hronic Fatigue Syndrome • Myalgic Encephalomyelitis • Fibromyalgia

THE POLIO PARADOX

There are nearly two million North American survivors of the polio epidemics that terrorized the world during the middle of the twentieth century. More than half are now experiencing Post-Polio Sequelae—overwhelming fatigue, severe muscle weakness, and chronic pain. In this blueprint for well-being Dr. Richard Bruno describes the cause and treatment of PPS. Drawing on his two decades of research, he also explains the remarkable parallels between the polio epidemics, PPS, and today's epidemics of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. His findings will astonish—and change the lives of many; for example, Baby Boomers diagnosed with CFS, who were born before the discovery of the polio vaccine, may have had a mild case of polio in childhood and may actually have PPS today.

What You Need to Know

A blueprint for emotional and physical well-being...a medical mystery...an exposé about child abuse by the medical profession...the story of polio survivors, their trials and triumphs...a memoir of a scientist treating a "new disease"...

THE POLIO PARADOX

Unbearable fatigue; leg and arm weakness; burning muscles and joints; head, back, and neck pain; trouble sleeping, breathing, and swallowing....Although polio epidemics are a nightmare from the past, millions of middle-aged polio survivors are today being disabled by these Post-Polio Sequelae (PPS), the sequel to having had polio.

Now PPS pioneer Dr. Richard L. Bruno, founder of The Post-Polio Institute and the world's leading expert on PPS, reveals:

• How damage done by the polio virus decades ago set the stage for new symptoms today

• The physical and emotional battles of polio survivors—including their Herculean struggles to become "normal" and the terror they feel as PPS threatens to strip them of their hard-won abilities

• The Post-Polio Institute program that relieves symptoms, helps stop their progression, and helps increase the patient's ability to function

• How to treat cold intolerance, insomnia, sleep apnea, nighttime muscle twitching, and hypoglycemia

• The greatest challenge in dealing with PPS—the psychological scars left by the polio experience.

Dr. Bruno then goes further. Outlining the remarkable similarities between PPS, chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and fibromyalgia, as well as the nearly seventy-year history of chronic fatigue outbreaks that occurred at the same time as the polio epidemics, he shows how The Post-Polio Institute program is equally effective in managing PPS, chronic fatigue, and chronic pain.

THE POLIO PARADOX offers real solutions for polio survivors, those with CFS, ME, and FM—as well as anyone aging with a long-term disability—and provides a ringing wake-up call for their doctors.

Every polio survivor deserves to know the truth about polio and post-polio syndrome-its diagnosis, cause, and treatment-to be found in these pages."
-Sir Arthur C. Clarke, polio survivor and author of 2001: A Space Odyssey

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME • MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS •
POST-POLIO SEQUELAE • FIBROMYALGIA

There are twenty million survivors of the polio epidemics that terrorized the world during the twentieth century. More than half are experiencing Post-Polio Sequelae (PPS), unexpected and disabling symptoms, including fatigue, muscle weakness, and chronic pain. Nobody knew their cause or how to treat them. Until now. Drawing on his two decades of research, Dr. Richard L. Bruno, the world's leading expert on PPS, unlocks one of the great medical mysteries of our time. His revolutionary, internationally acclaimed blueprint for emotional and physical well-being provides real solutions for polio survivors and anyone aging with a long-term disability. Dr. Bruno also describes the cause and treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and fibromyalgia. THE POLIO PARADOX reveals:

• The damage caused by the poliovirus that sets the stage for PPS

• The Post-Polio Institute program that relieves symptoms, helps halt their progression, and increases patients' ability to function, whether they have PPS, chronic pain, or chronic fatigue

• The emotional challenges as polio survivors fight the psychological trauma of the polio experience to cope with PPS

• The treatment for newly identified PPS: sleep apnea, nighttime muscle twitching, hypoglycemia, and "post-polio belly"

• That undiagnosed childhood polio lurks silently behind the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome in some adult baby boomers.