It has been said that chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (CFS/FM) are like the old Indian story of the blind men and the elephant. As the men felt various parts of the elephant, they described it as a snake, a brush, a tree, or a wall, depending on which part they had touched. Each thought of the elephant in terms of his own experience, mistaking part of the elephant for all of it. Likewise, everybody working with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia has a piece of the puzzle, but much work remains to be done before a complete picture emerges.

Hope and Help for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia is designed to educate patients suffering from CFS/FM about their illnesses and to teach them coping skills that will improve their quality of life. And while the good news is that people who suffer from CFS/FM aren't dying, they bad news is that it's going to take a lot of time and effort to get better since there is no one specific treatment that works for everyone.

Some of the issues covered are:

• Understanding the symptoms and how diagnoses are made
• Causes of CFS/FM and common psychological consequences, including anxiety and depression
• The role of stress and how to manage it
• The connection between the mind and the body in coping with CFS/FM
• The potential of medications, nutrition, and lifestyle changes
• The role of complementary medications and dietary supplements in pain management
• The value and limitations of alternative or complementary therapies such as acupuncture, massage, homeopathy, and aromatherapy
• Legal issues about how to deal with medical and legal problems that may arise if insurance benefits have been stopped