Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Books

What a book! I am a slow reader, but on Chapter 9. I have learned many things about thyroid that I did not know. Very good subject to read about. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

This book was very easy to read and understand. It had a wealth of information in it. I would recommend it to anyone who has any questions and wants answers about the thyroid gland. The book gives some great programs for you to follow.

I was very disappointed in this book. Didn't feel that I learned anything that I didn't already know.

This doctor goes very in-depth in his explanations of symptoms and how the thyroid works, but he is never talking over your head. He explains in easy-to-understand language how the thyroid works and what happens when it doesn't. This book has caused me to search for a new endocrinologist who is as concerned for his/her patient's overall health as Dr Arem. I recommend this book to all who are suffering from thyroid disease, even if you have had it for a long time. You will learn something new about your disease and it's treatment.

After 11 years with hypothyroidism, this book finally answered all of my questions. If your lab tests say you're normal, but you don't feel normal, this book explains it ALL. Highly recommend!

This book was a help, a guide, and comfort to/for me.

I wish I could find a doctor in person who could provide what this book did for me, truly.

Thank you, to the author.

Thank you to the amazon for providing the best deal!

I purchased this book for a friend of mine, recently. I had all ready bought it and it's companion book about 4 years ago. My friend was absolutely amazed at the "right on" words of Dr. Starlanyl on the FMS and CMP. She also was taken in by the easy to understand material. There was so much she had validated..she couldn't put the book down for a couple of days! It doesn't take the pain away..but it sure helps to know it "isn't all in your head"!!!

Exceptional book helps everyone who has this depliating disease. A must have I think .. glad i got it

Great help during my support group for Fibromyalcia. I learned some of my symptoms and why. Not that there are any cures. However, some suggestions.

Thank you,

Cindy Connor

Dr. Starlanyl was way ahead of her time when she wrote this book. I actually read this in 2006 after 4 months of extremely painful and useless chiropractic "treatments." Frustrated and in severe pain, I picked up this book and learned a few things I didn't already know. The main one being the difference between Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Trigger point therapy (TPT) is used to treat MPS and my FMS exacerbates the MPS. But now I had found a new treatment that actually allowed me to move again. Before TPT: Vacuuming would leave me in a knotted mess with severe low back pain and full-blown FMS flare. After TPT: Now when vacuuming pretty much feel only the exhaustion of FMS and a slight tension. And this has lasted a year! I am so thankful.

Definitely give this book a read and her other book. Check out my reviews for other helpful FMS books.

Update 01/08: This book is still one of the best out there. I use self-TPT still and plan on seeking a practitioner.

I liked this book a lot. Anyone who likes Yoga should enjoy this book. I will be giving this book to friends who I think can benefit from Yoga. I am also giving a copy to my M.D. son. I think every doctor should read it.

I thought this book was wicked cool and is a great read, I bought the bolster and do the restorative poses taught here and he is a pretty smart guy. Reading this will help people to avoid yoga injuries too.

It's ingrained in most people to trust medical doctors. This book, written by one, is not just praise for yoga. It's a summary of multiple medical studies and trails that showed how successful yoga can be in treating various health problems. A must read for anyone interested in yoga and especially those who, for whatever reason, are not interested!

this book is wonderful! an essential for any yogi. it has wonderful detailed information and good quality pictures. deals with how to do yoga when you have a headache to what helps with cancer patients. i love how this book adds a medical side to yoga. my mother is a nurse and not a fan of yoga, so having a book like this helps validate how wonderful and useful yoga is! anyone can benefit from adding yoga to their lives!!!

This book is really the complete text on how to use yoga for almost any major ailment. The author, MD Dr. McCall (also the medical editor for Yoga Journal), writes from a scientific perspective. He quotes and footnotes his volume extensively, and merges science with ancient wisdom in 568 pages.

The book opens with an overview of what yoga is and is not, discusses briefly the various forms you can follow (ashtanga, iyengar, etc), and moves quickly into the physical and mental ailments yoga has been observed to help.

Yoga models of various body types illustrate the most helpful poses for anxiety, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, IBS, MS, HIV, headaches, stress, depression, menopause, back aches, cancer, insomnia, infertility, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, arthritis and asthma.

Contraindications for each condition are provided, along with research notes, holistic approaches to treatment and tons of yoga exercise options (with black and white photos).

Quotes and passages from such well-known yoga instructors as Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden are incorporated into each section as well.

An important chapter in the back cautions practicing yogis to avoid new injuries through incorrect postural alignment and overeager stretching.

I appreciated reading the author's summary at the end about how our society could benefit from incorporating yoga therapy into mainstream medicine. I agree we should be teaching yoga in schools, to the aged in nursing homes, to the chronically ill, and in community centers everywhere. He suggests doctors and nurses themselves should practice yoga, both to lessen the stress in their professions, and also to be able to see first-hand the health benefits of yoga as both preventative and restorative medicine.

Overall, this isn't a sit-down-and-read book, although flipping through it is enjoyable. It's a fantastic reference source to keep in your yoga or medical library. Anyone can benefit from this information - we all get headaches, back aches, stress and anxiety. We all all know people with asthma or incipient heart disease who might be helped by sharing this information.

Highly recommended!

Excellent--well written--an easy read. This book affirms what I see clinically every day, now I can be a better support system for my patients.

I was recently diagnosed with post-polio syndrome. Immediately, I started seeking out information on this health issue. Without question, this is the best book on this subject. I am so pleased to have read this book to assist me.

This book answered many questions we have had. It is very clear and informative. I plan on giving a copy to my family doctor so we can improve my health care. The author truly understands what former polio suffers experience years later.

This book is very enlightening for anyone who has had polio and their extended family and friends. People who have had polio (and other diseases that affect muscles) need to understand that the traditional approach of "use it or lose it" is detrimental....they need to take a "conserve to preserve" approach to life activities. This requires a change in mind set....which, of course, is the hardest thing for these Type A personalities to accomplsh.

I am a polio survivor, having had both bulbar and spinal polio at age 10. I am one of the fortunate who learned to walk again and seemed to overcome many residuals. Like many polio survivors, I am someone who has refused to acknowledge that something is impossible - I rarely give up, and this quality enabled me to endure all the physical therapy that resulted in what passed for recovery. I have a trach scar, weakness in my right leg, left arm and a gradual onset of back pain and fatigue. I have had a post-polio assessment, but wasn't certain until reading this book that I should be resting more than overdoing exercise. I feel so incredibly lucky when I see the many who are back in wheelchairs - brings the whole nightmare of the iron lung, the rocking bed, the tube from my nose to my stomach for sustenance, the suctioning of the trach tube, etc., etc. I hope that everyone who has suffered will read this book and gain a better quality of life.

En el caso de la Fatiga Crónica, tenemos el recurso de ESTE ESTUPENDO LIBRO QUE NOS MUESTRA LOS SÍNTOMAS Y EL CAMINO A SEGUIR..

"ERA DE LAS EPIDEMIAS ":
Primero, EL SIDA
Luego, EL ÉBOLA
AHORA, LA PULMONÍA ATÍPICA
Pero todo el tiempo, como agazapado en la oscuridad, EL SFC (Sindrome de Fatiga Crónica ), que daña tanto PORQUE NO SE DETECTA FÁCILMENTE...Y QUE CRECE DÍA POR DIA COMO TODO LOS ORIGINADO POR UN VIRUS! Es el caso de la Pulmonía Atípica, que se confunde con una bronquitis o una gripa fuerte...
En el caso de la Fatiga Crónica, tenemos el recurso de ESTE ESTUPENDO LIBRO QUE NOS MUESTRA LOS SÍNTOMAS Y EL CAMINO A SEGUIR..
Depende de uno querer protegerse o no

CADA DÍA HAY MÁS ENFERMOS...
Es de vida o muerte leer este libro para detectar si tenemos el Epstein Barr antes de que comience a dar síntomas !

la ruina: Tenía un negocito próspero y todo iba super bien , cuando una mañana ya casi no pudo levantarse... Una semana después, mi cuñada lo llevo al siquiatra, que dijo que estaba deprimido y le mandó Seropram..Pero Hugo seguía igual, y trató de suicidarse.
¡No hay mal que por bien no venga !
En Emergencias lo atendieron y mientras estaba en el hospital, le descubrieron la Fagiga Crónica..
Es muy importante leer este libro para poder identificarla y combatirla antes que las cosas pasen a mayores...

LOS VIRUS DE LAS COMPUTARODORAS, ALGUIEN O VARIOS SERES MONSTRUOSOS JUEGAN CON NUESTRA VIDA DESDE LOS LABORATORIOS MEDICOS...
De otra manera,¿CÓMO TE EXPLICAS LA EPIDEMIA DE EPIDEMIAS?
Y LA FASTIGA CRONICA ESTA CAUSADA POR EL VIRUS DE EPSTEIN BARR... Y NO EXISTIA...
Pero esa LA PUEDES DETECTAR Y COMBATIR..NO DEJES QUE SE TE CONFUNDA CON DEPRESION, O QUE UN MEDICO IGNORANTE LA CALIFIQUE COMO TAL...
PREVENTE !

This book is a must for all people who suffer with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. I read it slowly, trying to absorb each and every suggestion that was written.

Anyone person suffering these illness, and has struggled with the lack of medical help, NEEDS HOPE. I felt this was truly provided in this book along with the information of Healing. Just reading this book, helped my depression of long term illness that no Dr. could see, touch or give me a Rx for. Getting older or gaining weight, being female did not cause these health problems. Seeing other accounts of similar problems has given me a place to start investigating just what is wrong with my health and so armed with this information, I think can be the first step on the path to wellness.

If you have or know someone who suffers from fibromyalgia (chronic muscle pain) or chronic fatigue, you absolutely must get this book. Don't waste one more minute, order it now. IT could save your life. Don't believe the naysayers who tell you that nothing can be done. There is plenty that can be done. Not all of it will work, but at least you now have a good place to get started, and techniques that have proven successful for others. Plus the book gives you excellent resources for finding the best doctors out there to get you well. Any questions feel free to contact me at srowe@nbn.net

After many hours of searching and reading, this book combines documented clinical facts and case studies. I too suffered with these conditions and have found this book and its treatments to produce positive results! I have been in the medical profession for 20 years and had to leave the field because of my condition, but until recently, have I put these practices to the test, and have found those that work for me. If you really suffer from this, trust me, YOU NEED this book. For those interested, please feel free to write me and I'll discuss with you my own treatment plan and results..

My boss bought this book for me, and I thought it was going to be just another, "yeah, you have fibromyalgia and it's a real shame, this is how you cope with it", but instead, this book CHANGED MY LIFE! (Sorry for the run-on sentence). I had so much pain that some days I couldn't get out of bed. I would find a position that was minimally pain free and not move until I was better. It got so bad that I had to use a cane so I could get to work. But I read the book and I couldn't believe the case histories. But when the pain got so bad that I thought I would lose my job, I changed my diet (hey, what did I have to lose? ) and low and behold, within a week the pain was gone (I stopped taking pain medicine everyday), the "fog" lifted and I felt better than I had in YEARS! Another side benefit, is that I have lost weight! But I recommend this book very highly. I will also say that my doctors have pooh-poohed these results, but I firmly believe that what we eat, really effects how we feel. I just never knew how much!

I got this book yesterday afternoon and I have been gobbling it up! Right from the start I identified with the writing. I, too, had a feeling that my evening at the outdoor amphitheater that July 26th night in 2005 could change my life. I didn't know how and so I ignored my irrational feelings. I went to the ballet and although we were sitting inside I must have picked up the tick as we walked across the lawn to the amphitheater. 10 days later, almost to the hour, I was very, very sick. The Lyme crossed the blood brain barrier and I have had neurological and emotional problems. My stupid neurologist says I am "in the normal range" even when I have vertigo and was falling back on my head walking down the street, have huge memory gaps, sometimes make no sense, etc. I told him it wasn't normal for me, but ended up getting nowhere and leaving his office in tears.
My boyfriend of 12 years (with whom I attended the ballet that night) became very frustrated and angry. I am no longer the same woman he signed up for. We separated in the Fall of 2007. He felt I was not "trying hard enough" to get better.
My family thinks I am mentally ill. In fact over the last 9 months I have been misdiagnosed with either depression or Bipolar II disorder and mis-medicated, which DID make me pretty crazy. I am now convinced I ought not to be on any medications but treat myself holistically. I have been medication free for one month and that has made a huge difference for me.
So, I am so thankful for the book! I am finding out that I need to listen to myself and not depend on doctors to be able to fix me or even diagnose me correctly. I have been changing my diet and using it as my medicine. I have been making sure to get outside and walk or recently I can bicycle again! Soak in some sun. Surround myself with positive people--no angry boyfriend--as much as possible. I am painting again.
I think I was already headed in this direction -- after 11 months of putting my hope and trust in, then floundering in, medical offices, hitting my head against (figurative) wall after wall. Laura Bruno's book gives me such strength and hope for this journey.

I actually was only going to read this book to prepare myself for the radio interview with this author (May 29, 2008 on In Short Order at [...]). Instead, I found myself glued to the pages of valuable information from a patient's view. By reading this book, those who know or take care of a person with a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) will be better able to understand what the victim is going through - a better handle on things makes for a better friend/family member or care provider. Those who treat TBIs would benefit from this book more than most - what you can't see on tests can be learned here and therefore validate the diagnosis more quickly so that treatment can begin at an earlier stage. For those with a TBI, Lyme disease, or any disabling affliction, this book is your pair of ruby slippers.

Bruno equates a TBI to The Wizard of Oz classic. Although I have Lyme disease (which in many cases can be likened to a TBI), and can relate and benefit from this book, I never saw it put so simply - and well written. Just as Dorothy is whisked to another place, it is the same with most injuries and illnesses. We leave the life we know for a place we have never been before (and few want to make it a vacation spot). Come take the first step on the yellow brick road - where the journey to recovery begins.

Glinda (as we remember as the good witch) starts us on the path. Contacting organizations and support groups is an important step. Who doesn't need support, information, and to hear from others on virtually the same path? There are many things to do to prepare us for the first steps to recovery, but often we forget where we need to begin. Order is the way to end chaos. Support is the way to end aloneness. And information is the way to the next steps that must be taken if recovery is the goal. And don't forget, some who have grown accustomed to your disability-state may not want you to recover - learn why in "If I Only Had A Brain Injury."

There are the ruby slippers and the wicked witch. The information in this section is most helpful because it starts us focusing more closely on ourselves. Here we can begin to turn the injury or disease into a new beginning. When we beat ourselves up or refuse to accept what we cannot change, we slow or halt our journey. Forgiveness and identifying change are good things.

Okay, we're on our way. We may not be skipping yet, but we can add pep to our steps when we look at what can remove some of the stumbling blocks that have been preventing us forward movement on our road to recovery. Bruno learned that buying quality electronics (a computer monitor) cut down on her headaches and dizziness; which allowed her to work; which enabled her to earn a paycheck; which helped her to feel she was still in Kansas.

There are more ideas that are presented in this work - classical music, relationships with animals, and cultivating new friendships, to name a few. These will open new doors in the land of Oz and you may even discover new things about yourself that you never knew existed.

In "If I Only Had A Brain Injury," Bruno has given us a map of the Emerald City, introduced us to the Munchkins, and provided a beacon for anyone who is associated with injuries and disease. It is a one-of-a-kind book.

This a must read for all, with hopes that you find an owl in your life, too.


Sue Vogan
[...]

If I Only Had a Brain Injury is a delightful, powerful and highly informative book. Beautifully written, Laura Bruno draws upon her experiences with her own Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from a car accident. Her descriptions are vivid, deeply and personal. The book is very supportive and is an excellent resource for those dealing with Traumatic Brain Injuries and their caregivers. The book is also vitally important for those dealing with challenging and mysterious health issues like Chronic Fatigue, Lyme Disease and Migraines.

Bruno tells her own story while expertly weaving her insights within the context of the Wizard of Oz. I loved the humor, playfulness and utter seriousness in the book in the chapter titles and content. In the chapter, Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bruno states that her aim is, "...to inspire you and to guide you to resources that will empower you to take control over your own health and wellbeing."

Gradually after Bruno's own accident she began to realize that she had entered into a new land, and needed to learn anew. She recounts these realizations in the chapter, We're not in Kansas Anymore. Bruno says, " Like Dorothy, I knew I could not return the way I arrived. Like Dorothy, I eventually found my way "back home," but I took the Technicolor journey with me. I wrote this book to help others to do so, to."

And, like Dorothy following the yellow brick road to find her way back home to Kansas, the book emphasizes actions you can take in your recovery from the symptoms of these various illnesses that are so mysterious to the medical community. Bruno says in the chapter titled "Glinda," that "This chapter suggests ways to find the Glinda's along your journey...Even in the Wizard of Oz, Glinda prefers to help Dorothy help herself." She includes an excellent listing of resources to contact. For instance, she notes that you might want to contact a Behavioral optometrist that specializes in connections in mind, body and vision because "...a majority of people with neurological issues suffer from visual impairment. If you have any of the flowing symptoms, you may benefit from visual therapy or prism lenses: Concentration problems; Double vision; Headaches; Difficulty reading; Balance disorders; Clumsiness; Eyestrain; Intolerance of flickering lights; Intolerance to varied backgrounds; Panic Attacks; Easily becoming overwhelmed; Vertigo.

If I Only Had a Brain Injury is like a breath of fresh air as it offers hope where typically there is none. As Bruno notes, so many head injuries and their effects are not detected, diagnosed or treated. Many people are told that they do not show any medical evidence of a medical injury even though they are experiencing severe difficulties in daily functioning since the time of their accident or since the onset of their illness. And, even when a brain injury and trauma is recognized, there have been very limited resources to assist in continued rehabilitation.

My level of awareness about the nature of head injuries and its effects has risen dramatically from reading this book. This includes helping me to understand some of my own experiences from knocking my head with numerous falls off of horses, minor car accidents and some of my own hard to diagnose symptoms. I now keep this book by my bedside for personal quick reference and I also have a copy available in my office for those clients who have had head injuries.

If I only Had a Brain Injury is an excellent resource that I very highly recommend for anyone who has experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury as well as their family members, caregivers, medical professional and therapists. For anyone whose life has been touched in some manner with a Traumatic Brain Injury or by any illness that has been a medical mystery, this book will be of great value.

If I Only Had a Brain Injury is a beautifully conveyed book that is not only practical, simplistic, and full of easy to apply tips and tremendously helpful, thorough resources, but is also an artistic expression of genuine experience and compassion that takes one on a journey through Oz. Utilizing Dorothy and her friends' experiences to illustrate our own unfolding life processes creates a tangible and easily understood analogy, and coupled with Laura's own personal experiences, truly hits home and creates a relateability that transcends all boundaries. This is not only helpful for those with TBI and medical challenges as listed, but truly is a guideline and means of support for any and all challenges in life that can be simply applied. Finding myself challenged in overly mental focusing and truly not having the desire to do so either, I found Laura's book wonderfully supportive to this. It was easy, quick, and very clear, with nothing to have to read between the lines or mentally figure out. One can open the book to any page and find something valuable easily without it feeling out of context. This works well for people like myself who either don't have time to read, don't have much desire to read, or little focus to do so. You can pick up and leave off at any point and never feel lost and get exactly what you need at every turn. Laura is a beautiful example and expression for us all and one can only look forward to more wonderful books to come from her.

Injury took some mental abilities away.
Through that loss, author Laura Bruno,
finds an alternative path to health and
trusting herself. She demystifies many
medical mysteries all the while reassuring
those in similar situations not to suffer alone the
embarrassment and self consciousness of a
brain that is learning to function again -
perhaps differently. If I Only Had a Brain
Injury is a compendium of spiritual and
emotional support. It includes 52 healing
hints while leading its readers to become
wizards of their own healing. It offers
support to the caregiver and acknowledges
how events changes all involved.
Ultimately Laura Bruno wants everyone
to find their own deeper meaning of
injury - an opportunity to connect the
mind and heart - to live deeply, meaningfully,
and creatively through one's
essence.

I read this book which I now plan to give to my Dr. so he can read it also. I suffer from this illness and really appreciate this book altho some of it was above my head. I learned lots from what I was able to read and understand. I recommend it for all who are suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chemical injury and also for ALL doctors.

This book is technical, which it has to be, but still very useful for the non-biochemist. My purpose was to get ideas for treatment and I got them from the book.

I got some information and help, but as someone who reacts to books and ink, it was difficult for me to read. I'd like to see this made available on CD, or electronic version.... and maybe a simplified version for those of us who aren't very technical to begin with. Although, reading it electronically may have cleared some things up for me. I did pass it on to my more technically minded sister, who I'm sure will help me understand.

If you have any of the illnesses that are "unexplained", you really should try to read this. Even if you don't get it all, it may help you some with the direction to move for improvement.

I thank you, Dr. Pall, for your research and writing on this. Blessings on you and yours!

How wonderful it would be if all aspiring physicians were required to read this book! So many in the medical community are not aware of the mystery illnesses which Dr. Pall researches and writes about. If you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivty, Gulf War Syndrome, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or you know or love someone who does, then this is the book for you. Dr. Pall's book is well-researched and documented as well as understandable. He's been there so he "gets it," and he offers some help and hope to people who live with these debilitating conditions. Don't miss this book! It's definitely a worthwhile read.

Dr. Pall's research and recommended treatment saved me. The core of my treatment for a variety of neurological and digestive problems involves his recommended techniques for down-regulating the NO/ONOO cycle. My improvement relies on specific supplements to turn down reactivity combined with avoidance of chemical and food irritants. I only dared read this book once I had recovered sufficiently to have hope again. Within its pages I found helpful advice, well-supported scientific explanations for my "weird" symptoms and some sobering observations. The lack of recognition of chemical toxicity leads to incredible suffering and financial hardship. Dr. Pall's book should be compulsory reading for every doctor. The biochemical mechanisms he describes should be researched thoroughly so that there can be proven treatments for the growing number of people with "unexplained illness". Also there needs to be increased awareness and regulation of those "harmless" chemicals that are literally destroying lives.

Hillary Johnson's fascinating book, first touched upon in her article in Rolling Stone is a compelling read. The poor response by the CDC and the NIH to an epidemic that has now affected more lives than both AIDS and Lung Cancer is tragic. Ms. Johnson's beautifully woven story (though at times technical) would make for a very moving film in the tradition of And the Band Played On.

The author does an outstanding job of revealing how some of our most "respected" agencies in western medicine attempt to deal with what they can not define, despite what the patient says. Through constant shifts in focus, we are shown how several different groups deal with this syndrome. The writings illicit a tremendous amount of rage at the incompetence, pain at the ignorance, and confusion in the beurocratic anchors. This book reads like a mystery, and keeps you intrigued until the last page. It concludes like the reality of the search for this anomoly- with no 'pat' answers.

I read this book when it first came out. I would highly recommend it to any health care professional, any sufferer, or any relative of any sufferer. Society has come a long way over the years. Around 1990 I took a copy of one Dr. Jay Goldstein's books on chronic fatigue to a lecture on another subject. One of the other attendees picked it up, read the title, and disdainfully tossed in back on the table declaring, "Chronic fatigue? There is no such thing. It's only depression." On the other hand, myths are still all too common.

Back to this book. It leaves me dumbfounded how many of the issues clearly dealt with in this book are still reported incorrectly. Example: Epstein-Barr virus. It has widely been reported that since EB virus does not appear in clusters/epidemics, and that antibodies are present in a very high percent of the population, attributing chronic-fatigue to and EBV outbreak is, well, wrong. And that the doctor(s) should have known that.

However, in the book is it made clear that the doctors at Incline Village where an outbreak occured did know that. So when one of the doctors started seeing many of his patient's showing up with positive blood tests for EBV, he sent some samples to a researcher. The researcher found an antibody pattern that was not indicative of new infections, but rather of a recurrence or reactivation of a prior infection. This was a pattern the researcher had never seen before, and implied another cause, possible a weakening of the immune system. But not an epidemic of new EBV cases. By the way, that also argues against the assertion some have made that EBV is a possible cause, although it should be ruled out clinically.

The book is replete with many stories and issues, that differ remarkably from what is commonly reported about this issue.

One final chilling note. In the book dozens sufferers are introduced, some in depth, some obliquely. In an annex at the end of the book, the is a short follow up on many of the sufferers. What is chilling is how many have died.

This is the most informative book I've read on Chronic Fatigue. The reading is dry at times, but very informative. This book is about the Center for Disease Control (CDC) involvement in investigating CFS up to the date when the CDC was found quilty of misappropriation of funding for CFS research. Anyone new to the illness should have this book in their library, even if it is just used for references.

This book really gives you an understanding of how and why ME has been stigmatized, ridiculed and ignored as much as it has. It makes it very clear that it was not a mistake or an oversight at all but that it was in fact utterly deliberate. The pure stupidity and lack of basic human compassion involved is astounding. It's important to know how we've ended up in this mess so we can see how we might get ourselves out I think. It's also important that we not underestimate how low these people will go - its lower than you could even imagine.

A must read if you are well enough to tackle such a long non-fiction book, it'll just blow your mind and really fire you up about how badly we have all been treated historically and the...well you'd have to call them evil, people behind it all. A fantastic book to fire up your activism urges.

I think this book is terrific, however, I have ME AND Fibromyalgia. (chronic fatigue with chronic pain everywhere). Does anyone know of a great book on this subject?

Thank you, Cyn

I suffer from CFS and I find this book has helped me quite a lot. It's clearly and well written, gatherig all the main facts about this complex illness.

I was diagnosed with post-viral CFS in 1988. This book is an excellent description of living with CFS except for one thing: 3/4 of marriages affected by chronic illness break up, which means that most of us don't have the live-in support system she had.

Some disbelieving doctors like to attribute CFS to "secondary gain" or enablers who allow the patient to "enjoy the sick role". Unfortunately, for many CFS patients, there's no enabler and the only thing you gain is the stress of trying to make ends meet with no income.

Wall tells of having someone run her bath, gently wash her, dress her, and help her back to bed. That's a luxury most of us don't enjoy. If I'm not well enough to cook, I don't get dinner; if I cannot safely get in and out of the tub by myself, I don't bathe (on a cold winter day when I needed a bath to warm up, I got stuck in the tub for over an hour because I lacked the strength to boost myself up and out, and there was no one to call for help).

Wall's live-in support structure allowed her to do what those of us who live alone can't: use all her energy to write a book to explain to the rest of the world what it's like to be trapped in a body and brain that don't function.

I recommend this not only to patients, but to their friends and family as one of the best patient-written books I've read.

I found this to be an excellent book on CFIDS. I too suffer from it and feel sometimes I am the only one in my corner of the world that has it. It is helpful to read about someone else who has the same symptoms so I realize I am not " losing it" and it is real. The author also provides comphrensive data relating to medical, historical, and social aspects of this troubling illness. I would highly suggest this to people who have CFIDS and those who want to learn more about it. It is a a very readable book that is packed with information and is not boring or dry.

I have suffered from CFS since the late 70's although I was able to "push" through the majority of those years. I am now back in an accute phase and found Dorothy Wall's book fascinating , beautifully written and helpful. It helped make my illness real for me since I have never "looked" ill and have learned to doubt that what I have is real. I found it a story of the truth, which was most refreshing and inspiring.