Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, and Sue Mayes, a chartered physiotherapist, have updated the existing booklet which explains how you can safely manage functional incapacity by using a management approach known as Pacing.
Having ME/CFS means that you are no longer able to carry outmost of the energy requiring activities that form part of normal everyday life in a way that you did before becoming ill. And it’s not only physical activities that require energy – mental activity also requires a lot of energy.
In the absence of any effective drug treatment for ME/CFS, the most important aspect of living with this illness is finding a form of activity and energy management that suits your individual circumstances.
This information, which incorporates recommendations on activity and energy management from the new NICE guideline on ME/CFS, covers
- Symptoms that relate to energy production and usage
- What is fatigue? Can fatigue be treated? What do we know about the cause of debilitating fatigue in ME/CFS?
- Pacing – a safe and effective form of activity and energy management
- Graded exercise therapy – a treatment that is not suitable for people with ME/CFS