Author: Andy Abril
Publisher: Mayo Clinic Press
ISBN: 1893005496
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
Called the “invisible disease,” fibromyalgia is estimated to impact more than 10 million Americans. And yet, so much is still misunderstood about this chronic disorder. Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia is an invaluable resource for understanding fibromyalgia and its debilitating symptoms. Those living with fibromyalgia know it is an invasive disorder, one that can cause overwhelming fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, migraines, digestive problems, and troubles with memory and concentration, a symptom so common it is often referred to as “fibrofog.” While it's believed that humans have suffered from fibromyalgia for hundreds, even thousands, of years, a delay in medical research means many people living with fibromyalgia are still in the dark, confused by their symptoms and what causes the painful disorder. By drawing upon decades of advanced research in studying and treating fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia combines anecdotes from real cases with expertise from Mayo Clinic’s rheumatology and chronic pain experts to provide an all-encompassing guide for understanding one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today. This book also offers reasonable, proven strategies—like worksheets to help readers craft a personalized daily plan—for managing common fibromyalgia symptoms, while serving as a comforting guide for those who may feel alone in their journey with fibromyalgia. This book breaks down what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—in 4 separate sections: · Section 1 introduces fibromyalgia, the history and modern discoveries of fibromyalgia research, as well as common myths and misconceptions associated with the condition · Section 2 outlines the different treatment options available to those who suffer from fibromyalgia, including prescription medications, therapies, and forms of integrative medicine · Section 3 offers helpful tips for managing—and improving—chronic pain through diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management · Finally, Section 4 explains how to find guidance and support from your family, friends, and physicians to help you live a life unhindered by fibromyalgia If you’re struggling to advance past your painful fibromyalgia symptoms, get the book Publisher’s Weekly described as “the first [book] a newly diagnosed patient should consult.”
Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia
Author: Andy Abril
Publisher: Mayo Clinic Press
ISBN: 1893005496
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
Called the “invisible disease,” fibromyalgia is estimated to impact more than 10 million Americans. And yet, so much is still misunderstood about this chronic disorder. Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia is an invaluable resource for understanding fibromyalgia and its debilitating symptoms. Those living with fibromyalgia know it is an invasive disorder, one that can cause overwhelming fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, migraines, digestive problems, and troubles with memory and concentration, a symptom so common it is often referred to as “fibrofog.” While it's believed that humans have suffered from fibromyalgia for hundreds, even thousands, of years, a delay in medical research means many people living with fibromyalgia are still in the dark, confused by their symptoms and what causes the painful disorder. By drawing upon decades of advanced research in studying and treating fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia combines anecdotes from real cases with expertise from Mayo Clinic’s rheumatology and chronic pain experts to provide an all-encompassing guide for understanding one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today. This book also offers reasonable, proven strategies—like worksheets to help readers craft a personalized daily plan—for managing common fibromyalgia symptoms, while serving as a comforting guide for those who may feel alone in their journey with fibromyalgia. This book breaks down what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—in 4 separate sections: · Section 1 introduces fibromyalgia, the history and modern discoveries of fibromyalgia research, as well as common myths and misconceptions associated with the condition · Section 2 outlines the different treatment options available to those who suffer from fibromyalgia, including prescription medications, therapies, and forms of integrative medicine · Section 3 offers helpful tips for managing—and improving—chronic pain through diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management · Finally, Section 4 explains how to find guidance and support from your family, friends, and physicians to help you live a life unhindered by fibromyalgia If you’re struggling to advance past your painful fibromyalgia symptoms, get the book Publisher’s Weekly described as “the first [book] a newly diagnosed patient should consult.”
Publisher: Mayo Clinic Press
ISBN: 1893005496
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 274
Book Description
Called the “invisible disease,” fibromyalgia is estimated to impact more than 10 million Americans. And yet, so much is still misunderstood about this chronic disorder. Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia is an invaluable resource for understanding fibromyalgia and its debilitating symptoms. Those living with fibromyalgia know it is an invasive disorder, one that can cause overwhelming fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, migraines, digestive problems, and troubles with memory and concentration, a symptom so common it is often referred to as “fibrofog.” While it's believed that humans have suffered from fibromyalgia for hundreds, even thousands, of years, a delay in medical research means many people living with fibromyalgia are still in the dark, confused by their symptoms and what causes the painful disorder. By drawing upon decades of advanced research in studying and treating fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia combines anecdotes from real cases with expertise from Mayo Clinic’s rheumatology and chronic pain experts to provide an all-encompassing guide for understanding one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today. This book also offers reasonable, proven strategies—like worksheets to help readers craft a personalized daily plan—for managing common fibromyalgia symptoms, while serving as a comforting guide for those who may feel alone in their journey with fibromyalgia. This book breaks down what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—in 4 separate sections: · Section 1 introduces fibromyalgia, the history and modern discoveries of fibromyalgia research, as well as common myths and misconceptions associated with the condition · Section 2 outlines the different treatment options available to those who suffer from fibromyalgia, including prescription medications, therapies, and forms of integrative medicine · Section 3 offers helpful tips for managing—and improving—chronic pain through diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management · Finally, Section 4 explains how to find guidance and support from your family, friends, and physicians to help you live a life unhindered by fibromyalgia If you’re struggling to advance past your painful fibromyalgia symptoms, get the book Publisher’s Weekly described as “the first [book] a newly diagnosed patient should consult.”
The Truth is Funny, shift happens...
Author: Colette Marie Stefan
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0994062508
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 533
Book Description
If You Cannot See A Strong Future For Your Children, Who Will? The number one weakness for every child is a mother's worry. Every single thought you have about your children has the potential to strengthen or weaken them! Mothers are taught and encouraged to worry about their children as a badge of honor, instead of honoring their intuition to create a better future for every child. Many people who shift out of limiting beliefs and expectations break into peals of laughter as they recognize how they have participated in what just might be a giant cosmic joke... The truth is funny! Often, stranger than fiction! A word of caution... If you prefer the status quo and you are not interested in improving every aspect of your life... This book will trigger the shift out of you!
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0994062508
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 533
Book Description
If You Cannot See A Strong Future For Your Children, Who Will? The number one weakness for every child is a mother's worry. Every single thought you have about your children has the potential to strengthen or weaken them! Mothers are taught and encouraged to worry about their children as a badge of honor, instead of honoring their intuition to create a better future for every child. Many people who shift out of limiting beliefs and expectations break into peals of laughter as they recognize how they have participated in what just might be a giant cosmic joke... The truth is funny! Often, stranger than fiction! A word of caution... If you prefer the status quo and you are not interested in improving every aspect of your life... This book will trigger the shift out of you!
What Your Doctor Doesn’T Know About Fibromyalgia
Author: Linda Meilink
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1936236354
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 217
Book Description
FMS, a common term for fibromyalgia, attacks men, women, and even children of all ages, varying in intensity from patient to patient. Because doctors do not like to treat conditions they dont understand, patients are often ignored, denied pain relief, shuttled off to other experts, or filled with powerful prescription drugs that may add new and confusing symptoms. Thus begins a vicious cycle of frustrating doctor appointments with no clear diagnoses and continuing treatments that may or may not lead to any relief. If youve always trusted that most of your doctors are up-to-date, informed, and rarely mistaken about a diagnosis or treatment, What Your Doctor Doesnt Know about Fibromyalgia may change your mind. Fibromyalgia is listed as one of the top ten most painful conditions in medicine, but many doctors still do not believe in it. If they do recognize it, they have only a vague notion of a collection of mild symptoms that they attribute to stress, menstrual problems, weight gain, depression, or hysterianone of which have been scientifically linked to fibromyalgia. What Your Doctor Doesn't Know about Fibromyalgia will help you take charge of your condition and teach you how to find physicians you can trust so that you can obtain the relief you need.
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1936236354
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 217
Book Description
FMS, a common term for fibromyalgia, attacks men, women, and even children of all ages, varying in intensity from patient to patient. Because doctors do not like to treat conditions they dont understand, patients are often ignored, denied pain relief, shuttled off to other experts, or filled with powerful prescription drugs that may add new and confusing symptoms. Thus begins a vicious cycle of frustrating doctor appointments with no clear diagnoses and continuing treatments that may or may not lead to any relief. If youve always trusted that most of your doctors are up-to-date, informed, and rarely mistaken about a diagnosis or treatment, What Your Doctor Doesnt Know about Fibromyalgia may change your mind. Fibromyalgia is listed as one of the top ten most painful conditions in medicine, but many doctors still do not believe in it. If they do recognize it, they have only a vague notion of a collection of mild symptoms that they attribute to stress, menstrual problems, weight gain, depression, or hysterianone of which have been scientifically linked to fibromyalgia. What Your Doctor Doesn't Know about Fibromyalgia will help you take charge of your condition and teach you how to find physicians you can trust so that you can obtain the relief you need.
The Fibromyalgia Story
Author: Kristin Barker
Publisher: Temple University Press
ISBN: 1439904596
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
The first unbiased assessment of fibromyalgia.
Publisher: Temple University Press
ISBN: 1439904596
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
The first unbiased assessment of fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia For Dummies
Author: Roland Staud
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111805167X
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 360
Book Description
The pain you suffer from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is not in your imagination. FMS is a real medical problem that can be as debilitating and demoralizing as it is mysterious. Fibromyalgia For Dummies, Second Edition, brings you the latest scientific findings on the symptoms and causes of this disease and guides you toward proven, practical steps you can take reduce or eliminate FMS-related pain. This plain-English guide is fully updated with the latest fibromyalgia treatment options, and evaluations of new medications that have shown great promise in reducing pain. You'll discover how to spot an array of symptoms and their possible causes, work with your physician to develop a treatment plan, and manage your pain at home and in the office. You'll learn how to: Identify your FMS trigger points Cope with chronic pain and sleep problems Find medications that work for you Locate a physician who can really help you Make healing lifestyle changes Use hands-on therapies to alleviate pain Find effective over-the-counter and prescription medications Choose among alternative therapies and treatments Reduce the emotional distress caused by FMS Help a child with FMS Featuring moving and inspiring stories from fellow FMS sufferers who share their stories and offer invaluable tips on working your way back to wellness, Fibromyalgia for Dummies, Second Edition offers serious and sensitive guidance to help you overcome FMS and start being yourself again.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 111805167X
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 360
Book Description
The pain you suffer from fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is not in your imagination. FMS is a real medical problem that can be as debilitating and demoralizing as it is mysterious. Fibromyalgia For Dummies, Second Edition, brings you the latest scientific findings on the symptoms and causes of this disease and guides you toward proven, practical steps you can take reduce or eliminate FMS-related pain. This plain-English guide is fully updated with the latest fibromyalgia treatment options, and evaluations of new medications that have shown great promise in reducing pain. You'll discover how to spot an array of symptoms and their possible causes, work with your physician to develop a treatment plan, and manage your pain at home and in the office. You'll learn how to: Identify your FMS trigger points Cope with chronic pain and sleep problems Find medications that work for you Locate a physician who can really help you Make healing lifestyle changes Use hands-on therapies to alleviate pain Find effective over-the-counter and prescription medications Choose among alternative therapies and treatments Reduce the emotional distress caused by FMS Help a child with FMS Featuring moving and inspiring stories from fellow FMS sufferers who share their stories and offer invaluable tips on working your way back to wellness, Fibromyalgia for Dummies, Second Edition offers serious and sensitive guidance to help you overcome FMS and start being yourself again.
Fibromyalgia
Author: Barbara Robbins
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 163844031X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 168
Book Description
This book was written by Fibromyalgia patients from around the world. The chapters range from an individual's journey with fibromyalgia, to interviews, a visual chapter of our illness, special chapters and graphs showing fibro symptoms. The purpose of this book is to inform the newly diagnosed, patients, family, friends and yes, doctors, to recognize and learn the symptoms and helpful solutions of how to deal with this illness. Once the population is more educated, we all pray a cure will be found. One symptom alone runs through us all, PAIN. It is time for everyone to recognize Fibromyalgia as a valid illness. Like the canaries in the coal mines, we are the tip of the iceberg. Due to environmental toxins, GMO foods, chemicals added to vitamins and medicines, trauma/stress in daily life, ALL these elements woven together WILL eventually affect each of us. Our sensitivities, allergies, exhaustion and pain will continue to spread. Let's not allow this illness to control future generations. The time to stop the suffering is now.
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 163844031X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 168
Book Description
This book was written by Fibromyalgia patients from around the world. The chapters range from an individual's journey with fibromyalgia, to interviews, a visual chapter of our illness, special chapters and graphs showing fibro symptoms. The purpose of this book is to inform the newly diagnosed, patients, family, friends and yes, doctors, to recognize and learn the symptoms and helpful solutions of how to deal with this illness. Once the population is more educated, we all pray a cure will be found. One symptom alone runs through us all, PAIN. It is time for everyone to recognize Fibromyalgia as a valid illness. Like the canaries in the coal mines, we are the tip of the iceberg. Due to environmental toxins, GMO foods, chemicals added to vitamins and medicines, trauma/stress in daily life, ALL these elements woven together WILL eventually affect each of us. Our sensitivities, allergies, exhaustion and pain will continue to spread. Let's not allow this illness to control future generations. The time to stop the suffering is now.
Under the Medical Gaze
Author: Susan Greenhalgh
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520223977
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
"This is an extraordinary book--riveting story, concise scholarship, experimental ethnography--and it is beautifully told. Greenhalgh makes a cogent and powerful analysis of the sociopolitical sources of pain through feminist, cultural, and political understandings of the nature of medical science and medical practice in the United States."--Sharon Kaufman, author of The Healer's Tale "Far above a simple telling of an illness, Greenhalgh takes the experience as a way to view gendered relations in medical care, the seduction of science for the physician and the patient, and the creation of facts and selves in the treatment of pain. She sets a new standard for the practice of autoethnography."--Virginia Olesen, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco "A compellingly told story that advances our understanding of the meaning of chronic illness, particularly for women. This work adds a new dimension to the genre of illness narratives."--Susan DiGiacomo, Series Editor, Theory and Practice in Medical Anthropology and International Health "A very useful and very well written book. . . . It states the issues in the culture of biomedicine field effectively and makes them relevant."--Arthur Kleinman, author of Writing at the Margin: Discourse between Anthropology and Medicine "A deeply troubling, meticulous account about the chasm between medical orthodoxy and the subjective experience of chronic illness. This courageous book is essential reading for physicians and the public at large."--Margaret Lock, author of Encounters with Aging: Mythologies of Menopause in Japan and North America
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520223977
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 385
Book Description
"This is an extraordinary book--riveting story, concise scholarship, experimental ethnography--and it is beautifully told. Greenhalgh makes a cogent and powerful analysis of the sociopolitical sources of pain through feminist, cultural, and political understandings of the nature of medical science and medical practice in the United States."--Sharon Kaufman, author of The Healer's Tale "Far above a simple telling of an illness, Greenhalgh takes the experience as a way to view gendered relations in medical care, the seduction of science for the physician and the patient, and the creation of facts and selves in the treatment of pain. She sets a new standard for the practice of autoethnography."--Virginia Olesen, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco "A compellingly told story that advances our understanding of the meaning of chronic illness, particularly for women. This work adds a new dimension to the genre of illness narratives."--Susan DiGiacomo, Series Editor, Theory and Practice in Medical Anthropology and International Health "A very useful and very well written book. . . . It states the issues in the culture of biomedicine field effectively and makes them relevant."--Arthur Kleinman, author of Writing at the Margin: Discourse between Anthropology and Medicine "A deeply troubling, meticulous account about the chasm between medical orthodoxy and the subjective experience of chronic illness. This courageous book is essential reading for physicians and the public at large."--Margaret Lock, author of Encounters with Aging: Mythologies of Menopause in Japan and North America
The Everything Health Guide to Fibromyalgia
Author: Winnie Yu
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1605503347
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
The Everything Health Guide to Fibromyalgia is a complete handbook to this complicated disease. Written with an authoritative yet accessible tone, readers will find helpful information on understanding the basics of fibromyalgia and learn to recognize its symptoms. Includes helpful insight on: Finding the right doctor; Overcoming fatigue and minimizing stress; Conditions that mimic fibromyalgia; Therapies and treatment; Staying active. The Everything Health Guide to Fibromyalgia helps readers cope with and understand their diagnosis to live a full, healthy life. Winnie Yu is a freelance writer. She co-authored three health books for Fair Winds Press and contributed essays on health and wellness to five books published by Rodale Inc. She has written features for numerous national magazines and several Web sites. Michael M. McNett, M.D. is the owner of Fibromyalgia Treatment Centers of America based in Chicago, IL. His areas of focus are fibromyalgia treatment and research and non-interventional pain management. He is affiliated with the American Board of Family Practice, the American Academy of Pain Management, the American Society of Addiciton Medicine, and is on the editorial board of Fibromyalgia Aware magazine.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1605503347
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 265
Book Description
The Everything Health Guide to Fibromyalgia is a complete handbook to this complicated disease. Written with an authoritative yet accessible tone, readers will find helpful information on understanding the basics of fibromyalgia and learn to recognize its symptoms. Includes helpful insight on: Finding the right doctor; Overcoming fatigue and minimizing stress; Conditions that mimic fibromyalgia; Therapies and treatment; Staying active. The Everything Health Guide to Fibromyalgia helps readers cope with and understand their diagnosis to live a full, healthy life. Winnie Yu is a freelance writer. She co-authored three health books for Fair Winds Press and contributed essays on health and wellness to five books published by Rodale Inc. She has written features for numerous national magazines and several Web sites. Michael M. McNett, M.D. is the owner of Fibromyalgia Treatment Centers of America based in Chicago, IL. His areas of focus are fibromyalgia treatment and research and non-interventional pain management. He is affiliated with the American Board of Family Practice, the American Academy of Pain Management, the American Society of Addiciton Medicine, and is on the editorial board of Fibromyalgia Aware magazine.
The Myth of Normal
Author: Gabor Maté, MD
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593083881
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 577
Book Description
The instant New York Times bestseller By the acclaimed author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, a groundbreaking investigation into the causes of illness, a bracing critique of how our society breeds disease, and a pathway to health and healing. In this revolutionary book, renowned physician Gabor Maté eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high blood pressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness is on the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health? Over four decades of clinical experience, Maté has come to recognize the prevailing understanding of “normal” as false, neglecting the roles that trauma and stress, and the pressures of modern-day living, exert on our bodies and our minds at the expense of good health. For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today’s culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines emotional balance. Now Maté brings his perspective to the great untangling of common myths about what makes us sick, connects the dots between the maladies of individuals and the declining soundness of society—and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing. Cowritten with his son Daniel, The Myth Of Normal is Maté’s most ambitious and urgent book yet.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593083881
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 577
Book Description
The instant New York Times bestseller By the acclaimed author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, a groundbreaking investigation into the causes of illness, a bracing critique of how our society breeds disease, and a pathway to health and healing. In this revolutionary book, renowned physician Gabor Maté eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high blood pressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness is on the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health? Over four decades of clinical experience, Maté has come to recognize the prevailing understanding of “normal” as false, neglecting the roles that trauma and stress, and the pressures of modern-day living, exert on our bodies and our minds at the expense of good health. For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today’s culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines emotional balance. Now Maté brings his perspective to the great untangling of common myths about what makes us sick, connects the dots between the maladies of individuals and the declining soundness of society—and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing. Cowritten with his son Daniel, The Myth Of Normal is Maté’s most ambitious and urgent book yet.
my fibromyalgia
Author: Andrew Hinkinson
Publisher: Andrew Hinkinson (Publisher)
ISBN: 0995695253
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 179
Book Description
“When disabilities of any kind are discussed, what you’re really talking about are people: flesh and blood, breathing, thinking, feeling people. We are all different. We share symptoms but our experiences in life, beliefs and lifestyles are unique to each of us. Welcome to myfibromyalgia.” There are millions of people the world over who suffer terrible pain and fatigue every day, having developed a severely disabling condition. On the outside they can look as if nothing is wrong with them. They are insulted at best, misled at worst, by fake news and bogus health websites, self-styled wellness gurus and a thankfully diminishing number of doubters, even some doctors, who rank their illness alongside fairies, the Loch Ness Monster and UFOs. But this illness is real. These people have Fibromyalgia Syndrome, or FMS. The American Chronic Pain Society estimates three to six per cent of the global population has FMS – that’s between 200 million and 400 million people. Between 75 and 90 per cent of fibro sufferers are female, with many people thinking of it as a ‘women’s disease’ – but men do get it, a fact not often acknowledged. This is a book that is both informative and involving. It tells the truth, from the perspective of a patient rather than a doctor, about what it's like to live with fibromyalgia. It isn’t a textbook devoid of personality but the living, breathing testimony of a real FMS sufferer. Andrew Hinkinson presents a highly personal and frank account of the symptoms and possible causes of FMS while examining the statistics and outlining the challenges he’s had to address and overcome in his own life in fighting the illness.
Publisher: Andrew Hinkinson (Publisher)
ISBN: 0995695253
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 179
Book Description
“When disabilities of any kind are discussed, what you’re really talking about are people: flesh and blood, breathing, thinking, feeling people. We are all different. We share symptoms but our experiences in life, beliefs and lifestyles are unique to each of us. Welcome to myfibromyalgia.” There are millions of people the world over who suffer terrible pain and fatigue every day, having developed a severely disabling condition. On the outside they can look as if nothing is wrong with them. They are insulted at best, misled at worst, by fake news and bogus health websites, self-styled wellness gurus and a thankfully diminishing number of doubters, even some doctors, who rank their illness alongside fairies, the Loch Ness Monster and UFOs. But this illness is real. These people have Fibromyalgia Syndrome, or FMS. The American Chronic Pain Society estimates three to six per cent of the global population has FMS – that’s between 200 million and 400 million people. Between 75 and 90 per cent of fibro sufferers are female, with many people thinking of it as a ‘women’s disease’ – but men do get it, a fact not often acknowledged. This is a book that is both informative and involving. It tells the truth, from the perspective of a patient rather than a doctor, about what it's like to live with fibromyalgia. It isn’t a textbook devoid of personality but the living, breathing testimony of a real FMS sufferer. Andrew Hinkinson presents a highly personal and frank account of the symptoms and possible causes of FMS while examining the statistics and outlining the challenges he’s had to address and overcome in his own life in fighting the illness.