Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

By: Fred Friedberg, Ph.D.

Course Description

A Lifestyle Balance Program for Less pain and More Energy

If you’re struggling with fibromyalgia or CSF, this book can help you. It offers an evidence-based improvement program for achieving a healthy balance between activity, rest, and leisure — a balance that can significantly reduce pain and fatigue and increase your energy. In this book, author Fred Friedberg, a clinical psychologist and a leading researcher in chronic fatigue, first explains how a stressful lifestyle impacts the severity and persistence of fibromyalgia and CFS. He then goes on to show how the seven-step lifestyle balance program can help you to function and feel better.

In step one, you’ll learn how to use active relaxation techniques to lessen ongoing stress. Better sleep, anger management, and activity pacing make up steps two, three and four. Step five focuses on overcoming worry and guilty, and you’ll learn how low-effort pleasurable activities can ease pain and fatigue in step six. Finally in step seven, the importance of finding and maintaining personal support is covered. This effective lifestyle-focused program has brought relief to many others like you who have struggled with these misunderstood illnesses — illnesses that modern medicine cannot cure. You can start on the path to a better quality of life today!

About the Authors

Fred Friedberg, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, Long Island, NY.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course you’ll be able to:

  1. List the symptoms CFS and FM share.
  2. State whether FM or CFS are medically curable.
  3. Describe how the CDC defines CFS.
  4. Describe the most frustrating symptom of CFS.
  5. Define tender points.
  6. Describe RNase L.
  7. Define the ME Society of America.
  8. Describe the CFS behavioral treatment study in England. (Cleary 2002)
  9. State the trigger for migraine sufferers, according to several studies.
  10. Describe “helping and hard-driving” lifestyles.
  11. Describe an action-prone individual.
  12. Describe the results of low levels of cortisol.
  13. Define interleukin.
  14. Discuss the research of Vercoulen, Swanink, and Fennis, et al. (1996) regarding a sense of control over symptoms.
  15. Describe the study of Susan Buckelew (1996).
  16. Describe the work of Sephton and Salmon regarding meditation.
  17. Define the R-state concept.
  18. List several sleep hygiene suggestions.
  19. List effective wind-down activities.
  20. State why wind-down relaxation is recommended, even if you fall asleep quickly.
  21. Describe how to pace everything you do.
  22. List the top three things that chronic pain patients were most angry about.
  1. Describe the role of endorphins when suppressing anger.
  2. List examples of several assertive statements.
  3. Describe how to change your discouragement-related negative thinking patterns.
  4. Describe pleasant mood induction.
  5. State why vacations may not generate positive feelings.
  6. Describe several types of support.
  7. Describe Bruce Campbell, “the CFS Scientist.”
  8. List the two reasons it is difficult to find a therapist.
  9. Describe the push-crash pattern.
  10. State the first rule to ensure misery.
  11. List the two problems that abound with physician visits.
  12. Define functional somatic syndromes.
  13. Describe the outcome of medical visits.
  14. State the main argument for withholding a diagnosis for CFS and FM.
  15. List two alternative treatments for CFS.
  16. Discuss the study of Donald Goldenberg and colleagues (1996).
  17. State why graded activity and graded exercise are somewhat controversial.
  18. State the aim of aerobic exercise.
  19. List factors that aggravate CFS and FM.
  20. State three reasons why recovery is so difficult.
  21. Define healing.

Course Contents

  1. Defining CFS and FM: Getting It Right
  2. The Ongoing Search for Causes
  3. Why Mind-Body Dualism Doesn’t Help
  4. Helping and Hard Driving: How This Personality Style Can Hurt You
  5. My CFS Experience: How Life Balance Leads to Major Improvements
  6. Good Coping and Stress Reduction Improve Illness?
  7. Step One: Using Active, Extended Relaxation Strategies
  8. Step Two: Sleeping Better, Relaxing More
  9. Step Three: How to Pace ALL of Your Activity ― It’s More Than You Think
  10. Step Four: Identifying and Lessening Anger
  1. Five: Finding Relief from Worry, Discouragement, and Guilt
  2. Six: Easing into Pleasant Events and Pleasurable Feelings
  3. Step Seven: Getting Support from Others
  4. Changing Your Lifestyle When Change Seems Impossible
  5. Test Yourself: The Improvement Checklist
  6. How to Make Yourself Miserable
  7. Physician Visits: Why They Go Wrong
  8. Medical and Alternative Treatments
  9. Graded Activity: Improved Coping or Improved Illness
  10. The Difference Between Healing and Cure