Product Description

Written by the nation's most recognized CFIDS authority and officially endorsed by the CFIDS Association, this book is the definitive, up-to-date guide for the three to five million people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome. Now at last, anyone touched by this illness can have the solid information they need to understand and live with CFIDS.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #421008 in Books
• Published on: 1995-01-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Baptized by the press in 1985 as the "Yuppie Flu," Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, otherwise known as CFIDS, is a bewilderingly little understood disease which combines severe fatigue with the presence of immune system markers. Bell, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, seeks to "provide an overview of the current knowledge of CFIDS, including history, signs and symptoms, clinical course, laboratory findings and recent advances." The book is organized into five parts: an overview, a description of the disease, diagnostic tests, treatment options and the search for a cause. The author estimates that millions of Americans suffer from CFIDS, 30% of them children. The disease is still considered one of exclusion--a diagnosis of CFIDS is only considered when all other diseases which may cause the same groups of symptoms are ruled out. And diagnosis is difficult; the symptoms are misleading and may range from fatigue or exhaustion, headaches and muscle pain to depression, short-term memory loss and difficulty concentrating. Bell describes the hardships patients encounter when they seek medical help due to the lack of information currently available about CFIDS. He also recognizes the frustration of physicians and researchers who want to alleviate the suffering but have not yet found a way.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This text is a physician's primer on Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS), a condition whose hallmark is debilitating fatigue of six months' duration or longer. Initially dismissed as "yuppie flu," CFIDS ("see-fids") is a diagnosis of exclusion lacking a definitive lab test or biological marker. Bell, a leader in CFIDS research, writes clearly and passionately about its history, symptoms, theoretical causes, treatments, and research in progress. For a book from the patient's perspective, see Susan Conant's Living with Chronic Fatigue ( LJ 7/90). Recommended for popular health collections.
- Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Customer Reviews

Brilliant and humane
A marvelous, humane, comprehensive look at the mysteries of chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Bell, perhaps the best medical writer I have ever encountered, takes on an immensely complex subject and sets forth in clear and concise terms what is known about CFS, what still isn't, what theories and treatments have been rejected and what theories and treatments are still under exploration, and where he thinks the future is headed. Most importantly, Dr. Bell clearly and decisively rejects the misguided notions that this disease is somehow the product of malingering or just a fancy word for depression, and offers encouragment to those who suffer not only from the disease but from the frustration of not being understood by their families or their physicians. I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone with an interest in CFS.

BUY THIS BOOK FOR YOUR DOCTOR
Buy two copies of this book: one for you and one for your doctor.

Dr. Bell repeatedly makes the point that if the symptoms "don't make sense" it's because the doctor doesn't recognize what he's seeing, and not because the patient is imagining things.

He tells you (and your doctor) how to differentiate between CFS and look-alikes, such as depression, and goes into great detail about what *subtle* things the doctor should be looking for in a physical exam, things that might otherwise be overlooked because they're almost normal.

I've been quoting from this book since it was written, and expect to still be quoting from it (and using it to bash recalcitrant doctors over the head!) for another 20 years.

Fabulous book! I learned so much!
This book is great and I would recommend it to anyone with CFIDS or anyone who cares about someone with CFIDS. Great background on the upstate NY epidemic of CFIDS and info about the latest treatments. A must read!!