A Companion Volume to Dr. Jay A. Goldstein's Betrayal by the Brain

Book excerpt: Dr. Jay A. Goldstein’s Betrayal by the Brain can be a daunting treatise to the layperson as well as a challenge for the physician who is not versed in neurology, psychiatry, immunology, and endocrinology. Here, in A Companion Volume to Dr. Jay A. Goldstein’s Betrayal by the Brain: A Guide for Patients and Their Physicians, Author Katie Courmel, a longtime sufferer of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, presents in layperson’s terms the salient points of the book to lead readers to an understanding of Dr. Goldstein’s theory and methods of treatment. This guide provides CFS and FMS patients with an understanding of how their brains should function as opposed to how they are now dysfunctioning. It explains the proper role and function of each brain structure and neural assembly and the neurochemicals believed to be implicated in CFS and fibromyalgia along with the dysfunctions found in CFS/FMS patients. These dysfunctions, as a whole, form the basis of Dr. Goldstein’s unified theory behind the possible causes of CFS and FMS. Patients involved in or contemplating Dr. Goldstein’s treatment can use A Companion Volume to Dr. Jay A. Goldstein’s Betrayal by the Brain to gain an explanation of the process from a firsthand perspective and can follow along to learn why they are given particular drugs and what response Dr. Goldstein hopes to elicit from their bodies. This understanding gives patients a sense of control and helps them weather the ups and downs their bodies experience as a normal response to the treatment. The strength of A Companion Volume to Dr. Jay A. Goldstein’s Betrayal by the Brain lies in its ability to simplify without sacrificing the body of information that one must understand to make sense of the multitude of seemingly unrelated manifestations of these diseases of the brain. A thorough understanding will allow sufferers of CFS/FMS to approach Dr. Goldstein’s treatment method with an open mind and improve their chances for success. Specific questions answered for readers include: how safe is this protocol? should I go alone or take a companion? what should I expect during my initial consultation? what are the effects of so many drugs? why doesn’t the same drug work for everyone? if my treatment is successful, how long will it last? what happens when I leave Dr. Goldstein’s care? A Companion Volume to Dr. Jay A. Goldstein’s Betrayal by the Brain prepares readers for a unique, sometimes scary, often perplexing, hopefully miraculous, leap-of-faith experience. It helps patients deal with the very natural sense of uneasiness they may be feeling and helps them understand, in layperson’s terms, what Dr. Goldstein’s protocol can accomplish and how it can be so successful.