Assessing Your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Doctor

Two Different Approaches. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is excellence in treatment. Below are two markedly different means of assessing whether you are in good hands; one by a prominent chronic fatigue syndrome ME/CFS physician/author and one by an author of a recent book on treating chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Dr.Teitelbaum is the author of ‘From Fatigued to Fantastic’ and the Medical Director of the Fibro-Fatigue Clinics. His questions reflect a fairly aggressive approach to treating ME/CFS that utilizes both traditional and alternative approaches. Dr. Lisman is the co-author of ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome For Dummies’. Her questions reflect a more conservative approach to treating ME/CFS.

Dr. Teitelbaum’s Big Five.

● Does he/she specialize in treating CFS/FM and recognize it as a real and physical illness?
● Will she/he prescribe the medications needed for you to get eight hours of sleep a night?
● Does he/she use bioidentical hormones based on your symptoms even if your tests are normal?
● Will she/he treat candida with Diflucan for six weeks?
● Does he/she give nutritional I.V.’s (i.e. Myers cocktails)?

Dr. Lisman’s Big Three - Ask your doctor: 

● Do you believe CFS has a real cause? If no – see another physician.
● Have you ever treated a CFS patient before? If no – probably see another physician.
● If you have treated a CFS patient before what treatments did you use? Treatments should include a wide variety of medications, alternative therapies and diet and exercise.

You're In Good Hands.   Dr. Lisman believes you can feel that you’re in good hands if your primary care physician does the following

● Uses laboratory tests to exclude other diagnoses
●  Knows what the definition of ME/CFS is
●  Knows to start ME/CFS patients at the lowest doses of medications
● Makes getting better sleep a priority
● Allows more time for office visits
● Takes an interest in your diet and exercise
●  Allows you to tape your visits

  Finding A Physician / Before The Visit / Assessing Your Physician / Educating Your Physician / Treatment Intro

The Phoenix Rising website is compiled by a layman. It is not a substitute for a physician and is for informational uses only. Please discuss any treatments in these pages with your physician.

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Susan Lisman, M.D., 2007. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome For Dummies.

Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. 2007. From Fatigued to Fantastic, 3rd. ed., Avery Press.