Worrying that your symptoms are psychosomatic—or even imagined—is part of life for many people with poorly understood illnesses. Although the experience of illness is not just in the head, it is also not just in the body. The person enduring such an illness faces a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, she must advocate for herself, even when doctors are indifferent or ignorant, and not be deterred when she knows something is wrong. On the other, she also must be willing to ask whether an obsessive attention to symptoms is going to lead to better health. The patient has to hold in mind two
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