Your Symptoms Are Real: What to Do When Your Doctor Says Nothing Is Wrong
If you're one of the millions of people who suffer from debilitating pain or chronic fatigue that has gone undiagnosed, it is possible that your symptoms are caused by an "invisible illness" such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). Because your symptoms are undetectable, your doctor may have misdiagnosed you or told you there's nothing wrong, or, worse yet, that it's all in your head.Now help is at hand. In this insightful book, Dr. Benjamin Natelson draws on his eighteen  years of  dedicated research into  "invisible illnesses" that defy medical explanation to reassure you that your symptoms are real and empower you to take charge of your health with a step-by-step blueprint to wellness. First, he addresses you—your feelings, your symptoms, and the options available to you despite the diagnoses or treatments you may have already received. Next, he arms you with the simple tools you need to seek out the doctors and specialists who are most likely to recognize and treat your symptoms and explains how to talk with them so that they'll actually listen. Finally, he explains the dietary, medicinal, and gentle physical conditioning programs that can gradually help relieve your symptoms and offers a look at the cutting-edge research and promising treatments that are on the horizon.You'll learn how alternative treatments such as acupuncture and hypnosis and stress relievers (including exercise and imaging techniques) can help ease your symptoms. You'll also discover how to budget your energy effectively in order to work with your fatigue and how changing what—and how—you eat can help you feel better. Throughout the book, Dr. Natelson includes case histories sharing lessons others have learned along the way to taking charge of their health.If you—like millions of others—feel alone and powerless against the chronic pain and fatigue you're faced with every day, this book is the weapon you need to take charge of your health and get your life back.