I read in the paper that 3.5 million British out of a population of about 60 million is taking Prosac style anti-depressants. That’s about 5% of the population and some of them are children. My guess is that going out for a run 3 times a week would cure a lot of people. Can a drug really cure you of an emotional disorder? I doubt it very much.
And while I’m on the subject, back pain is another one. Read this book instead of going to the doctor, even if you’ve been knocked out in bed for weeks by it – I pasted the reviews in the extended entry. I totally agree with them.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Healing Back Pain promises permanent elimination of back pain without drugs, surgery or exercise. It should have been titled Understanding TMS Pain, because it discusses one particular cause of back pain—Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)–and isn’t really a program for self-treatment, with only five pages of action plan (and many more pages telling why conventional methods don’t work). According to John E. Sarno, M.D., TMS is the major cause of pain in the back, neck, shoulders, buttocks and limbs–and it is caused not by structural abnormalities but by the mind’s effort to repress emotions. He’s not saying that your pain is all in your head; rather, that the battle going on in your mind results in a real physical disorder, which may affect muscles, nerves, tendons or ligaments. An injury may have triggered the disorder, but is not the cause of the amount or intensity of the resulting pain. According to Sarno, the mind tricks you into not facing repressed emotion by making you focus on pain in the body. When this realisation sinks in (“and it must sink in, for mere intellectual appreciation of the process is not enough”),the trick doesn’t work any more and there’s no need for the pain.(Healing BackPain should not be used for self-diagnosis. Always consult a physician for chronic or acute back pain). –Joan Price
Synopsis
A physician demonstrates how to relieve back pain caused by stress, anger, and other psychological factors without surgery, drugs, or exercise within two to six weeks. By the author of The Mindbody Prescription. Reissue.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5 out of 5 stars It Absolutely Works . . ., May 14, 1999
Reviewer: A reader from Houston, Texas
I was a bit sceptical at first, about reading this book. But reviews, TV specials, etc. made me feel that I had to.
A year ago, I incurred incredible back and leg pain, and was ultimately diagnosed with a herniated disk. At the time, I decided not to opt for surgery, but to take the physical therapy route. My pain subsided, but never really went away. I had to always sit with a special back pillow, and had to often stand at meetings so I would be comfortable.
Dr. Sarno’s book described me, my personality, and my pain to a tee. His recommendations and “cure” were so strong, that halfway through a plane flight on which I was reading the book, I removed my back pillow from the seat – I haven’t used it since.
3 weeks after reading the book, I’m completely pain-free, and have actually seen other minor improvements in my health, well-being, and attitude.
If you have back, neck or leg pain that seems to just linger, you MUST read this book. If you believe that standrad medical diagnoses are accurate, and that Doctors’ treatments must be followed, do yourself a favor and listen to what Dr. Sarno has to say.
It absolutely works.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5 out of 5 stars This book gave me my life back!, June 14, 1999
Reviewer: Bob Szymanski (bsdiver@acninc.net) from Redford, Michigan
I have had back pain for 15-20 years and was having debilitating sciatica in my left leg, when I happened to see a 20/20 special on Dr. Sarno in March 99. I had been bed riddened for five weeks, on pain killers and anti-inflamatories, unable to perform any normal activities. I listened to what Dr. Sarno had to say and he was talking about me! I read his book which furthered my belief in TMS and my life has been better since. I saw my nero-surgeon, while reading Dr. Sarno’s book, he said my CT Scan showed a bulged disk, an herniated disk, and a floating fragment. He scheduled me for a visit to the pain clinic and if that didn’t work, SURGERY. I was also going to physical therapy. Within days of reading Dr. Sarno’s book: I stopped therapy, did not go to the pain clinic, did not have surgery and was starting to resume all my activities (slowly, but steadily). Months later I feel like a new man and ready to tackle anything. All of my friends and family are amazed at my recovery; but no one is more amazed than I. THIS WORKS!