Tips for getting treatment and getting back to life

Here''s great advice on controlling CFS at home, work, school, and more

If you think — or know — that Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is affecting you or someone you love, take heart! This upbeat guide helps you assess symptoms, walks you through diagnosis and treatment options, arms you with the right questions to ask the doctor, and provides loads of tips for getting your life back on track, even with CFS.

• Determine if your symptoms are due to CFS

• Find the right physician

• Understand various treatment options

• Manage your CFS in a variety of situations

• Help someone who''s living with CFS

You’ve been repeatedly poked, prodded, tested and scanned, yet, despite how awful you feel, your doctor, like many of your friends, co-workers, and family members have begun dropping subtle (and some not-so-subtle) hints that they think it’s “all in your head.” Maybe you’re one of the lucky few CFS sufferers who’ve received an accurate diagnosis but nothing your health care provider does seems to help. Well, you’re not alone. According to recent estimates, of the approximately 800,000 Americans with CFS, more than 90% have been misdiagnosed, dismissed, or are not receiving proper treatment.

Don’t despair, help has arrived. Written by a national expert who has successfully treated scores of CFS patients in her own practice, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for Dummies gives you the knowledge and tools you need to beat CFS and get back to living a normal life. In plain English Doctor Susan Lisman fills you in on:

• What CFS is, how you get it, and how it effects your body     
• Its major symptoms and warning signs
• Getting an accurate diagnosis
• Avoiding situations that might be making you sicker
• Teaming up with the right doctor and crafting a treatment plan
• The most effective drugs, therapies and alternative approaches
• Coping with CFS in your personal and professional lives

Packed with checklists, self-tests, questionnaires, and other powerful tools, and featuring many inspiring real-life stories of patients who’ve licked CFS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for Dummies puts you on the road to recovery.