The Woman’s Fibromyalgia Toolkit

Manage Your Symptoms and Take Control of Your Life
Dawn A. Marcus, M.D., and Atul Deodhar, M.D.

Publication Date: March 2012
Price: $15.95
ISBN 13: 978-0-9823219-6-6
Trade Paperback: 288 pages
Size: 6 x 9 inches

The Woman’s Fibromyalgia Toolkit provides clear and practical instructions to help women change their lives and effectively manage their symptoms. It gives readers the information they need to take control of fibromyalgia symptoms. It includes step-by-step instructions for using effective non-drug treatments, including exercises, yoga, and relaxation techniques; a discussion of what to expect from prescription medications; and what nutritional supplements may be helpful.

Effective fibromyalgia treatment usually requires the holistic, comprehensive approach presented in this book, one that addresses sleep patterns, exercise habits, and mood, in addition to drug therapies. Tailoring these treatments to fibromyalgia symptoms is essential. For example, while exercise is helpful for most women with fibromyalgia, it is important to develop an exercise program that can be started and advanced without causing undue fibromyalgia flares. The comprehensive chapters on exercise and yoga can be used both for developing an individual plan or in classes targeted to women with fibromyalgia.

The Toolkit provides readers with a broad sample of tools to help them discover the most effective treatment strategy for their fibromyalgia symptoms. A chapter on planning for pregnancy will help women use safer and effective treatments while trying to get pregnant, during pregnancy, and after the baby is born when you might be nursing.

Exercise is probably the most helpful treatment for managing the symptoms of fibromyalgia and the one that most physicians focus on the least. For this reason, the chapters on exercise and yoga provide a comprehensive and detailed program, clearly illustrated, that can be used by anyone with fibromyalgia. It is available separately as a 64-page booklet that can be used by support groups and fitness instructors. Contact the publisher for details.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dawn A. Marcus, M.D. is a board-certified neurologist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she specializes in headache and pain management, including the pain and related symptoms of fibromyalgia. Dr. Marcus has been the lead researcher for numerous studies investigating women’s migraine. Her interests including treating migraines in children, menstrual migraine, and migraine during pregnancy.

Atul Deodhar, MD, is a Professor in the Division of Arthritis & Rheumatic Diseases at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR.

CONTENTS

Part I: The Basics
1. About fibromyalgia
2. Who gets fibromyalgia

Part II: Fibromyalgia Symptoms and the Science Behind the Disease
3. Fibromyalgia is more than just pain
4. Fibromyalgia—is it or isn’t it? Why your doctor might be unsure of your diagnosis
5. What causes fibromyalgia

Part III: Fibromyalgia Treatments that Really Work
6. Exercise and physical treatments
7. Behavioral strategies and lifestyle changes for fibromyalgia
8. What medications really help and which ones don’t
9. Nutritional products and supplements
10. Planning for pregnancy when you have fibromyalgia

Part IV: Putting Knowledge Into Practice
11. Measuring success
12. Talking to your doctor about fibromyalgia
13. Where to get more information: A guide to fibromyalgia resources

Glossary