Rating: 
Summary: STOP SUFFERING AND START LIVING
Review: It was by some miracle that I found this book and Dr. St. Amand. I was sick and depressed, thinking I would have to live in pain for the rest of my life until I read "What you doctor may NOT tell you about FM." Within weeks of reading it I was sitting in Dr. St. Amand's office. I've been following the protocol outlined in this book for a little over two months now and already do more than I could a YEAR ago! Thank you Dr. St. Amand, Nurse Claudia & my fellow guai'ers for giving me back my health and happiness.
Rating:
Summary: This book helps spouses too
Review: My husband has fibromyalgia and discovered this book last summer. The doctors had been treating his pain for years with no good result, so he decided he had nothing to loose by trying the protocol in the book. He has been carefully following the instructions for four months and his body is reacting as predicted in the book and in the reviews. He has had more pain but is sticking it out. His energy is coming back, and he has occasional pain-free days now.
Fibromyalgia is hard on the spouse too. The lovely energetic person you married gradually becomes a pain-ridden invilid. This book explained so much to me; I began to understand what my husband was going through. The fact that he actively works to get better helps too.
Try this! The cost is minimal and the lifestyle changes aren't that bad. It is worth it!
Rating: 
Summary: What Other Readers May NOT Tell You About This Book
Review: Okay, I knew I'd be getting rid of things in my bathroom. I expected hunt for unexpected "salicylates" in everyday products & tossing them out.
What I did NOT expect was the list of "One Thousand of the Most Common Natural Salicylates to Avoid".
This list includes the list that we are told are the most healthy oils to use (olive and canola). Also things like Bran, which we are told to eat for our fiber.
This list includes the things that make food palatable (black pepper, onions, garlic).
This list includes food items we are told are rich in good vitamins and minerals (tomatoes, bananas, and ALL citus fruits are banned).
After careful consideration, I have decided I will go ahead and try the guai and avoid as many items as possible, but in all truth, I do not know how you can live any kind of half way normal life (even eat ONCE in a restaurant) and avoid the things this Doctor says will block the Guai.
I have read a website of a woman that says the Guai helps her, and she doesn't bother with avoiding all these things.
Also in the interest of keeping unknowing consumers informed, he says in the beginning of the book that they did try to conduct a double blind study to prove this protocol works pre-book release (1999). It was unsuccessful.
He blames it on:
#1 Some of the things I names slipped in as he didn't fully understand the impact of Salicylates (I am using my own words here).
#2 Some hypoglycemic people were included in the study.
After this statement he assures us that the study will take place soon.
People we're fast approaching 2005. It's 6 years later. I'm sure bells would be ringing and horns would be blowing and a new book would be taking our money if the double blind study had happened and had been a success.
By the way, his 2nd book implies that MOST people that have fibromyalgia ARE hypoglycemic, so saying that the double blind study failed because hypoglycemic's were included kind of is a self defeating statement. (In My Not So Humble Opinion)
I'm going to list here what I didn't expect to see, and most of which I think in the real world are pretty impossible to avoid (we're not talking little known ingredients in cosmetics and shampoo here folks!):
Allspice, Anise, Apricots, Avacados, ALL mints, Banana, Basil, Bay Leaf, Black Pepper (all pepper; cayenne, red, etc!!) Blackberry, Bran, Buckwheat, Cacao, Canola Oil, Capers, Caraway, Chili, Chinese tea (ALL Tea, green, etc), Chives, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Citrus (ALL Citrus, Grapefruit, orange, Lemon, Lime, Etc), Cloves, Cocoa (NO MORE CHOCOLATE!!), Coconut, Coriander, Cucumber, Cumin, Curry, Dates, Dill, Figs, Flax (Flax seed Oil - another one of those oils we are told is good for us), Thyme, Garlic, Ginger, Ginseng, Green beans, Guava, Honey, Honeydew melon, Horseradish, Kiwi, Lentils, Lettuce, Licorice, Loquat, Mango, Marjoram, Mushroom, Muskmelon, Mustard, Nutmeg, Olives, Olive Oil !!!, Onion, Oegano, Paprika, Parsley, Peas, Peach, Peanuts, Peanut Oil, Pears, Pepper (EEEP!!), Pineapple, Platain, Plums, Pomegranate, Potato, Pumpkins, Radish, Raisins, Raspberry, Rosemary, Safflower Oil, Sage, Sesame Seed Oil, Star Anise, Strawberry's, Sunflower seeds & oil, Tangerines (yes another citrus), Tarragon, Tea (yeah of any type) Thyme, Tabacco (if you smoke, I guess don't bother), Tomato, Tumeric, VANILLA!, Walnuts, Watermelon.
Even though I am living in fibroFog and fibroBod hell, I can't see completly giving in to tasteless food and in many ways giving up healthy food. I wish us all a cure for this that doesn't include this kind of life.
Rating:
Summary: Everyone with fibromyalgia should read this!
Review: So many people are given the diagnosis of fibromyalgia and then told, "There's nothing you can do." That is simply not true. Authors and authorities Dr. R. Paul St. Amand and Claudia Marek have turned on the light at the end of the tunnel of fibromyalgia. They have also given us the direction we need to deal with a frequent co-existing condition, insulin resistance. I have been on guaifenesin for many years, and have seen it work its wonders on many people. It is the one medication that has provided the most change in quality of life. It is vital that patients follow the protocol for guaifenesin to work Patients need to understand what is happening and why. This book explains everything you need to know, in clear and easily comprehensible terms. There is also a wonderful section on pediatric fibromyalgia and a complete guide to diet for people who also have insulin resistance. This is an importnat book. Everyone with fibromyalgia owes it to themselves to explore the guaifenesin possibility.
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Summary: Failsafe Program
Review: The author's description of the affliction is absolutely compelling and his promise of relief through a pill so encouraging as to produce momentary elation. But then come the "catches." So many, in fact, that the reader who follows the program has no choice but to reverse the disease or blame himself for failing.To begin with, following this relatively complicated, three-pronged program will require studious effort, unrelenting energy, and great will-power. Committing to it could in itself prove highly therapeutic for individuals whose problems are multiplied by idleness. The first part of the program consists not merely of taking the guaifenesin but determining the optimal amount. Too little or too much could prove of no use. Moreover, the patient has to believe that feeling bad and even worse as a consequence of taking the product is a sign that it's working (very much like the "die-off reaction" that alternative medicine claims is a sign of improvement in those diagnosed with systemic candida yeast infection). The second part of the program involves detecting and eschewing all products that contain salicylates--not just aspirin but virtually all herbs and plant products. Lipstick containing aloe along with shampoo with balsam must be astringently avoided as must toothpaste or any product containing peppermint. Otherwise the potential benefits of the guaifenesin will be completely voided. The third part is to go on a hypoglycemic diet, one similar to Atkins or South Beach in that sugar, carbohydrates, and caffeine are absolute no-no's. Given the amount of work involved in selecting and preparing food meeting the no-carbohydrate criteria, a person's compliance might be seen as either therapeutic or as a sign of recovery from disabling conditions. Does the program work? I don't know yet. Will it? Most likely, yes. There's no evidence that the first or second parts of the program do individuals harm and plenty of evidence that the third part will result in weight loss and greater energy reserves. And the author's claim that disorders like fibro, IBS, CFS, and numerous other maladies have a common origin in the inability of the body's cells to produce sufficient energy seems highly plausible. The immediate problem, it seems to me, is that the program is too complex and full of contingencies to be medically verifiable. Moreover, the program makes it difficult for an individual experiencing improvement to know exactly what he might attribute the difference to. On the other hand, it's equally difficult if not impossible for an individual whose condition is non-responsive to blame the program, given its stringent demands and the fallibility of human nature. It would seem to be insult added to injury if a person who fails to improve must now add to the plague of fibromyalgia the burden of guilt.
Rating:
Summary: Failsafe Program
Review: The author's description of the affliction is absolutely compelling and his promise of relief through a pill so encouraging as to produce momentary elation. But then come the "catches." So many, in fact, that the reader who follows the program has no choice but to reverse the disease or blame himself for failing. To begin with, following this relatively complicated, three-pronged program will require studious effort, unrelenting energy, and great will-power. Committing to it could in itself prove highly therapeutic for individuals whose problems are multiplied by idleness. The first part of the program consists not merely of taking the guaifenesin but determining the optimal amount. Too little or too much could prove of no use. Moreover, the patient has to believe that feeling bad and even worse as a consequence of taking the product is a sign that it's working (very much like the "die-off reaction" that alternative medicine claims is a sign of improvement in those diagnosed with systemic candida yeast infection). The second part of the program involves detecting and eschewing all products that contain salicylates--not just aspirin but virtually all herbs and plant products. Lipstick containing aloe along with shampoo with balsam must be astringently avoided as must toothpaste or any product containing peppermint. Otherwise the potential benefits of the guaifenesin will be completely voided. The third part is to go on a hypoglycemic diet, one similar to Atkins or South Beach in that sugar, carbohydrates, and caffeine are absolute no-no's. Given the amount of work involved in selecting and preparing food meeting the no-carbohydrate criteria, a person's compliance might be seen as either therapeutic or as a sign of recovery from disabling conditions. Does the program work? I don't know yet. Will it? Most likely, yes. There's no evidence that the first or second parts of the program do individuals harm and plenty of evidence that the third part will result in weight loss and greater energy reserves. And the author's claim that disorders like fibro, IBS, CFS, and numerous other maladies have a common origin in the inability of the body's cells to produce sufficient energy seems highly plausible. The immediate problem, it seems to me, is that the program is too complex and full of contingencies to be medically verifiable. Moreover, the program makes it difficult for an individual experiencing improvement to know exactly what he might attribute the difference to. On the other hand, it's equally difficult if not impossible for an individual whose condition is non-responsive to blame the program, given its stringent demands and the fallibility of human nature. It would seem to be insult added to injury if a person who fails to improve must now add to the plague of fibromyalgia the burden of guilt.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't.
Review: The review from Samuel Chell makes a lot of sense. My wife has fibromyalgia and after we discovered this book, we worked together for about a year and a half to implement this program. Bottom line: no lasting results. So either we didn't try hard enough, or Dr. St. Amand's seemingly plausible theory just isn't true. Hard to know which. As Samuel Chell notes, the program is so complicated and difficult, it would be hard to know whether it would even be capable of working. We had some apparently positive results short term at the beginning... but really, the "positive results" were no different from the normal fluctuations of FM even without this program.
Finally we just gave up trying. More recently my wife has adopted a fairly strict macrobiotic diet, and this has had noticeable positive results over the past year. Although she still has significant pain and fatigue, she has been able to eliminate about ninety percent of the many drugs her doctors had been giving her.
We have also begun to investigate the possibility that a childhood spine/neck injury played a role in what is now FM. Chiropractic has helped in this area.
Readers who find that the guaifenisin regime just doesn't work for them may wish to explore macrobiotics and chiropractic. They're not magic, but they have helped us.
Rating:
Summary: Guaifenesin works! No diet unles you're hypoglycemic.
Review: This book has helped me more than I can say. I was diagnosed with FM during spring of 2004. I had no energy for weeks following a surgical procedure, and the prescription for sleep my doctor gave me did nothing to help the fatigue and daily headaches. Nothing like this had ever happened to me (the fatigue was like having pneumonia). The guai started to work immediately with me - with some people it takes longer. The "long list of stuff to avoid" that detractors mention is not FOODS, but substances to keep off your skin which can be absorbed directly without being digested. For those who are ALSO hypoglycemic, there are recommended dietary changes because hypoglycemia often overlaps with fibromyalgia and must be taken into consideration. Six months later, I'm more grateful than ever... There are people who have been on guai for years. Do yourself a favor if you or someone you know has FM. What have you got to lose?
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting!!
Review: This book is based on treatment of fibromyalgia with Guaifenesin. Very interesting but also very technical. Unless you have medical background this book is difficult to understand the concept of how the guaifenesin works. And treatment of fibromyalgia with guaifenesin requires avoidance of many, many, many products and food for proper results. A good book to forward to your doctor.
Rating:
Summary: Changed my life
Review: When I first saw the title of this book, I was skeptical, but desperate for something to help with dreaded fibromyalgia. There is not only a scientific explanation in the book of the why and how of the disease, Dr. St. Amand and Claudi Marek offer a treatment protocol. After reading the book, but before beginning the protocol, I was privileged to hear Ms. Claudia Craig Marek, co-author of the book, speak. At the seminar I met people who were able to regain their lives, and were continuing to improve after 5 and 6 years. No placebo effect lasts that long! This is for real. I am now on the protocol outlined in this book, and everything is happening just as the book says! I am so amazed, as all I was ever offered before, by well meaning physicians, was treatment for my symptoms (pain relievers, sleep aids, anti-depressants). Now, my symptoms are REVERSING! Anyone who has FMS, or has a family member, loved one, or friend with FMS, should buy this book without delay. It truly is life changing!
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