Book Reviews
Your guide to published resources

Upon being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), Dawn Hughes began collecting information to help her understand what she was experiencing. The 46-year-old researcher-writer from Dallas developed this book from her extensive notes.

Easy to read and understand, Hughes' 200-page book provides invaluable resources to help any person with CFIDS and/or fibromyalgia (FM). Whatever you are searching for, you will likely find it in Hughes' book.

In the opening chapter, Hughes defines FM and CFIDS, including possible causes, symptoms, diagnostic tools, treatments and research goals. Chapter Two contains 40 pages where patients, friends, families and doctors can find a comprehensive list of publications on diet, nutrition and exercise, pain management, Social Security disability and more.

The third chapter lists worldwide support and advocacy groups, alternative therapies, common medications and chronic pain resources, plus current research and clinical trials.

In my opinion, Chapter Four, "The Life Planner Workbook," shines with articles, goal-setting worksheets and "support" tools to help one achieve emotional healing. Hughes explains the "best" part of what having a diagnosis means, how our strength takes us through grieving our pre-illness lives and describes adaptive behaviors to help us come to terms with our current lives.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Dawn Hughes has offered to donate $2 to The CFIDS Association of America for every copy of her book purchased online through the publisher. The Web site address is www.upublish.com/books/hughes.htm. When ordering, please place "CFIDS" after your name. For example, "John Smith/CFIDS".]

Dr. Roberto Patarca-Montero's book makes sense of the newly emerging and often confusing terms and abbreviations used in chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) research and clinical practice.

In this thorough, carefully organized and nicely documented resource, He defines difficult terms like RT-PCR and TNF, and clarifies the biology behind well-publicized research findings such as those on synthetase/RNase L antiviral pathways.

The areas of epidemiology, infectious diseases, neurology, psychology, immunology and endocrinology are presented in an easy-to-find alphabetical format. Sixty-five pages of "notes" round out the text and cross-references are provided, including relationships to fatigue in AIDS, brain injury and cancer.

Highly recommended for the library of any doctor, person with CFIDS or anyone else who needs to understand the A-to-Zs of CFIDS.