Cynthia Li

A grief-informed guide to help you and your romantic partner stay connected--despite the challenges of chronic illness. You're living your happily-ever-after with your partner and suddenly--you get sick. What now? Chronic illness can have a devastating impact on your life--especially when it comes to your romantic relationship. You may be so focused on your health, that you often have to put your relationship second. You might feel guilty that you can't do the things you used to do together. And you may even worry that you are a burden to your partner. So, how can you come to terms with your own chronic illness, and nurture your relationship at the same time? Grounded in evidence-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), this grief-informed guide offers powerful skills to help you and your partner adjust to a chronic illness diagnosis, communicate effectively, and protect your bond at each stage of the journey for a lasting and healthy relationship. You'll learn positive coping strategies to help you manage difficult emotions such as anger, sadness, and grief; promote intimacy and understanding between you and your partner; and identify what it is that truly matters to each of you--so you can move forward in your lives with your values closely aligned. Chronic illness is now a part of your life--but it doesn't have to define your life, or your relationship. Once you've healed from the initial shock and trauma of a diagnosis, you will need to build lasting coping skills to navigate life with your partner. This evidence-based guide can help you, each step of the way.

In this revelatory memoir, doctor Cynthia Li shares the truth about her struggle with a disabling autoimmune illness, the limitations of Western medicine, and what sufferers need to know to truly begin healing-mind, body, and spirit. Cynthia Li had it all: a successful career in medicine, a loving marriage, children on the horizon. But it all came crashing down when, within months of having her first child, she developed mysterious symptoms that baffled her doctors. After two years of "normal" test results with no relief from Western medicine, Li was no longer well enough to practice. Her quest for health became a solo odyssey-she had to find a way to heal herself. Brave New Medicine details the disabling autoimmune crisis that forced Li to question her own medical training and embrace the integrative principles of functional medicine to unlock her body's innate healing capacity . With the insight of an MD who was able to dissect and heal the root causes of her own autoimmune illness-one that conventional medicine said was incurable and irreversible-Li relates her story, including the emotional and spiritual shifts that occurred while investigating her true self, beyond illness and the conditions of the body. Millions of people are affected by chronic health conditions in the United States. But while issues such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) and fibromyalgia are receiving more and more attention, patients struggling with these mysterious autoimmune conditions are still dismissed by doctors and scientists in the established medical community. This is the harsh reality that doctor-turned- "difficult patient" Li faced firsthand when she developed autoimmune thyroiditis and chronic hypothyroidism (or Hashimoto's). Drawing on ancient healing arts, cutting-edge science, evolutionary biology, and the power of laughter and pleasure, this memoir offers support, validation, and a new perspective for anyone dealing with chronic illness or another health crisis. By sharing her own autoimmunity struggle, Li reveals the insider knowledge you need to start your own healing journey.