Fibromyalgia - by Stacie L Bigelow (Paperback)

About the Book

A health educator and counsel--and one of the more than 5 million Americans afflicted with a chronic pain condition known as fibromyalgia--draws on her personal experience helping herself and others to pen this motivational guide to safe and effective pain-relieving exercises.

Book Synopsis

This caring and knowledgeable guide can

help you feel better--starting now

Fibromyalgia causes muscle stiffness and pain, debilitatingfatigue, and numerous other symptoms. Most frustrating of all, people with fibromyalgia syndrome don't look sick; standard testsfor injury or chemical imbalances often show nothing wrong. But ifyou suffer from fibromyalgia, you know that your disease is real, and so is your pain. It's natural to feel discouraged--but don'tgive up! In Fibromyalgia: Simple Relief through Movement, Stacie L.Bigelow--a motivational health counselor and FMS suffererherself--gives hope to everyone with fibromyalgia with a simpleprogram designed to help you benefit from the one thing that isknown to help: movement.

"The most important key to managing muscles affected byfibromyalgia," writes Bigelow, "is to keep them moving." Drawing onnew medical understanding of fibromyalgia as well as her patients'and her own experiences, she explains what the disease is and howto implement an effective plan. She shows you:
* Why traditional exercise programs are not for you
* Which activities will reduce your pain--and which might increaseit
* How to balance your daily needs for healing rest andmovement
* How (and whether) to use muscle conditioning to decreasepain
* How to stretch properly to reduce pain
* How to communicate your needs to family members, coworkers, andhealth care providers

Presenting clear and specific advice on how to use movement safelyand effectively to ease the pain of fibromyalgia, this caring, knowledgeable guide will give you an optimistic new mind-set aboutyour pain, your body, and your future.

From the Back Cover

This caring and knowledgeable guide can

help you feel better--starting now

Fibromyalgia causes muscle stiffness and pain, debilitating fatigue, and numerous other symptoms. Most frustrating of all, people with fibromyalgia syndrome don't look sick; standard tests for injury or chemical imbalances often show nothing wrong. But if you suffer from fibromyalgia, you know that your disease is real, and so is your pain. It's natural to feel discouraged--but don't give up! In Fibromyalgia: Simple Relief through Movement, Stacie L. Bigelow--a motivational health counselor and FMS sufferer herself--gives hope to everyone with fibromyalgia with a simple program designed to help you benefit from the one thing that is known to help: movement.

"The most important key to managing muscles affected by fibromyalgia," writes Bigelow, "is to keep them moving." Drawing on new medical understanding of fibromyalgia as well as her patients' and her own experiences, she explains what the disease is and how to implement an effective plan. She shows you:

• Why traditional exercise programs are not for you
• Which activities will reduce your pain--and which might increase it
• How to balance your daily needs for healing rest and movement
• How (and whether) to use muscle conditioning to decrease pain
• How to stretch properly to reduce pain
• How to communicate your needs to family members, coworkers, and health care providers

Presenting clear and specific advice on how to use movement safely and effectively to ease the pain of fibromyalgia, this caring, knowledgeable guide will give you an optimistic new mind-set about your pain, your body, and your future.

About the Author

STACIE L. BIGELOW, M.A., is a health educator, researcher, and counselor who has had fibromyalgia syndrome for nearly ten years. She is the author of many health improvement courses used in a variety of settings and is an adjunct instructor of psychology at Adler Graduate School in Minnesota. With a degree in health counseling, she helps her patients improve their health and manage chronic illnesses through personalized exercise and stress management plans.