Author(s): DURANTE J

Fiction

The cofounders of the Mitral Valve Prolapse Society team up with a cardiologist to help readers who suffer from this chronic and incurable illness manage symptoms and maintain healthy and stable lives. Mitral Valve Prolapse is a non-life-threatening structural dysfunction of the heart's mitral valve that affects women twice as commonly as men. Some 40 percent of people with MVP also suffer from MVP syndrome, otherwise known as dysautonomia, an imbalance of the autonomic nervous system whose symptoms include panic attacks, anxiety, fatigue, migraines, irritable bowel, and more. This new survival guide reassures readers who've been told that "It's all in your head" that what they're going through is real-and teaches them that the syndrome can be managed, through education, healing, and support. Readers learn what MVP and MVP syndrome are, discover how to alleviate symptoms, and explore steps they can take to live with the condition. The authors cover diet, nutrition, and exercise, recommend self-help strategies, and help readers become advocates for themselves with health professionals.