Jeffrey Boyd, M.D., M.Div., M.P.H. graduated from Case Western Reserve Medical School and completed his residency in psychiatry at Yale University. He studied theology at Harvard University; graduating with a Masters of Divinity. Jeff is also an ordained Episcopal Minister.

Review by Wayne Connell, founder of The Invisible Disabilities Advocate:

I wanted to share with you about a fantastic book I just finished reading. "Being Sick Well, Joyful Living Despite Chronic Illness," is probably one of the best books I have ever read. As someone who is a care giver of a chronic illness sufferer and the Founder & President of two chronic illness support & awareness organizations, The Invisible Disabilities Advocate and Where Is God Ministries, I was moved with a wide range of emotions and challenged with new ideas and wowed by the insight of the author, Dr Jeffery Boyd.

In "Being Sick Well," Dr Boyd states "When I talked with people who had chronic illness but remained upbeat, I discovered that they developed methods to help them get through the day." These methods which Dr Boyd gleaned from case histories are mentioned throughout the book and are insightfully turned into 20 strategies for joyful living despite chronic illness. The book is full of stories of sufferers and their care givers. There are even detailed statistics and conclusions surrounding the continuing rise of chronic illness in America despite the notion we are getting healthier. Dr Boyd tackles these issues surrounding chronic illness with experience, intelligence and compassion.

Far from being dry, I cried and cheered and laughed. The stories are moving and what they teach in regards to "Being Sick Well" are practical and inspiring. Since my organizations do not target any specific chronic illnesses or disease, I wondered how they could have an greater impact on our world. Most people are drawn to a particular organization that deals with one specific disease or chronic illness such as the Arthritis Foundation or the MS Society. Dr Boyd addresses this issue by stating the following:

What is lacking is a sense of common cause among the different disease constituencies. If the families afflicted with diseases X, Y, and Z would cooperate instead of competing with one another, there would emerge an advocacy group representing a majority of the public, and suddenly the healthcare finance system would be forced to change so as to recognize and treat chronic illness. That would make life with chronic disease much more tolerable for everyone.

I was not only moved by his book, but I was also encouraged and energized to rise to the challenge he set forth. Since currently "At least 45% of all Americans have a chronic condition" there is a lot of work to be done and I thank Dr Boyd for leading the challenge in "Being Sick Well."

As a medical practitioner who treats patients with kidney disease, diabetes, and many other chronic illnesses, I have found Dr. Boyd's book tremendously helpful for me, my patients and their families. He creatively and lovingly engages a group of people who have found their own way to live well with their chronic illnesses, and then brilliantly distills their stories for us. Dr. Boyd gives both knowledge and inspiration that all of us, and those who we care for, can use to improve the way we live.

This book reminds us that as physicians we must treat illness on many different levels besides prescriptions, tests and hospital stays. I know that many of my patients could minimize their need for medications and hospitalizations if we could find a way to follow the lead of these courageous people who shared with Dr. Boyd the wisdom they have found in adapting to some of the most difficult trials any of us can face.

With this book, Dr. Boyd gives us the opportunity to learn from some of the best. Not only do I encourage patients with chronic illness who want to live well, and doctors who want to help them, to read this book, but I encourage anyone who wants to find inspiration for conducting a better life to read it.

From Publishers Weekly

Christian physician Boyd-whose own late wife suffered from heart and kidney problems, paralysis and strokes-extends an honest and compassionate resource for the chronically ill and their caregivers. Boyd has two goals: to persuade readers that we are facing an "epidemic" of chronic illness, and to help sick people have more joyful lives. In good self-help form, he offers 20 "strategies" for joyful living. Some of his advice is nuts-and-bolts practical, like the suggestion to invest in long-term care insurance. Two chapters are devoted to discussing how spirituality in general and Christianity in particular can help a person cope with pain and illness.

Sometimes, Boyd's advice is a bit anodyne-adopt a positive attitude, don't dwell on your illness, etc. Those things are easy to say, but harder to do. A more honest examination of anger in the place of a joyfully sick life might have leavened the loaf. Still, the many case studies keep Boyd's vision from seeming unattainable. Further, even though the topic is heavy, Boyd is a humorous and engaging writer. For instance, in urging the general reader to plow through the one academic and statistical chapter, he says, "In this chapter, you will read about... an adorable 73-year-old grandmother with gold teeth and neon orange hair, [and] about having your friend amputate your leg in her kitchen." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Baker Publishing, 256 pages, paperback
These were purchased at a discounted store and have a black line on the bottom side of the pages. Otherwise, the books are brand new.

Jeff Boyd graduated from Harvard University, with a Divinity degree and was ordained a minister. He then served in a church on the north shore of Boston, during which time he became interested in psychology.

He was awarded Fulbright Fellowship for study in Switzerland and trained at the Carl Jung Institute in Zürich. After his return to the US he enrolled in Harvard University's pre-med program. He graduated from Case Western Reserve Medical School in Ohio, as class president.

He completed his psychiatry residency at Yale University, while also obtaining an MPH degree in public health and epidemiology from Yale.

Dr. Boyd is the chairman of the spirituality committee for the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, on the editorial board of Journal of Religion and Health, and has published more than three-dozen scholarly articles or chapters in books on the intersection of religion and health. He has published two books on the subject of health and religion: Reclaiming the Soul, and Being Sick Well: Joyful Living Despite Chronic Illness (Baker Publishing; April 1, 2005)

Dr. Boyd is a Psychiatrist and Chairman of Behavioral Health at Waterbury Hospital Health Center, a Yale Medical School-affiliated teaching hospital.

He has a wonderful web site at www.beingsickwell.com

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• Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness And Pain