It is estimated that there are over 100,000 people suffering from M.E. in Britain today. Although not a new disease, M.E. (also known as 'yuppie flu') is at last being recognised and taken seriously. M.E. is short for MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYSELITIS, a term which relates to the parts of the body affected: MYALGIC, the muscles; ENCEPHALO, the brain; and MYSELITIS, the nerves. Until recently, many people suffering from M.E. had great difficulty in finding a diagnosis and a way of dealing effectively with their chronic fatigue. This comprehensive guide provides much-needed information about the disease. It describes the symptoms of M.E., what triggers it and who can get it and also discusses additional problems such as sleep disorders, depression, pain in the joints and difficulties with the eyes, ears and balance. A well-researched, comprehensive guide, LIVING WITH M.E. is THE book to buy for any M.E. sufferer who wants information not speculation.

Today, we see India is reclaiming its place in the global world. This book discusses these perceptions, especially about colonization and its effects on Bharat’s democratic journey. It is an Anecdotal account of an Indian living and working in the West. The authors attempt to Demystify the West. We are championing the Indian concept that The world is One. We have attempted to highlight that India is a cultural colossus.

Chronic fatigue conditions are some of the most frustrating, life-altering and stigmatized illnesses, so why are they still so poorly understood? ME/CFS affects roughly 17 million people worldwide. Medicalscience still cannot explain why some people get chronic fatigue syndromes and, distressingly, there are few effective treatments. While many people with ME/CFS are able to live a fairly normal life, a significant minority have symptoms so severe that they are confined to their house, or even their bed, and suicide rates are well above the national average. Living with ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, by consultant rheumatologist Dr Gerald Coakley and occupational therapist Beverly Knops, is a much-needed, evidence-based guide for people struggling with ME/CFS - as well as their friends and family - that provides practical information and accessible advice on how to manage and live with this challenging condition, at all stages of severity. It will explore: - The causes and management options for ME/CFS - The impact of the condition on work, education and emotional wellbeing - The importance of a balanced, nutritious diet in managing your symptoms - Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS) and other fatigue-related syndromes - Advice for carers and questions to ask your doctor - Life after ME/CFS This essential, concise book, and its empowering patient stories of hope, will equip readers with the knowledge, strategies and support to navigate and manage this challenging condition.

In 1990, Tommy Davidson burst onto the scene in the Emmy Award-winning show In Living Color, a pioneering sketch comedy show, featuring a multi-racial cast of actors and dancers who spoke to an underrepresented new generation created by Hip Hop Nation. A story of black excellence, in this revealing memoir, Tommy shares his unique perspective on making it in Hollywood, being an integral part of television history, on fame and family, and on living a life that has never been black and white—just funny and true . . . Abandoned as an infant on the streets of Greenville, Mississippi, and rescued by a loving white family, Tommy Davidson spent most of his childhood unaware that he was different from his brother and sister. All that changed as he came of age in a society of racial barriers—ones that he was soon to help break. On a fledgling network, Tommy joined the cast of In Living Color, alongside other relative newcomers including Jim Carrey, Rosie Perez, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez—all united by an ingenious throng of Wayans siblings (Keenen, Damon, Kim, Shawn, and Marlon), poised to break new ground. Now Tommy gives readers the never-before-told behind-the-scenes story of the first show born of the Hip Hop Nation: from its incredible rise, to his own creation of such unforgettable characters as Sweet Tooth Jones and dead-on impressions of Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Jackson, M.C. Hammer and Sugar Ray Leonard, and appearing in such classic sketches as “Homie The Clown,” the “Hey Mon, family,” and the unforgettable “Ugly Woman,” through guest-star skirmishes (and black eyes) to backstage tensions and the eventual fall of this pop-culture touchstone. He reveals his own nascent career on the stand-up circuit with Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Louie Anderson and performing with Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, as well as reflections on working with Spike Lee, Halle Berry, Sam Jackson, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith. And he also shares his very personal story of living with—and being inspired and empowered by—two distinct family histories. Told with humor and hard-won honesty by a singular voice whose family and friendships help him navigate a life of personal and professional highs and lows, Living in Color is a bracing, illuminating, and remarkable success story. An homage to the groundbreaking series In Living Color was featured in Bruno Mars’s music video for his hit song Finesse, a remixed collaboration with Cardi B. It was a loving tribute that exemplified the sustained cultural impact of the show, and now 90s kids can dig into their nostalgia through this humorous memoir of one of its stars!

This ground-breaking book explores and explains the day-to-day realities of living long-term with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). ME is an acquired complex disorder characterised by a variety of symptoms affecting multiple systems of the body. Marked fatigue and weakness, sickness, cognitive dysfunction and symptom flare-up can follow any physical or cognitive exertion. It is estimated that there are 17-24 million sufferers worldwide. The author has lived with moderately severe ME for the last 18 years. Utilising autoethnography as a methodology and drawing on multidisciplinary social science theory, the book tells the story of the author’s own lived experiences of the illness, and how she sought to reimagine a ‘self’ or a life living alongside the illness, that could still be considered a ‘good life’. This autoethnographic book is beautifully and evocatively written. It is a work of scholarship that will be highly accessible to academic and other readers. It is also a comprehensive introduction to autoethnography as a methodology, but it is much more. The images and poetry complement the narrative discussion, and are exemplary as part of an approach that integrates creative work with academic argument. It illuminates the struggles of living with ME and how there can be sanctuary.

I want to tell you about my farm. It's not my farm. I live here but it's not mine. I will tell you though that the farmer does belong to me. We are raising the 4th generation of farmers on this farm. My husband's father's father bought this farm for him back in the 1930's. My father-in-law, along with the rest of the family, milked cows, grew corn and hay to feed to those cows, had hogs and chickens and pretty much every critter you can put on a farm, and grew tobacco. He raised 8 children on the farm. My husband, Jimmy, the farmer, will tell you that the farm really doesn't belong to him at all. It's his, to pass down to the next generation. In all aspects he is truly a steward of this land . . .

'Who am I?' In a world where randomness and chance make life transient and unpredictable, religion, psychology and philosophy have all tried, in their different ways, to answer this question and to give meaning and coherence to the human person. How we should construct a meaningful 'me' - and to make sense of one's life - is the question at the heart of Mel Thompson's illuminating book.Although Thompson begins by exploring the workings of the brain, he shows that if we are to consider the nature of the self, it is not enough to argue about such things as how mind relates to matter, or whether neuroscience can fully explain consciousness. Such an approach fails to do justice to the self that we experience and the selves that we encounter around us. We need to engage with the more personal, existential questions: how do I make sense of my life? And am I responsible for the person I have become?Thompson investigates the gap between what we are and what others perceive us to be to ascertain whether we are genuinely knowable entities. He explores the central dilemma of how one can have a fixed idea of 'me' to shape and direct one's life when, in a world of constant change, events will rob us of that fixed idea at any moment. Perhaps we would be better to let go of the need for 'me', asks Thompson, but would a self-less life be possible, or desirable?Drawing on the writings of literature, philosophy, religion and science, as well as personal reflection and anecdote, Thompson has written an engaging and thought-provoking work that recaptures the notion of 'me' from the neuroscientists and situates it at the heart of finding a place in the world.

A survivor takes those struggling with anorexia and/or bulimia on “a passionate, heartbreaking to humorous road from rock bottom to recovery” (Robert Tuchman, author of Young Guns). Imagine waking in a hospital bed to find your frail, pale arm punctured by an IV transferring fluids and nutrients into your weak, stiff body. What happened? You’re an adult, age twenty-six, and you just had a seizure precipitated by your chronic, secretive, decades-long struggle with unacknowledged eating disorders. You have no friends and no normal young-adult experiences. Living Full is written by Danielle Sherman-Lazar, a woman who passed through the eating disorder crucible to recovery, sharing the most intimate and shameful details of her mental illness. Living Full is Danielle’s story. Eating disorders in young adults are hardly talked about, but are pervasive. Eating disorders are kept hidden out of shame. A groundbreaking 2012 study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found that about thirteen percent of women over age fifty exhibit eating disorder symptoms. Living Full chronicles the author’s step-by-step descent into the full-blown eating disorder nightmare and her path to recovery. Recovery comes from the Maudsley Approach, a regimen of supervised controlled eating or refeeding by out-patient helpers that eventually can result in recovery. Benefits of reading Living Full: See how to confront your eating disorder demon Learn from someone who won her eating disorder battle Discover a new and beautiful life

What Dying Taught Me About Living I was dead for 20 minutes...this is what I saw. —Scott Drummond Check out my video on YouTube by scanning the QR code below. It has been named, “Most Watched Near Death Experience of All Time,” with over 21 million views. The glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. (Exodus 16:10) It was like the twinkling of an eye. Suddenly, I was standing in an open field of waist-high grass. It was unique in that the field didn’t behave like a normal field of grass. It didn’t blow with the wind. In fact, there was no wind to blow the grass, not even a breeze. Instead, it was as if each separate blade was its own entity with its own personality or soul that chose to flow toward me. I remember reaching my arms out to my sides, running my hands along the tops of the grass, and feeling something so special. It was like each gold-tipped blade was...full of love. I could feel the love coming from the grass. While standing in the field, the guide who had taken me there admonished me to never look back. It was okay to look to the left and to the right, but I couldn’t look back. The view in front of me was panoramic. I could see far to the left and far to the right, but the things in front of me were close as if I was standing inside a panoramic photograph. On my far left were trees—giant pillars with huge trunks that seemed to lead me toward what was in front of me. There were no branches going up the trunk, but I could see lots of leaves at the top, beautiful leaves. They were in brilliant greens, reds, and yellows. Each leaf had a sort of iridescent gold underside. And the trunk wasn’t the sort of dirty brown we see here either. It was a beautiful brown color edged in gold. Between me and the forest were tall wildflowers. Normally, to see each bloom of a rose bush, you’d need to walk around it, but in this case, each colorful flower—and its leaves—faced toward me. The flowers came up to about my waist, and their faces followed me as I progressed through the field. I have never experienced love come from flowers, plants, or trees. But I felt like all of it was alive! Alive with love. And it gave me so much peace. It was like each individual living thing imparted energy charged with unconditional love, support, and encouragement. Directly in front of me were clouds against a vibrant blue sky. When I saw bioluminescence for the first time, I felt it was the closest thing to what I saw. Then leading me up to the clouds was a sort of mist or fog, just like stairs leading to the stoop of a house. None of the clouds moved, as there wasn’t any wind. Directly in front of me was a huge, beautiful cloud that was unique to the rest. Rays from behind the cloud shot toward me, just like the grass and flowers. The cloud itself was a pearly iridescent color that I can only describe as...pure and extremely bright. In this place, there was no fear, no judgment, and no pain. Only love. Pure, unconditional love. My life before this was fraught with selfishness, greed, and a relentless drive for success in business. What I learned most from my experience is to not look back. Don’t look back at what you’ve done in your life. Take a good look at your life as it is today, right now. And start looking toward the future. We can change if we want to. If you want to make a difference, just be kind to somebody, be kind to a friend, a fellow worker, or a neighbor. Discover the reaction you get by being kind to them. Most people are very defensive, but there’s something about love that calms people down. This life isn’t about how much we make. It isn’t about prestige or power. It’s about the One. It’s about each life we can affect with love.

Murder, cancer, Covid-19, an asthma attack and heart attacks: Tracey Corbett-Lynch has encountered loss in all its guises and has had to learn how to cope with life at its most difficult and overwhelming. In Loss and What It Taught Me About Living, Tracey describes these tragic losses, their impact on her and how she learnt to live alongside them with strength and grace. She recounts how she coped when it all seemed too much to bear and looks at how we can emerge from suffering forever changed by loss but filled with optimism. No two grief journeys are the same, but, as Tracey discovered, some of the stations along the route are. Her moving and uplifting story will offer comfort, practical advice and a ray of hope to anyone suffering their own loss, whatever that might be.