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Disease Books > Back Pain > Item 11
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Mind Over Back Pain
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Hardcover
by John E. Sarno
Sales Rank: 38829
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$98.75
At Amazon
on 11-19-2011.
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Features
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade November 1, 1999
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425175235
ISBN-13: 978-0425175231
Product Dimensions:
7.8 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
Since so many have already given their personal account, I thought I would talk of the book's content. Dr. Sarno wrote this book for normal people. It is short, readable, to the point, and avoids statistical/clinical mumbo-jumbo (as much as possible). If someone is looking for a scientific white paper, this book isn't it. His support is mostly anecdotal (case studies) and argumentative, but he also offers some reasonable clinical citings in support of his theory. For instance, if back pain is due to a degenerating spine, as most physicians would argue, why do the incidents of back pain decrease sharply after the age of 60? (Decrease much faster than death rate.) I found most of his observations about back pain and the fallacies of orthodox treatment to be insightful and credible. It made me realize how much blind faith I have in traditional medicine -- that alone was worth the read! The book contains all the treatment information that you need. Contrary to what some of the one-star reviewers say, he states that there is rarely a need to enter into therapy with him or anyone else. You need only accept his theory to disarm your subconscious and relieve your pain -- what he calls "knowledge therapy." What is confusing about the last chapter is that he spends his time telling you everything that you do NOT need to do and sites extreme cases where therapy was needed. This can be a bit disconcerting to someone looking for an exercise regime or twelve-step program. The reason he doesn't have two-hundred pages of instructions is that you don't need them. I suspect that the disappointed reviewers either misread the last chapter or completely missed the point. It would have been nice if he made the point more clearly and supported "knowledge therapy" theory more substantially. The point he didn't wholy clarify is that reading the book -- and accepting his conclusion -- WAS the treatment. After that, it's just a matter of letting the realization sink in. He presents a radical approach to back pain treatment. If you plan to read this book, open up your mind to the possibility that traditional treatment is based on a flawed premise. Doing so will allow you to absorb some important conclusions about back pain and to whether through his occasional soapbox rants. If you cannot imagine that traditional medicine is capable of flaw, you will get nothing out of Dr. Sarno's book. For me, I believe him. Considering what a defeatist, skeptical, cynic I am this is a miracle in itself!
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Mind Over Back Pain
Available from Amazon
Price: $98.75
Updated on 11-19-2011.
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