| View Larger Image | The Virus Within: A Coming Epidemic | Hardcoverby Nicholas Regush (Author)
| List Price: | $24.95 | |
| | Binding: | Hardcover | | Publisher: | Dutton Adult | | Page Count: | 320 Pages | | Publication Date: | March 01, 2000 | | Sales Rank: | 908,927th |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
A nonfiction medical thriller about the little-known public enemy that is quickly becoming a hidden threat to health around the world. The Virus Within is the product of Nicholas Regush's pioneering investigation into Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV-6): the mysterious new epidemic that has already done serious damage to public health. The first medical reporter to take a comprehensive look at this horrifying and pervasive disease, Regush presents his findings in the form of a medical thriller, following the trail of the research detectives who have crossed disciplines to piece the story together. How can HHV-6, a common virus which purportedly goes to sleep harmlessly in the body after initial infection in almost everyone, awaken to trigger or contribute to serious illness or even death? How can this chameleon suddenly begin to attack nerves, resulting in a variety of brain and nervous system diseases, including multiple sclerosis? Why is HHV-6 the key to understanding AIDS and chronic fatigue syndrome? In The Virus Within, Regush offers cutting-edge scientific information in an accessible, stimulating format-stunning research with profound health implications for everyone. |
Amazon.com Review
If you were told there was a killer in your basement, you'd be legitimately concerned. Scientists have uncovered a virus living peacefully inside us that may strike out at us when our guard is down, but nobody seems to be listening. Potentially linked to such poorly understood diseases as multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and AIDS, this member of the herpes family (HHV-6) is thoroughly examined in science journalist Nicholas Regush's The Virus Within. Unfortunately, little is known at present, in part because of the personality-driven nature of research funding; struggling scientists must compete with big names like Robert Gallo for attention and dollars. Regush follows the careers of Donald Carrigan and Konnie Knox, medical virologists trying to learn more about HHV-6 while at the same time informing their unconcerned colleagues about its threat. While the book is a bit too easy on the Peter Duesberg-led charge against the HIV hypothesis of AIDS, it makes the point well that the scientific community, spurred on by clueless funders, is too quick to crystallize around one way of thinking about disease. This may be more a important issue than the threat of HHV-6--even if we do expand our research focus to include this likely killer, we haven't reached the root of the problem. How long will it take these voices in the wilderness to find sympathetic ears, and how long will it take the next scientific prophets to make themselves heard? Perhaps, if enough of us read The Virus Within, we can heed their warnings while there's still time to act. --Rob Lightner |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 15 reviews)
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informative by Mark R Stevenson (kansas city,mo)  4 Stars
April 13, 2004
The author presents viral research, the researchers, and the health industry in a manner that is informative and interesting for the reader. While the ending somewhat weak it is at least honest-no cure or conclusive proof has been established concerning HHV-6 - the author merely points the reader's interest towards the future. I have read the book twice and I appreciated the lack of hype both times. Sure, the medical cases were heart wrenching from any perspective but the author used the cases to support the story of the researchers cardigan and knox. These couragous individuals were shown among the others seeking to scientifically study diseases. Maybe regush will publish another book-or cardigan and knox.
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Virus Within by KLB (Hoboken, NJ United States)  5 Stars
January 04, 2003
This book may give me my life back. I have researched my illness for eight years now, never giving up though everything I have tried from numerous allopathic specialists to numerous alternative healing practices. I have a virus-like disease (I always get the feverish malaise that precedes a herpes outbreak (I have Type I, thank goodness). Whatever this disease is, it flares up at the slightest stress of any type whatever (time pressure, a fight with my husband, annoyance at our idiotic President and his evil cronies, etc.) and causes me a lot of pain, stiffness and a host of other difficult physical symptoms. It has been diagnosed as fibromyalgia, but that's pretty much beside the point as there is no treatment for fibromyalgia.Both the science and the writing are excellent in this book. I highly recommend it, even for people who don't have a chronic disease. It was a fascinating detective story and I can't wait to see how it plays out over the next years as this area of science continues to be pursued. If you have any of the chronic diseases listed on the back cover, you can't afford to not read this book. Just just can't afford not to.
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dramatic science! 4 Stars
December 20, 2001
Regush has done the chronic disease communities a great favor. His chronicle--and expose--ought to lead to burgeoning research into HHV-6 and AIDS, as well as other mysterious ilnesses/syndromes. I read his book in one sitting, finding it fascinating. I remain unconvinced about HHV-6 as a dangerous epidemic despite my own chronic illness; however, there is much excellent research presented that HHV-6 is potentially dangerous for certain people. It is a strength of this book that Regush presents such excellent scientific research while simultaneously provoking the reader to question the manner in which such science is conducted in the United States because of professional competition, time constraints for broadening research, funding priorities, political leanings, and academe's limitations. I found the style of writing to be overly idiomatic--"hit the roof,", "bombed"--and felt concerned as I read that this media style might detract from the importance of the book's message in the minds of some readers. I highly reommend the book, nevertheless, and hope that the scientific community is paying attention.
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Research that breaks boundaries by MS Diagnosed (Ireland) 5 Stars
July 17, 2001
We are a set of MS webforums that are eager followers of MS research as we badly want a cure! Many of us are HHV-6 active and place our hopes and prayers on the research covered in the Virus Within. It is a great book that breaks boundaries in MS research. For many years little was known of our disease. A diagnosis is bad enough but being diagnosed with the 'unknown' is terrifying. Many of us read Virus Within and saw ourselves as so many things fitted into place. It is a ground breaking book about ground breaking research that we hope will continue until the final answers to the puzzle of our disease are found. Highly recommended!
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Not Worth the paper it is written on  1 Stars
May 14, 2001
I have just recently found out that I am HHV6 postive with CFIDS and my doctor told me I should read this book to find out more about HHV6. I wondered as I was reading it if my doctor has even read the book!! I found it not helpful at all, in fact it made a person feel like if you have HHV6 that you are doomed to die. The book had very little (and I mean very little) to do with telling you the facts about HHV6, it was written more like a BAD novel, it went into telling you about the Doctors and scientist who where working on the HHV6 virus and their personal problems and lives! I would not reccomend this book to anyone.
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