Fitness Books

This book is a must read for those travelling the heart journey - meaning both the survivor and the caregiver. Heart disease never goes into remission and the roller coaster ride this #1 killer of women in this country plays, needs to be understood. This book brings knowledge, understanding and compassion to the reader. Although this book is great to keep for reference and re-read, DON'T pass it along to everyone you know and make this a chain-book - a must read!

Kathy Kastan's, From the Heart: A Guide to Living Well with Heart Disease,
brings awareness and understanding to women who are facing emotional challenges AND living well while in the process.

I wish this book had been available to me after my heart attack. I also live with the aftermath of 16 coronary artery stents and a quadruple bypass surgery. This book gives women with heart disease "peace of mind" and validates that you are not alone. While reading this book, you will catch yourself nodding and thinking, "This happened to me. That is where that feeling came from! Now I understand."

One of many messages emanating from this book is to take care of the mind-body-spirit connection: that it will promote healing and assist in living a healthy life. Every woman should be given this book before any heart procedure or surgery, to better understand what to expect emotionally and how to deal with their challenges.

Thank you, Kathy Kastan, for this wonderful book!

Heart disease is the number one killer of women. If you are a "survivor" like me or someone wanting/needing to provide compassionate support to a family member or friend, you want this book. Ms. Kastan provides facts, practical advice and emotional support. I constantly recommend this book to other survivors and health care professionals.

This book what not what I felt was a guide to living with heart disease. It gave me much more to worry about which I didn't need. And alot of the helpful information that is in this book you can get on the American Heart Association website. If you really want a great guide, read "TAKE A LOAD OFF YOUR HEART: 109 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT, HALT AND REVERSE HEART DISEASE by Joseph C. Piscatella. This books is Great! and has just about everything you need to know to help empower you and take control of your health and life.

FROM THE HEART: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO LIVING WELL WITH HEART DISEASE comes from an author who underwent emergency bypass surgery at age 42 - and who had to not only physically recover, but had to find new ways to recover emotionally. It's the first written for women to focus on the emotional repercussions of heart disease rather than just physical symptoms and recovery alone, and surveys topics ranging from regaining a strong self-image and handling fears to telling others about illness and learning to rely upon one's body once more. From gaining support to learning how to exercise without fear, FROM THE HEART is an essential reference any women facing heart disease will need, and should be a popular public library lend.

Yes, this book is well-researched and smartly-written and engaging to boot, but most importantly, it literally changed our childbirth plans. I'd been hoping to have a natural childbirth in a freestanding birth center, but since there are none in my state (!!), I thought I'd go with a natural birth in the hospital, or better yet, in a hospital with birthing rooms. Reading this book made me see that this kind of birth puts you at risk for the exact kinds of things you seek to avoid in a hospital birth. We ended up choosing a homebirth and it was the best decision I've ever made. My birth was beautiful, empowering, and completely safe, though because it was very long, if I had been in a hospital, I would have ended up with a C-section.

I wouldn't trade my homebirth, one of the best experiences of my life, for anything, and I credit this book with helping me come to that choice.

This book is a very good read. Catherine Taylor is a skillful author and though this book is very factual and informative, it reads with the pace, intensity, and "intrigue" of a novel. It is unique among the many birth books I have read in its interweaving of her personal experiences and personal journey, with factual journalistic impressions and stats. I finished this book in two days--it was completely absorbing and interesting. I enjoyed her descriptive style and the verbal portraits of the variety of midwives she encountered. The book also gave me some new perspectives on hospital based CNM practices as compared to traditional midwifery and homebirth-oriented midwifery practices.

In short, this was an enjoyable, informative book!

My number one title to give to women. Easy to read and chock full of truth telling about birthing babies in America today. Delightfully debunks the myths surrounding midwifery with hard facts and a fascinating story.

Ms. Taylor,

I was one month along in my first pregnancy and, without much real thought, I bought your book "Giving Birth." I think I liked the tasteful cover and that it didn't seem to be a dry catalog of what to expect during pregnancy.

I read your book twice during my pregnancy, and it completely changed the way I approached my medical care and how I wanted to give birth. Before reading "Giving Birth," I had just assumed that I would trust the doctor and do whatever he said while I was in the hospital. I naively trusted his and the hospital's authority. But because your writing style is so vivid and thoughtful, I learned a tremendous amount about labor and delivery (going far beyond the mechanics of the process) without even realizing it. I feel like I entered the larger conversation about how best to give birth, and that I acquired a real voice of my own.

My doctor wanted me to shut up and let him do what he thought was best. I switched providers at 37 weeks after realizing that I couldn't just wish him into being the doctor I wanted. (He patted my head at one point and told me that I couldn't possibly know what labor was going to be like, so I shouldn't even plan on trying for an unmedicated birth.) Through a series of comedy of errors with my insurance provider, and the fact that I went into labor at 38 weeks, I wasn't able to switch to the birthing center in time. My original doctor still caught the baby. But I did everything else as I had hoped, with no medical interventions and the majority of my labor at home. (I gave birth thirty minutes after my arrival.)

I gave birth almost six months ago and I have always thought I should find a way to write and thank you. As cheesy as it sounds, your book truly changed my life!

I had a wonderful recovery and I honestly can't wait to give birth again.

I read this book when I was about 4 months pregnant for the first time. Before I became pregnant I had been very interested in birthing and I knew I wanted a natural birth. During my early weeks of pregnancy, while I was overcome by intense nausea and vomiting, I had so much difficulty setting up appointments and birthplaces between my insurance and medical groups that I ended up settling with an OB that was not my first choice. I spent the next months of my pregnancy researching what my options were in my area and my insurance options.

After reading this book I had a much better idea of what I was looking for and within a month my search was complete and the changes had been made. I went to a midwife/OB practice that ran a natural, free-standing birth center, I took Bradley natural childbirth classes along with my husband, and I hired a wonderful doula who worked at the birth center. I chose, for insurance reasons, to labor at home for as long as possible with my doula and then continued my natural birth in a birthing room with the OB that supports natural birthing. Because I arrived at the hospital (with my birthing ball) far along in labor, coping beautifully and had such a supportive doctor, the nurses read my birth plan and immediately respected all my wishes. I labored, moving about the room, and occasionally a nurse would put a dopp-tone to my belly to hear my baby's heart beat while I stayed in focus. Pain medication was never offered and I was asked before even being touched. I felt that I was laboring in a room full of friends.

This book was wonderful to read, helped me really examine what I wanted for my own pregnancy and birth, and gave me insight if I ever decide to go into the childbirth field as a doula or childbirth educator.

I had a beautiful, empowering, healing first birth that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

For my second birth I gave birth at home and it was a life changing experience. I would definitely recommend finding a way to have a home birth with a trained midwife.

I recommend this thoughtful, empowering book to all women and people working in pregnancy, labor and childbirth. I also highly recommend natural birth if that is what you desire. Giving birth was a deeply spiritual experience, and no one can take that from you.

Got this book as a gift for my son whom is into herbs and fitness. I like the book for myself. Since we live in different households, I guess I have to get my own. This book is good to have around. Make it part of your library.

A friend lent me this book and I liked it so much I had to have my own! It has pictures on every page and lists any ailment you can think of and then some. It has two sections, one in the front that explains symptoms and one in the back that explains the herbs and vitamins. Very well done!

so far my favorite book. easy to read and understand. very helpful too.

For each ailment, (acne, depression etc), it provides a list of vitamins that can help solve that ailment. In the second half it lists each vitamin and the amount to take. It's a great way to figure out what supplements can help you, how much to take, and what to look for when shopping for the supplements. It's a wonderful reference book.

THE BEST OF THE BEST:

To put it simply, this is the ideal reference book for the application of vitamins, minerals, and herbs for medicinal purposes. It is the perfect complimentary companion to James Duke's "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook".

ORGANIZED TO BE USER FRIENDLY:

After the introduction which goes through the user basics and preliminaries for the products to be discussed, the book is essentially divided into two main parts -- "AILMENTS" & "SUPPLEMENTS".

The first section ["AILMENTS"] is alphabetically organized by ailment so that you can simply look up some malady like "Heartburn" and you'll find a two-page section organized like this: "What It Is", "What Causes It", "How Supplements Can Help" + "Symptoms", "When To Call A Doctor", "Supplement Recommendations" and "What Else You Can Do". Each ailment's section ends with inserts titled "Facts & Tips" and "The Latest Findings". This is repeated for 90 ailments in precisely the same format, making it very easy retrieve information when you need it -- fast.

The second section ["SUPPLEMENTS"] is alphabetically organized by supplement with each supplement color coded in the table of contents to distinguish between vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Pick a supplement, say "Garlic", and you'll find its entry in the contents and in section two highlighted with green to indicate that it is an herb. Again, there is convention to the listing, it is 2 pages per supplement and is organized like this: "What It Is", "What It Does" ["PREVENTION" & "ADDITIONAL BENEFITS"], plus "Common Uses", "Forms", "Caution!", "How To Take It" ["DOSAGE" & "GUIDELINES FOR USE"], & "Possible Side Effects". Border inserts at the end of each supplement's section include "Shopping Hints" and "The Latest Findings".

Appendices at the end of the book include "Other Supplements", "Glossary" and "Drug Interactions", all of which relate directly to the supplements and ailments that are specifically discussed in the book in at least one of the two main sections. For instance, if a supplement is listed under "Supplement Recommendations" for an ailment in Section 1 and it is not also cross-referenced under "Supplements" in section 2, it will always be included in the "Other Supplements" appendix before the glossary. For example, Bromelain is mentioned several times for ailments, but is not included under supplements with its own heading, so there is an "Other Supplements" listing for it.

OVERALL:

This book is seamlessly-organized and smartly-illustrated making it ideal both as a good read and as a first-aid guide to using supplements prudently. When my 16-year-old daughter asked for a book about supplements this is what I gave her. She still has not returned it. From what I have read here, I am not the only one waiting for this book to return.

The work points to many of the negations in the current health
care delivery systems in the USA. It spends too much money and
the paperwork is burdensome, generally uninformative and
inefficient. The system needs a separation between the doctor
and the pharmaceutical industry because the needs of the general
public demand an independent attitude on the part of physicians.
Emergency rooms are utilized instead of patient clinics.
This contributes to bloated costs. The HMO co-pay can be burdensome for patients. In addition, there is a slow migration
toward the universal health care coverage in order to correct
some of these inefficiencies and distribute the resource to
persons uncovered or undercovered by the present protocols
and medical delivery systems.

In more than 20 years teaching a course focusing on analysis of American health care history and policy, I have yet to discover a more persuasive diagnosis of our health care delivery system's ills or a more convincing case for how to cure them. Dr. Lebow brings to this examination direct experience as a practicing physician from which he draws numerous stirring personal accounts. To his clinical perspective, he adds an extraordinary command of the broader economic and political issues essential for understanding the context and causes of America's current health care crisis epitomized by the alarming number of our country's uninsured--now about 44 million and growing. The book is honest, engaging, and sure to stimulate discussion with its clear prescription for change. With lively prose and strategically placed humor, he makes complex matters understandable. His humanity and passion are the earmarks of a brilliant teacher. Regardless of how deeply you presently understand America's health care system, you can learn from this book. And regardless of your political inclinations in respect to his advocacy of a single-payer solution, you can't ignore his meticulous presentation of the facts or the relentless logic of his conclusions from them.

Health Care Meltdown: Confronting The Myths And Fixing Our Failing System by Robert H. LeBow (former Medical Director of an Idaho community health center for more than 25 years and who was paralyzed in a cycling accident shortly after completing this book) is a clarion wake up call focused upon the medical care system's rampant excesses, over billings, neglects, and quagmires that floods the American health care system to near incapacitation. Over 40,000,000 Americans have no health insurance. This places an unsupportable burden on Emergency Room Care (one the most expensive health care provider resources), and while money is in unnecessary and wasteful bureaucratic and law-suit avoidance oriented testing, far to many people simply go without the medical service they desperately need. A sharply worded criticism that also offers models for reform and improvement, Health Care Meltdown should be mandatory reading for health care providers, citizen health care activists, anyone charged with the responsibility of developing policies and guidelines for managing health care services.

I'd like to give this book 4 stars, but there are just too many holes for me to do so. Dr. Lebow presents many important points, but the book simply is not the answer to our prayers regarding the current healthcare mess.

As Dr. Lebow points out, in the health insurance industry, competition among health insurers has led to less efficiency rather than more efficiency. 10 different credentialing applications, 12 different contract types, no standardization whatsoever and an administrative mess for any doctor who doesn't have the luxury of a seasoned healthcare administrator in his office. Add to that the eligibility trouble. Multiple phone calls for every patient to check eligibility for every appointment. Worst of all, the current health insurance system provides no incentive to managed care to pay for preventive care.

These are the issues that single-payer would fix for the insured population, saving billions of dollars. Dr. Lebow is right on, though I wish he spent as much time on eligibility and insurance company hassles as he did on preventive care. He also does great work in presenting the myths of healthcare today. Many of them can't be repeated enough (like the corporate welfare given to prescription drug companies).

But I have several issues as well.

My biggest complaint is that his solution only delays the inevitable a little longer. He deals only with the healthcare funding system and has little to say about the healthcare delivery system. "Market Driven Healthcare" by Regina Herzlinger and "From Chaos to Care" by David Lawrence offer real long-term solutions to the healthcare delivery problems we face in our current environment. Unless those market principles are imposed on healthcare, single payor will only delay the final implosion of medical care. Once the financial gains from single-payor healthcare are realized and exhausted, the costs will continue to spiral out of control.

Another issue is that he gives few details in the "how" of his solutions. Focusing on prevention and public health is a good and obvious point. Everybody agrees on it, but I don't think simply saying "it will happen once a grassroots movement demands it" is sufficiently descriptive of how he sees prevention and public health becoming the standard. Who will implement it? How?

Because of these problems, Dr. Lebow does not make a convincing case to those in power that change is good for them. He persuades the persuaded brilliantly, but I can't imagine why someone who opposes single-payer would change his mind after reading this book. And those in power are whose minds must be changed if change is to come.

The way I see it, healthcare as we know it is a very young industry. Only 16 years ago, managed care was almost an unkown in the healthcare world. Now, it dominates. Unfortunately, that insurance model grew so quickly there was no way anyone could have planned it properly. Imagine how the computer industry would have destroyed itself if it weren't entirely made up of systems thinkers known for their planning ability. ISO-9000 was brilliant, as is settling on the PC as the standard. Healthcare needs, and is getting, more of that now. HIPAA and state-mandated credentialing applications perfectly demonstrate the government's role in fixing healthcare. It should be a regulator, an agent for the lowly to make sure the big guys play fair, and a standard-setter to make commercial insurance more efficient. But it's entirely too early to declare the market dead and single payer as the only way out of this mess.

As an Adjunct instructor in the Concordia University system, I have had the opportunity to encourage my MBA students to read this book for my Special Topics in Health care class. After reviewing other possible textbooks during the last 6 months, I have decided to now use this text as the basis for my 8-week adult education class. Offering ample examples and 'myths' that portray our fractured health care system of today, this author has summarily provided a springboard for ongoing conversations and possible answers for this country. Granted all, the HC system will not be corrected for some time, but an accounting will be made when the public becomes a focused participant at the table.
As health care professionals, it is our responsibility to study, learn, participate and educate others, as well as ourselves.
This will begin that process and it will be well worth your effort and consideration.
Thank you
ESchwarz, RN, MBA, CCM

Very good review book for Step 1 neuroanatomy section - since this is very high yield. Cover all you need to know to tackle this field on exam. Covers more than FA but is not as exhausting as Kaplan notes.

First Aid is money for most subjects, but it's weak on neuro. This book is a very good balance between too little and too much for this overwhelming subject. The High Yield series keeps improving in quality, and in the newest edition is even better at showing clinical scenarios and integrating other subjects like pathology or physiology (I used an older version and it's still pretty good, though).

I would like to say this is great for course work, but at least at my school they tended to test on obscure minituae hard to find anywhere.

This is all you should need for Step, which does feature a decent dose of neuro (about 10, more like 20 questions). It's also very good at developing as essential foundation of knowledge applicable for future use, which sometimes gets lost when scrambling to cram for course exams.

My big qualm is the pricing. It's a thin book, not a main text. Use the library, borrow it from a friend, split the cost, etc. High Yield makes a nice line of books but they need to trim prices for medical students.

Getting confused with studying anatomy of the brain? This is a book for you! It is far better than dozen of other neuroanatomy books! It gives you a lot of details and it's easy to read, too! I'm studying for the USMLE step 1 exam and I will keep it handy all the time!

The USMLE has become increasingly focused on neuro over the past few years, and First Aid has become more and more inadequate with respect to neuro. This book is a great way to prepare for the neuro questions on Step 1. It's a slender book and is thus a very quick read --- heck, I'm a slow reader and finished it in 2.5 days. At the beginning of the book are several images of brain sections, with arrows pointing to the most important structures. The book also has radiologic images (MRA, MRI, CT) which were very helpful for me when I took Step 1 --- actually, I remember having 3 distinct questions with an accompanying MRA image. The book does a good job of explaining the basic function/organization of the different parts of the brain in a concise manner. There were a few sections that I thought were a little too detailed for Step 1 --- especially the cerebellum section. Overall, though, it's a wonderful book and it will help you to nail the neuro questions on the USMLE.

This is an excellent book and it's really all you need to prepare for your step 1. I used this book and answered every single question on neuro correctly.

Thanks Amy for a great resource that I have given to many people in my congregation as they battle cancer.

This book was educational, inspirational, and very helpful. Since the author is a cancer survivor, she offers hope and encouragement from that perspective.

Dr. Givler has not only the knowledge of a medical doctor, she has personally gone through a diagnosis and the treatment for cancer. When I first read this book, it was as a reviewer for several magazines. I have purchased many copies now to give to people and unfortunately, know there will be more as long as we have the dreaded disease of cancer. If you are facing a diagnosis of cancer, please think about getting this book--or get one for someone you know who needs it. It is warm without sappy sentiment, practical, and like having a trusted medical friend for the journey.

This book is a fantastic resource for all cancer patients, but especially for newly-diagnosed cancer patients. Written by an MD who has cancer, it provides common sense guidance for many aspects of treating and living with cancer. I highly recommend this book for patients who have just been diagnosed. Read this book before you do anything! It is also valuable for cancer patients who have been diagnosed with a recurrence. An easy read, it is well worth the few dollars you will spend to own it.

I'm writing to tell you what comfort I received from reading your book. I read it the first time within two weeks of my husband's diagnosis and the start of chemotherapy. I have reread it again recently, and take it out when I need someone to reassure me God is in control, and to have faith. I often read sections to my husband that I feel will be of the most benefit to continue his incredibly strong belief he can beat it, no matter what the statistics say.

There is so much out there to read that I feel overwhelmed by all the information. However, very few books make you feel BETTER about this very "sucky" situation. Thank you to someone who really needed it, and appreciates it.

This book was hysterical! I laughed all the way through it! I bought this for a friend who will be going through delivery soon and is not happy about it. This gave her a good laugh.

This book about funny labor and delivery stories is great! You always hear about the horror stories, but this one puts a new twist on them, and makes them very funny! I really loved it!

Not informative, but a great set of laughs to ease a stressfull time.

I liked this book cause it has lots of real, actual stories of childbirth, from the moms, dads, docs, nurses, doulas, and more. Its very funny! I've had one child and am pregnant with my second, so it was great reading about an experience I've been through once and will go through again in a few months.

Bleidner has put together a funny and realistic look at the process of childbirth, blending true stories of twists and turns of having a baby with a hilarious sense of humor. Most of these stories are laugh out loud funny and many tug at the heartstrings as well. Any mother about to give birth or who has already done so will identify with a good many of these stories. My only dislike was the addition of the celebrities' stories because most added very little to the cohesiveness of the tales and weren't very interesting to boot. But overall, this is a fun book which should bring a smile to the face of mothers everywhere.

I can't praise the author of this book highly enough. He has created a comprehensive, readable and thoroughly engaging reference including almost every drug found in society today. The bulleted notes found at the beginning of every chapter were some of the most helpful I have found; indicating risk factors, addiction potential, chemical makeup and street names. Antic dotes keep the subject matter fun and well-cited scientific facts lend credibility to the oft surprising statements. I wish the author had included a more extensive section on legal substances like alcohol, but it's a small issue in the face of all the other information included. A must read for anyone interested in drug culture or for parents seeking an informed point of view on the subject.

This is an excellent, informative book. The reviewer who said this book lacks cites is correct. Otherwise, it is money well spent.

Doesn't seem like a fact is missed inside this cherished masterpiece. If your a cop, corrections officer, medic, lawyer, everyone can stand to learn something from this book.

This is a great, informative book about both illegal and legal drugs from A to Z. It also goes into depths about the whole drug war. After reading it, I can see what a scam the 'War on Drugs' was and still is today. It is all about the media twisting our thoughts into what they and people in power want us to believe. Reading this book encouraged me to learn more about the subject. It turns out that the whole war on drugs was largely started due to Harry Anslinger, the first Drug Czar, being a racist. He hated Chinese immigrants who used opium, Mexicans who used marijuana, and African Americans who used cocaine. Of course, Caucasian Americans also used these drugs, but that's not the demographic he focused on.

I actually used to believe all the crap that the government feeds us about how bad drugs are and how they destroy communities and what not. This may be true for a small percentage of cases, but you have to ask yourself, what about the 200,000 people that die every year from alcohol and the over 400,000 that die every year from tobacco, and those drugs are legal. Furthermore, even if illegal drugs are "bad" (by the way, combined, they only kill 5,000-8,000 people per year according to this book), who has the right to tell anybody what they can put in their own bodies? Who has the right to lock somebody up when the only person they endanger is their self? Illegal drugs, just like legal drugs, have potential for abuse and because of this, they should be treated as a health epidemic and not a crime. The government should spend their money teaching people about drugs instead of throwing them in jail. And when I say teaching people about drugs, I don't mean inflate the facts and lie to people, I mean actually tell the truths and let them make their own decisions.

A century ago, people would probably have cringed at the idea of our government exercising so much authority over us. The bottom line is that the whole thing is unconstitutional; not that that seems to make a difference in this day and age. People need to read books like this one and learn how we are being manipulated and having our personal liberties eroded before it goes too far. Just look at the Patriot Act and this whole North American Union concept.

Buy this book, read it, and let the facts speak for themselves.

Paul Gahlinger does an excellent job of finding "all" of the 178 or whatever number he says is the number of illegal drugs in (I guess) America. He readily admits that the war on drugs is not working, but then compliments the DEA on its extreme efforts to curve the war on them. This is a rather old subject of thought that has been updated time and time again. He is an MD from Utah, so remember that as you read. On many of the issues he raises he is correct, but on several he not. For example, he states that caffeine (on page 180) is "highly addictive, creating both physical and phychological dependence after as little as 100mg a day." Now, if that were true, most of my friends and I would be in the ER every other day!! Goodness. This is totally false and he knows it. Also in the book he includes the deaths of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe to get his point across that almost everything except water is not good for you-- or can be addicting. His data at times is two sentences, and his sources are questionable, because they are not listed. I must admit he covers just about any, and I do mean any substance that could used to make something illegal. But Dr. Gahlinger is missing the point. We also have outlawed murder, but it still happens. There are laws against theft, but people steal. I had a student tell me he gets stoned sniffing gasoline, so does the author want to outlaw gasoline also? The US laws are full of these draconian statutes which give the government unlimited power of seizure already. One legislator in congress said recently the US cannot afford to win the war on drugs because it has become too lucrative for the DEA and other governmental agencies. The author says knowledge is the only way to win the war on drugs..haven't we done DARE for 15 years now? It does NOT work. This is a very good text on the history of illegal drug use, but is a little weak on the pharmaceutical aspects or dynamics of how medications become addictive to human beings. Can anyone say the drug problems of the 70s are any better now, almost 40 years later? I do question some of his numbers and science, but as far as covering a subject matter, this is a fine addition to anyone's library. Just double check the numbers before using it as a reference. guyairey

The best book I've found on Fibromyalgia. Who better to write on fm than a medical doctor who both specializes in fm and actually has the disease (yes, disease) himself? As a new fm patient, I found this book to be the most comprehensive, medically sound, and practical for helping to diagnose and treat fm. It even helped with my diagnosis. Another good source is "Living Well with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia" by Mary Shomon (another patient, but not a medical doctor; however, her book seems incredibly well researched. How did she find the energy?) A warning, "Fibromyalgia for Dummies" is an imcomplete piece of fluff, a waste of paper. (See my scathing review of it.) I agree with the reviews below, "Inside Fibromyaligia" is the first choice for fm patients. Thank you Mark Pellegrino.

This book helped me understand Fibromyalgia. It is well written and broken down into easy to understand chapters. If you are new to Fibromyalgia this is the book for you.

This book is full of practical suggestions for every facet of life with FMS - work, vacations, housework, etc. There is an illustrated series of stretching exercizes that are very helpful. I think this book is most different from others in its use of humor. If you don't have a sense of humor, you need to develop one with FMS, when "fibro-fog" becomes a way of life.
Dr. Pellegrino deserves a better editor - several typographical errors mar what is otherwise a wonderful book.

While this is not the first book I think fibro patients should have, that honor goes to the old version of Janet Hulme's Handbook, this is probably the second book a newly diagnosed person should read. The third one should be the Starlanyl.

While about a third of the information in Inside Fibromyalgia is generic and found in many other books, the other two thirds of the book contains his suggestions about how to modify activities of daily living, specific exercises to relieve pain in specific parts of the body and HUMOR make this an absolute must read and re-read. (you know how quickly we forget!!)

Inside Fibroy... is an awesome book that I highly recommend reading and following to anyone who suffers from fibro. I do not however recommend that anyone actually track Dr. Pellegrino down in Ohio to see him personally. It is not worth the $200 which he demands up front. You can get more out of the book. He is more concerned with the bottom line than helping his patients especailly those who travel from out of town to see him. Unlike what he says in his book he will not write a detailed letter to employers to help them understand fibro or to help the fibro patient obtain restrictions or job modifications. I would recommend showing the book to your employer. The book is very helpful, in person the doctor is not.

This book gave me a great amount of knowledge and detail about Lupus. However, I especially enjoyed the author's table talk approach. The text was not weighted down with too many medical terms. Instead, the author did an excellent job of sharing her everyday battles and victories with Lupus. The encouraging words and advice she offers can be applied to improve everyday life, not only those living and battling with Lupus. Excellent!

I have had two family members to die from Lupus. And I still didn't have a clue of what it was. This book gave me great knowledge of the disease. It also gave me insight of what my family members were going through. I really enjoyed the book.

This is an excellent book full of inspiring and informative information. It is a good book to read even for people who are not suffering from Lupus."If it got any better I could not stand it".

I thought this book was very informative to read with or without having lupus. It's very detailed about letting you know what a person wiht lupus goes through no matter how healthy they may appear on the outside. The book has wonderful stories about the writer trials and tribulations and how she personally beat lupus. This book was motivational and funny and it's a great book to read if you have or know someone that has lupus.

I enjoyed the book more than I expected too. I first picked it up expecting to just scam throught it but I just couldn't put it down. It offered hands on life details of a real person sufferng from lupus. I really didn't know alot about this hidden disease, but found out alot once I read the book. It was also many parts in the books that made me cry mainly because I began to put myself in the authors shoes. It was an excellent book to me.