|
|
51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every GP should read it and every PWC should own it., 3 Feb 1999
By A Customer
Dr Anne Macintyre's book *ME: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Practical Guide* is the single best book I have read on the subject--and as I have had ME for 7 years, I have read a great deal. I wish I had had this book when I first became ill, and even now I find it immensely validating. The initial chapters focus on the history and nature of the illness and the way it has been perceived by the public and the medical profession. In describing and categorizing symptoms and the basis for diagnosis, Dr Macintyre draws on a vast body of scientific research, presenting it in terms readily comprehensible not merely to the educated lay person, but to the ME sufferer with cognitive dysfunction. (Complete references are provided.) Guidelines for diagnosis and similar conditions which need to be eliminated before a diagnosis of ME can be made are provided throughout the first 4 chapters and again in an appendix at the back of the book. Chapter 3, 'ME, CFS, and Psychiatry', provides a clear look at the psychological problems of ME and no excuse for a misdiagnosis of ME as primary depression. The middle section of the book is devoted to managing the illness, with chapters on rest and sleep (absolutely vital), exercise (must be handled with care but can be helpful if sufficiently mild and practiced with a sensitivity to the fluctuation of symptoms and the risk of severe relapse), stress and meditation, depression and anxiety. Starting with Chapter 10, Macintyre surveys methods of treatment: both those of conventional medicine and alternative practices. Her approach is sensible and sensitive to the fact that many PWCs (Persons with CFS/ME) have unusual responses to medications. One chapter is devoted to candida albicans, a common secondary infection in PWCs, and one to diet and nutrition (many PWCs suffer from deficiencies in vitamins and minerals). The advice is always that if a treatment does not work after a reasonable trial, it should be discontinued. The final chapters of the book focus on 'specialty issues': ME in children, special problems for women with ME, caring and relationships (sex in particular can present problems for PWCs) and on practical issues such as disability and benefits, mobility aids, etc. Appendix A lists 'Sources of Help,' primarily organizations in the UK. Although the section on benefits and some of the details of the chapter on practical problems are geared specifically for the ME sufferer or carer living in the UK, the rest of the book applies to PWCs everywhere. I have now bought 6 copies: one to keep, one for my GP, one for my therapist, one for my partner, one for my parents, and one to lend to new acquaintances.
|
by Charles Shepherd
by William Collinge
by Maria Mann
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home