How to reassure hypochondriacs
 
“I know the sketch by heart: ‘Doctor, I’ve got cancer…” or the variant, “Doctor, I’m heading for Alzheimer’s or a heart attack…”. Hypochondria is in better shape than ever now that health information is available to everyone on the internet and social media. I now see why it’s tempting to believe the worst of the most insignificant symptoms. But in the vast majority of cases, people are wrong. You need only to have a proper look at the patient’s symptoms to realize he or she has often over-interpreted things. I wrote this book to convince you that whatever you’re suffering from isn’t all that serious, to tell you that you will die, yes, but not necessarily straight away!
The first section runs through our main anxieties: heart attacks, cancer, Aids, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, impotence, sterility, viruses, multiple sclerosis and, lastly, death itself.
The second section explores twenty everyday situations: my glands are up in my neck, I’m shaking, I’m seeing double, I’m spitting blood, I have chest pains, etc.
In each case, I mention the worst-case scenario (the one we’re afraid of) to help prove that, depending on other symptoms, you may not actually be in your final hours.”  M.C.