From Fatigued to Fantastic!  by Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. 

This review is a comparison of the new edition of From Fatigued to Fantastic! (2001) with the original 1996 edition.  Dr. Teitelbaum updates and expands eight of the original chapters with new findings.  In addition, there are four additional chapters with the latest information. 

The opening chapters are essentially the same.  The first one defines CFIDS/FM and describes their common patterns.  The second one discusses some of the easier things that people can do to promote some improvement.  The third chapter explains the functions of different glands/hormones and how some of these processes can go awry in CFIDS/FM. 

The fourth chapter addresses what happens to people when their defenses are down.  He acknowledges that many other infections often occur simultaneously in this patient population.  The fifth chapter continues with fibromyalgia – the aching all-over disease.  Much of the information is the same – the foremost point made about FM (as well as the underlying pain found in CFIDS) is disordered sleep.  Teitelbaum brings up commonly known things about FM, such as perpetuating factors, diagnostic criteria, and some recommended treatments. 

At this point, the book presents four new topics/chapters: a good night’s sleep, natural and prescription pain relief, jump-starting the body’s energy system, and more information about natural remedies.  Next he deals with pain and Teitelbaum goes over a long list of assorted products and therapies that can effectively relieve it.  Then Teitelbaum goes on to explore the issue of mitochondrial dysfunction in CFIDS/FM. 

More natural remedies are reviewed as ways to manage symptoms like nausea, memory, circulation, sleep, anxiety, depression, bowel spasms, pain relief and improvement of adrenal and immune function.  Other areas that are considered worth exploring are food allergies, MCS, aggressive treatment of sinusitis, evaluation for Chiari I malformation (CMI) and cervical stenosis, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and suitable types of exercise.  In the closing two chapters, Teitelbaum tries to relate to patients’ predicaments – how they are perceived and what they should be getting from their physicians. 

What I liked about the updated edition of From Fatigued to Fantastic! are Dr. Teitelbaum’s clear explanations of numerous problems found in CFIDS/FM, some of which are not even mentioned by other doctors involved with these illnesses.  I was also pleased to increase my knowledge about the latest treatment options.  Furthermore, I found it very easy to read this book and to look things up.  It is important to note that Teitelbaum’s book carries accolades of approval from primarily “holistic” healthcare professionals and authors. 

On the other hand, due to the numerous issues and suggestions presented in this book, I have heard some newly diagnosed individuals say that they were rather overwhelmed by everything.  So, this may not be the best book for “newbies” to start with.  I believe a number of readers will have a similar reaction to mine – a sense of disappointment with the realization that the typical individual with CFIDS/FM living on a limited income (very often only disability benefits) will not be able to follow through on many of Teitelbaum’s recommendations.  Throughout the book, Teitelbaum emphasizes that by treating underlying nutritional, hormonal, and infectious problems, as well as underlying sleep disorder, "most people" will eliminate their pain!  In my opinion this is a lot easier said than done! 

Towards the end of the book, in Appendix F, I was surprised and disappointed to see Dr. Teitelbaum go off on a tangent into his proximate and evolutionary explanations of these illnesses while linking them to such issues as today’s fast-paced way of life, stress, type-A personalities, adaptive function of emotions, fear disorder, and existential/spiritual crisis.  I really would have preferred if these digressions had been omitted for they resurrect the old connotations about the illnesses in that its sufferers are thought to have internal conflicts and fixations that need to be released and their personality somehow caused them to burn out.  Despite this, I still think From Fatigued to Fantastic! provides a good deal of worthwhile medical information.  Take whatever ideas/ strategies that can help you to uncover underlying problems, bring you relief, and hopefully, promote some level of improvement. 

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum is a board-certified internist who has a specialized practice for CFIDS/FM patients in Annapolis, MD.  He admits having developed CFIDS while attending medical school over 25 years ago, but indicates he recovered his energy/strength and overcame the illness in what sounds to be a relatively short period of time.  Dr. Teitelbaum states that his team has treated thousands of individuals with CFIDS and/or FM and he claims that 40% of these patients have been cured using their treatment protocol. 

This book is published by Avery, a member of Penguin Putnam, Inc.