A Personalized Approach to Feeling Better Struggling with fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a triple challenge: Not only must you deal with pain, exhaustion, and other symptoms, but you also have to contend with health-care providers who often won't acknowledge that you're actually sick, and a confusing array of health care options. In twenty years of practice, author Lynette Bassman has seen many people with FMS and CFS. She's even struggled with CFS herself. Bassman knows that it's possible to overcome these conditions. She found the right combination of approaches to heal herself-and so can you, if you use the comprehensive information and recovery advice you'll find in this book. The Feel-Good Guide to Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome begins with an overview, offering a simple explanation of what is known about FMS and CFS. It then describes and evaluates most available therapies, both conventional and alternative, that can address not only physical symptoms but emotional and spiritual ones as well. You'll assess your own symptoms and customize a treatment approach that meets your own unique symptom profile. Finally, you'll learn how to chart a course to recovery that will help you feel better and maintain your progress.

Covering a wide range of popular alternative medicine and health issues, User' are written by leading experts and science writers and are designed to answer the consumer's basic questions about disease, conventional and alternative therapies, and individual dietary supplements.

Called the “invisible disease,” fibromyalgia is estimated to impact more than 10 million Americans. And yet, so much is still misunderstood about this chronic disorder. Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia is an invaluable resource for understanding fibromyalgia and its debilitating symptoms. Those living with fibromyalgia know it is an invasive disorder, one that can cause overwhelming fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, migraines, digestive problems, and troubles with memory and concentration, a symptom so common it is often referred to as “fibrofog.” While it's believed that humans have suffered from fibromyalgia for hundreds, even thousands, of years, a delay in medical research means many people living with fibromyalgia are still in the dark, confused by their symptoms and what causes the painful disorder. By drawing upon decades of advanced research in studying and treating fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia combines anecdotes from real cases with expertise from Mayo Clinic’s rheumatology and chronic pain experts to provide an all-encompassing guide for understanding one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today. This book also offers reasonable, proven strategies—like worksheets to help readers craft a personalized daily plan—for managing common fibromyalgia symptoms, while serving as a comforting guide for those who may feel alone in their journey with fibromyalgia. This book breaks down what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—in 4 separate sections: · Section 1 introduces fibromyalgia, the history and modern discoveries of fibromyalgia research, as well as common myths and misconceptions associated with the condition · Section 2 outlines the different treatment options available to those who suffer from fibromyalgia, including prescription medications, therapies, and forms of integrative medicine · Section 3 offers helpful tips for managing—and improving—chronic pain through diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management · Finally, Section 4 explains how to find guidance and support from your family, friends, and physicians to help you live a life unhindered by fibromyalgia If you’re struggling to advance past your painful fibromyalgia symptoms, get the book Publisher’s Weekly described as “the first [book] a newly diagnosed patient should consult.”

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological - rather than psychological - nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health care provider as well as being subjected to treatment strategies that exacerbate their symptoms. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome proposes new diagnostic clinical criteria for ME/CFS and a new term for the illness - systemic exertion intolerance disease(SEID). According to this report, the term myalgic encephalomyelitis does not accurately describe this illness, and the term chronic fatigue syndrome can result in trivialization and stigmatization for patients afflicted with this illness. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome stresses that SEID is a medical - not a psychiatric or psychological - illness. This report lists the major symptoms of SEID and recommends a diagnostic process.One of the report's most important conclusions is that a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted work-up are necessary and often sufficient for diagnosis. The new criteria will allow a large percentage of undiagnosed patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be a valuable resource to promote the prompt diagnosis of patients with this complex, multisystem, and often devastating disorder; enhance public understanding; and provide a firm foundation for future improvements in diagnosis and treatment.

Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and Lyme disease can be permanently reversed using nontoxic alternative treatments. In this authoritative guide, more than 30 leading physicians explain their holistic diagnostic and treatment methods. Each chapter has been updated to reflect the latest research and therapeutic approaches to treating-and ultimately reversing-these debilitating conditions. Written by the authors of the acclaimed ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE (more than 600,000 copies sold), this book shows how to regain vitality, say goodbye to muscle pain, peak your immune system, and shake off depression with clinically proven therapies. The first edition sold more than 100,000 copies and is recognized as the leading alternative medicine guide to chronic fatigue. Contains new chapters on Lyme disease and holistic treatment options. Three million Americans suffer from chronic fatigue and an estimated three to six million suffer from fibromyalgia, 86 percent of whom are women.

Live the best quality of life possible with this expert guide to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) CFS is not ìall in your head.î Written by a registered nurse and parent of a child with chronic fatigue, What Nurses Know: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome provides compassionate support and practical strategies for living well with this challenging and often unpredictable chronic illness. Using information drawn from research and reputable sources as well as insight from people dealing with CFS, Lorraine Steefel, RN, provides options for coping physically and emotionally so that you can move forward with your life. Youíll learn: What CFS is and how it effects your body How to find the right doctor and a supportive health care team The variety of available treatment options, from analgesics to complementary and alternative therapies Evidence-based advice on the best sleep, nutrition, and lifestyle practices to avoid flare-ups Tips for dealing with postexertional malaise (PEM), brain fog, and other symptoms How to cope when things get tough Packed with tips, tools, and resources, this user-friendly guide puts you on the road to recovery and is an essential resource for caregivers and loved ones. About the Series Nurses constantly straddle the line between the world of medicine and the patientís experience. This series offers down-to-earth, evidence-based advice from expert nurses who offer straightforward and practical guidance for dealing with all kinds of medical conditions.

Caring for patients with fibromyalgia requires an understanding of the complex nature of this condition. Fibromyalgia: A Practical Clinical Guide is a state-of-the-art resource designed to clarify the controversy about fibromyalgia and to provide clinicians with the latest information about its pathogenesis and clinical evaluation, as well as evidence-based guidelines for effective treatment. This comprehensive title includes fully referenced, practical information on this fast-emerging field and provides useful clinical suggestions and practical office tools for effectively managing patients. The good news for fibromyalgia patients and their healthcare providers is that a wide range of medication, non-medication, and non-traditional therapies have been proven to effectively reduce some of the most problematic and disabling fibromyalgia symptoms. Brief case vignettes help describe many of the common presentations, concerns, and complexities typically seen in fibromyalgia patients. Invaluable graphic aids -- boxes, tables, and figures – are used widely to provide quick reference for the busy clinician seeking information. In addition, clinic-proven assessment and documentation tools for evaluating and monitoring fibromyalgia symptoms and severity are provided, along with handouts for patients to provide guidance on pain management techniques, including detailed exercise and relaxation technique instructions. A unique addition to the literature, Fibromyalgia: A Practical Clinical Guide is an indispensable reference for all clinicians who care for patients with fibromyalgia.