Chronic-Disease Books

If you only read one book on Lyme disease, then this is the book to read. It reads more like a novel than a text, so it is fun to read, yet it is packed with information. As a physician interested in Lyme Disease, I have read numerous books and texts on the subject. This was the only one I couldn't put down.

This is an EXCELLENT book! It explains the history of the lyme disease controversy, and the corruption of the Infectious Disease Society. Many patients are suffering because of the IDSA's flawed guidelines to lyme disease detection and treatment. Lyme disease is an epidemic that is expanding. Believe me, you don't want to become one of these patients that have to fight for a diagnosis and proper treatment-and told that it's "all in your head". It is appalling that we live in the United States, and yet we are treated this way. Until you come down with an illness, such as lyme disease, you may never really realize how corrupt our society, and the medical establishment is. It's all about money and profit for the pharmaceutical companies.
Read this book!

Diagnosed with chronic Lyme in 2004, while I was pregnant, threw me into the Lyme wars. I have read lots of books, articles and web sites about Lyme. Weintraub's book, however, is above all the rest. Her factual details, combined with personal experiences, make for fantastic reading. I have ordered copies for my family, as reading this book will help them understand the Lyme wars, and understand the varying bits of information they receive from different sources - media, friends, MDs, patients.

I have done months of oral antibiotics and weeks of IV antibiotics. Even with a CDC positive test, getting aggressive treatment was difficult. I have now found the best success with Eastern medicine. Like Weintraub, I put my faith in new testing, and unbiased scientists, to lead us down a better path. I also hope that a One Medicine approach, combining the knowledge of human and veterinary medicine as it applies to infectious disease, will yield breakthroughs.

This is a fantastic book. Buy more than one copy, as you will want to spread the word.

This book is to lyme disease what Osler's Web is to CFS, and yes the two diseases not only share physical similarities but are historically interwoven like fornicating worms. If you don't have lyme disease or haven't heard of it, it'll read kooky, cultish, and conspiratorial. If you have had any personal experience with lyme disease, you might catch yourself wishing this were an elaborately-contrived conspiracy to stave off the sobering realization that lyme patients never stood a chance.

Pamela Weintrub is a meticulous scientific journalist who leaves no big name un-interviewed on either side of the polarizing lyme debate and no stone unturned to give an evidence-based lashing of big pharma, academic medicine, gov't research, and managed care: the Big Four responsible for spinning and stifling unbiased research results to keep patents alive, pockets full, and egos way up high.

Lyme disease sufferers should not add this book to their arsenal of treatment books because incredulously, all the patients in this book had amazing results with monotherapy--antibiotics alone. No no, readers shouldn't read this book for any kind of therapy--including hope. Cure Unknown is the truth and nothing but the truth: The Bible of How We Got Shat On. But for the policy wonks out, this book is 20 years of pressing evidence that our healthcare system is equal parts egomaniacal and inefficient. Let's read and weep (I did twice)...and change.

The four Weintraub's left New York City to live in a dream home in Chappaqua in Westchester County as they thought this would be better for the kids. The parents thought the open woods with deer would prove healthier than the smog city. However, within a very short time from when they relocated, one of the sons becomes ill followed by the other boy. Soon afterward the father and finally the mother became ill also. Each had similar aches and pains that were progressively getting worse. The local physicians considered Lyme disease infection, but decides that was not the cause. The family turned to the best medical facilities in New York and received similar no help responses as the cures were making the disease worse. Desperate, Pamela Weintraub decided to use her skill as a science writer to research the symptoms. What she reports in this insightful frightening book is shocking as she affirms the widening spread of Lyme disease with the medical field in her opinion buried in the sand or ignorant. Ms. Weintraub, whose sons remain very ill, exposes the health system's failure to react to a growing epidemic that could turn pandemic rather shortly. Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic is a well written shocker that makes the case act now before it is too late.

Harriet Klausner

Leal has done a fantastic job putting faces with a disease that most people know nothing about. She puts the reader right in the midst of the agonizing decisions that people with Huntington's disease have to make.

Since the disease is hereditary, should those with a history of Huntington's in their family get tested for the gene that causes the disease? Should those with the disease have children knowing that they could pass the disease along to the next generation? When, if ever, is it time for the person with the disease to move to a nursing home?

I didn't know anything about Huntington's before I read Leal's book. After reading it, I have a deep appreciation for the struggles that families face after a positive diagnosis.

If you are looking for a book about Huntington's that doesn't gloss over the hard parts of life and yet at the same time shows you what faces of courage, hope and faith can look like during trials, then this book is for you.

I am in the early stages of HD and I can understand the negative review. My wife has promised me that if my mind becomes that of a four year old, she will not dress me as a four year old and take me to an amusement park and allow strangers to photograph me. I know at that time I might not notice the loss of dignity, but I care now. If we do go, I want to go as an adult with HD, not wearing a "Goofy" shirt. The author seem insensitive to me.

As a healthcare professional I've worked with a few hundred families touched by HD over the last 17 years. Among those families, this book "Faces..." is known as a tool for hope, support and inspiration. I have purchased many copies of this book over the last few years and given it as a gift to families.
The positive reviews here clearly reflect the overwhelming praise that this book reliably receives from folks touched by HD.
I respect the views of the folks who've posted those negative comments. HD is the worst damn disease that can touch a family and it manifests itself in unlimited ways. And everyone handles it in their own unique way. However, it would be sad if a family looking for a source of hope like this one turned away from it because of those comments. The overwhelming percentage of folks who've read this book talk about it as an important source of hope and support for themselves.
Read it and see for yourself!

I just re-read Faces of Huntington's and decided it was time to write a review. I am so thankful this book was written and published. Again I was amazed at the author's sensitivity and her ability to pack so much into one book. For far too long there was nothing written about this disease except what was in a medical book. There was certainly nothing about the people themselves. I liked how so many people were included and not just the author. This gave us a much more complete and accurate picture of the disease from all sides.

I was amazed to read the negative review. I understand that not everyone sees the glass half full versus the 99% empty the person who reviewed the book sees. But the review seemed more an attack on the author's character rather than on her work. I feel really sad that someone is so bitter they can't see anything but ugliness no matter where they look. Makes me wonder did they really read the book since in the book I read had stories about suicide, abuse, juvenile Huntington's, death and other real effects of this devastating disease. When I read the review I wondered why this person doesn't write their own book filled with their 42 years of experience.

Faces of Huntington's is one of those books I know I will go back to many times over the years and will recommend to others.

I have purchased the book Faces of Huntington's,read it,and recommended it to friends.
This was a book that needed to be written.
For the first time I was able to read stories of other people dealing with this disease,like I am.
It is a book that is very easy to read.
Not all stories are sad , and that was encouraging.
You will find ways to handle your problems by reading how others have.
I found my self re-reading the book many times , its comforting.

I enjoyed this book because of the suggestions for chronically ill people and also the many people in the book who wrote a personal page or 2 about their experience with chronic illness. There were alot of correlations between people who have different chronic illnesses it felt good to know that there are people out there like myself. I would suggest this book for anyone who has to deal with a chronic illness.

I'm not easily impressed. This book impressed me.

I have read just about every book available on the topic of coping with chronic illness and pain. None of them come close to this one by Sveilich. She seems to know the subject quite well and presents unique resources from experts and professionals in the field.

Of course, the best experts are the people who actually live with chronic health disorders and they are respresented throughout this book. The profiles are amazing. I saw my story in just about all of the 55 profiles included. I also found some great coping tools to apply to my own life.

Good insights and coping tips were offered by psychologists as well as physicians. The author also discusses mind-body medicine and complementary approaches as well as traditional medicine. From Zen to Zoloft and everything in-between... this book has it all.

My only remaining question is, why isn't JUST FINE on the New York Bestseller list?

It should be.

Like others have written, JUST FINE is a gift to all those impacted by chronic, invisible illnesses and pain.

Chronic Fatigue (CFIDS) has been my challenge and teacher since my symptoms began more than 30 years ago. JUST FINE, written beautifully by a therapist surviving her own chronic illnesses, says everything I needed to know THEN when little was known and we were told it was a "psychological problem". The book reassures me - even NOW when we recently found out there are at least 5 genetic markers (see the CDC website) - that I am and have been doing MORE than "Just Fine" with the "luck of the draw" biologically & with the life circumstances that may have contributed to triggering my illness.

The photos and narratives of "people with..." function like a "support group in a book" and I KNOW that many readers may not have a group available or be able to reach one because of the limits often imposed by the illnesses themselves. I appreciate the participants' courage in speaking about often stigmatized experiences, while also knowing many of us are longing to be asked by someone who is truly willing to hear us. We continually search for language that can describe our often fluctuating experience: Carol Sveilich and her interviewees have done just that!

I have given this book to clients, friends and family. I look forward to any more writing Sveilich will do in the future, as she clearly has more to say that would be worthwhile to read - to "listen with your eyes".

Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness And Pain If you have any doubts about purchasing this book, let me alleviate them now. The book not only explains these illnesses, but takes the reader on a journey through the eyes of those who suffer from these illnesses and how they cope on a day-to-day basis. Being a concealed chronic illness sufferer myself, I didn't realize how many people felt as I do. I'm going to buy more books for my doctors and family members. Feel free to do the same. This should be required reading for doctors, families, employers, etc. Well written and so very heartfelt.

Having chronic migraines, I have noticed how I can look one way, but I feel quite another way. For example, I ask myself how I can be in such horrible pain at work and no one around me even notices. Truly frustrated with this dilemma, I picked up a copy of Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness and Pain by Carol Sveilich to see if I could find some answers.

The book discusses hidden health disorders in a unique way because the author not only offers insights and coping tips offered from physicians and psychologists, including traditional medicine and mind-body medicine. She also has included profiles of people living with a hidden health disorder and she lets them tell their story in their own words, along with their photographs.

What I really liked about the book was being educated about other types of concealed illnesses, and at the same time, how I saw myself in many of the stories. There were common threads of emotions from these people living double lives.

Some of the topics from the book included how to deal with canceling plans, learning how to answer people when they ask how you are, being envious of other people in good health, sacrificing personal goals, making adjustments, and how to respond to people when they question the severity of your symptoms.

I was surprised and relieved to see the author even dealt with the subject of sex with a chronic illness, which I never saw explored before in a book.

This book definitely made me feel not so alone with my double life. It was very comforting and it taught me how to look at people differently, because someone who is smiling in the office might be living with a hidden health disorder like me.

I am writing this on behalf of my husband who had Polio at the age of 7. His was non-crippling at the time and he came out of it with just a slight limp in one leg. In his early 40's he began to have unexplained symptoms, pain, muscle spasms, drawing in his legs, etc. As his ability to walk worsened, we sought help from several Neurologists as well as a Orthopedic specialist with no results~~~just tons of medicine. We told each specialist about his polio and could he possibly have Post Polio Syndrome~~~we were told there was no such thing.
While searching the internet for help, I came across Dr. Bruno's book and immediately went to Amazon to purchase it. We have since been directed to a specialist in our area for Post Polio Syndrome and feel, at last, he is going to get help. We realize there is no cure, but it is such a relief to finally be told there is such a thing as PPS and everything that can be done to make his life easier, will be done.
We highly recommend this book to anyone who may be a Polio survivor and beginning to experience symptoms. Don't wait as long as we did to find help~~~it is definitely out there!!

Excellent--well written--an easy read. This book affirms what I see clinically every day, now I can be a better support system for my patients.

I was recently diagnosed with post-polio syndrome. Immediately, I started seeking out information on this health issue. Without question, this is the best book on this subject. I am so pleased to have read this book to assist me.

This book answered many questions we have had. It is very clear and informative. I plan on giving a copy to my family doctor so we can improve my health care. The author truly understands what former polio suffers experience years later.

I am a polio survivor, having had both bulbar and spinal polio at age 10. I am one of the fortunate who learned to walk again and seemed to overcome many residuals. Like many polio survivors, I am someone who has refused to acknowledge that something is impossible - I rarely give up, and this quality enabled me to endure all the physical therapy that resulted in what passed for recovery. I have a trach scar, weakness in my right leg, left arm and a gradual onset of back pain and fatigue. I have had a post-polio assessment, but wasn't certain until reading this book that I should be resting more than overdoing exercise. I feel so incredibly lucky when I see the many who are back in wheelchairs - brings the whole nightmare of the iron lung, the rocking bed, the tube from my nose to my stomach for sustenance, the suctioning of the trach tube, etc., etc. I hope that everyone who has suffered will read this book and gain a better quality of life.

This is one of the most thoughtful book I have read in quite some time. Like most healthy people, I have no concept of what it is like to be chronically ill. This book is NOT a "woe is me" type of book where the patient is always whining about how bad she feels. Far from it. It is really a thorough discussion (as much as one can discuss among these pages) of what it is like to never "quite feeling well." The doctor also writes of his viewpoints as someone who is the medical care-taker of patients' well-beings, and yet, he writes movingly of his thoughts and feelings as he watch his patients fight to maintain a life of their own while struggling with their diseases. He writes of many examples he has seen in the medical field, but while reminding the reader that in order for the patient to survive, she must constantly fight for her care as well as him. They must work together as a team, otherwise, Brill would be bouncing around in a medical system with no proper care, as it has happened earlier in her past. She was put in the hospital and a doctor who just looked at her as a number, not as a person, offended her deeply, until her colleague/doctor stepped in and urged her to follow the directions until she got better.

That story struck a nerve with me as my husband is struggling with a chronic disease and in the battle for our son's health care, we have run into so many so-called professional doctors who do not see us as people, but as numbers in a day filled with more numbers and complaints. We have been told time after time that there is nothing more that they can do for us and dismissed out of the office without any further suggestions (we had to do our own sleuthing to get our own answers). However, my son and I do not have to live with a chronic disease like my husband, so our battles are short-lived. My husband is constantly trying to find a doctor that is willing to treat him as a person, even if there is no cure for his situation.

Isn't that what most patients want?

If you know anyone who is struggling with a chronic illness, I would suggest this book right away. It is an eye-opener for me, who is rarely ill and that is just from the common flu bugs that kids bring home from school. Yet, Alida Brill, who is the co-author of this book, has been fighting her disease since she was a teen-ager and still managed to carve out a wonderful life in academics (and is a friend of the feminist movement, Betty Friedan) in midst of hospital stays, taking care of her elderly parents who both got stricken with cancer at the same time. Not once did she whine about her lot in life. It was all stated with matter of factness and grace. She acknowledges that she is human but she is also blessed. Her co-author, Dr. Michael Lockshin, writes from the professional stand-point and yet convey a spirit of compassion. Now all doctors can take a lesson from him. In my opinion, this book should be required reading for medical school students before they graduate with their medical degrees and before doing their residencies somewhere. This book has a lot to teach young doctors and even nurses how important it is to have a strong relationship with your patients, with all of your patients, though you may never be as close to all of them as you'd like. It does offer insights on how to be more compassionate and more thoughtful as doctors interview each patient. Not all of them are going to require an in-depth treatment plan, but the point is, treat all patients fairly and with compassion.

This book is a must-read for everyone, regardless if they're sick or not. It is an important insight of a relationship between a doctor and his patient and together, they navigate the course of maintaining her disease, which, unfortunately, does not have a cure yet.

In the real estate of reading the three most important things are: social location, social location, social location. That is, the reader's social location. From that perspective, Brill and Lockshin's DANCING AT THE RIVER'S EDGE may be a hard sell. Readers who suffer from Wegener's Granulamatosis and are aware that one of the authors (Alida Brill) suffers from the same condition might be expecting to learn of a miracle cure or fail-proof medical protocol. Such readers will be disappointed; neither Brill nor her physician co-author, Michael D. Lockshin, offer any such medical breakthroughs. Reader's of a spiritual bent who hope to find an inspiring, mind-over-body story of struggle and victory will likewise be disappointed. And healthy people who never address the probability that one day they will become ill, suffer for a period of time, and then die (relatively few people die instantaneously from gunfire or in auto accidents, and even fewer die peacefully in their sleep), may wonder what all the fuss is about. Why, they might ask, does anyone need to hear about Ms Brill's lonely struggle and Dr. Lockshin's frustrating career challenges?

But for people who care about quality of life and about the struggle to maintain hope, self-respect, and some degree of autonomy in the face of challenging odds, this is a powerful story. (That should be of interest to everybody, but sadly, it isn't.) In the end, hearing that there are no easy answers is easier to take from people who've earnestly and patiently sought useful answers. The authors have no axe to grind or agenda to push. It's their humility, compassion, and resilient humanity that is inspiring in their joint story. Lockshin sets the tone for the book by introducing the Mayan concept of time. After defining smaller measurements of time he speaks of the katun (a period of about 20 years). "On the scale of a katun people marry, achieve, see children grow, watch parents die, do or do not become disabled. The katun is the measure of time that describes the intersections of the otherwise separate worlds in which Alida and I live" (p. 7). It is against this backdrop of slowly passing time that one can appreciate the heroism of patient and doctor. Brill, whose previous writing has focused on women's rights and public policy issues, is able to paint a believable picture of how the medical profession has changed during her many years as a patient--from a male-dominated field to one that now includes many women. She is frank about her frustrations and disappointments, which include life partners who leave because the disease is too much (while never acknowledging this as their reason), elderly parents who are unable to offer support because they themselves need parenting, and a sense of isolation that comes to aging women who are childless. In the third or fourth katun of her life, Brill has learned to list her attorney as her "next of kin" when checking herself into the hospital.

I think the "uplifting" part of the story, if I can characterize it that way, is in the hard-earned, deeply felt mutual respect between doctor and patient. They are close but not enmeshed. Lockshin, while tuned in to his patient's state of mind and moods, does not pry into her private life. In fact, I suspect it is only when reading her chapters during the process of preparing the book for press that he became fully aware of Brill's darker thoughts. (Meanwhile, some of the book's lighter moments can be found in Lockshin's descriptions of patients who have none of Brill's talent for "working with" their medical caregivers.) Perhaps Brill describes the doctor-patient intimacy best when she writes, "We speak in metaphors and euphemisms. We speak in literary terms, and we speak in references to poetry as well as in medical terminology. Fleetingly, sometimes, we speak as strangers, because I know he knows things I do not want him to tell me. I suspect he knows I think he knows I think things he would rather not know I think about. At least, not yet" (p. 202). DANCING ON THE RIVER'S EDGE is not a sugar-coated pill, but an honest look at a difficult situation by two people who are equally committed to accepting life on life's terms.

I myself am `dancing at the river's edge' with my oncologist in a long-term relationship that I never would have dreamt of before cancer began to disrupt my inner, most private self. At least my body had the grace--or the genetic strength to hold off the mutating cells until I was in my fifties. Author Alida Brill had to learn how to deal with a devastating auto-immune illness, an atypical form of Wegener's Granulamatosis, in her teens.

Unfortunately, the author's spectrum of symptoms didn't lead to an automatic diagnosis, and for years she was mistreated, and even told that her illness was `in her head.' This was a common experience for women of our baby boomer generation. For years I was told that my headaches were a part of my menstrual cycle and would just have to be endured, even though I exhibited classical migraine symptoms, and migraines ran strongly in my family (my father and great-grandfather).

"Dancing at the River's Edge" brought back long-suppressed anger in this reader, and the author is obviously angry about her sometimes contemptuous treatment by the medical community. In one episode, she talks about "the tears in my own eyes, the tears of rage--my own powerless rage."

After years of searching, Alida Brill finally found a physician--the co-author of this book--who treated her as a human being with a chronic illness, not as an `interesting case' or a `crank' or a `gomer' (Get Out of My Emergency Room!).

If this book makes you angry or sad, it should. Both authors are unflinchingly honest and there is no happy ending--no miracle cure. Alida Brill continues to live at river's edge, her physical body under attack by her own immune system. Dr. Lockshin continues to treat her `in sickness and in health' in a relationship that is sometimes closer and more honest than a marriage. After all, how many of us continue to hide our physical deterioration from our dearest friends and relatives? Chronic illness is a metaphor for growing old (if not the process itself). Both end in the same dark chasm, but for those of us who propose to dance until the final note is played, this is a powerful book.

***review copy supplied by authors

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R36RGZOVFZNJQR I found this online and thought I would share it with the Amazon community. It gives great insight into the book.

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"This book is an intimate memoir about chronic illness, but a different one from those you usually see. It is a memoir that comes not from just one point of view but from the different sides of both [the chronically ill] patient and doctor [treating the chronically ill patient]...Although the subject matter is serious, and at times we [the authors] reach into the darkest sides of [chronic] illness, we view this as an optimistic book about hopes and dreams."

The above is found at the beginning of this captivating book authored by Alida Brill (the chronically ill patient whose illness began in adolescence) and Dr. Michael Lockshin (who treats her). Brill is a writer and author while Lockshin is one of the world's leading experts in the long-term care of chronically ill patients.

What is chronic illness? I can give you the sterile, clinical definition but I prefer Brill's description:

"Chronically ill people do not just live in a place that is different; our own bodies imprison us because our internal systems so wrongly understand us...Our bodies are unable to correct the faulty code of enemy and friend in the conversation between cell, tissue, and organ. We are threatened by our own interior workings--we are literally caught in the crossfire raging inside of us."

When a book is co-authored, you probably expect that each author works together on each chapter. This is not the case with this unique book. Instead each author, in most instances, writes her or his own alternate chapter. (In three instances, Lockshin writes two chapters in a row and in one instance, he writes three chapters in a row.) The result is actually a "dual memoir" between a long term, chronically ill patient and her dedicated doctor.

Brill wrote this in her journal on her first encounter with Lockshin:

"I never met a physician who thought that treating me or being in my presence of my [chronic illness] would be a pleasure, but today I met MDL [Michael D. Lockshin] and he said, it would be a pleasure to be my doctor. He did not say that finding the exact name for [my chronic illness] matters as much as getting me to a better place than I have been. He saw me as Alida, not as Disease. I can't believe this has happened to me after all these years."

In this book, you'll learn about the everyday struggles endured by Brill and other issues (such as intimacy, suicidal thoughts, faith, and employment) faced by her in dealing with her chronic illness and the major concerns, conflicts, dilemmas, and other issues Lockshin must face in making life decisions to help, not only Brill, but his other chronically ill patients as well.

Be aware that this book is not easy to read. Intellectually it is an easy read. This book is not easy to read because it pulls on the heartstrings as Brill has to continually face an unstable life with chronic illness. For me, this book had special significance since I have a chronic physical disability. (After reading what Brill had to and has to endure, my problems, in contrast, seem like a walk in the park.)

Finally, who is this book written for? Answer:

(1) Anyone who wants to witness how human resilience and strength can cope with adversity.
(2) Anyone who wants to know what goes on inside the mind of that rare breed of doctor--a dedicated physician.
(3) Anyone who is living with a crisis that will not subside.
(4) Families, friends, and colleagues dealing with chronic illness.
(5) All those in the healing community.

In conclusion, Alida Brill tells us "this is the book I was never going to write." Dr. Michael Lockshin tells us that he "did not choose a career in chronic illness; this career chose me." Thank goodness these events turned out the way they did or else we would not have this book--a book unlike any other I have read!!

(first published 2009; prologue; 5 parts or 28 chapters; main narrative 250 pages; acknowledgements {Brill}; acknowledgements {Lockshin})

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I listen to this in my car, I am almost finished and I really find the information easy to understand and follow along. Its a great introduction for those who are not "health aware". It also has some great statistics and detailed information for those who are not a novice in following a healthy life style. I plan on giving this CD to a few family members for X-mas.

I am only halfway through this book, but I already know I will recommend this book to my family and friends. I was not excited to read it as an assignment - I thought it would be another boring book on eating right. It is much more than that and very interesting to read. The author has done us a favor by reading through hundreds of studies completed on different aspects of health. He presents the results of these studies in an honest, unbias, meaningful way. I thought I knew all about what to do and not do, eat and not eat, but reading this I am understanding how a body reacts to foods and the environment. It is full of information that the marketing departments of food producers will not tell you and would rather you not know. A main theme of the book is that all of these health-related items are directly related to the amount of serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes that cause most of the deaths in our country. As a society, we focus on the symptoms, rather than the causes of health problems. While we are pouring billions of dollars into finding a cure for these diseases, they are in many cases symptoms of our unhealthy lifestyles. By eating and living healthy, we can prevent the risks of most of these diseases. And you have to start now. As he points out, most people wait until they start seeing symptoms which in many cases, it may be too late. This is a must read for everyone interested in living a long, healthy life.

I really enjoyed this book! My friend sells corporate health benefit packages for a major insurance company and gives this book to his clients, so he gave me a copy.

What's so refreshing about this book is that it is NOT a diet book and is NOT about weight loss. Weight loss is just a happy side effect of a healthy lifestyle. The focus of the book is improving your health by making what really are pretty simple lifestyle changes. When you learn about what healthy and unhealthy foods do to your body, it really motivates you to improve the way you are eating. The same is true for the discussion of exercise and what it does for the cardiovascular and other systems.

Yes, we all know fruits and veggies are good for us, but I look at them in a whole new way now and you will too if you read this book!

This book is extreemly jam packed with information. I enjoyed the authors' sense of humor. Be warned this is deffinately not meant for a quick read. Slow and steady will win the race here. I found the book very motivating because the evidence was taken from actual studies performed.

This book was referred to me by my dietician after I tried to find that 'perfect motivational type book'. Let's just say I couldn't put it down the second I opened the cover. This book is amazing. I can't tell you how much it has changed my life, my perception of food and most importantly, the motivation it gave me to make the change forever. It's educational, realistic and not filled with gimmicks. I highly recommend this book to anybody looking for the motivation to get off the couch and moving! I'll never live the life I had before this book. I am up off the couch and getting healthy because now I understand the benefits of eating right and having an active lifestyle. This one is a must have in anyone's library!!!

This is a great book. I enjoyed reading it as it is easy to read and has numerous transcipts of interviews with patients who are real. The book also containes medical material which will be of interest to surgeons, nephrologist and patients. The books was very well received in a major medical journal. I am pleased that the book is doing well and I strongly recommend it to public and medical libraries.

Book Review
The struggle for life: a psychological perspective of kidney disease and transplantation: Authors: Lyndsay S. Baines and Rahul M. Jindal Publisher: Praeger

Colin Baigent, BM BCh, MA, MSc, Reader in Clinical Epidemiology a [MEDLINE LOOKUP]

In the preface to this book, the authors challenge the reader to approach the subject matter with a fresh perspective. There is, they say, no place for the quantitative tradition when assessing psychological problems among patients with kidney disease. Complex emotional states defy classification by reference to quantitative psychology, and must instead be understood in the context of each particular patient's worldview. That sort of understanding comes only from talking to patients, and not from getting them to fill in questionnaires. It was in order to make this point forcefully that the authors, who run a psychosocial support service for kidney patients in Glasgow, Scotland, decided to write this book describing their own practical experience. They hoped that, by bridging the gap between psychotherapeutic and clinical services, others would try to create similar types of support for their own patients. Will they succeed?

Since the target audience is transplantation team members, the book begins with useful background material, including an outline of psychotherapeutic theory as it relates to chronic illness, and a short section on psychoanalysis. After this, however, the authors hit their stride, and we have chapters on a wide range of "human dilemmas," among them medical noncompliance, grief, abnormal body self-image, substance abuse, debt, depression, anxiety, and sexual problems. In each area, the authors explain why, in relation to these problems, dialysis and transplant patients ought to be considered sui generis and argue that much of the related psychological literature on other chronic illness (eg, cancer) simply misses the point. They explain, for example, that transplant patients frequently see themselves as the recipient of a "gift," and feel pressure from within to do something "special" with their lives. This aspiration is difficult enough if we are healthy, but many such patients have experienced years of poor health, perhaps even reduced cognition, and the inevitable result includes a range of consequences from depression and reduced self esteem, through to relationship difficulties and suicide. Each chapter gives us several vignettes from the authors' own experiences, together with a transcript describing how they tried to help, often with some success. Even as one steeped in the so-called quantitative tradition, I was impressed by the skill involved in trying to realign patients' expectations of their postmorbid lives, or in helping them to come to terms with their limitations, or in helping to ease their feelings of isolation. For me, these accounts were the most worthwhile part of the book: they remind us, above all, that health professionals have first of all to be human beings to connect with patients' experience of illness.

In spite of my enjoyment of much of the book, however, I fear it will be less widely read than it should be. Quite simply, for a book that aims to win over clinicians to the cause of psychotherapy, it seems to be too long. Busy physicians, surgeons, and other health professionals who are chronically short of time may lose patience with much of the supporting quantitative material on psychotherapeutic research and the sections on theory. It is a pity that the authors did not stick to their guns about the value of the oral tradition in this context. For the selective reader, however, reading of the transcripts of the psychotherapist's art will be rewarded by a rare insight into the emotional world of transplant or dialysis patients. In that respect, the authors may prompt others to explore how such a service might be provided in their own practice, and this can only be a good thing for present and future patients.

Publishing and Reprint Information TOP

aUniversity of Oxford, Clinical Trial Service Unit, Harkness Building, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, United Kingdom UK
Copyright © 2004 by National Kidney Foundation, Inc.
doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2004.05.015

As a patient who received a kidney transplant, I found it easy to read and understand. Some of my questions which were not answered by doctors were neatly answered in this book. The transcripts of the patient interviews captured some of my own experiences as a patient. I recommend this book to patients and their carers, in particular, patient support groups and public libraries.

I am pleased that there is a new book dealing with chronic renal failure and transplantation. Psychological issues tend to get ignored; therefore, this book fills a need.

This book may be useful for patients and support groups as well as physicians, surgeons and perhaps nurses.

I found the transcripts interesting as we deal with similar patients in my work as a transplant coordinator. I congratulate the authors for this work.

I found that the book was well researched and it does have some interesting aspects on live kidney transplants and compliance issues in kidney transplant patients. Later editions could have material on liver and heart transplant patients. Patients with chronic diseases tend to be ignored, so this is a good start.

This book reminds you how to take care of yourself. The simple plan, which includes skilled relaxation, eating a whole food diet, and doing regular exercise--it's all laid out here. There are also many, many testimonials from people whose health has improved.

my search for the perfect book on health and healing is over. I read so many books trying to help heal myself of chronic fatigue syndrome. This book made the most sense to me. It takes dedication to follow the program, but it is worth it. Dr. Stoll and Jan DeCorutney give you lots of motivation in the book. I borrowed it from the library, but will purchase one to keep at home.

Recapture Your Health outlines a balanced solution to improving overall health. The authors call this program a 3LS solution named after the three legged stool which is perfectly balanced and fully functional without a lot of extras that aren't needed.

Like the three legged stool, the 3LS program contains three simple but sturdy elements (nutrition, exercise, and relaxation) that create a foundation for improved health. The nutrition section focuses primarily on minimizing damage caused by the high intake of refined foods in the modern diet. The authors promote a whole foods approach to nutrition that reduces and potentially eliminates all refined foods. This is very similar to the slow food philosophy that is gaining popularity.

Likewise, the exercise and relaxation portions of this program are not radical but are somewhat based in good common sense. Participants are expected to exercise twenty minutes three times a week of virtually any type of activity that gets them moving. Relaxation is guided through various types of formal relaxation exercises such as meditation or guided imagery completed for approximately twenty minutes twice a day.

There is nothing really new in this book. Eating well, exercising and relaxing is good for your health. Duh!

But it is very well presented, brings up enough (but not too many) testimonials to be inspiring, it is simply written without complicated theories. The diet is easy to do and presented with lots of details. The proposed exercises are varied - very much along the lines of "do what works for you and do it at least 3 times a week". The Skilled Relaxation is nothing new if you are already familiar with the work of Benson, Cade, Pelletier, Kabatt-Zin, but it is presented here in a non-scholar way that is easy to understand, easy to implement and the book provides the health motivation to keep doing it. Understanding skilled relaxation without actually doing it twice a day is worthless. The text in this book makes you want to do it and to keep doing it.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is sick and hopeless - or anyone who wants to implement good life habits and prevent illness. I like the fact that it does not promise an instant cure for anything but rather proposes a way of living that supports physical, emotional and mental health. Well done!

The weakest point maybe is that it addresses general well being but only mentions in a rather weak way that people with long term diseases may have to be much more specific to completely heal. The proposed diet may not work for everyone, some people may need specific types of exercises and to avoid others, some types of meditation or biofeedback processes may be better than others for some conditions, etc.

However as an adjunct, Dr Stoll bulletin Board [..]) is filled with more specific information and the good doctor is also available to answer questions. A very generous proposition.

Ok - Got to go now and practice my skilled relaxation...

While conventional medicine tends to focus on covering up symptoms with medications, many of which cause dangerous side-effects, this book provides step-by-step instructions on how to potentially avoid the doctor's office altogether. Based on the premise of 'how to be healthy,' this book outlines what Dr. Stoll refers to as the '3-Legged Stool of Wellness' - Skilled Relaxation, A Whole Foods Diet, and Exercise. As simple as this sounds, there are many crucial aspects that one needs to be aware of in order to implement the Wellness lifestyle effectively. 'Recapture Your Health' provides all the knowledge, insight, frequently asked questions, and troubleshooting guides needed for anyone to do just what the title says. Jan DeCourtney's writing style makes this book both fun and motivational to read cover to cover as well as easy to use as a quick-reference using the detailed index in the back. Hats off to this book, a long-awaited tribute to a very important aspect of Walt Stoll's life's work of getting the truth about Wellness out to the public!

En el caso de la Fatiga Crónica, tenemos el recurso de ESTE ESTUPENDO LIBRO QUE NOS MUESTRA LOS SÍNTOMAS Y EL CAMINO A SEGUIR..

"ERA DE LAS EPIDEMIAS ":
Primero, EL SIDA
Luego, EL ÉBOLA
AHORA, LA PULMONÍA ATÍPICA
Pero todo el tiempo, como agazapado en la oscuridad, EL SFC (Sindrome de Fatiga Crónica ), que daña tanto PORQUE NO SE DETECTA FÁCILMENTE...Y QUE CRECE DÍA POR DIA COMO TODO LOS ORIGINADO POR UN VIRUS! Es el caso de la Pulmonía Atípica, que se confunde con una bronquitis o una gripa fuerte...
En el caso de la Fatiga Crónica, tenemos el recurso de ESTE ESTUPENDO LIBRO QUE NOS MUESTRA LOS SÍNTOMAS Y EL CAMINO A SEGUIR..
Depende de uno querer protegerse o no

CADA DÍA HAY MÁS ENFERMOS...
Es de vida o muerte leer este libro para detectar si tenemos el Epstein Barr antes de que comience a dar síntomas !

la ruina: Tenía un negocito próspero y todo iba super bien , cuando una mañana ya casi no pudo levantarse... Una semana después, mi cuñada lo llevo al siquiatra, que dijo que estaba deprimido y le mandó Seropram..Pero Hugo seguía igual, y trató de suicidarse.
¡No hay mal que por bien no venga !
En Emergencias lo atendieron y mientras estaba en el hospital, le descubrieron la Fagiga Crónica..
Es muy importante leer este libro para poder identificarla y combatirla antes que las cosas pasen a mayores...

LOS VIRUS DE LAS COMPUTARODORAS, ALGUIEN O VARIOS SERES MONSTRUOSOS JUEGAN CON NUESTRA VIDA DESDE LOS LABORATORIOS MEDICOS...
De otra manera,¿CÓMO TE EXPLICAS LA EPIDEMIA DE EPIDEMIAS?
Y LA FASTIGA CRONICA ESTA CAUSADA POR EL VIRUS DE EPSTEIN BARR... Y NO EXISTIA...
Pero esa LA PUEDES DETECTAR Y COMBATIR..NO DEJES QUE SE TE CONFUNDA CON DEPRESION, O QUE UN MEDICO IGNORANTE LA CALIFIQUE COMO TAL...
PREVENTE !

I ordered this book and within two days I had it at my door. It is an excellent book for those of us who have chronic diseases.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. I was very inspired by Lori's thoughts on chronic disease. The book also had very good resources on ways to go about our everyday life. I would highly recommend this to anyone with a chronic disease.

As a social worker on a dialysis unit I have found this book extremely helpful in my own education of what new dialysis patients face, but also what patients deal with as a long time dialysis patient. The author leaves no stone unturned and not sugar coating a thing- she's going to tell you how to deal with failure and success each with a bit of unique humor and empathy. She has suggestions how to handle you illness in professional situations as well as how to not get bored if re-hospitalized. Bottom line she is an inspiration and a beneficial read to all!

As a student working to finish a university degree while dealing with a chronic illness (indeterminate IBD with myalgia and fatigue) Ms Hartwell's experiences of living a successful and joy-filled life despite her illness has been an inspiration and source of hope for me. Her humor despite trials is motivating, her wisdom is an amazing resource.
I especially enjoyed her chapter on overcoming the "Damaged Goods Syndrome". A tendency for those with Chronic Illness is to have negative thoughts and self-esteem challenges when we compare ourselves to other more healthy people. I often find myself viewing myself as "not good enough" and am frustrated by how disabling my illness can be in acheiving my goals.
While the mind can work destructively, it can also be employed to build joy, humor, and a positive attitude that helps achieve goals. Learning to identify and work through cognitive distortions gives you a new lens in which to see your life.
Hartwell quote in her book Helen Keller as saying "We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world."

She has a lot of good advice and makes you feel empowered, but really there's nothing new in this book and she didn't really offer solutions other than the obvious.