NEW YORK — A recent Mayo Clinic study* found that more than 1 in 5 patients referred for a second opinion may have been incorrectly diagnosed. It might have happened to you or a friend. You see your doctor for one thing and find out it’s something else. Or worse, it’s a mysterious illness that physicians can’t quite pin down. As many as 25 million Americans** — that’s roughly 1 in 13 people — suffer from a rare, undiagnosed ailment, according to the Mayo Clinic. It’s such an issue that April 29 has been designated Undiagnosed Disease Day.

That’s what happened to Dr. Ilene Sue Ruhoy, MD, PhD., a widely sought-after neurologist and specialist in conditions such as Long-COVID, chronic fatigue, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, after she spent a year telling colleagues and doctors that she wasn’t feeling well. She was repeatedly told it was just stress, anxiety, or perimenopause. But she knew it was not. It was much worse — a seven-centimeter brain tumor that required urgent surgery, radiation, and then more radiation. This was the impetus for her writing her debut book, Invisible No More: Embracing Your Road to Recovery from Long Covid and Other Complex Chronic Illnesses (on sale June 17 from St. Martin’s Essentials).

“I went through post-operative pain that was undertreated and so severe that I would have done anything to end it — including ending my life if I had been physically able,” writes Dr. Ruhoy in Invisible No More. “If just one doctor had listened to me sooner, I could have avoided much of that… Writing this book was both cathartic and therapeutic for me and allowed me to feel deeply grateful for those who have been a part of my journey.”

With Invisible No More, Dr. Ruhoy aims to empower patients living with chronic and complex illnesses to take their health into their own hands. While COVID-19 has brought increased attention to chronic and complex illnesses, these conditions have been impacting millions of people worldwide for decades long before the 2020 pandemic. Dr. Ruhoy shares her personal health journey, along with those of many patients she’s seen, heard, or helped over the years who are living with Long-COVID (approximately 7 percent of U.S. adults have it, according to a 2022 survey****) and other chronic illnesses.

This book also serves as a useful guide with advice on proper nutrition, breathing exercises, supplements, exercise, and more practical ways to improve one’s health. Dr. Ruhoy tackles the following topics:

●      Why exposure to a common illness or a toxic environment can trigger a chronic response

●      How to integrate nutrition, supplements, and medication to reduce inflammation and other chronic symptoms like brain fog

●      How to use gradual activity and exercise to address symptoms, and when to see a doctor or physical therapist for particular concerns

●      Simple breathing exercises and why deliberate breathing can help with chronic symptoms

●      The importance of sleep and how to restart a healthy daily rhythm of wake and rest

●      New advances in regenerative therapies, and which ones are effective to pursue with a healthcare professional

●      How to detoxify our living environments to prevent further exposure to daily pollutants, including in our food, makeup, and cleaning products

●      How to approach your relationship with your doctors to maximize your options

With Invisible No More, Dr. Ruhoy aims to empower patients living with chronic and complex illnesses to take their health into their own hands and work with healthcare professionals to make actionable steps to improve their lives.

The not-yet-released 336-page tome is already receiving rave reviews from her peers. “[Dr. Ruhoy] gives the reader a set of essential tools and skills to… help one navigate this rugged, often unforgiving healthcare terrain – to better health,” says Anne Maitland, MD, PhD. “This book will be essential reading to long COVID sufferers and those who care for them,” says John McBurney, MD, Neurologist. “Dr. Ruhoy makes a compelling case for becoming the hero of one’s own story. This indispensable book deserves a place on every shelf, resonating with anyone who has faced illness or cares for someone who has,” says Linda Bluestein, MD.

Invisible No More: Embracing Your Road to Recovery from Long Covid and Other Complex Chronic Illnesses will be available in hardcover, e-book, and audio formats on June 17 from St. Martin’s Essentials.

Dr. Ilene Sue Ruhoy is a neurologist and environmental toxicologist who specializes in chronic and complex illness, including ME/CFS, EDS, and Long Covid. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, completed her residency in neurology at the University of Washington, and earned a PhD in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Nevada. In addition to her private practice in Seattle, WA, Dr. Ruhoy serves as a Medical Director, co-editor, and speaker on the role of connective tissue in neurological disease.

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