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Library Reviews
Reviews by: N.S. Kaye N. S. Kaye has been living with MS for the last 22 years. She has a Master's degree in Literature from McGill University in Montreal and worked for MS Quebec and McGill News Alumni Magazine from 1985 - 1995 as a literature reviewer. Current Reviews - Spring 2006 (for reviews that have appeared on this page in previous months, check the Archive.
Title: Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired: Living with Invisible Chronic Illness Authors: Paul J. Donoghue, Ph.D., and Mary E. Siegal, PhD. Publishing information: W.W. Norton and Company, New Yorkã 1992 Number of pages: 284 Reviewed by: N.S. Kaye
Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired: Living with Invisible Chronic Illness opens with a quotation by Dr. Robert F. Murphy: “Damage to the body causes diminution of the self, which is further magnified by debasement by others.” (p. 2) Indeed, those of us living with MS know that this invisible disease encounters the empathy of others as sometimes being in short supply.
Donoghue and Siegal can not be said to dwell on the pitiable aspects of a chronic illness, but they are certainly not afraid to name or to feel them; they then move on, in a very practical manner, to state that now that the ailment has been suffered over, here’s how to live with hope and with gentleness. The authors very frankly discuss the fact that invisible illnesses “have no external evidence of suffering that elicits compassion” and therefore adds to the negative effects caused by a disease.
People living with a mysterious ailment crave understanding most of all. As one man coping with MS stated, “I don’t know why I need anyone else to acknowledge what is happening to me. I guess I want to prove that it’s really happening.” (p. 9) It soon becomes evident in: Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired: Living with Invisible Chronic Illness that it is very important to be open and direct in communicating with others.
The solutions that Donoghue and Siegal offer come in the way of down-to-earth ways of taking the responsibility of expressing needs effectively as the beginning of a journey to self-empowerment and coping.
Title: Why Me, Why This, Why Now: A Guide to Answering Life’s Toughest Questions Author: Robin Norwood. Publishing information: McClelland & Stewart Inc., Torontoã1994. Number of pages: 227. Reviewed by: N.S. Kaye.
Why Me, Why This, Why Now: A Guide to Answering Life’s Toughest Questions is not a book about MS at all. And yet in so many ways it is. Robin Norwood goes out on a limb in this daring book, and looks at disease through the unusual lens of seeing it as a spiritual occurrence.
In her book she gives many insights that point to the fact that each of us is indeed a mental, a spiritual as well as a physical being. And Norwood is finding a way to point that out. Some may find many of her alternative ideas hard to digest, but chapters with titles like, “What Is My Body Trying to Tell Me?” and “How Can I Help Myself and Others to Heal?” give the reader substantial food for thought. Robin Norwood’s principal attempt in this book is to offer readers a positive and hopeful outlook on their situation. She gives the example of a therapy client of hers: “A client who was a recovering drug addict once said to me, “Attitude is the biggest drug of all!” I would agree. And since we can choose what our attitude will be, Why not choose an ‘upper’ rather than a ‘downer’?’“ (p. 208)
In this way Robin Norwood offers a helpful attitude through her book which makes living in a challenging situation more bearable and, perhaps more understandable. Top
Editor: Margot Russell Publishing information: Health Communications Inc., Florida ã2001. Number of pages: 280. Reviewed by: N.S. Kaye.
Margot Russell introduces When the Road Turns: Inspirational Stories by and About People with MS with a bang – “I realized that I’ve never let anyone define me, define my limits, or take away my hope and I wasn’t about to let MS” (p. xii) and then goes on to display the admirable journeys of those who’ve encountered MS. Russell realized that “To a great extent, people diagnosed with MS discovered that MS is a journey inward. . .” (p. xiii)
The various stories told in this book make it clear that we are all put in a position of being able to display our full humanity and when we are thrown a curve ball by life and we will have to dig deep. As this inspiring book shows, life with MS teaches a new kind of strength and courage, perhaps one that is truer and therefore more fulfilling. Top
Authors: Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D. and Mark Jenkins. Publishing information: ibooks Inc., New York ã 2003. Number of pages: 224. Reviewed by: N.S. Kaye.
Vitamin D is all the rage now for all kinds of diseases. But why? Dr. Holick has valiantly taken up the task of explaining the factual information behind the realization that people can indeed harness the power of the sun for their health. He speaks of “the fear of skin cancer and avoidance of all sunlight” having caused “wide-spread vitamin D deficiency both in children and in adults.” (p. vi) And he recommends “sensible sun exposure as a means of obtaining … vitamin D requirements for good health.” (p. vi)
This author is very practical as he explains the bodily benefits on the immune system of this crucial vitamin. He offers very down-to-earth explanations in chapters like “The Facts of Light” and “Sunshine is Powerful Medicine” and “When the Sun Just Isn’t Good for You.” He also speaks about diet, supplements and artificial sunlight.
Dr. Holick truly believes in the relationship between autoimmune diseases, sunshine and human well-being. He advises a “balanced view” based on our increasing understanding of “the benefits of sun-stimulated vitamin D on health.” (p. 76) This instinctive belief is worth examining in terms of what our bodies are calling out for.
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