This caring and knowledgeable guide can help you feel better--starting now Fibromyalgia causes muscle stiffness and pain, debilitating fatigue, and numerous other symptoms. Most frustrating of all, people with fibromyalgia syndrome don't look sick; standard tests for injury or chemical imbalances often show nothing wrong. But if you suffer from fibromyalgia, you know that your disease is real, and so is your pain. It's natural to feel discouraged--but don't give up! In Fibromyalgia: Simple Relief through Movement, Stacie L. Bigelow--a motivational health counselor and FMS sufferer herself--gives hope to everyone with fibromyalgia with a simple program designed to help you benefit from the one thing that is known to help: movement. "The most important key to managing muscles affected by fibromyalgia," writes Bigelow, "is to keep them moving." Drawing on new medical understanding of fibromyalgia as well as her patients' and her own experiences, she explains what the disease is and how to implement an effective plan. She shows you: Why traditional exercise programs are not for you Which activities will reduce your pain--and which might increase it How to balance your daily needs for healing rest and movement How (and whether) to use muscle conditioning to decrease pain How to stretch properly to reduce pain How to communicate your needs to family members, coworkers, and health care providers Presenting clear and specific advice on how to use movement safely and effectively to ease the pain of fibromyalgia, this caring, knowledgeable guide will give you an optimistic new mind-set about your pain, your body, and your future.