The author of this title has been a fibromyalgia sufferer since childhood. This book is focused on providing the fibromyalgia patient with simple tips that could make the world of difference in dealing with those every day tasks that now seem so difficult and overwhelming.

Chapters are devoted to coping with household chores, work, traveling and how to live with fibromyalgia AND have happy relationships with a partner, friends and family.

Also included are tips for improving quality of sleep and information regarding diet and supplementation that may help improve your condition.

This book could be the lifeline that is needed by those who are struggling with day to day living and need simple tips rather than being baffled by medical and scientific terms.

Being written by a rheumatologist and a writer specializing in health and relationships makes this a well balanced book.

The latest fibromyalgia research is presented along with the latest treatment information. The treatments covered range from COX-2 inhibitor drugs which stop inflammation without the serious side-effects of steroids to nutritional supplements such as 5-HTP and SAMe which may help sleep and mood.

Specially developed exercises aimed at reducing deep muscle pain, increasing strength and energy, and alleviating stress and anxiety are described in detail.

The book manages to cover a huge range of treatments from both conventional and alternative medicine points of view that may resolve symptoms and help improve fibromyalgia patients quality of life. The complementary/alternative therapies information is extensive and covers homeopathy, chiropractic, guaifenesin, and ayurveda, amongst others. The chapter on improving sleep is particularly helpful and this has been commented on in many reviews by fibromyalgia sufferers.

Not as in depth in terms of research and medical information as some other titles but a good easy to read guide none the less.

This book can't be recommended highly enough for anybody suffering from fibromyalgia. It is, like the title says, a "survival manual".

Written by two fibromyalgia patients, one an M.D., the other a psychologist, it provides both detailed medical information regarding research and treatment options as well as practical information regarding coping with the illness day to day, dealing with relationship issues and other concerns, all in a compassionate an easy to follow manner.

The book discusses myofascial pain syndrome and its connection to fibromyalgia in detail. These condtions often occur together so it is great to have information about both in the same book.

There is also extensive information about trigger points, the specific areas of pain and tenderness that occur in fibromyalgia and are used for official diagnosis. The information is backed up with clear illustrations which greatly add to the reader's understanding.

An entire chapter is devoted to guaifenesin treatment and the theories of Dr. St. Amand. This seems to be one of the most successful treatent approaches available for fibromyalgia, going by anecdotal reports, and one of the authors of this book states that she was helped immensely by it and would not have been able to write the book without having used it.

This is a most comprehensive resource which covers all bases in detail. Treatment is covered from both a conventional and alternative viewpoint, there is a wealth of practical advice including how to deal with doctors, and everything is well laid out. There is little to argue against this book so I do not hesitate to recommend it.

For those suffering from the excruciating pain of fibromyalgia whose only relief so far has come from powerful pain medications, with equally powerful side-effects, this book and the treatment protocol it describes may well offer great hope.

One of the authors is a medical doctor who himself suffered from fibromyalgia for 15 years. In researching the condition in the hope of successfully treating himself he developed the treatment program described in this book.

Dr. St. Amand believes that fibromyalgia patients fail to rid their bodies of phosphate and oxalate through the kidneys/urine as healthy people would. This results in these substances building up in the tissues and causing the characteristic pain and tenderness of the illness. Treatment involves taking guaifenesin, a common ingredient in cough medicine, which causes the excretion of phosphate and oxalate. According to the book, patients must also avoid all foods and topical products that contain salicylates as they interfere with the action of guaifenesin. Finally a low carbohydrate diet must be undertaken to control hypoglycemia which Dr. St. Amand states as being a major problem in fibromyalgia.

The jury is still out on whether the theories of Dr. St. Amand are correct but from what we know about fibromyalgia they certainly appear plausible at least. They do seem a little simplified however considering the numerous other abnormalities that have been detected in fibromyalgia patients.

Since I myself do not suffer from fibromyalgia, rather CFS, I have not tried the guaifenesin protocol and therefore cannot comment from direct experience on whether it is effective or not. It's worth mentioning however that a quick search online reveals many many stories of people who report that they have been greatly helped by Dr. St. Amands treatment protocol. A quick look at the Amazon.com page for the book reveals 199 ratings, impressive in itself, with the vast majority giving 5/5 accompanied by glowing reviews.

With the lack of side-effects involved with guaifenesin treatment it would seem that reading this book and trying the treatment protocol would be worthwhile for any fibromyalgia patient.