A guide to women's health, including information on breast cancer, AIDS, pregnancy and childbirth, and medical practices and procedures.

    A neurologist's insightful and compassionate look into the misunderstood world of psychosomatic disorders, told through individual case histories

    But you may not know that migraine actually is a neurological disease. Affecting one in five women, one in twenty men, and one in twenty children, it's a debilitating, complex, and chronic condition that manifests in a combination of symptoms that can include excruciating head pain as well as other distinctive physical and emotional effects. Yet it's also a disease that you can get control of, improve, and manage, as Dr. Carolyn Bernstein has discovered in her seventeen years as a Harvard Medical School faculty member and practicing neurologist. Praised for her excellence and compassion, the founder of the Women's Headache Center near Boston, and a migraine sufferer herself, Dr. Bernstein has helped hundreds of her patients get better. Now, with "The Migraine Brain, " the most comprehensive, up-to-the-minute book on migraines ever written, you will be able to do the same -- reduce the frequency and intensity of your migraines, learn how to prevent and curtail them and how to recover from them more quickly, and mitigate migraine's effects on every aspect of your life: in the workplace and at home and during sex and travel. Every migraine is different because everyone who gets a migraine has a distinctive "Migraine Brain" with its own sensitivities and triggers. That's why it's so important for you to develop a personalized wellness plan to radically reduce the number and severity of your migraines. Dr. Bernstein also explains why migraines happen, why they are so often misdiagnosed, and why so few people get the right treatment for them. She reveals the latest research that shows that Migraine Brains share a hypersensitivity to stimuli -- the Migraine Brain can actually look different from others on a brain scan -- and is more likely to experience a cascade of neurological reactions that give rise to the common clusters of migraine symptoms. This breakthrough medical knowledge makes treatment and recovery possible w

    

    Afrin started coming to understand that a newly recognized type of mast cell disease, now called mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), was the underlying diagnosis in many patients he was seeing who were each suffering large assortments — quite different from one patient to the next — of chronic multisystem inflammatory illnesses of unclear cause. Dr. Afrin soon gained experience that MCAS is far more prevalent than the only mast cell disease previously known to medicine (the rare disease of mastocytosis) and that most MCAS patients, once accurately diagnosed, can eventually find significantly helpful medications targeted at the disease. The frequency and magnitude of the improvements Dr. Afrin has seen — even the relief that comes from finally having a unifying diagnosis other than "psychosomatism" — have spurred him to focus in this area, not only tending to the needs of his patients but also pursuing research to advance our understanding of the disease and helping to educate other professionals who in turn can help even more of the many people who have long been suffering not only the symptoms of the disease but also the natural concern of not understanding why one would be so "unlucky" to have acquired so many medical problems. As it turns out, such patients are not so unlucky and truly have just one root issue (and a very common one at that), which has the biological capability to develop, directly or indirectly, into most or all of their previously diagnosed problems. There is a great deal yet to learn about this, but even with just the present very limited understanding, the opportunity to diagnose and help patients with MCAS seems to be enormous and Dr. Afrin felt a description of the disease, written for the general public, might help lead some MCAS patients on a journey to diagnosis and improvement sooner rather than later. Dr. Afrin hopes this book will help people who might have, or do have, MCAS. A portion of the proceeds of purchases of this book will go to support research and education in this area.

    This latest book gives you a precise regimen for self-treatment along with extensive information on other resources now available to you.

    One MRI later, she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and told to pick a drug and accept her fate. Instead Jody starts asking questions--only to receive a different diagnosis from each specialist she turns to, from vitamin deficiencies to metal toxicity to depression.In this powerful, witty, and eye-opening account of her misadventures from misdiagnosis to miraculous recovery, Jody offers insightful tips on how to ask doctors the right questions to get the answers and treatment you need, listen to your body, and choose health over illness. After all, while we can't always heal, we can always take control of our health and ourselves--starting now.

    These include learning to reduce the stress response and stressors, practicing long-term resilience habits, and putting positive psychology research into action. These various perspectives provide a multilayered framework for understanding stress and approaching stress management that is inspirational, action-oriented, and backed by foundational and recent knowledge in the field.The quick-to-read “8 keys” format of the book can be utilized on many levels so that busy readers can quickly find relief from stress.

    Cohen was twenty-five years old. He was a young television news producer with expectations of a limitless future, and his foreboding that his health was not quite right turned into the harsh reality that something was very wrong when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For thirty years Cohen has done battle with MS, only to be ambushed by two bouts of colon cancer at the end of the millennium. And yet, he has writ-ten a hopeful book about celebrating life and coping with chronic illness."Welcome to my world," writes Cohen, "where I carry around dreams, a few diseases, and the determination to live life my way. This book is my daily conversation with myself, a chronicle of the struggles in that exotic place just north of the neck. At the moment, my attitude checks out well. I do believe I'm winning."Autobiographical at its roots, reportorial, and expansive, Blindsided explores the effects of illness on raising three children and on his relationship with his wife, Meredith Vieira (host of ABC's The View and the syndicated Who Wants To Be A Millionaire). Cohen tackles the nature of denial and resilience, the ins and outs of the struggle for emotional health, and the redemptive effects of a loving family. And while he may not have chosen to live with illness, illness did choose him. Written with grace, humor, and lyrical prose, Blindsided presents a life brimming over with accomplishment and joy in adversity.

    Managing Pain Before It Manages You offers just that--a program to help you reduce your pain and learn coping skills to get your life back. Developed over the author’s many years of working with chronic pain sufferers, this program has been proven effective. Program participants report that they have been able to take control of their pain and cut their doctor visits by more than one third! Straightforward and compassionate, this hands-on guide provides detailed information plus step-by-step techniques, activities, and worksheets (perforated for easy removal and photocopying). Dr. Margaret Caudill helps you: *Understand the causes of chronic pain *Recognize what increases and decreases your pain symptoms *Reduce your pain and emotional distress *Learn effective problem solving *Make informed decisions about medications and nutritional therapies *Incorporate relaxation, meditation, and gentle exercise into your daily routine *Communicate effectively about your pain *Set realistic goals New to the Third Edition Thoroughly revised and updated, the third edition includes the latest information on medications and other clinically proven treatment strategies, expanded coverage of specific pain disorders, and a new appendix featuring Internet resources. Plus, readers can download free MP3 audio files of three of the guided relaxation exercises in the book (one hour total). Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book of Merit

    After embarking on a journey of healing using mind-body techniques, she realized the secret to health, happiness, and success was to let go of trying so hard and face the fear that had ruled her life. Many of us are addicted to struggling and trying so hard to make things happen. We feel emotionally dissatisfied and physically exhausted or even ill. We have a nagging sense that there must be more to life than what we are getting. We apply ourselves to reaching our goals, only to find out that we pay a price in the form of stress and tension. In The Art of Effortless Living, Dr. Bacci presents clear, simple techniques for developing an effortless lifestyle. Through breathing exercises, meditation, visualization, bodywork and tapping into unconscious guidance, you can learn how to achieve a more fulfilling life—by doing less.

    Like many girls, Daphne Oz struggled with her weight as a teenager and hated the extreme restrictions of fad diets. She wanted to find a healthy lifestyle solution that would let her enjoy a full college experience without packing on the proverbial Freshman 15. But could it be done?With the help of her father and grandfather, both cardiac surgeons, and her mother and grandmother, both holistic nutrition advisors, Daphne developed a whole new approach to managing her weight. How well did it work? You be the judge: In her first semester of college, she not only skipped the typical beer-and-pizza-fueled weight gain—she lost 10 pounds and became healthier than she had ever been.The transition to college life presents a golden opportunity to seize control of your health for good, and now the secrets of Daphne's success are available to you in The Dorm Room Diet.Get inspired. Get informed. Get started!In this revised and updated edition of her national bestseller, Daphne shows you how to:stop eating out of emotional need navigate the most common danger zones for unhealthy eating, such as eating on the run, late-night studying, sporting events, and parties get the exercise you need, even in your dorm room choose vitamins and supplements wiselyDaphne also includes recipes that you can prepare in your dorm room or kitchen (including vegan and gluten-free dishes), and an informative, new section on "conscious eating," explaining how your food choices affect your health and the planet.The Dorm Room Diet will empower you to use your newfound independence to create a healthy lifestyle while in college—and for the rest of your life.

    Half of the United States population suffers from these invisible illnesses where their symptoms are not always obvious to the casual observer. Among them is Karen Duffy, New York Times-bestselling author, former MTV DJ, Revlon model, and actress: she suffers from sarcoidosis, a disorder that causes the growth of inflammatory cells on different organs of the body. In her case, her sarcoidosis is located in her brain, causing her unimaginable pain. For two decades, Duffy has managed to live a full life, despite living in a state of constant pain. In Backbone, a powerful, inspirational, funny, and important manual for surviving pain, Duffy draws on her experience as a patient advocate, trained recreational therapist, and hospice chaplain to illuminate gratifying methods people can use to cope with chronic pain. Backbone is for the massive population of sufferers who are eager to be understood and helped and sends the message that despite the pain, there is a way to seek a good life.

    And yet, so much is still misunderstood about this chronic disorder. Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia is an invaluable resource for understanding fibromyalgia and its debilitating symptoms.Those living with fibromyalgia know it is an invasive disorder, one that can cause overwhelming fatigue, joint stiffness, sleep problems, migraines, digestive problems, and troubles with memory and concentration, a symptom so common it is often referred to as “fibrofog.” While it's believed that humans have suffered from fibromyalgia for hundreds, even thousands, of years, a delay in medical research means many people living with fibromyalgia are still in the dark, confused by their symptoms and what causes the painful disorder. By drawing upon decades of advanced research in studying and treating fibromyalgia, Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia combines anecdotes from real cases with expertise from Mayo Clinic’s rheumatology and chronic pain experts to provide an all-encompassing guide for understanding one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting Americans today. This book also offers reasonable, proven strategies—like worksheets to help readers craft a personalized daily plan—for managing common fibromyalgia symptoms, while serving as a comforting guide for those who may feel alone in their journey with fibromyalgia.  This book breaks down what fibromyalgia is—and isn’t—in 4 separate sections: ·       Section 1 introduces fibromyalgia, the history and modern discoveries of fibromyalgia research, as well as common myths and misconceptions associated with the condition ·       Section 2 outlines the different treatment options available to those who suffer from fibromyalgia, including prescription medications, therapies, and forms of integrative medicine ·       Section 3 offers helpful tips for managing—and improving—chronic pain through diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management ·       Finally, Section 4 explains how to find guidance and support from your family, friends, and physicians to help you live a life unhindered by fibromyalgia If you’re struggling to advance past your painful fibromyalgia symptoms, get the book Publisher’s Weekly described as “the first [book] a newly diagnosed patient should consult.”