"What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Fibromyalgia"
An Overview

     This book differs from others about fibromyalgia because it offers a treatment for reversing the disease. However, we were careful to include material about the disease itself, with whole chapters dedicated to clusters of symptoms such as:

• fatigue
• irritable bowel and bladder
• vulvodynia
• skin irritations

The Overview

Part I: The plan for conquering fibromyalgia

     The first part of this book is an invitation. We will tell you about fibromyalgia, about ourselves and what this book has to offer you. We will explain what we do and why we do it, so you can decide for yourself if you're a candidate for our protocol. Even if you think you might not be, this book has lots of useful information about fibromyalgia itself. We have a whole chapter about the medication we use and another about the things you need to know before you start using it. There's a chapter on hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, because so many fibromyalgics have this problem. It will help you decide if you need to be on a special diet and then explains what the diet is. The last chapter is a concise, step-by-step explanation of the protol, one that you can refer back to when you have questions.

Part II: Understanding the many facets of fibromyalgia

     This section goes into a lot more detail about Fibromyalgia. Each of the chapters deals with a cluster of symptoms or a syndrome. Each of these will help you understand your body and how fibromyalgia affects it. The chapters also provide some solutions for coping and controlling your symptoms until the guaifenesin makes them go away. We've also included quotations from fibromyalgia patients about their experiences and yours. We hope you'll find those interesting and that you'll come to understand that you are far from alone.

Part III: Strategies for the road back

     Unlike the chapters in Part II, these chapters are not specifically about treating fibromyalgia and its syndromes. Rather, these are about practical, everyday matters: coping with your job, your family and home, your other medications and treatments. We offer this information to help you cope every day. Undoubtedly, you will learn some things your own doctor has not told you, or that you have not learned from other sources. We hope you will benefit from the information and that it will help you anticipate and begin your guaifenesin treatment.

Table of Contents

Part I: The Plan for conquering fibromyalgia

1. An invitation to join us and find your way back to health
2. The fibromyalgia syndrome: An overview of symptoms and causes
3. Guaifenesin: How and why it works
4. Know thine enemy: Salicylates
5. Hypoglycemia, fibroglycemia and carbohydrate intolerance
6. The protocol

Part II: Understanding the many facets of fibromyalgia

7. Genitourinary syndromes
8. The irritable bowel syndrome: Fibrogut
9. The brain symptoms: Chronic fatigue, fibrofog, fibrofrustration
10. Other symptoms
11. Pediatric fibromyalgia

Part III: Strategies for the road back

12. Medical Band-Aids: Currently accepted treatments for fibromyalgia - What you don't know can hurt you
13. Coping with fibromyalgia: What will help while guaifenesin heals your body?

Appendices

1. One thousand of the most common natural salicylates to avoid
2. A 40-page glossary of medical terms related to fibromyalgia, common medications and more
3. A technical appendix for physicians and other medical professionals with journal references
4. A 20-page section of resources for fibromyalgia and its related syndromes. This includes phone numbers and Web sites of local and national organizations, videotapes and recommended books. There is a list of phone numbers and Web sites for cosmetic companies, and a section on mail order products for hypoglycemia and fibromyalgia.