The author is a doctor as well as someone who has battled fibromyalgia, so this isn't written from a strictly "clinical" point of view. It's readily apparent that he understands where his readers are physically, and this book is quite full of information. I came away with a far better understanding of how fibromyalgia is affecting my body and why I have the struggles that I do. It's a lot to digest in one reading, though. You will want to answer the questions at the end of each section and probably take some notes in addition to that. That said, it is a fairly quick read, but I highly recommend that you get your own copy; I am still using mine as a reference a couple times a week...I'm not ready to loan it out yet! After reading it, I went to my next doctor appointment armed with a list of questions, suggestions and supplements I wanted to consider. (One of the primary things that drew me to this book is the fact that a lot of the suggested treatments are NOT prescriptions. And it's not a one-size-fits all treatment.) While the doctor who wrote this readily admits that not all treatments are effective for all people, there are enough options here that I am very optimistic about finding some things to improve the way I feel on a daily basis while getting off of some of my prescriptions. ( )

I started reading this book because I have suffered from a slow metabolism and hypothyroidism. The writing, which can be poor in these kinds of books, is actually very good. The language is clear and concise, easy for people who are not medically trained, with a special chapter for doctors, etc. It is a good source to understand what you can ask from your doctor, in terms of appropriate tests to investigate certain metabolic and fatigue-related problems. This book can provide assuring confidence to thosepatients find themselves powerless when facing a confident doctor and doubt their own feelings. Of course, like any of its kind, do be careful of self-diagnosis and use this book as a guide to explore your health problems with your doctor, otherwise you will find many symptoms that you think you have. Being very tired because of overworking is very different than having chronic fatigue, for example. Dr. Teitelbaum does a good job in explaining these differences. ( )

Quote:[return][return]Role-entrapped people were taught that they have to be the perfect spouse or the perfect parent or the perfect employee. The superwoman complex is a good example. CFIDS can be your body s way of getting out of the roles in which you are trapped. Most of us have so bought into society s expectations of us that we have taken them on as our own. What we fail to recognize is that because of its tremendous rate of acceleration, our current society is an aberration. There has been no other stable society during the last three thousand-plus years, nor are there many others presently on the planet, in which normal change occurred so rapidly. Despite all our modern conveniences and labor saving devices, which were supposed to give us more free time, most people find that they are running ever faster. Whereas one parent used to be home to take care of the children while the other parent worked, both even when both parents are in the same household now often must work to maintain the family s stand of living.[return]Because our whole society is trapped in roles, this chaos may seem normal. It is not. It is abnormal. Although some people thrive on it, more people every day are becoming burned out. ( )

Quote:

Role-entrapped people were taught that they have to be the perfect spouse or the perfect parent or the perfect employee. The superwoman complex is a good example. CFIDS can be your body’s way of getting out of the roles in which you are trapped. Most of us have so bought into society’s expectations of us that we have taken them on as our own. What we fail to recognize is that because of its tremendous rate of acceleration, our current society is an aberration. There has been no other stable society during the last three thousand-plus years, nor are there many others presently on the planet, in which “normal” change occurred so rapidly. Despite all our modern conveniences and labor saving devices, which were supposed to give us more free time, most people find that they are running ever faster. Whereas one parent used to be home to take care of the children while the other parent worked, both—even when both parents are in the same household—now often must work to maintain the family’s stand of living.
Because our whole society is trapped in roles, this chaos may seem normal. It is not. It is abnormal. Although some people thrive on it, more people every day are becoming burned out. ( )