Long Illness

March 20, 2023
“Recovery is a process, not always a destination,” contend physicians Jobson and Morgan in their comprehensive program for managing a prolonged illness. The authors detail how to build a care team and manage symptoms for a variety of “rheumatologic, autoimmune, neurologic, and inflammatory” conditions; outline the four types of pain doctors consider when planning treatment (nociceptive pain arises from tissue damage, while complaints of pins and needles imply neuropathic pain, or nerve damage); and cover the gamut of possible remedies, including low-tech (deep breathing and meditation), therapeutic (acupuncture, physical therapy), and pharmacological (methadone and tricyclic antidepressants). Chronic fatigue, they note, can be caused by such factors as hormone imbalance or autoimmune dysfunction, and they recommend cognitive behavioral therapy or getting tested for a common genetic mutation that makes it difficult for the body to draw energy from vitamin B. The authors also offer advice on managing one’s medical team and provide a script for what readers might say to practitioners if they’re not feeling heard. Though the chapters on depression and anxiety feel meager, Jobson and Morgan otherwise succeed in addressing the broad scope of possible conditions while offering specific, useful suggestions. Those dealing with long-term illness will be grateful for the practical advice.

April 1, 2023

This book joins other health-recovery guides directed at people with difficult-to-diagnose disorders often described as chronic. These include fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and many other conditions, as well as the baffling set of symptoms now known as long COVID. The authors, both of them physicians, argue that the word "chronic" suggests permanent disease; instead they use the term "long illness," which they believe opens the door to improvement, even in extended illnesses. The authors showcase the many conditions and symptoms that resemble the long-illness paradigm, such as pain, fatigue, respiratory difficulty, brain fog, digestive problems, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, trauma, and coping issues. The book includes the authors' reviews of body/mind interventions, such as stress management, detox strategies, diets, exercise, and conventional pharmacology. VERDICT This is a welcoming book, though many of its strategies duplicate techniques well described in other health care manuals. It is useful, however, to see how compassionate health management techniques can address these puzzling long conditions and offer encouragement for healing.--Dorian Gossy

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