SICK AND TIRED investigates the paradox that while people in the developed world are living longer, millions of people suffer from new illnesses that modern medicine has no answer for e.g. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Half the visits to NHS doctors in the UK involved patients with such problems. Nick Read reveals what is going on; why the stresses and strains of modern life are often the trigger for an astonishing range of symptoms; and why the NHS and other medical systems are so bad at dealing with them. He contends that this is not the first time in history that social, economic and family pressures have led to new forms of sickness. And he explains how modern clinical practice that has so sharply reduced the number of people dying of heart disease (for example) is often slow to detect psychosomatic problems, and usually clumsy at dealing with them. Dr Read cites numerous case studies and patients' stories to show how the disintegration of family units, job pressures and the sheer pace of modern life can trigger debilitating physical symptoms. SICK AND TIRED reveals the extraordinary extent to which your mind can affect your body. It is not a call for us all to seek therapy, but a considered study into the impact of our lifestyles on our health. If you don't have such symptoms yourself, you probably have family or friends who do: Dr Read explains that the way to better health is to tackle the stress, not just the symptoms.