Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (Hope & Help for) [Paperback]

Alison Bested; Alan Logan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2006 | Series: Hope & Help for

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, the 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 complimentary medications and dietary supplements in pain management
• The value and limitations of alternative and complementary therapies such as accupuncture, massage, homeopathy, and aromatherapy
• Legal issues about how to deal with medical and legal problems that may arise if insurance benefits have been stopped

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a book that is easy to read with clear diagrams, and I recommend it as an excellent reference for clinicians and patients alike. (IACFS/ME Newsletter ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Alison C. Bested, a graduate of McMaster University Medical School, is a hematological pathologist who specializes in the medical problems related to chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and multiple chemical sensitivities. In addition to private practice, she teaches medical students and residents at the Environmental Health Clinic at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Center. She lives in Scarborough, Ontario. Alan C. Logan is a doctor of naturopathic medicine. He graduated as valedictorian from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine and completed his training in Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the nutrition editor of the International Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. Alan lives in Westchester, New York. Russell Howe is an attorney who specializes in medical disability cases. He lives in Aurora, Ontario.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (June 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581824653
• ISBN-13: 978-1581824650
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, September 30, 2006

By 

Marjorie van de Sande - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (Hope & Help for) (Paperback)

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful overall discussion of the illness and healing ideas!, July 13, 2010

By 

Priscilla A. Campbell "Published Poet" (Fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (Second Edition) (Hope & Help for) (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic resource!, November 6, 2010

By 

Susan "Author & Invisible Illness Advocate" (FL USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (Second Edition) (Hope & Help for) (Paperback)

My doctor recommended this book and it was as good as she described. She told me that if I want to really see scientific evidence presented for various modalities to help with chronic fatigue, this was an excellent book to read. I am very skeptical about supplements, such as coq10, which my doctor insists I need. This book provided a lot of information that was new to me and gave a very measured and, I think, objective view of what does and doesn't work. In fact, I originally got the book from the library as I'm so tired of buying books before I know if they are really worth owning! After reading it, I immediately bought a copy as I will be marking it up and using it over and over. So much is changing and coming to light that parts of this book may be out of date, but it is an overall excellent resource to help manage this debilitating condition. In fact, the author has provided daily activity sheets that I have begun using (imperfectly), but they have already shown me that I do far too much and don't get enough rest. I think every chronic fatigue patient should read this book.