But You Look Fine: Trapped in the Hell Between Sick and Well and How to Break Free

Health coach, patient advocate and wellness advisor, Amy Kurtz, breaks the silence about the crucial, painful, pervasive, and yet all too common phase of healing from chronic illness that has long gone overlooked ... until now.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 194 million Americans--or 76.4% of the population--have at least one chronic illness, and half of them are women. While many of these individuals finally have a diagnosis, and are no longer "sick", they're still not "well." They've gone through the treatments, taken the medications, and yet still find themselves suffering.

So, what do you do after you've discovered the root of your condition, and you're still not healed? How do you move past the trauma of being diagnosed (which often takes years for many patients), as well as the trauma of now living with this condition. More importantly, what is this limbo between sick and well that so many patients find themselves in?

The answer is Medical Trauma Brain, a phrase Health coach and patient advocate Amy Kurtz coined after years of research into her own challenges with misdiagnosed Lyme disease. Medical Trauma Brain is the trauma that hangs on pervasively even after the patient is "cured" keeping them stuck in the hell between sick and well. It's the most overlooked but crucial part of healing, and in But You Look Fine, Amy shares the exact plan she used to move through this integral part of recovery so others can finally break free from their own bridge between sick and well.

"Amy Kurtz exposes a common occurrence that until now has gone unnamed and undiscussed by doctors and patients alike. Not only does she reveal this roadblock to wellness, but she also offers solutions, ones that we can all apply to our lives whether chronically ill, newly diagnosed, or labeled 'cured.' This is a paradigm shifting book and a must-read." --Mark Hyman, MD

Author: Amy Kurtz
Publisher: Balance
Published: 06/09/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781538775301

About the Author

Amy Kurtz is a chronic illness expert and researcher, patient advocate, and author of trailblazing Kicking Sick: Your Go-To Guide for Thriving with Chronic Health Conditions. A distinct and trusted voice in the health space, her work has been praised by Dr. Mark Hyman, Kris Carr, and others; Lena Dunham named Kicking Sick one of her "top 10 desert island books of all time" in New York Magazine. Amy has been featured in Oprah Daily, New York Magazine, Good Morning America, Fox, and The Boston Globe. She lives in New York City.