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To say that Dr. Mark Pellegrino has done it again is quite the understatement. At first glance, you may be a bit overwhelmed but don't let the size of Up Close and Personal intimidate you. While it's not a weekend read—I tried that for my review—the 400 plus pages are worth their weight in gold even if you risk a fibro-flare carrying it home from the bookstore! It's a reference book that mixes a blend of fibromyalgia history, diagnosis, therapy, research and legalese with a twist of Dr. Pellegrino's unique sense of humor. Dr. Pellegrino puts it best in his own words, “My approach has been to help all patients deal with their symptoms, first by helping them understand fibromyalgia, and second to encourage them to use successful strategies to become a fibromyalgia survivor”. Author of several other fibromyalgia books and a physician with a clinical practice experience of more than 15,000 patients, he's more than qualified to share his opinion. |
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Still, you may be asking why you would need another fibromyalgia book. After all, is there really anything new to write about? For the newly diagnosed, this book is an easy to understand reference. For the seasoned, it's updated to include the latest in fibromyalgia research including chiari malformation, nutrition and the legal aspects of post-traumatic fibromyalgia, updates gleaned in the three years since his last book, Inside Fibromyalgia. While 400 pages may seem daunting, the book is divided into six sections, with 6-8 chapters in each section, which helps the reader break down and absorb the well-presented information. In addition, exclamation points on certain pages draw your attention to helpful bite-sized facts. For those wanting more, at the end of each chapter is a resource list “If You Want to Know More” that satisfies their appetite. Illustrations help the reader get a visual focus on what is being explained verbally and the only stick figures you'll find are the ones getting tastefully into “comfortable positions” in the chapter on Sex & Intimacy.
Even the title for Up Close and Personal, Dr. Pellegrino explains, was chosen because “I see it up close in my patients, and I deal with it on a personal basis every day. I understand fibromyalgia”. Throughout the book, he profiles several of these patients in Up Close Patient Snapshot like “The Rodeo Roper's Rotator Woe”, as well as himself in Personal Profile. One of my favorite glimpses of Dr. Pellegrino that he shares is how his deafness helped him later in dealing |
with fibromyalgia. Nobody likes to think they are different. But with his great sense of style, you almost want fibromyalgia so you can be “just like Mark”. Not to be left out of the updates are familiar favorites from previous books—such as FMS Greeting Cards, Famous Last Words Before a Flare (FLAWS) and Fibronyms. Dr. Pellegrino also includes what he calls his “diversionary writings” which lighten up the complex task of explaining fibromyalgia, although he doesn't need much help as he does it so well. Old topics are expanded—nutritional approaches (including weight loss!) and post-traumatic fibromyalgia—and new topics on disability and legal issues are added, written by attorneys who deal specifically with medical-legal issues.
Is there anything that Up Close and Personal lacks? I don't think so. Even if Dr. Pellegrino's explanation that “As part of my therapy, I enjoy writing” may be true, it is therapeutic as well for his readers who benefit from his catharsis. His dedication to educating and empowering the reader into becoming a “fibromyalgia victor”—his new slogan—is both a support and a challenge. Dr. Pellegrino claims that “his simple philosophy in treating fibromyalgia is to find whatever works”, but it's his personal caring that comes through in each of his books. This one is no exception. Buy the book—it may be the only fibromyalgia book you will need—until he writes his next one! ©2004-2008 TyH Publications (M. Squires) |
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