From Fatigued to Fantastic, Energizing for Everyone

As a patient and advocate for the fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue community, I’m familiar with Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum’s work. His writings on chronic fatigue syndrome are very well-known to many people in the health field. However, this was my first time reading From Fatigued to Fantastic (4th edition) and I found this book to be filled with great advice for nearly everyone. 

The book is big, topping out at 400 pages, but don’t be deterred! Instead, follow Dr. Teitelbaum’s own  advice and pick and choose your topic of interest rather than read the book in its entirety; it can be overwhelming! While I read it twice because I was reviewing it, had it been simply to get advice for my conditions I would have chosen the chapters that were relevant to my own health. Dr. Teitelbaum does an excellent job at separating your symptoms and creating a path towards recovery. The book dives straight into “here is what to do for X condition,” but the science side of me was asking myself “but why?” quite often. Both the BFF (Brain Fog Friendly) Summaries and quizzes help readers navigate the science with easy to understand summaries and targeted information. 

Another great way to orient oneself in this big but great book is to start with the last chapter of the book and the Appendix, written by Dr. Samuel F. Yanuck. It contains information that frame-worked the entire book and helped me understand why Dr. Teitelbaum was recommending particular remedies. 

Finally, as a patient who has already completed a majority of the SHINE protocol (Sleep, Hormones, Immunity/Infections, Nutrition, and Exercise as able), I found success in Dr. Teitelbaum’s SHINE suggestions. By implementing the ideas in the book I have found improvements during the time it took me to read the book twice! This book challenged me to rethink my health and helped me identify gaps in my self-care for my conditions. From Fatigued to Fantastic lands in my top three recommendations for everyone who is serious about getting back their health and life, not just for the FM/CFS community!

Sabrina Everhart

Patient Representative, FDA

Advocate, Leaders Against Pain Action Network