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

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 4 reviews)

'CFS' is never fatal, but poeple do die with this diagnosis by Jodi-Hummingbird

2 Stars
September 22, 2009
Many patients are told 'CFS' is never fatal, and it is why we push ourselves so hard and end up so so ill. (It is a big part of why I am now housebound and bedbound, and ridiculously ill.) Some of us even die. Of course 'CFS' isn't fatal, but M.E. is and many with M.E. are told incorrectly that what they have is 'CFS.' 'CFS' however isn't just a misdiagnosis for M.E. patients, it's a misdiagnosis for everyone, always. Illnesses most often misdiagnosed as 'CFS' include Lyme disease, vitamin deficiencies, cancer, MS, Bechet's disease, thyroid and adrenal illnesses, FM and so on. Many of the illnesses misdiagnosed as 'CFS' are testable and treatable...but only once patients and their doctors ditch the useless 'CFS' misdiagnosis. Many illneses can also be very serious or fatal if not correctly diagnosed and treated, and this includes Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. (M.E. is NOT the same thing as 'CFS'!) Please, if you have a 'CFS' (mis)diagnosis, do everything you can to find your correct diagnosis, do not accept 'CFS' ever as an end point to the process of diagnosis. Some of the diseases misdiagnosed as 'CFS' ARE fatal despite what this book claims. All patients given this misdiagnosis need a corect diagnosis and treatment finally. The needless deaths need to stop! Jodi Bassett, HFME

Excellent Informative book by Jeannine Hebert (Calgay AB)

5 Stars
December 12, 2008
This book was the most helpful book I have read on Fibromyalgia. It was a book that was also recommended by my doctor.

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia by Marjorie van de Sande

5 Stars
September 30, 2006
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. This book is the patients' complementary counterpart to the Canadian Consensus Guidelines for physicians. 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

Knowledgeable authors, great book, useful! by FM-CFS Canada (Ottawa, ON, CA)

5 Stars
July 16, 2006
Allow me to state bias, which is that of being employed with a national charity for FM & CFS in Canada. We link to the book from our site, fm-cfs.ca and know the value of the book - its ability to help patients and practitioners get better results. You may not know, but the authors behind this book are truly leaders in the FM & CFS community. Dr. Bested has put years of on-going strategic effort into advancing the community's cause, with success after success, and of course, working with others. Just to say, the authors are in a position to know a great deal, and have respect from the community. One success, Spring 2006: one of the authors plays a key role in the campaign to get new billing codes and higher compensation rates for physicians in Ontario. This is a first in Canada which will help all the other Provinces. Read their book, these are trustworthy authors, and learn what they know about dealing with FM & CFS. John Ernst fm-cfs.ca

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