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This book is the text for the CFIDS and Fibromyalgia Self-Help course, which began shortly after I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I was inspired to create the class by my prior experience at the Stanford University Medical School.

Before becoming ill, I had the privilege of working as a consultant to medical self-help programs and saw people gain some control over other chronic illnesses by using self-help strategies like those described in this book.

I believed that a self-help approach would also be useful for people with CFS and fibromyalgia. Since our beginnings in 1998, several thousand people from around the world have taken our introductory course and our two additional classes: Creating Your Plan and Living Your Plan.
 

As our program developed, I made use of the strategies and techniques you'll find here and my health improved. The pace was slow but steady, one or two percent a month over a period of four years. From a starting point of about 25% of normal, I eventually recovered to my pre-illness level of health. (You can read my story at http://www.recoveryfromcfs.org/.)
 

The approach you will find in this book is based on several beliefs:

• People with CFS and FM can find things to help them feel better. These strategies are not aimed at curing either condition, but they can help reduce suffering, improve quality of life and, often, increase functionality.
   
• A plan for managing CFS or fibromyalgia needs to be individualized for each person's unique circumstances. Your case may be more or less severe than another person's. Also, a person's ability to manage their condition is affected by other factors, such as finances and family situation.
   
• Long-term illness affects many parts of life, so managing it means much more than treating symptoms. A person also has to address challenges such as controlling stress, managing emotions, building support and finding meaning in a situation of loss.

There are no magic pills for CFS or fibromyalgia. Most experts agree with the idea presented by Dr. Lapp in the Foreword that the most powerful treatment for both conditions is lifestyle change, which means changing our habits and how we live our daily lives. This is a gradual process, changing one or two parts of our lives at a time, but over time it can be transforming. One person in our program, remembering my rate of improvement, calls it the 1% solution.
 

We have seen many people in our program improve by 20% to 50%, sometimes even more. (You can read about some of them in the Success Stories section of this site.) In our experience, the keys to improvement are a willingness to adapt and consistent use of the tools of self-management, especially pacing and stress management.
 

Living with CFS and/or fibromyalgia can feel overwhelming at times. An effective response is to take a series of small steps to regain control. I hope you find in this book ideas for creating your 1% solution.
 

Bruce Campbell, Ph.D.
Executive Director, CFIDS and Fibromyalgia Self-Help Program
May 1, 2010
Palo Alto, California