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Summary: Presto!
Review: I first heard about Dr. Sarno from, of all places, The Howard Stern Radio Show. Howard always dismisses back pain, saying "it's all in your head." When I was struck by a month of severe pain in my back, I ordered the book from Amazon. It took a few days to finally get to the crux of the matter (of course, I'm really busy...), but when I read "the magic chapter", I woke up the next morning as a healed person.BUY THIS BOOK - IT WORKS!
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Summary: The ONLY cure
Review: I read this book after suffering from back pain for 15 years. I tried chiropractic, acupuncture, massage and physical therapy, drugs, surgery, you name it. Less than 2 months after reading the book and applying the principles, my back pain went away. It rarely returns and when it does, I can get rid of it easily. And back pain isn't the only problem this book can eliminate.
No drugs. No surgery. No exercises. Just relief.
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Summary: It worked for me, because I was ready to apply the info.
Review: I had a lot of problems, like depression, along with the back pain (ruptured disc). I was working on the depression for a long time (10 years) and had read a lot of books that helped. The pivotal one was The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Murphy, so I was ready to understand and accept the information provided by Dr. Sarno. I needed to make a big change in my life, but it required my taking a long trip, which I was afraid to do because of my back. I saw an orthopedic surgeon and had the steroid shot, but not until I first read Sarno's book. I left on the trip four weeks after reading the book, and three weeks after the shot. I know it was the book, not the shot, that did the trick. After suffering with back pain and depression that controlled my life for 10 years, I am free of the pain enough to no longer announce that I have a back problem. It changed my whole life. I am able to do what he says and stop blaming the back problem on physical problems, and I am able to realize that the pain was part of the depression, which is now getting under control as well. My back still hurts when I sit for extended periods, but it's no big deal, and I know it's because I still have issues to work on. I have just recently stopped taking St. John's Wort, which I took for about a year after weaning myself off of pharmaceuticals. I no longer need to be a sick person, either mentally or physically. When you are ready for this information, you will be able to understand it and to apply it, even without specific guidelines. If this review makes sense to you, you are probably ready. If not, I strongly urge you to read the Murphy book, as well as Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I apply his meditative techniques in my exercise programs, and this information has also changed my life. Good luck.
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Summary: What finally healed my back pain.
Review: I have had back pain for years and avoided one of my favorite activities, golf, because of that. This book put back pain in the proper context. It is often associated with psychological issues and when you realize that, the pain improves dramatically. I now have little or no back pain and when I do get the pain, it improves far more quickly than before. I am a physician and I know that low back pain is one of the most common problems we see. This approach will help thousands of back pain sufferers. Thank you, Dr. Sarno!
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Summary: There's Something Here!
Review: First I must say I really firmly don't beleive in all the new age "think it, dream it away" books that tell you the pain's all in your head. I read this book 2 years ago and it has changed my life regarding back pain. I had chronic back pain, so severe at times I would miss a week or so of work and spend days in bed not moving. I would have 4 to 6 serious episodes a year. Now for over 2 years I have not had one episode. Why is that when all I did was read a book and practice his advice? I now drive the car I thought was the cause of my pain with no pain. I lift things now with no after effect or pain. I do all the exercises (skiing, biking etc.) without any of the previous pain. Dr. Sarno summarizes it by saying you need to disconnect from your mind the way it uses pain to distract you from the stresses and anxieties/fears in your life whether that is money problems, realationship, work etc. I truly believe now that you don't even have to resolve those issues if you just can keep telling yourself you won't be distracted no matter how bad the pain is...you will deal with your stress. It's an amazing book. He has really found something here and I wholeheartly recommend it to anyone sick of, "pulling thier backs out" or other severe back pain. I don't know why it works but it does for me , now my brother, and 3 other friends who thought they would never break the cycle they had been in pain with for years.
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Summary: Gift to my patients
Review: As a rheumatologist, I like to give this book to my patients for free. I have more time to spend with someone who really needs help, although I have less money, more satisfaction to my job.
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Summary: This book REALLY makes you stop and think about your pain.
Review: I am 33yrs old, much too young to be in the pain I WAS in. I have 2 herniated discs in my cervical spine (c4-5 & c5-6). I was out of work for 5 weeks and was told that I should give up my job as an aerobics instructor and laboratory technologist. I also have a young child and felt that my life was being pulled away from me. Working in the medical field, I sought out the "best" doctors from all over the state. Each of the four said something different, leaving me hopeless, afraid and frustrated. On a whim, I read this book in one day and found a lot of information to be helpful. I too had about 1/2 of my pain disappear within 24 hrs!! I have a ways to go b/c working in the medical field makes me tend to want find physical reason for my pain. I open this book every day to remind myself of the mental impact on the physical body!! This book is terrific and gave me hope!! It explained how the body is effected by stress...but left me with little information on how to release it. I am still working on this! Good Luck...
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Summary: Update of August 1, 2000 customer review
Review: A year later and I am still 100% pain free, 100% of the time. When I think of last summer and all the horrible pain I had, I still can't believe it.
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Summary: Travesty of "medicine"
Review: Frankly, I would give this book less than 1 star. I was offended by his blanket term of TMS. I suffer from fibromyalgia. I'm sure others who have ulcers, herniated discs, allergies, or any of the various ailments he states that we should be able to control feel the same way. As a nurse, it concerns me that people will follow his way of thinking without consulting a physician. I know he states to consult a physician...but that often doesn't happen. What happens to the patient with an untreated lumbar herniated disc? He may develop permanent nerve damage without neurosurgery. Shame on you Dr. Sarno for marketing the "cure-all" book that may in fact, harm people.
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Summary: Saved My Life
Review: Two years of chronic back pain: IDET operation 16 physical threapy treatments 2 epid. injections 12 actup. treatments 1 back brace 3 hydrothreapy treatmens thousands of dollars on Dr.'s bills Not one of these things worked............. I read Dr. Sarno's books and I am now .....100% back to normal.......
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