If you live with relentless exhaustion, post-exertional malaise (PEM), brain fog or “normal” test results that explain nothing, this book will finally help you understand what’s really going on.
Millions with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and post-viral fatigue are told their symptoms are a mystery. But emerging research may at last reveal the underlying mechanisms — and offer a path toward meaningful improvement.
In this clear, direct, and deeply hopeful guide, ME/CFS patient Patrick Ussher explains the breakthrough model proposed by Professors Klaus Wirth and Carmen Scheibenbogen. Their work brings together the major abnormalities seen in ME/CFS — low blood volume, microclots, autonomic dysfunction, mitochondrial impairment, autoimmunity, and more — into one interconnected cycle.
It may finally explain why activity triggers PEM, why rest doesn’t restore energy, and why so many develop chronic fatigue after a viral illness.
This book goes far beyond theory. It offers practical tools, science-based insights, and real-world strategies that patients use to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Inside, you’ll learn Breathing techniques to improve oxygenation
The Perrin Technique (for spinal & lymphatic health)
The strengths and limits of neuroplasticity (“brain retraining”)
Pacing, PEM management, and mitochondrial support
The potential “Mitodicure” pill which could become the world's first ME/CFS-specific medication
Patrick also shares his own ME/CFS journey with honesty and what has helped him, what has not, and how he learned to navigate a misunderstood illness with both realism and hope.
If you live
ME/CFS
Long Covid
post-viral fatigue
dysautonomia / POTS
unexplained fatigue with normal blood tests
…this book will give you a clear framework for understanding your symptoms and practical strategies that might help you feel better.
Straightforward. Evidence-based. Patient-centred.
A guide for anyone seeking answers about this most 'mysterious' of illnesses.
Includes a foreword by Prof. Klaus Wirth who is developing the Mitodicure medication.
Patrick Ussher has had ME/CFS for seven years. He has a YouTube channel, 'Understanding ME-CFS', in which he talks about the research into ME/CFS and Long Covid in an accessible way and in which he shares treatment strategies that he has tried. He has also written a medical hypothesis on the potential causes of excessive thirst in ME/CFS and Long Covid and why this symptom has likely been historically misdiagnosed as 'psychogenic water drinking' ('The Myth of Primary Polydipsia'). He also gives regular talks to patient groups such as The Irish ME Trust and has written for the ME/CFS blog, Health Rising, on various topics.
Patrick has also written a book which compares Stoicism and Buddhism (Stoicism and Western Buddhism: A Reflection on Two Philosophical Ways of Life) and edited several books on modern-day applications of Stoic philosophy (Stoicism Today: Selected Writings, Volumes One & Two). In 2018, he worked with Columba Press to publish a new version of his late mother's book on coping with breast cancer, titled: 'Following the Pink Ribbon Path'. He has a BA and MA in Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin) from The University of Exeter.
He is also the composer of music in a contemporary classical style and is part of the online Artlist catalogue. His music can be listened to on Spotify. Patrick is from Ireland and has lived in both Ireland and France over the course of his illness.
Excellent book has finally helped me to understand the “stranger’s body” I now inhabit. One Covid infection has led to a Long Covid and ME diagnosis. Myalgic encephalomyletitis is not a new illness- but it is understudied and funded. Patrick Ussher speaks from his own experience as an ME/CFS patient researcher. Heavily influenced by the work of Wirth and Scheibenbogen- he describes this as an illness of global hyper perfusion. When I began reading the book, I could not understand that term. I spent the spring learning from Ussher’s book- what is orthostatic intolerance and why am I unable to stand without pain/ malaise? What role does auto immunity play? What is the cause of exercise intolerance? He even tackles the thorny topic of brain retraining- finding benefit in some elements- but clearly stating our illness is not psychosomatic. With a mix of detailed research and plain language summaries- I found this to be incredibly helpful to my healing journey. I will reread it.; like many with long Covid and ME- my memory and cognition is impacted. Knowledge is power. While I watch the reach search- I understand I need to save myself. This book gives me a foundation to do so.