Customer Reviews

Running on Empty: The Complete Guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Cfids)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book may be getting a bit dated, but it's still among the best resources available on CFIDS. Many CFIDS self help guides read like advertisements for their authors, but not so with "Running on Empty". I'm hoping that Dr. Berne will offer an updated edition sometime soon. If/when she does, I'll be back to order my copy (to replace the old, dog-eared one I passed along to someone who needed it more than I did).

This book is not only informative for the patient, but helps family members truly understand this illness. I was touched deeply by this book because I felt the author truly understood me and my illness. It gives great insight for the family members and helps them to understand all the ramifcations of this devastating illness.

This is by far the best book I have read on CFIDS. Would recommend it to everyone. As the other reviewer states, it was written in 1995 but science hasn't brought us a cause or cure since that time, so it is still a very valuable book on ALL aspects of this illness. The author is writing from experience...as she has CFIDS. Book is very informative, she's very relatable, and she shows a deep understanding of the challenge in living with this life changing illness. A truly outstanding book! Read this one.

I feel this book was full of information; in which helps everyone! It's not always easy to make the right choices, when you're not well. This book's advise (along with my favorite doctor; Daniel L. Peterson, M.D.) gives PWC hope, compassion, and most of all, understanding!

I feel this book was full of information; in which helps everyone! It's not always easy to make the right choices, when you're not well. This book's advise (along with my favorite doctor; Daniel L. Peterson, M.D.) gives PWC hope, compassion, and most of all, understanding!

I feel this book was full of information; in which helps everyone! It's not always easy to make the right choices, when you're not well. This book's advise (along with my favorite doctor; Daniel L. Peterson, M.D.) gives PWC hope, compassion, and most of all, understanding!

If you think you have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also referred to as CFIDS-Chronic Fatigue Immume Disfunction Syndrone, or have been diagnosed with CFIDS, THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. When I got this book, I said "Hooray, I'm not just lazy and crazy". I cannot begin to say how much better I felt after reading this book. It didn't help my symptoms, but it let me know why I had these symptoms. Chronic Fatigue is such an undiagnosable disease that most physicians think that you are just crazy, a hypochondriac, or they misdiagnose you and put you through hundreds of dollars worth of tests. Even when I was diagnosed with it, my other doctors refused to believe it. It was not until my husband saw an Olympic contestant talk about her battle with CFIDS and how she hoped she had a "good" day on the day of her performance that he then understood what I was going through, and he became my main supporter.

This book means well, the author clearly means well, but this book reinforces all the misinformation spread about 'CFS' and M.E. by people like the CDC and the big 'ME/CFS' and 'CFIDS' groups.

Almost all of the medical information here is outdated, incorrect and irrelevant to those with actual M.E. Every now and then desciptions of symptoms related to M.E. to some extent but that was about it. 98% of the information in this book was about 'CFS.' (I make no comment on which the author suffered with.)

The poor quality information in this book was a real lost opportunity to do some good.

This is one of the first books I got after becoming ill with M.E. and it is partly responsible for my remaining ignorant of the basic facts or the disease for so long, and also played a role in the illness severely worsening over time.

This type of misinformation and lack of political awareness is also a big part of why we have made so very little progress over the last 20 years. I don't understand why some patients still recommend this book to fellow M.E. patients. It's hugely problematic. This is not a book on M.E.!

What this book should have said is:

Under the cover of 'CFS' certain vested interest groups have assiduously attempted to obliterate recorded medical history of M.E.; even though the existing evidence has been published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals around the world and spans over 70 years.

M.E. is a distinct, scientifically verifiable and measurable, acute onset, organic neurological disease. 'CFS' in contrast, is not a distinct disease. 'CFS' doesn't exist. Every diagnosis of CFS - based on any of the CFS definitions - can only ever be a misdiagnosis. A watebasket diagnosis.

The fact that a person qualifies for a diagnosis of 'CFS' (a) does not mean that the patient has M.E., and (b) does not mean that the patient has any other distinct illness named CFS.' M.E. and 'CFS' are not the same.

Far fewer than 0.5% of the population has the distinct neurological disease known since 1956 as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an artificial construct created in the US in 1988 for the benefit of various political and financial vested interest groups. It is a mere diagnosis of exclusion based on the presence of gradual or acute onset fatigue lasting 6 months. If tests show serious abnormalities, a person no longer qualifies for the diagnosis, as 'CFS' is 'medically unexplained.' A diagnosis of 'CFS' does not mean that a person has any distinct disease (including M.E.). According to the latest CDC estimates, 2.54% of the population qualify for a 'CFS' (mis)diagnosis.

The patient population diagnosed with 'CFS' is made up of people with a vast array of unrelated illnesses, or with no detectable illness. However, while 'CFS' is not a genuine diagnosis, those given this misdiagnosis are in many cases significantly or even severely ill and disabled. 'CFS' is made up of people with cancer, MS, Lyme disease, depression and hundreds of other unrelated conditions.

Sub-grouping different types of 'CFS,' refining the bogus 'CFS' definitions further or renaming 'CFS' with some variation on the term M.E. (such as 'ME/CFS') would achieve nothing and only create yet more confusion and help to continue and further entrench the mistreatment and abuse.

The problem is not that 'CFS' patients are being mistreated as psychiatric patients; some of those patients misdiagnosed with CFS actually do have psychological illnesses. There is no such distinct disease/s as 'CFS' - that is the entire issue.

Due to outrageous political influences on medicine and govermnent policy, the vast majority of M.E. patients will not be able to be correctly diagnosed with M.E. Most M.E. patients will unfortunately be misdiagnosed with 'CFS.' It is extremely important to note, however, that only a very tiny percentage of those told they have 'CFS' will be M.E. patients. The overwhelming majority of those misdiagnosed with 'CFS' do NOT have M.E. 'CFS' is NOT just another term for M.E.

For more information on genuine M.E. read books and articles by genuine M.E. experts such as Dr Hyde and Dr Dowsett. This book should be avoided by M.E. patients and the 'CFS' misdiagnosed non-M.E. patient alike. None of us need the facts muddied even further, this only makes it harder for us all to start slowly getting well.

I give this book 2 stars instead of one as the author clearly means well and is motivated to help people. If only the content of the book had lived up to the authors strong desire to help.

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E.