This book solves the mysteries of chronic pain disorders such as migraine and fibromyalgia by explaining that the "central sensitization" which makes the brain more sensitive to main signals is actually caused by inflammation within the brain. By understanding the 3 main components of brain inflammation -- pain, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction -- patients and doctors are able to understand and then treat these painful conditions with greater success; with this knowledge patients and doctors can implement the effective and successful treatment protocol, making customizations as needed per individual patient's unique profile/pattern. This version was previously published as Pain Revolution (full color), excerpted from Chapter 5 of "Inflammation Mastery, 4th Edition" also published as a two-volume set as "Textbook of Clinical Nutrition and Functional Medicine, Vol. 2: Protocols for Common Inflammatory Disorders." The updated cover image emphasizes the importance of the brain inflammation that underlies the "central sensitization" which makes the brain more sensitive to pain. PURPOSE & AUDIENCE: This book is written to provide essential information to doctors and patients dealing with chronic pain generally, migraine and fibromyalgia specifically. The information is also relevant for cluster headache, myofascial pain syndrome, and complex regional pain syndrome. With hundreds of citations to the biomedical research literature, this book provides unique insights into the causes of and solutions for migraine and fibromyalgia as prototypic pain disorders chiefly characterized by central sensitization, glial activation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Clinicians and patients alike will gain insights that are immediately applicable for the treatment of these conditions. Importantly, the focus of Dr Vasquez's Functional Inflammology Protocol is to skillfully address -in a structured manner- the underlying causes of pain and inflammation, not simply to alleviate pain/inflammation via drug dependency. This book details the pathophysiology and essential treatment components; additional explanations and updates are provided via video lectures and tutorials. DIGITAL: Ebook version will be published in January 2016. ABOUT THIS BOOK: This book is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of Dr Vasquez's most recent 1,200-page textbook, Inflammation Mastery, 4th Edition (2016). The information in this book has been developed over many years starting from Dr Vasquez's teaching notes in Orthopedics and Rheumatology in 2000 and 2001, then in Integrative Orthopedics (2004, 2012), Musculoskeletal Pain: Expanded Clinical Strategies (Institute for Functional Medicine, 2008), Functional Medicine Rheumatology (2014), and Human Microbiome and Dysbiosis in Clinical Disease (2015).
About the Author: Dr Alex Vasquez holds three doctoral degrees as a graduate of University of Western States (Doctor of Chiropractic, 1996), Bastyr University (Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, 1999), and University of North Texas Health Science Center, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, 2010). Dr Vasquez is the author of many textbooks, including Integrative Orthopedics (2004, 2012), Integrative Rheumatology (2006, 2014), Musculoskeletal Pain: Expanded Clinical Strategies (published by the Institute for Functional Medicine, 2008), Chiropractic and Naturopathic Mastery of Common Clinical Disorders (2009), Integrative Medicine and Functional Medicine for Chronic Hypertension (2011), Migraine Headaches, Hypothyroidism, and Fibromyalgia (2012), and Mitochondrial Nutrition and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Primary Care (2014), and the previous version of this current book, updated and excerpted from the 700-page textbook Functional Inflammology (2014) and the 1,200-page textbook Inflammation Mastery, 4th Edition (2016). "DrV" has also written more than 100 letters and articles for professional magazines and medical journals such as British Medical Journal (BMJ), TheLancet.com, Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA), Nutritional Perspectives, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, Integrative Medicine, and Arthritis & Rheumatism, the Official Journal of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr Vasquez lectures worldwide to healthcare professionals and provides expert consultations to physicians and patients internationally. The former Editor of Naturopathy Digest and a reviewer for Journal of Naturopathic Medicine, PLOS One, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, and Autoimmune Diseases, Dr Vasquez is currently the Chief Editor of International Journal of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. A description of Dr Vasquez's books, audios, and videos is updated at his website InflammationMastery.com; All of DrV's books are available at Amazon.com, videos at Vimeo.com/DrVasquez, and lecture recordings at iTunes. International College of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine ICHNFM.org provides expert-level monographs and continuing education to students and clinicians worldwide.