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

by Benjamin H. Natelson

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470469057
Publisher:	Trade Paper Press
Publication date:	05/18/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	517 KB

About the Author

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.

Introduction.

PART ONE Symptoms, Signs, Syndromes, and Illness: The Path to Understanding Why You Feel Sick.

1. You, Your Symptoms, and Your Doctor.

2. Tests You Should Expect and Why.

3. What Doctors Know about Medically Unexplained Illnesses.

4. When to Seek a Second Opinion and When to See a Specialist.

PART TWO Toward Wellness: A Practical Approach to Conquering the “Nothing Wrong” Syndrome.

5. Step One: Getting beyond Depression.

6. Step Two: Removing Stress and Improving Sleep.

7. Step Three: The Role of Drugs in Relieving Pain, Fatigue, and Poor Sleep.

8. Step Four: The Integrative Mind-Body Approach.

PART THREE What Else You Need to Know.

9. Complementary Treatments.

10. From Complementary Medicine to Quackery.

11. Promising Research into the “Invisible Illnesses”.

Appendix: Use of the Freeze-Framer.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Those suffering from an invisible illness will find many useful strategies in Natelson's (neurosciences, New Jersey Medical Sch.; Facing and Fighting Fatigue: A Practical Approach) latest book. His "strategy to wellness" includes diagnostic and therapeutic medical advice to provide relief from illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia. While many physicians write off these illnesses as somatization disorders (a diagnosis commonly applied to patients complaining of symptoms whose cause cannot be identified), Natelson explains how stress, depression, and lack of sleep can aggravate symptoms. His detailed approach includes finding and working with the right doctor to determine a correct diagnosis; using therapeutic methods such as exercise and stress management; and looking to both traditional drug treatments and complementary medicine. While a very useful resource for patients, the work contains terminology and medical concepts that may be difficult for some readers. Also, instead of referring readers to a reference librarian for further information, Natelson suggests they use their favorite search engine. Even so, his advice may benefit patients who do not know where else to turn for help. Recommended for public libraries and consumer health collections.
—Dana Ladd

Library Journal