

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third Edition Even Better Than The Second, October 26, 2007

By	Kathleen P. Manganaro (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The second edition was good, but the third is even better! The reviews on the book cover say it all and then some. Dr. Teitelbaum's books/website have helped me to understand what I have, while stumbling in the dark searching for answers. It brought a name to symptoms I experienced, without knowing the cause or answer. Dr. T. takes a complicated subject and puts it within reach of professionals and sufferers alike. There isn't a topic left untouched in resolution of this illness. He gives options, not directives and explores all possibilities. He sees the person in all dimensions and provides resources.

Dr. Teitlebaum's basic protocol for restoring energy in the third edition has been titled SHIN (Sleep, Hormones, Infections and Nutrition) The hormone section gives new information on optimzing testosterone, progesterone and estrogen as well as significant problems in identifying patients with low adrenal functioning, even with the more sensitive ACTH (cortrosyn stimulation test) The nutritional section discusses the theory of excess nitric oxide by Professor Martin Pall and why B-12 is so important.( This personally helps me to understand why I crash after doing too much on a good day.) Alternative therapy measures are given for "difficult cases" when more than the basic SHIN protocol is required. Dr. Teitelbaum relates a humorous personal story concerning alternative methods he once considered "voodoo" medicine, relieving agonizing hay fever symtpoms in only 20 minutes. Readers are introduced to Reverend Bren Jacobson, who sympathizes with CFS/Fibro sufferers and offers a special guest article.(Personally I came away from the article thinking Rev Bren really understands what I am going through) Specialty physicians from holistic to the Chronic Fatigue/Fibro centers are given for those who do not have a "willing physician" to implement the protocol.

The book is concise and clear, making it easy for anyone without a medical degree to understand. Dr. T's sensitivity radiates from the pages because he has been there. This book has been my "medical bible" for dealing with my disease and I have slept with it many nights. Dr. T cautions for us not to try to make up for lost time when we start feeling good. I have tested the waters many times and found that he is right.