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Author : Martin L. Pall
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780367806767
Total Pages : 150 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (67 download)
Download or read book Explaining "unexplained Illnesses" written by Martin L. Pall and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Author : Martin Pall
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 9780789023889
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (238 download)
Download or read book Explaining Unexplained Illnesses written by Martin Pall and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the answer to the mysteries of these debilitating illnesses Explaining “Unexplained Illnesses” provides long-sought explanations for the properties of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), fibromyalgia, and posttraumatic stress disorder. This groundbreaking book examines common symptoms and signs; short-term stressors such as infection, chemical exposure, physical trauma, and severe psychological stress; why people are often diagnosed as having more than one of these illnesses, and approaches for treating the cause of each disease, rather than the symptoms. The book presents a detailed and well-supported mechanism (the NO/ONOO- cycle) that provides consistent explanations for many of the puzzling elements of these diseases. At least a dozen scientists have proposed that chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and fibromyalgia must share a common mechanism; others have suggested posttraumatic stress disorder may belong to this group as well. This unique book provides explanations for their previously unexplained properties with more than 1,500 references to scientific literature, creating a whole new approach to therapy and treatment of these illnesses. Explaining "Unexplained Illnesses" provides answers to these questions: how do short-term stressors initiate chronic illness? how does the biochemistry of the NO/ONOO- cycle produce chronic illness? how can the diverse symptoms and signs of these illnesses be generated as a consequence of their common biochemistry? why is there so much variation in symptoms from one sufferer to another? what are the principles underlying the NO/ONOO- cycle mechanism? how does the NO/ONOO- cycle provide explanations for a dozen previously unexplained properties of these illnesses? how might 14 additional illnesses/diseases also be caused by the NO/ONOO- cycle etiology? and many more Explaining “Unexplained Illnesses” is a must-read for physicians and scientists, and for anyone who suffers from-or knows someone who suffers from—these previously puzzling illnesses.
Author : Meghan O'Rourke
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0399573305
Total Pages : 337 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (995 download)
Download or read book The Invisible Kingdom written by Meghan O'Rourke and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2023-02-28 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FINALIST FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION Named one of the BEST BOOKS OF 2022 by NPR, The New Yorker, Time, and Vogue “Remarkable.” –Andrew Solomon, The New York Times Book Review "At once a rigorous work of scholarship and a radical act of empathy.”—Esquire "A ray of light into those isolated cocoons of darkness that, at one time or another, may afflict us all.” —The Wall Street Journal "Essential."—The Boston Globe A landmark exploration of one of the most consequential and mysterious issues of our time: the rise of chronic illness and autoimmune diseases A silent epidemic of chronic illnesses afflicts tens of millions of Americans: these are diseases that are poorly understood, frequently marginalized, and can go undiagnosed and unrecognized altogether. Renowned writer Meghan O’Rourke delivers a revelatory investigation into this elusive category of “invisible” illness that encompasses autoimmune diseases, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and now long COVID, synthesizing the personal and the universal to help all of us through this new frontier. Drawing on her own medical experiences as well as a decade of interviews with doctors, patients, researchers, and public health experts, O’Rourke traces the history of Western definitions of illness, and reveals how inherited ideas of cause, diagnosis, and treatment have led us to ignore a host of hard-to-understand medical conditions, ones that resist easy description or simple cures. And as America faces this health crisis of extraordinary proportions, the populations most likely to be neglected by our institutions include women, the working class, and people of color. Blending lyricism and erudition, candor and empathy, O’Rourke brings together her deep and disparate talents and roles as critic, journalist, poet, teacher, and patient, synthesizing the personal and universal into one monumental project arguing for a seismic shift in our approach to disease. The Invisible Kingdom offers hope for the sick, solace and insight for their loved ones, and a radical new understanding of our bodies and our health.
Author : Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309278058
Total Pages : 243 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)
Download or read book Gulf War and Health written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-04-04 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronic multisymptom illness (CMI) is a serious condition that imposes an enormous burden of suffering on our nation's veterans. Veterans who have CMI often have physical symptoms (such as fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms) and cognitive symptoms (such as memory difficulties). For the purposes of this report, the committee defined CMI as the presence of a spectrum of chronic symptoms experienced for 6 months or longer in at least two of six categories-fatigue, mood, and cognition, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and neurologic-that may overlap with but are not fully captured by known syndromes (such as CFS, fibromyalgia, and IBS) or other diagnoses. Despite considerable efforts by researchers in the United States and elsewhere, there is no consensus among physicians, researchers, and others as to the cause of CMI. There is a growing belief that no specific causal factor or agent will be identified. Many thousands of Gulf War veterans1 who have CMI live with sometimes debilitating symptoms and seek an effective way to manage their symptoms. Estimates of the numbers of 1991 Gulf War veterans who have CMI range from 175,000 to 250,000 (about 25-35% of the 1991 Gulf War veteran population), and there is evidence that CMI in 1991 Gulf War veterans may not resolve over time. Preliminary data suggest that CMI is occurring in veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well. In addition to summarizing the available scientific and medical literature regarding the best treatments for chronic multisymptom illness among Gulf War veterans, Gulf War and Health: Volume 9: Treatment for Chronic Multisymptom Illness recommends how best to disseminate this information throughout the VA to improve the care and benefits provided to veterans, recommends additional scientific studies and research initiatives to resolve areas of continuing scientific uncertainty and recommends such legislative or administrative action as the IOM deems appropriate in light of the results of its review.
Author : Sarah Ramey
Publisher : Anchor
ISBN 13 : 030774194X
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (77 download)
Download or read book The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness written by Sarah Ramey and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The darkly funny memoir of Sarah Ramey’s years-long battle with a mysterious illness that doctors thought was all in her head—but wasn’t. In her harrowing, darkly funny, and unforgettable memoir, Sarah Ramey recounts the decade-long saga of how a seemingly minor illness in her senior year of college turned into a prolonged and elusive condition that destroyed her health but that doctors couldn't diagnose or treat. Worse, as they failed to cure her, they hinted that her devastating symptoms were psychological. The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness is a memoir with a mission: to help the millions of (mostly) women who suffer from unnamed or misunderstood conditions—autoimmune illnesses, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic Lyme disease, chronic pain, and many more. Ramey's pursuit of a diagnosis and cure for her own mysterious illness becomes a page-turning medical mystery that reveals a new understanding of today's chronic illnesses as ecological in nature, driven by modern changes to the basic foundations of health, from the quality of our sleep, diet, and social connections to the state of our microbiomes. Her book will open eyes, change lives, and, ultimately, change medicine. The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness is a revelation and an inspiration for millions of women whose legitimate health complaints are ignored.
Author : Kyle L. Davies
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393712060
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (937 download)
Download or read book The Intelligent Body: Reversing Chronic Fatigue and Pain From the Inside Out written by Kyle L. Davies and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exercises and strategies for long-term emotional well-being in the face of physical difficulties. Why are we seeing growing numbers of people suffering from debilitating chronic symptoms of pain, fatigue, inflammation and cognitive impairment that medicine is failing to resolve? A new paradigm is needed where we understand the mind and body as an interconnected flowing system. This paradigm embraces the self-healing, self-correcting, and self-creating natures of our connected mind-body system. Physical symptoms are simply a sign of disharmony and energetic imbalance, a “tap on the shoulder” from our intelligent body that is trying to get our attention. This “tap” on the shoulder can become debilitating symptoms over time. When we pay attention, and understand this communication, we can take the steps to facilitate our own self-healing. This book explains the origins of chronic symptoms and outlines the road to recovery. Readers are offered life-changing principles and practices to regain harmony in their lives and bodies, whether they suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, trauma, depression, or anxiety. It explains how we can learn to heal ourselves from the inside out by reconceptualizing the relationships among our bodies, minds, and emotions, embracing the full importance of the mind-body connection, and tapping our natural restorative capacities. Here, readers will find ways to maximize the connections between optimum health, peace of mind, and fulfilling life experiences, all emerging when we are aligned with our “true self.”
Author : Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
Publisher : Turner Publishing Company
ISBN 13 : 0470469056
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (74 download)
Download or read book Your Symptoms Are Real written by Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D. and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2009-05-18 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Praise for Your Symptoms Are Real "Thank God for this book. It provides the help that millions of Americans with 'silent illnesses' like chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia have been waiting for. Dr. Natelson is a brilliant and compassionate clinician who covers the best treatments that medical science has to offer, along with a thorough consideration of complementary approaches. Short of cloning him, this book offers the specific help you need to work in partnership with your own physician." --Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind "Natelson is the kind of doctor every patient is looking for: smart, thoughtful, empathetic, and supportive. Reading Your Symptoms Are Real is the next best thing to having a world-renowned specialist managing your case." --Charles W. Lapp, M.D., Director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center and Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center "Do not throw up your hands and give up when one doctor after another tells you there is nothing wrong with you--instead, read this book! Benjamin Natelson is the person you have been looking for to guide you on your path to recovery." --Sandra Blakeslee, coauthor of The Body Has a Mind of Its Own "Natelson superbly incorporates research studies, clinical trials (even on drugs in development), and patient case reports in this book. If you are battling pain and fatigue symptoms but your tests are all normal, you will enjoy reading Natelson's pro-patient approach to explaining the real nature of your illness, his recommended treatment approaches, and how to cope with everything that is going on in your life." --Kristin Thorson, editor of the Fibromyalgia Network and President of the American Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association
Author : Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309316928
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (93 download)
Download or read book Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-03-16 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological - rather than psychological - nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health care provider as well as being subjected to treatment strategies that exacerbate their symptoms. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome proposes new diagnostic clinical criteria for ME/CFS and a new term for the illness - systemic exertion intolerance disease(SEID). According to this report, the term myalgic encephalomyelitis does not accurately describe this illness, and the term chronic fatigue syndrome can result in trivialization and stigmatization for patients afflicted with this illness. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome stresses that SEID is a medical - not a psychiatric or psychological - illness. This report lists the major symptoms of SEID and recommends a diagnostic process.One of the report's most important conclusions is that a thorough history, physical examination, and targeted work-up are necessary and often sufficient for diagnosis. The new criteria will allow a large percentage of undiagnosed patients to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate care. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be a valuable resource to promote the prompt diagnosis of patients with this complex, multisystem, and often devastating disorder; enhance public understanding; and provide a firm foundation for future improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
Author : Lisa Sanders
Publisher : Harmony
ISBN 13 : 0767922476
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (679 download)
Download or read book Every Patient Tells a Story written by Lisa Sanders and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2010-09-21 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting exploration of the most difficult and important part of what doctors do, by Yale School of Medicine physician Dr. Lisa Sanders, author of the monthly New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis," the inspiration for the hit Fox TV series House, M.D. "The experience of being ill can be like waking up in a foreign country. Life, as you formerly knew it, is on hold while you travel through this other world as unknown as it is unexpected. When I see patients in the hospital or in my office who are suddenly, surprisingly ill, what they really want to know is, ‘What is wrong with me?’ They want a road map that will help them manage their new surroundings. The ability to give this unnerving and unfamiliar place a name, to know it—on some level—restores a measure of control, independent of whether or not that diagnosis comes attached to a cure. Because, even today, a diagnosis is frequently all a good doctor has to offer." A healthy young man suddenly loses his memory—making him unable to remember the events of each passing hour. Two patients diagnosed with Lyme disease improve after antibiotic treatment—only to have their symptoms mysteriously return. A young woman lies dying in the ICU—bleeding, jaundiced, incoherent—and none of her doctors know what is killing her. In Every Patient Tells a Story, Dr. Lisa Sanders takes us bedside to witness the process of solving these and other diagnostic dilemmas, providing a firsthand account of the expertise and intuition that lead a doctor to make the right diagnosis. Never in human history have doctors had the knowledge, the tools, and the skills that they have today to diagnose illness and disease. And yet mistakes are made, diagnoses missed, symptoms or tests misunderstood. In this high-tech world of modern medicine, Sanders shows us that knowledge, while essential, is not sufficient to unravel the complexities of illness. She presents an unflinching look inside the detective story that marks nearly every illness—the diagnosis—revealing the combination of uncertainty and intrigue that doctors face when confronting patients who are sick or dying. Through dramatic stories of patients with baffling symptoms, Sanders portrays the absolute necessity and surprising difficulties of getting the patient’s story, the challenges of the physical exam, the pitfalls of doctor-to-doctor communication, the vagaries of tests, and the near calamity of diagnostic errors. In Every Patient Tells a Story, Dr. Sanders chronicles the real-life drama of doctors solving these difficult medical mysteries that not only illustrate the art and science of diagnosis, but often save the patients’ lives.
Author : Steven Phillips
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin
ISBN 13 : 0358064716
Total Pages : 293 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (58 download)
Download or read book Chronic written by Steven Phillips and published by Houghton Mifflin. This book was released on 2021-02-02 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autoimmune and chronic illness are a global crisis, with an estimated 50 million sufferers in the US alone. While modern medicine has drastically reduced overall mortality rates--from heart disease, stroke, HIV, and even cancer--what is fueling this twenty-first century pandemic? In this eye-opening, provocative book, Steven Phillips, MD, and his former patient, singer/songwriter Dana Parish, take on the medical establishment. Backed by a trove of published data, Chronic reveals striking evidence that a broad range of microbes, including the Lyme bacteria, cause a variety of recurrent conditions and autoimmune diseases. Chronic delves into the history and science behind common infections that are difficult to diagnose and treat, debunks widely held beliefs by doctors and patients alike, reveals how medicine got the facts patently wrong, and provides solutions that empower readers to get their lives back. Dr. Phillips was already an internationally renowned physician specializing in complex, chronic diseases when he became a patient himself. After nearly dying from his own mystery illness, he experienced firsthand the medical community's ignorance about the pathogens that underlie a range of chronic conditions--from fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis to depression, anxiety, and neurodegenerative disorders. Parish, too, watched her health spiral after twelve top doctors missed an underlying infection that caused heart failure and other sudden, debilitating physical and psychiatric symptoms. Now, they've come together with a mission: to change the current model of simply treating symptoms, often with dangerous, lifelong drugs, and shift the focus to finding and curing root causes of chronic diseases that affect millions around the world.
Author : Francis Creed
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139498452
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)
Download or read book Medically Unexplained Symptoms, Somatisation and Bodily Distress written by Francis Creed and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-07-14 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Medically unexplained symptoms and somatisation are the fifth most common reason for visits to doctors in the USA, and form one of the most expensive diagnostic categories in Europe. The range of disorders involved includes irritable bowel syndrome, chronic widespread pain and chronic fatigue syndrome. This book reviews the current literature, clarifies and disseminates clear information about the size and scope of the problem, and discusses current and future national and international guidelines. It also identifies barriers to progress and makes evidence-based recommendations for the management of medically unexplained symptoms and somatisation. Written and edited by leading experts in the field, this authoritative text defines international best practice and is an important resource for psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, primary care doctors and those responsible for establishing health policy.
Author : Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309175526
Total Pages : 205 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)
Download or read book Health Consequences of Service During the Persian Gulf War written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1996-10-10 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In January 1995 the Institute of Medicine released a preliminary report containing initial findings and recommendations on the federal government's response to reports by some veterans and their families that they were suffering from illnesses related to military service in the Persian Gulf War. The committee was asked to review the government's means of collecting and maintaining information for assessing the health consequences of military service and to recommend improvements and epidemiological studies if warranted. This new volume reflects an additional year of study by the committee and the full results of its three-year effort.
Author : Suzanne O'Sullivan
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 0099597853
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (995 download)
Download or read book It's All in Your Head written by Suzanne O'Sullivan and published by Random House. This book was released on 2016 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A neurologist explores the very real world of psychosomatic illness. Most of us accept the way our heart flutters when we set eyes on the one we secretly admire, or the sweat on our brow as we start the presentation we do not want to give. But few of us are fully aware of how dramatic our body's reactions to emotions can sometimes be. Take Pauline, who first became ill when she was fifteen. What seemed at first to be a urinary infection became joint pain, then food intolerances, then life-threatening appendicitis. And then one day, after a routine operation, Pauline lost all the strength in her legs. Shortly after that her convulsions started. But Pauline's tests are normal; her symptoms seem to have no physical cause whatsoever. Pauline may be an extreme case, but she is by no means alone. As many as a third of men and women visiting their GP have symptoms that are medically unexplained. In most, an emotional root is suspected and yet, when it comes to a diagnosis, this is the very last thing we want to hear, and the last thing doctors want to say. In It's All in Your Head consultant neurologist Dr Suzanne O'Sullivan takes us on a journey through the very real world of psychosomatic illness. She takes us from the extreme -- from paralysis, seizures and blindness -- to more everyday problems such as tiredness and pain. Meeting her patients, she encourages us to look deep inside the human condition. There we find the secrets we are all capable of keeping from ourselves, and our age-old failure to credit the intimate and extraordinary connection between mind and body.
Author : Susan Ayers
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781849724449
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (244 download)
Download or read book Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine written by Susan Ayers and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Health psychology is a rapidly expanding discipline at the interface of psychology and clinical medicine. This text offers a comprehensive, accessible, one-stop resource for clinical psychologists, mental health professionals and specialists in health-related matters.
Author : Alan E. Beer
Publisher : AJR Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9780978507800
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (78 download)
Download or read book Is Your Body Baby-Friendly? written by Alan E. Beer and published by AJR Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to this reference from a leading authority who has worked with more than 7,000 couples, women who have experienced difficulty conceiving or multiple miscarriages may be suffering from treatable dysfunctions of their immune systems.
Author : Naheed Ali
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1442226587
Total Pages : 271 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (422 download)
Download or read book Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome written by Naheed Ali and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2015-09-22 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition that causes persistent and debilitating tiredness. The condition has no obvious cause but persists for more than six months, and patients tend to avoid activity due to constant fatigue. A wide variety of causes are thought to contribute to the condition, while the relatively low disease prevalence and lack of diagnostic criteria has made it difficult to identify and diagnose CFS. Here, Naheed Ali presents an overview of CFS, its causes, symptoms and outcomes, and the treatment options available to sufferers. He also includes information about lifestyle changes, preventative measures, and emotional and mental approaches to having the disorder. Readers will find here a ready resource for understanding CFS and the various ways of approaching it, and living well in spite of it.
Author : Henrik Isager MD, PhD
Publisher : Author House
ISBN 13 : 1491875836
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (918 download)
Download or read book BLIND SPOTS written by Henrik Isager MD, PhD and published by Author House. This book was released on 2014-03-14 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In spite of increasing use of advanced technology, the patient-orientated field of medical science, clinical medicine, has by and large retained the mechanistic-substantial perception of reality inherited from the scientific communities of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In contrast, physics bade farewell to this view more than a century ago and now conceives the world primarily as a dynamic continuum of energy. Biochemists now regard structural (substantially orientated) and dynamic (energetically orientated) aspects of biochemistry as complementary and equally important. As seen from the perspective of the history of ideas, the anachronistic world view of clinical medicine, a view that can be characterised as dogmatic substantialism, places it in an outdated position compared with physics and biochemistry--a position from which the existence of biologically relevant energetic phenomena cannot be recognised as such, simply because they are not supposed to exist. During the latest three decades, the epidemic of energy loss, which comprises the diagnostic entities ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity, consequences of whiplash injury, and several other conditions, has affected Western societies increasingly and caused significant humanitarian, social, and economical problems. It is no exaggeration to state that the confrontation between conventional clinical medicine and the epidemic of energy loss has created confusion and, all too often, absurdities. Isager attempts a thorough analysis of this situation and its historical and ideological roots, emphasising epistemological problems--problems concerned with "how we know" and "how or why we do not know."
