Author(s): Mary Burgess

Health & Wellbeing

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a seriously debilitating illness characterised by extreme exhaustion and severe flu-like symptoms. It is estimated that the illness affects 1-2 per cent of the population, however some experts believe it to be far more widespread with as much as 10 per cent of the population affected. Conventional medicine has been unable to find a cure for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; but at last researchers at the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research and Treatment Unit at the University of London, have developed a self-help guide that has proven success in helping sufferers break free from the vicious cycle of fatigue. Overcoming Chronic Fatigue shows readers how to improve their sleep patterns; provides practical strategies for balancing activity and rest; helps deal with blocks to recovery; reveals how worry and stress can contribute to fatigue; and offers advice on how partners, relatives and friends can help. The techniques described in the book have been tested with a wide range of patients and have been found to reduce symptoms and lessen disability in two-thirds of sufferers.