Announcing a LIVE CHAT Q&A with Dr. WILLIAM COLLINGE, PhD, MPh on Friday, April 25 (3-4 pm Pacific Time; 6-7 pm Eastern)

Please join the Live Chat with Dr. William Collinge, PhD, MPh - a behavioral health expert who pioneered the use of self-help "mind-body" therapies that complement conventional medicine ("integrative medicine") to support emotional, spiritual and physical healing for people living with ME/CFS and FM. See for example the results of his groundbreaking study on "Meditation and the Course of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."

[Note: To read the transcript of this Q&A, which was held April 25, click here.]

The time: (The chat was held) Friday, April 25, from 3-4 pm Pacific Time in the ImmuneSupport.com Community Chat Room.

A Leader in Development of ME/CFS & FM Self-Help Programs

As President of Collinge & Associates, Dr. Collinge specializes in education and patient/family counseling - all based on tried and true clinical experience.

You can ask for his insights and suggestions on mind-body medicine options for tackling depression, anxiety and stress, flare and cycle management, PTSD, immune problems, fatigue, pain, sleep disorders, nutrition, and many other ME/CFS and FM-related issues. Ask about meditation, relaxation techniques, mental imagery, body work, yoga, 'healing touch,' 'energy medicine,' cognitive behavioral therapies, and much more. (To learn more, see the following info on his books and examples of his patient advice and research. And browse in his website (http://www.collinge.org).

It Started with Dr. Peterson's Patients in Incline Village

Dr. William Collinge is perhaps best known for his books. One is Recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Guide to Self-Empowerment, based on the innovative program he began developing in the '80s to support patients referred by Dr. Daniel Peterson. The entire book, with an introduction by Dr. Peterson, is offered free on his website in English and Spanish versions. Another book, demonstrating his broad knowledge, is The American Holistic Health Association Complete Guide to Alternative Medicine.

Dr. Collinge's extensive credentials begin with clinical training at the Menninger School of Psychiatry (known for "including the patient as an active collaborator in his/her own treatment"), Harvard’s Institute for Mind Body Medicine, and UC Berkeley, where he was a Murphy Fellow of the American Cancer Society, and has been a professor in the School of Public Health.

Some of Dr. Collinge's Patient Guides

• "What is Integrative or ‘Holistic’ Medicine?"
  A large body of research shows that drawing on different forms of medicine in an organized way can be more effective than relying on any one approach by itself.
• "Promoting Recovery from ME/CFS: The Fifty Percent Solution"
  This approach to managing the cycles in ME/CFS – “the most important and least emphasized part of treatment” – has promoted recovery for many.
• "Sleep Disorder: The Most Important Symptom of ME/CFS"
  Two acquired patterns that typically reduce ME/CFS patients’ ability to get refreshing sleep - and how to tackle them.
• "Your Immune System and How It Works"
  Dr. Collinge lays out the parts of the immune system in simple language, and explains that it’s part of our body’s larger “healing system” – which includes the mind and attitudes, the brain, the nervous system, and the endocrine system.
• "The 10 Principles of Healing in Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS"
  Based on his long experience counseling people with FM and ME/CFS – starting with Dr. Peterson’s patients in Incline Village, Nevada - Dr. Collinge has seen these principles “support the transition from a cyclical pattern of unrelenting chronicity to a process of gradual improvement.”

Some of Dr. Collinge’s Projects & Studies

1. The Fibromyalgia Wellness Project (grant applications for phase II trial in progress, recruitment expected soon)
Project involves a web-based training & guidance service to help FM patients overcome tough day-to-day psychological and physical challenges.

2. The Caring and Cancer Project (now recruiting participants in the Boston and Portland areas)
An experimental DVD program for caregivers of individuals experiencing effects of cancer or its treatments. Demonstrates massage and touch techniques that may reduce symptoms and side effects. Caregiver-patient pairs must be able to attend an onsite orientation meeting.

3. The Elder Healer Project (initial study completed, expanded program under development)
Workshops teach “Healing Touch” to members of retirement communities, senior centers, and other enrichment programs. Trainees then apply the techniques as a volunteer public health service, while also strengthening their own physical and mental wellbeing. Healing Touch, a therapy first championed by the American Holistic Nurses’ Association and now employed in many hospitals, involves gently moving the hands over a patient’s body so as to induce relaxation. (For profiles of some leading healthcare facilities employing this therapy, click here.)

4. Complementary Therapies in Community Mental Health (study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine)
In this trial, doctors in a mental health clinic tested the benefits of adding a complementary therapy to the clinical treatment plan for patients with depression, PTSD, or anxiety disorder. The alternatives included massage, acupuncture, Reiki, or Healing Touch, and results included significant improvement in each psychotherapeutic outcome measure used.

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Note: This information has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is generic and is not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any illness, condition, or disease. It is very important that you make no change in your health support regimen or healthcare plan without researching and discussing it in collaboration with your professional healthcare team.