Your Symptoms Are Real : What to Do When Your Doctor Says Nothing Is Wrong

by Natelson, Benjamin H.

• ISBN13: 9780471740285
• ISBN10: 0471740284
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-26
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Praise for Your Symptoms Are Real "Thank God for this book. It provides the help that millions of Americans with 'silent illnesses' like chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia have been waiting for. Dr. Natelson is a brilliant and compassionate clinician who covers the best treatments that medical science has to offer, along with a thorough consideration of complementary approaches. Short of cloning him, this book offers the specific help you need to work in partnership with your own physician." -Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind "Natelson is the kind of doctor every patient is looking for: smart, thoughtful, empathetic, and supportive. Reading Your Symptoms Are Real is the next best thing to having a world-renowned specialist managing your case." -Charles W. Lapp, M.D., Director of the Hunter-Hopkins Center and Assistant Consulting Professor at Duke University Medical Center "Do not throw up your hands and give up when one doctor after another tells you there is nothing wrong with you-instead, read this book! Benjamin Natelson is the person you have been looking for to guide you on your path to recovery." -Sandra Blakeslee, coauthor of The Body Has a Mind of Its Own "Natelson superbly incorporates research studies, clinical trials (even on drugs in development), and patient case reports in this book. If you are battling pain and fatigue symptoms but your tests are all normal, you will enjoy reading Natelson's pro-patient approach to explaining the real nature of your illness, his recommended treatment approaches, and how to cope with everything that is going on in your life." -Kristin Thorson, editor of the Fibromyalgia Network and President of the American Fibromyalgia Syndrome Association

Author Biography

Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D., is a Professor of neurosciences at New Jersey Medical School and has headed an eighteen-year program of federally funded research into understanding the reasons for severe and long-lasting fatigue and pain. Dr. Natelson also maintains a private practice and has appeared on national media, including Fresh Air and Larry King Live. His previous books are Tomorrow's Doctors and Facing and Fighting Fatigue.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Symptoms, Signs, Syndromes, and Illness: The Path to Understanding Why You Feel Sick
You, Your Symptoms, and Your Doctor	p. 7
Tests You Should Expect and Why	p. 23
What Doctors Know about Medically Unexplained Illnesses	p. 45
When to Seek a Second Opinion and When to See a Specialist	p. 72
Toward Wellness: A Practical Approach to Conquering the "Nothing Wrong" Syndrome
Step One: Getting beyond Depression	p. 97
Step Two: Removing Stress and Improving Sleep	p. 118
Step Three: The Role of Drugs in Relieving Pain, Fatigue, and Poor Sleep	p. 138
Step Four: The Integrative Mind-Body Approach	p. 160
What Else You Need to Know
Complementary Treatments	p. 185
From Complementary Medicine to Quackery	p. 210
Promising Research into the "Invisible Illnesses"	p. 227
Use of the Freeze-Framer	p. 253
Notes	p. 256
Bibliography	p. 261
Index	p. 271
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