ABSTRACT
Self-help literature is one of the central resources that women draw upon during their experiences with endometriosis. Ella Shohat, for instance, commended the literature published by the American Endometriosis Association, describing their work as feminist' in orientation. In Endometriosis for Dummies, Krotec and Perkins explain that endometriosis is a chronic disease with various symptoms that until recently were understood as being more psychological than physical in origin. In psychological self-help literature, the focus may be on therapy and other practices associated with the 'psy' culture. Neoliberalism and self-help therefore have a somewhat symbiotic relationship. In ignoring the social, cultural and economic constraints on women's lives, the self-help literature produces and reproduces a highly individualised discourse of health care, exalting the individual over the social. Moreover, Sally's capacity to avoid environmental toxins is also limited because she lives in a city and cannot easily grow her own food.
