Book Review: *Fibromyalgia for Dummies*

In general, I'm a fan of the Dummies series of books. I still run into people offended by the title, but they're generally a solid recommendation for anyone looking to learn more about a subject.

Fibromyalgia for Dummies is, as all the Dummies books I've read are, a solid overview of the condition. It's written by a clinician who has conducted a couple of the studies referred to in the book, and he tries very hard to be impartial and give good, concise information to help patients with FMS and their friends and family members. He more or less succeeds.

Fibromyalgia for Dummies has a lot of good information that both validates the symptoms and real pain from which FMS patients suffer and points out that there are a lot of other causes for similar symptoms. There is a lot of information about the hazards of self-diagnosis and self-prescription (almost to the point that the book starts to feel doctor-centric, its only major flaw--doctors get annoyed if you suggest a diagnosis because you have the same symptoms as your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate? Doctors get annoyed if you have any kind of opinion at all, in my experience, so I don't see why them being bothered by something is my problem), but also, good information on different treatments and studies showing their effectiveness (or the lack of studies, or studies showing a lack of effectiveness beyond the anecdotal).

Besides treatments and evidence, Fibromyalgia for Dummies contains a great deal of information on possible causes, experimental treatments and those in development, and alternative treatments from supplements to TENS to acupuncture. It also gives a good overview of other syndromes associated with FMS as well as treatments and aggravating factors (if you come away from this book with nothing else, the mantra "avoid chocolate, alcohol, and acidic/citrus fruits" should be stuck in your head--those are aggravating factors for not only FMS but a lot of related conditions).

The other things Fibromyalgia for Dummies contains are:

• Doctor information, such as:
• What kind of doctor do I need?
• What questions should I ask a new doctor?
• When should I look for a new doctor instead of sticking with the one I'm seeing?
• Information on who gets FMS:
• Mostly women
• Some men can get it, particularly in the case of some Gulf War vets and other PTSD patients
• Even children and adolescents can have Fibromyalgia
• Possible causes (genetic factors, PTSD/previous injuries, neurochemical imbalances)
• Information for friends, family members and loved ones

Fibromyalgia for Dummies is a great overview reference and starter book for both patients and physicians who are interested in learning more about FMS. 4 stars/5.