What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia: The Revolutionary Treatment That Can Reverse the Disease

by R. Paul St. Amand

This book offers a revolutionary treatment featuring little-known over-the-counter medications.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Medicine, Medical, Self Help, Psychology

407 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 1999

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is by far the best book I have ever read.

Why? Because it completely changed my life for the better and that of my two sons. I read the book over three years ago and started the guaifenesin (gwy fen i sin) protocol 3 years ago at the end of this month (January 2012). It is the ONLY medication which will remove all of the huge number of symptoms associated with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) if the protocol is done correctly. The only one it cannot remove is osteoarthritis.

There are NO side effects and you don't have to quit your other meds until you simply don't need them anymore. When all other medications provide band-aid relief at best, this was exactly what I had been searching for. It gave me hope when I had none, and is even making the Type 1 diabetes I have had for 23 years much easier to manage.

I was taking 8 or 9 painkillers per day and they weren't enough to manage the pain. I have beaten the painkiller addiction (extremely difficult) and now only need 1 every 2-3 weeks or so. The loud cracking in my jaws is almost gone, heart palpitations are gone, my skin, hair, and nails have all improved, my nose and eyes no longer run except in cold weather, twice monthly migraines occur very seldom now,and the fatigue is slowly improving. I can even sleep through the night now, without waking up in pain and without startling awake with every tiny noise. My limbs also don't jump in my sleep and I can actually sleep on either shoulder and on my stomach for short periods. My concentration is better and I can now actually read a book and remember what I read. There are many more improvements but let's just say I was just so sick and tired of having no quality of life and so glad I stuck with this protocol.

Believe me, this really works if you are determined to make it work and are willing to be patient! Best of all, my 19 and 22 year old sons are working full time and experiencing success at college - things they would definitely not be able to do if they weren't taking guaifenesin and following the protocol carefully.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read if you have Fibromyalgia or HG. It explains the guaifenesin protocol to reverse the disease basically 2 months reverses each year since birth of the disease. Onset of symptoms will be the indicator to returning to life you once had. I own a copy of this book.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. I had tried guaifenesin briefly before I started the book based on a shorter article by someone else who didn't remove salicylates. I noticed some improvement and then noticed it getting worse when I ran out so that made me interested in reading this book to find out more about the original protocol. I also read an article by someone at MIT disagreeing with a lot of the findings in this book and I felt the MIT article appeared to be better researched and referenced and offered other explanations about why guaifenesin might work in some people and why it wasn't necessary to remove salicylates.

After reading the book, I didn't feel motivated to try this protocol, and I am going to keep trying what I had read elsewhere about guaifenesin. I didn't feel like the author provided much support to backup what they were saying. For a medical book, it didn't provide many references to medical articles only information on resources. Even the chapter at the end for medical professionals didn't offer much backup.

[LD · Rating 1 out of 5]

You want to know the secret to reversing your debilitating chronic pain from Fibromyalgia? Take a shit ton of expectorant, eat a low carb diet, and eliminate salicylic acid from your life. Sounds easy enough. Why hasn't your doctor told you about this?! Well, there was a medical study that showed no improvement when compared with the placebo.

[Susan Henn · Rating 1 out of 5]

4/09 The ideas presented by Dr. Amand focus on eliminating phosphate buildup via using quaifenesin (expectorant) to reverse fibromyalgia. However in double blind studies there has been not support of its effectiveness. The book has good intentions but poor science.

[Amanda Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was just recently diagnosed with FM. I started working my way through my library's collection of literature and thus far I am not pleased with what I have read. Nothing I have read paints any picture of hope. They all say to stay positive, and then tell you to kiss any semblance of life as you know it good-bye. One even said to gain fulfillment in your day and life by doing a load of laundry. A single load of laundry is what i can look forward to being the big accomplishment of my day. From what I have read and been told by doctors and others who either have FM, or loved ones with FM, my future is going to end up with me a lonely, crippled hermit who is addicted to narcotics, in debt, and degenerating farther every day. That is not a bright and cheery future to look forward to, so the authors of these publications will have to excuse me if I am not as positive as they say I should be.

My sister (who also has FM) found Dr. St. Amand's book at her library and told my mum (who also has FM) who then told me about it. I read it and have the first glimmerings of....no.....could it be.....hope? The book is straight forward about the disease, and the protocol seems easy enough to follow once getting through all the label reading, I never realized how many ingredients are in the products I slather on everyday. (On a side note, after having looked at all of the product labels in my home, I intend to start looking at my beauty product ingredients the same way I do my ice cream ingredients: If the list takes up the majority of the label, I'm not going to buy it!) I fully intend to give this a try. I took the book with me to my rheumatologist appointment and she had heard of the protocol, and that it had had results with some people. She also said that FM is tricky and what works for one person won't work for another, but encouraged me to try.

I am also hypoglycemic, which the book goes into detail about. I have had success in the past being on a similar diet, so if I already know one part of it works, its not a stretch of the imagination to think the other part will as well.

I may be in major early diagnosis denial, but I am going to give this a shot. I am not ready to go softly into that good night! I fully intend to rage against the dyeing of the light.

I will update when I have tried the protocol.

[Carol Mann Agency]

Over a decade ago, Dr. R. Paul St. Amand, an experienced endocrinologist and UCLA assistant clinical professor, published his protocol for reversing fibromyalgia based on nearly half a century of research. This book offers Dr. St. Amand's latest research on guaifenesin, an inexpensive, safe, an incresingly available medication that can help reverse the disease. The authors have seen symtpoms eliminated and normal quality of life restored in an astonishing 90 percent of pateints they treated with guaifenesin. Updated and revised with more patient anecdotes and a deeper understanding of symptoms, treatments, and results, readers will find:

--more information about the current treatment of fibromyalgia and what causes it
--new results from Dr. St. Amand's studies about the efficacy of guafenesin treatment
--changes in disease protocol
--discussion of pharmaceuticals in treatment
--and much more

[Joy Sterrantino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am planning on trying out this protocol and putting my daughter on it as well. If it works, and it seems as if it is easy to tell when it is working or not, it will be well worth the time it takes to reverse the symptoms! I'll write more as I try it out.

UPDATE: I did try it. I blogged about it: http://guaifenisenexperiment.blogspot.... I gave up on it.
BUT, the diet part of the book changed my life, so I started a new blog about that, hoping it would help someone else who felt as sick as I did: http://fibrofriendlyfoods.blogspot.com/

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must for anyone suffering from Fibromyalgia or supporting someone who suffers from it. When you read this book things begin to make sense for the first time and you realise this Doctor really understands FM. As you turn each page it is as if this book was written just about you, every symptom you have suffered is there in black and white. If you never read any other FM book, read this one...

[Deetzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for very detailed information.
I liked the description of the different symptoms: helped me realize just how observant I am and that I am not crazy or a hypochondriac or imagining things.
Fibromyalgics are very aware of what is going on in their bodies!

Good companion book to Dr. Penniston's book.
I prefer the simpler method described in Penniston's book myself.

[Rona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many of the reviews stated this is a must read for Fibromyalgia sufferers. Whether you decide to follow the guaifenesin regiment or the diet. There's lots of good information.
I currently eat less processed foods and more whole foods. But I've decided that I should cutback on the dairy and see what happens.

[Rah~ri · Rating 1 out of 5]

If i remember correctly
It's a sales pitch.

[dawn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book covers a protocal to change your diet to eliminate Fibro. It wasn't convincing to me.

This is not a generalized FM book.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is very little real science to back up the claims in this book. I was quite disappointed in it.

[Linda Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found this to be very interesting. I have begun the protocol and hope I will find the benefits from following it.

[Nancy Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much another you can't eat anything book.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone with fibromyalgia or a doctor treating someone with fibromyalgia. Even if you don't want to start Dr. St. Amand's guaifenesin protocol it provides so much useful information about a generally unknown and disregarded disease. It explains the protocol clearly but adds some more advanced science if you're interested or want to give this to your doctor. It is full of rules to help you "clear" and reverse this progressive disease but most importantly for me it was full of SYMPTOMS and STORIES that helped me understand what was going on with my body. This disease makes you feel crazy and having someone explain it to you and make you feel like you're not alone makes all the difference.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia (Paperback)
by R. Paul St. Amand

from the library

Revised & updated 3rd edition (c)2012

The premise of this book is interesting - the drug guaifenesin, which liquefies mucus, treats fibromyalgia, but salicylates in all forms block its healing action in the kidneys. It's 2017 now and my naturopath knows nothing about this. According to these authors, there are natural salicylates in all plant-based food suppements. To follow their protocol, there can be no valerian, green tea, primrose oil, flax seed, bioflavonoids, and all other plant extracts.

[Rochelle Creighton-Tompa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, organized, informative, and helpful.

[Ahmed Elbanna]

واضح إني أول شخص عربي الأصل يدخل يعمل ريفيو علي الكتاب ، الكتاب وصلتله بعد ما قريت عن بروتوكول العلاج الجديد اللي علي إدعاء الدكتور اللي كاتب الكتاب نجح نجاح غير مسبوق ،
في العادي أنا مؤمن تماما إن كل الكتب و المقالات اللي من النوعيه دي هي بروباجاندا مالهاش أي تلاتين لزمه و في الآخر بتصفصف علي كلام فاضي بينضم ببساطه شديده لسلسلة احباطات و آمال زائفه ما بتنتهيش لمرضي الFibromyalgia

لكن اللي خلاني أتوسم خير في الكتاب و في البروتوكول اللي المفروض إنه مشروح تفصيلا فيه إن الدكتور اللي كاتبه هو أكتر حد قريتله قدر يوصف بدقه متناهيه شكل المعاناه اللي بنمر بيها و شكل المرض تفصيلا علي عكس أي حاجه تانيه حاولت أفهم منها الدنيا قبل كده
و من كلامه حتي عرفت إني عندي Hypoglycemic Fibromyalgia و ده كان أول تفسير لحاجات كتير ما كنتش فاهمها و للعنف الغريب اللي في حالتي ، و علي الرغم من كون ده حظ أكثر من سيء يعني لأن النوع ده نادر المفروض ، إلا إني لقيت الدكتور ده أكتر حد مهتم و ملم بكل حاجه تخص المرض

كل الرغي ده عشان أقول إني اتصدمت صدمة عمري لما اشتريت الكتاب و لقيت إنه أكتر من 400 صفحه
و هو المفروض علي علم بإن مرضي الFibromyalgia عاجزين تماما أحيانا عن آداء مهام بسيطه جدا و بالتالي قراية عشر دقايق بيحتاجوا راحه ساعه و حاجه ذل يعني ،
و من رابع المستحيلات إن حد مريض فعلا يقدر يكمل قراية الكتاب ده في فتره تقل عن شهرين تلاته !
ليه كده
ها
ليييييييه كده
عملتلك إيييييييه أنا يا مفتري يا ابن المفتريه ده أنا كنت مسني الكتاب كأني مستني أتجوز

[Susan Mckeever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insights into Fibro, causes and potential treatment (not cure).
I remained sceptical at first having read that his study did not prove successful and raised the question of placebo effect. However, St Amand is clear that further studies to back up theory are in the pipeline as previous studies did not factor in effects of plant salicylate.
That said, there's is plenty of personal testimony and science available on the website www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com by St Amand that makes a great deal of sense. Look here for info for physicians if you want further scientific info. It might have been off putting to many readers to have that included in the book which is aimed at everyday folk.
Embarking on the Guaifenesin Protocol is not something to rush into as there are substances we use every day of our lives which could block its effectiveness. It takes a fair amount of dedication and attention to detail for it to work. St Amand's website is a mine of information and support should you decide to take it on.
I am researching this protocol and how to get hold of the medication in Ireland with support from the UK group.
For me, the book provides a much needed light at the end of a tunnel of pain and fatigue.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good to read for anyone who is suffering from/suspects they have/is recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. If nothing else, it was helpful to read a pretty exhaustive list of symptoms, and connect the dots on some items I didn't even realize were a part of my FM (like the "growing pains" I had as a kid).

It can get redundant and isn't necessarily well-written, but has some helpful content in it. I've started the Guaifenesin protocol it recommends, but it's difficult to say whether or not I've improved yet, since symptoms get worse before they get better. It's frustrating that this approach hasn't been validated by the larger medical community yet, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence throughout the book and I'm willing to try the treatment since traditional medicine doesn't seem to have great answers for FM either.

I would encourage anyone reading the book to continue to dig into testing through an integrative care doctor, since you might have other underlying conditions causing your symptoms (like hypothyroid, adrenal fatigue, and EBV).

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitively THE book for fibromyalgiacs to read to better understand their disease. It avoids all of the hype about FMS. Instead, Dr. St. Amand tells his own history with the disease, how he stumbled upon the treatment that reverses the disease, and what he has learned in the 40+ years since that he has researched fibromyalgia. I believe he has found the answer. Dr. St. Amand has been my personal physician since 2004 and I believe his protocal to be the only true answer to this debilitating illness. The book is understandable to non-medical folks but also provides information and resources for physicians.

[Dana Arcuri · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in March 2008, I desperately sought non-medical approaches, including Dr. Amand's Protocol. In an earnest attempt to seek wellness, I actively changed my lifestyle & product usage, but found the book unclear on specifics. After a very frustrating experience, I determined it was not for me.

This is not to say it's a waste of time or not workable because there are some amazing positive testimonies to Dr. Armand's Protocol. I suggest you pursue as much support & knowledge as possible before beginning this approach. What may not work for some may work wonders for another!

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

If for no other reason, this book is valuable in validating and compiling the many and various symptoms of dealing with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I agree that salicylates are a prime culprit in triggering and causing FMS symptoms but I'm not inclined to try the treatment advocated in the book. I already limit salicylates and know without a doubt they play a part in many of my symptoms. I am about to embark on The Helen Foundation's treatment of microdose therapy using cortisone. It also is dependent on diet avoidance of foods one is sensitive to and combined with avoiding salicylates I hope for great improvement. Recommended.

[C.A. Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might give this a higher rating once I've tried the protocol with a few patients. In all fairness, I didn't read it straight through--I just read the parts that pertained to the actual protocol. I've had two patients come in so far who have followed this protocol, and one had great relief while the other did not. I couldn't understand the reasoning behind it, so that was why I picked up the book. The physiology as described here makes sense, though something does seem a little fishy about HOW sensitive the body is to salicylates blocking the effect of guaifenesin. At any rate, it's a new idea.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very specific in it describes a medication that apparently works and is safe, provides a diet, and things to avoid that mess with the medication. I'm curious about this method, but not curious enough to try it at this time, as the treatment involves a vigilance reading labels I honestly don't possess at this time. LOL

[Mike Trapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been a huge godsend and a superior alternative to surgery and endless pain. As it turns out, my condition is treatable and surmountable with an over the counter drug. I can look forward to an eventual cure, I can feel myself improving week to week.And now I know the real reasons of my back, neck, and shoulder pain.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel like after reading this I am prepared to start the Guaifenisen protocol, it has the steps lined out, but will talk to my physician first. Hard times ahead, but glad there is something to try. Read the book if nothing else it validates symptoms and makes you feel less alone. A little heavy on the personal accounts, but if you skip some it makes the book a much better read.

[Carol Mann Agency]

"I have seen the magic of guaifenesin and the program in What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibromyalgia work." -Devin Starlanyl, author of The Fibromyalgia Advocate

"Groundbreaking... Dr. St. Amand's research will permit fibromyalgia to become merely a memory." -Dr. John Willems, MD, head, division of obstetrics and gynecology, Scripps Clinic