Neurological Rehabilitation of Multiple Sclerosis
Edited by Prof Alan Thompson.
Queen Square Neurological
Rehabilitation Series.
Published by Informa Healthcare,
2006, 176 pages, price: £60.00,
ISBN: 9781841845593, ISBN-10: 1841845590.
The book is written by professionals from a variety of backgrounds who are experts in the management of multiple sclerosis. The book aims to provide an evidence base for rehabilitation for people with MS.
There are six chapters, each with a list of references that are useful for MS professionals.
The first chapter focuses on the mechanisms underlying disability and recovery in MS that are critical for effective rehabilitation. The chapter 'The impact of living with MS: the need for a collaborative approach to care' reviews some literature and provides an insight into the reality of living with MS provided by testimonies from people with MS.
In the chapter 'multidisciplinary rehabilitation' the author describes the roles of different rehabilitation professionals, the elements of the rehabilitation process and a concise literature review about rehabilitation treatment for each stage of MS (minimal, moderate and severe disability).
The fifth chapter is 'measuring multiple sclerosis rehabilitation outcomes', and provides effective information on the main issues surrounding the use of rating scales in MS rehabilitation. The last chapter discusses clinical and organisational aspects of rehabilitation service delivery in MS.
There is a part dedicated to symptom management - mainly with pharmacological treatments. There are only a few rehabilitation indications because it is not a technical book for rehabilitation professionals.
This short book delivers the approaches and process required to ensure the comprehensive management of patients with MS in a concise and user-friendly fashion with the aim to be a resource for all people involved in the rehabilitation of MS.
Reviewed by M Laura Lopes de Carvalho, MD Physiatrist, Medical Director of Italian MS Society (AISM) Rehabilitation Centre, Genoa, Italy.
The MS Workbook: living fully with multiple sclerosis
By Robert T Fraser, George H Kraft, Dawn M Ehde, Kurt l Johnson.
Published in 2006, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, 243 pages, price: US$19.95, ISBN 1-57224-390-2.
There are numerous MS self-help books, but this one is different. In most instances the book gives consideration to its claim to show that there can be a full life after being diagnosed with MS. And it offers a lot of ways of how to get there. It glances at the whole human being: emotionally, spiritually and physically.
There are 15 chapters including an introduction to the disease and its medication, alternative therapies, health promoting behaviours, time management, important aspects of psychotherapy and job-handling, sexuality, partnership and financial planning. These combine to provide a basic knowledge for people recently diagnosed with MS who need guidance through the first irritations and confusions.
The layout is reader-friendly and well designed and the book is written in
| an easy-to-read style. Illustrations and quizzes help ease the reader through concentrated information. Checklists and worksheets help readers to evaluate specific situations and how to meet their individual needs. Some chapters are, however, too specific to the US for an international audience, particularly the chapter about Social Security.
Though there is a lot of information in the book, in some chapters there is not enough detail, for example in 'perspective on psychotherapy' you would expect more precise information. All in all, it is a valuable book that offers a wide range of ideas, advice, and proposals to find your own way to deal with MS.
Reviewed by Nicole Murlasits, Austrian MS Society magazine editor.
Living with Multiple Sclerosis
By Christine Craggs-Hilton.
Published by Sheldon Press, price: £7.99, paperback, ISBN 0-85969-982-X.
Living with MS is one of the Sheldon Press’s Overcoming Common Problems series, which runs to more than one hundred titles. The author does not have MS, nor give any indication that she has any background in MS, but has written on health issues after developing a chronic pain condition.
The book, which is 130 pages long, claims to provide 'a straightforward, accessible guide' to MS 'and how best to live with it'. It aims to cover all the bases, with chapters including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, diet, causes and complementary therapies.
There are a number of problems with the book. Most controversially, it puts too much emphasis on diet as being the main cause of MS, being so bold as to claim 'the main trigger is believed to be dietary in nature' whilst allowing for 'other possible triggers'. In the chapter on diet, we are told, 'for a number of people with MS, eating the type of foods that early man ate can halt the progression of the condition' before going on to recommend the 'Palaeolithic Diet'.
In fact, the book is a giant plug for the so-called ‘Best Bet Diet’ that has been promoted in the UK by Dr Ashton Embry and the MS Resource Centre. After theorising (without presenting any substantial evidence) about the role of diet in MS, the book then goes on to give a list of culinary dos and don’ts: no to dairy products, wheat, gluten, beans, eggs and sugar; yes to white meat, fish, fruits and vegetables.
The book is not without some strengths. The section on symptoms is relatively comprehensive as are the sections on complementary therapies and emotional responses. However, in general the negatives outweigh the positives. Given the lack of substantial evidence, the book is too focused on diet as a cause and remedy.
It is also poorly indexed, would benefit from some graphics, and gives a very limited list of scientific references, indicative of the fact that there is generally little evidence referenced throughout.
In summary, the book is a compact survey of cause, symptoms and remedies but is too confident in its assertions without presenting sufficient evidence that diet is at the heart of the solution for people with MS.
Reviewed by Ian Douglas, MSIF volunteer, London, UK.
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