From Fatigued to Fantastic
by Jacob Teitelbaum
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jacob TeitelbaumEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-04
ISBN: 1583332898
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Avery Trade
Book Reviews of From Fatigued to Fantastic
Book Review: Feeling SO MUCH BETTER!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is awesome. Easy to read, easy to understand, so full of sensible approaches to getting well... and best of all, it works! If you're tired of reading reviews of books where the readers praise the writing and the content, but fail to report on results, then you'll probably find my review informative.
The information I found in "From Fatigued to Fantastic" is the first thing that's helped me feel better in 2 years. It helped me realize there is a diagnosis for me, that identified and listed all the "symptoms" I thought were meaningless because the doctors ignored them completely (e.g. "I seem to pee out everything I drink"), that explained why I was increasingly unable to cope with the tiniest bit of stress resulting in major, very uncharacteristic meltdowns.
_From Fatigued to Fantastic_ is the first health book I've found where the doctor lays out the multiple etiologies for a health problem like fatigue/constant aches & pains, helps you identify which ones may be at work in your situation (and chances are, it's more than one), then sets up a systematic way to treat them as a whole. Most doctors -- and in fact, most academic research -- approach CFS/FMS with a "it could be this, or it could be that" attitude. Unfortunately, that's ineffective as CFS seems like truly a "it is this, and it's also that sometimes, and a bag of chips!"
Dr Teitelbaum explains how CFS is one big, self-perpetuation cluster of symptoms -- it doesn't matter what got it started, whether it's stress, bacterial infection, viral infection, fungal infection, parasite infection, toxicity, medicine side effects, or whatever else. Or some combination of the above. It only matters if the trigger issue(s) are still present and active (and he helps you figure out which, and if so.)
Here's my story, in case it's helpful to you... maybe it even sounds familiar.
My problems really started after a pneumonia-like viral infection knocked me on my butt for 6 weeks, 2 years ago. It was NOT pneumonia, but doctors didn't try to identify what it WAS. Now I think it was my mono recurring. Since then, I've never been the same. But I have had steadily worsening sleep, steadily worsening deep-bone fatigue, muscle pain, inability to cope with stress, feeling like I lost 30 IQ points, forgetfulness, dizziness, clumsiness, apathy, violent reaction to environmental irritants that would barely bother me before, violent reactions to medicines I could previously tolerate without side effects, random swelling, poor body temperature regulation, uncontrollable shivers when entering air conditioned rooms, etc. And been on antibiotics all the time, but they've never cleared up my sinusitis -- at first they worked for weeks at a time, now they don't help at all. Plus I seem to be unable to fully absorb nutrients from food (despite eating lots of meat, I'm low in a lot of meat-sourced vitamins and even very low on iron). Right before I got sick, I had been working on exercising daily for just over a month, having worked up to 45 minutes of aerobic activity a day. Since I got sick, my asthma returned, I have been unable to take asthma medications I used to tolerate very well (violent reactions, panic attacks, & hallucinations!), and if I exercise even a little, I suffer in unbelievable pain for days. In other words, textbook CFS/FMS.
Of course, none of the doctors I saw ever did any serious investigation. They all seemed to write me off the very moment that their first hunch didn't work out. "Oh, you can't take this asthma inhaler? Try this one. Oh, that still bothers you? Well. *shrug*." None ever acknowledged my symptoms such as eyebrows falling out (possibly thyroid, possibly nutritional issue), being unable to hold onto liquid ("goes right thru me"), and on and on. I thought I'd die from frustration if not from this disease. And nobody knew what I had! No matter how many times I said, "There must be some common denominator here," no doctors would buy the idea that I had an underlying syndrome causing all these issues. I guess I was too annoying!
Thank science I found the book "From Fatigued to Fantastic" a few weeks ago and realized that not only is a diagnosis clear and easy to make, but that there are ways to treat it. Then, according to Dr Teitelbaum's SHIN protocol, I found a doctor who agrees with the medical basis of his recommendations, and has put me on:
* anti-fungal for sinusitis (did you know fungus is indicated in >90% of chronic sinusitis cases), and suspected yeast overgrowth in the gut/gut dysbiosis, which can cause malabsorption and other issues -- made a noticeable difference
* Desyrel to improve sleep, when I can actually fall asleep (increases stage 3&4 sleep) -- made a HUGE difference
* magnesium and iron
* medical electrolyte mix, because my body underproduces vasopressin ("the antidiuretic hormone") so I can't hold water/potassium/sodium in (this is in the book - when I read that, I slapped my forehead. "IT IS a real symptom!")
* and myself, I added C, B12, D-Ribose, Green Tea extract (for stress) and Adrenal Stress End, an OTC supplement designed by Dr Teitelbaum, who donates all profits to charity; ADS includes a vitamin B-x panel and adrenal cortex extract (I actually tried this on a whim, bought it at Whole Foods, and it worked so well that I sought out the doctor's book. I didn't believe it would help, nothing else had. But lo and behold...)
Even though they all attack totally different problems, they all help -- it's a very noticeable cumulative effect. If I skip any of them, I can really tell the difference. Until I got in the antifungal & magnesium, for example, my body temperature was always under 97.5 (96.5ish in the mornings) AND all over the place, very poorly regulated. Just a few days later and I'm a roasty 98.x most of the time. Two days ago, my husband felt my forehead and said it felt like I had a fever. Nope! I was 98.4! He'd just forgotten what that felt like. Temperature issues were in the book.
Another serious symptom that resolved when I added the combo of electrolyte and magnesium? POTS! Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is when your heart rate jumps 30bpm or goes over 120bpm within 12 minutes of transitioning from lying down to standing up. My heart rate would usually DOUBLE, from about 65 to 130+. That is very very bad, not to mention it made me feel dizzy and weak as a kitten. And all it took was some freaking electrolytes and minerals. That was in the book too.
I don't think I ever would have found a doctor who would A) listen to my long laundry list of problems with enough attention to notice the trends, or B) be considerate enough to try to treat them all together. So yeah, I'm a total Team "From Fatigued & Fantastic" Fan Girl.
For me, it's a continuing journey. Case in point: now my sleep is much higher quality, when I can actually fall asleep. But it seems like, as with many CFS sufferers, my cortisol body clock is totally off. I am my most mentally awake at night. It's not that I lie in bed stressing about stuff... I just can't fall asleep, no matter what I do or how relaxed I am. Regular schedule, eyemask, ear plugs, comfy new bed, warm milk, green tea extract, the works. Nothing helps. Next week I'll start trying different drugs to help me fall asleep, just as Dr Teitelbaum suggests. The Desyrel helped me feel so much better with the sleep I did get -- it's clear how bad my sleep problems were, and how much they were contributing to my illness.
I really love this book!
What's REALLY amazing about this book is that it was the first CFS resource I read. Then when I went out on the internet looking for more information, and talked to doctors, it turns out that almost none of them are aware of even the basic interventions that Dr. Teitelbaum suggests (like magnesium, & sleep meds to short-circuit the sleep disruption cycle that makes CFS worse & worse). The consensus elsewhere is that there are NO MEDICALLY RECOGNIZED treatments for CFS. When I look back to From Fatigued... and see how thoroughly Dr Teitelbaum has laid out his case, explained the underlying mechanisms, and how it happens, and how it is perpetuated, and how to treat it, and how thoroughly he has cited hundreds of research papers to document his conclusions... I realize just how silo'd modern doctors can be. And it makes me want to scream. I can understand that the urge & will to pick up all the different threads and turn them into a tapestry is unusual and rare. But why don't the other doctors read the damn book? It's hardly any effort. That part I don't understand.
Even if you DON'T think you have chronic fatigue syndrome, it's a valuable & interesting read. The info on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, the role of d-ribose and other sugars in the production of ATP, the role of CRP, the information about how the body replenishes the energy stores in muscles, the explanation of mitochondrial function and dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, the reason that the standard thyroid panel cannot be trusted, why thyroid/adrenal/cortisol underproduction is so common and underrecognized, and generally speaking what nutrients/minerals you need to be healthy (that, if you are an American, you are almost surely lacking)... well, the book's worth it just for that.
Example: chances are you are low in magnesium and potassium, since most Americans are. Magnesium and potassium deficiencies can cause a huge range of symptoms, including brain fog, constant pain, low body temp, and depression! It (along with many other mineral deficiencies) can act just like hypothyroidism, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. But doctors seem to generally ignore this very simple, core, easy-to-fix source of suffering.
So maybe you have a blood test (for magnesium, potassium, thyroid, cortisol, anything) and hear your levels are "normal" -- but you could still be very low, just not low enough to put you in the hospital. As it turns out, lab "normal ranges" vary from lab to lab & are based off broad population studies. You'd expect blood levels to be Recommended, like your intake of vitamins are, but nope. They're average. And since the average person is deficient, it's a cycle of doom.
That's one of the many things I've learned from this book. Now I read my own damn blood tests and check the levels against as many other sources as possible.
That said: there are 2 points which I must criticize strongly. On every topic, Dr. Teitelbaum cites study after study to back up his assertions... except 2. One, he suggests that (failing antifungal and saline treatment) you might use small amounts of colloidal silver for chronic sinusitis. There's no evidence for this. Secondly, he seems to believe that NAET exposure therapy works for allergies. There's no evidence for that, either. These two seem to be blind spots of his. I accept that, and verify the medical advice myself, and move on. (Hell, even Isaac Newton believed in God. Nobody's perfect.)
One more criticism/caveat, which is second-hand -- I have not heard almost any good things about the treatment centers to which he has leant his name. They seem to largely follow formulas without taking into account your individual disease process. He didn't found the string of clinics, but joined them recently. It's unclear how deep his involvement is. So, the book may be incredible, but buyer beware of the clinics.
In short: If you feel badly, tired, achey, unmotivated, depressed -- try _From Fatigued to Fantastic_. I'm not 100% yet, but I'm so much better that I feel totally comfortable saying that this book gave me my life back.
Summary of From Fatigued to Fantastic
The original, bestselling guide to treating chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia-now completely revised and updated.
For the more than twenty-five million Americans who suffer from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other fatigue-related illnesses, there is only one bestselling guide-From Fatigued to Fantastic. This new, completely updated third edition incorporates the latest advances in science and technology to help alleviate the baffling, often dismissed symptoms associated with severe, almost unrelenting fatigue.
Dr. Teitelbaum's integrated treatment program is based on the clinically proven results of his landmark study and on his more than thirty years of experience in working with patients to overcome their illnesses. Using the most current information, Dr. Teitelbaum helps his readers evaluate their symptoms and develop an individualized program to eliminate them. Specific guidelines for diagnosis and care are clearly and concisely presented, along with supporting scientific studies and treatment recommendations that include the latest and best strategies for using prescription and over-the-counter medications, nutritional supplements, alternative therapies, and/or dietary and lifestyle modifications.
In addition to providing cutting-edge research, up-to-date scientific information, and practical advice, Dr. Teitelbaum offers the compassionate understanding of one who has himself battled and overcome these disorders.
For the more than twenty-five million Americans who suffer from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other fatigue-related illnesses, there is only one bestselling guide-From Fatigued to Fantastic. This new, completely updated third edition incorporates the latest advances in science and technology to help alleviate the baffling, often dismissed symptoms associated with severe, almost unrelenting fatigue.
Dr. Teitelbaum's integrated treatment program is based on the clinically proven results of his landmark study and on his more than thirty years of experience in working with patients to overcome their illnesses. Using the most current information, Dr. Teitelbaum helps his readers evaluate their symptoms and develop an individualized program to eliminate them. Specific guidelines for diagnosis and care are clearly and concisely presented, along with supporting scientific studies and treatment recommendations that include the latest and best strategies for using prescription and over-the-counter medications, nutritional supplements, alternative therapies, and/or dietary and lifestyle modifications.
In addition to providing cutting-edge research, up-to-date scientific information, and practical advice, Dr. Teitelbaum offers the compassionate understanding of one who has himself battled and overcome these disorders.
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