i have very mixed feelings about this book. on one hand, i think there are parts that would be incredibly helpful for someone recently diagnosed with a lingering or chronic illness. or even for someone who has been seeking understanding for their health symptoms and decline and doesn’t know what exactly is going on. i also found the authors own story incredibly interesting and insightful. unfortunately, at some point this book took a turn for me.

some of the treatment options recommended teetered on pseudoscience which makes me uncomfortable. it can be hard to hear when you’re already dealing with an illness many don’t acknowledge to then be presented with a magical juice that is supposed to provide relief, even from medical exposure to radiation! a book like this would have greatly benefitted with citing (in detail) some genuine studies with tangible answers as to how and how much those things can help some patients. there are studies in footnotes but the specific data taken from them isn’t outlined for the reader. seeing as the average person does not have the knowledge or skill to read a medical study and genuinely understand and critically consume it against similar trials, it seems like not enough to me.

being in and interacting with the chronically ill community it’s become clear to me that some people target us with the prospect of some alternative to medicine that will make things better. like if we only fasted long enough or tried this unregulated supplement it would be better.

unfortunately, that’s not how any of this works. and although lifestyle changes absolutely can make a huge difference in quality of life, it’s not ever going to be “enough.” i think the parts of this book that focused on validation and understanding were the strongest by far and the most useful for people affected by these conditions.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book.

Dr. Ilene Ruhoy has created a much-needed resource for many suffering from chronic illnesses. Dr. Ruhoy is extremely knowledgeable and adds in her personal experiences with adversity in dealing with a chronic illness. The book is partitioned into three major sections: Part 1 - Something is Not Right, Part 2 - Strategies for Recovery, Part 3 - Determination and Diligence. The writings give a lot of clinical information and data that is relevant to a variety of chronic illnesses, including Long-Covid, Connective Tissue disorders, Auto-immune diseases, Neurological diagnoses, and many more. The abundance of strategies and useful information in guiding the reader towards better health include topics such as nutrition, movement, oxygen and breathing, sleep and the circadian rhythm, regenerative therapies, and the environment (impacts on health). I highly recommend this book to everyone, because in our society today, if we are not dealing with some type of health issue as stated above, we definitely know someone who is, and the content learned in this book is life-changing! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Firstly, thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I was immensely excited to see this title coming to press, as the topic – Long COVID and chronic illness – are at the front of mind for me as a person who has struggled with both. I went into this book hoping that the title was an accurate summary of the book’s content and that the writer being a neurologist would lend some legitimacy to Long COVID, a disability which many people often downplay, ignore, or worse yet, claim is made up.

The book is split into three parts, each meaning to give a primer on the topics, some strategies for recovery, and then the importance of staying diligent on your road to recovery. I was surprised to read the first section, which was less focused on the background of Long COVID and chronic illnesses, but instead gave quite a thorough history on the author’s own struggle with chronic illness, more specifically her bout with brain cancer and the ensuing difficult recovery she experienced. While it was interesting to read this firsthand account, it seemed positioned more so as a means of giving her narrative legitimacy on the topic as a cancer survivor.

The remainder of the book did not, from my perspective, focus much on Long COVID and was also selective on which chronic illnesses were mentioned. Much of the content within the middle section focused on recovery strategies was written generally enough to potentially be applied to any number of chronic illnesses. I did see some of mine mentioned – namely, POTS, hyper-mobility spectrum disorder, and CFS – which was appreciated. It did, however, leave me wondering which other chronic illnesses were left out of consideration and why.

The more I read this, the more I believed that this book would mostly, if not exclusively, be helpful to highly wealthy white people who are invested in “wellness culture” and a bootstraps approach to the medical field. The encouragement I read in this book – to starve oneself for most of the day (called “intermittent fasting” by its proponents), go to the grocery store 4+ times a week for ingredients to drink juice every morning, not talk on a cell phone for more than 3 minutes at a time, turn off one’s wifi overnight to “reduce radiation exposure,” and jump into a series of involving exercises despite having a condition in which post-exposure malaise and intense pain is experienced post-workout – was enough to make me realize this was not the book I needed nor wanted to read.

Most, if not all, of the focuses on potential recovery avenues in this book are astronomically expensive, difficult to access even for ill folks who are lucky enough to be believed by doctors, not covered by insurance, and likely impractical with most folks’ schedules and lifestyles. For example, there was a chapter devoted to regenerative therapies in which none of the suggested interventions were affordable nor offered in traditional medical means. Stem cell replacement? Hyperbaric oxygen therapy? Plasmapheresis? And of course, this was followed by the author declaring, “Its important, though, not to look at these as shortcuts to replacements for the lifestyle strategies discussed earlier in the book. There is no replacement for healthy living: smart diet, good sleep, activity and (if you are able) exercise, going outside and being exposed to light and abundant oxygen.” So, I felt like the narrative came to a roadblock: either seek interventions known as “shortcuts” for those privileged enough to afford them, or those of us too sick and exhausted to get out of bed every day are to blame for our lack of energy in the first place.

I would not recommend this book, particularly if you are a person impacted by chronic illness and/or disability, nor if you are someone interested in learning more about the topic. There are lots of other titles focused on first-person experiences with illness which are less likely to be victim blaming, ableist, or very detached from the average person’s capabilities.

This review will be posted at the below GoodReads account after May 17, 2025 (one month prior to publication).

Dr. Ruhoy is a neurologist and a toxicologist, as well as a chronic pain sufferer herself. She is uniquely positioned to write this book on how to work with your healthcare provider in getting the best possible care. Nutrition, supplements, medications, sleep, movement, and breathing are discussed as critical to recovery. Information on Long COVID is also included. Dr. Ruhoy offers knowledgeable help and hope for the person with chronic pain!

The book was beautifully written. Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it. Thank you for this advance copy!