SteveO's New Book : "BACK PAIN PERMANENT HEALING"

[BruceMC]

And yet, people in general have chosen to believe the unproven side, the very same people who demand scientific proof of TMS."

I can remember when I pointed out what you are saying, Tom, to my allergist at Kaiser, when he told me about his brother's back problems, that his only reply was that he saw his brother's bulging disc on an MRI. This is where modern medical science is totally biased in favor of the structural diagnosis for the origins of pain, not just back pain, but all kinds of pain. What you have to point out is that statistical studies say otherwise. For example, there are people with excruciating lower lumbar pain who have no spinal abnormalities. And, on the other hand, there are people with no back pain at all who have many spinal abnormalities. This summer I was talking to a scientist at Lawrence Livermore Radiation Lab who said, based on those statistical studies, there is no demonstrable correlation between back pain and structural abnormalities - none whatsoever. And this guy has a Ph.D. in math, which is no easy degree to earn. IMHO not enough research is being done that studies the role traumatic emotional experiences and the emotions they create on the neurochemistry of brain functions. But that's not as simple as saying a bulging disc is behind a patient's pain and offering to relieve his suffering with an adroit surgeon's knife. Unfortunately, the whole system is designed to do just that. But how many failed back surgeries are there? Almost every single one I've ever heard about didn't work out for the better. I'm sure the neurosurgeons are not publishing those kind of self-defeating statistics though.

 

[mike2014]

page 13,

"...we have three dozen studies disclosing that spinal disc "abnormalities" do not cause back pain, and not one single study in the medical literature showing that herniated discs (or other spinal malformations) do cause back pain. And yet, people in general have chosen to believe the unproven side, the very same people who demand scientific proof of TMS."​

Thanks for posting this, Tom. It's a very powerful statement.

 

[Tennis Tom]

Thanks Mike, hope the bold font and the red aren't too offensive to the internet world, but it is a shocking stat. Maybe radiology reports should have this as a warning label on them like cigarettes do.

Just yesterday I was having lunch at a counter, and the waitress said she's going in for knee surgery. I asked what was wrong with her knee, and she replied the cartilage had just "worn out", no accidents or sports "injuries". She was maybe in her forties. I asked if the surgery was going to be arthroscopy, or a total replacement? It was for arthro, her surgeon wanted her to hold off on a replacement, but she was rearin' to go for a new one--like a new car. I was tempted to tell her to google "failed knee surgery", but held off. By the time they're scheduled for surgery, and their heart is set on the knife being the cure to all their problems, I don't try to dissuade them. It was arthroscopic, and I figure if the surgeon is competent, they can't do much further damage, just a little nip & tuck and vacuuming out--kinda' like an oil change and lube job.

 

[pspa]

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa013259#t=article (MMS: Error)

"This study provides strong evidence that arthroscopic lavage with or without débridement is not better than and appears to be equivalent to a placebo procedure in improving knee pain and self-reported function. Indeed, at some points during follow-up, objective function was significantly worse in the débridement group than in the placebo group."

It seems that most arthroscopic enthusiasts never got the message.

 

[Tennis Tom]

page 15,

"The "spinal problem believers" are forever lost in suffering. The physician with higher credentials firmly convinces them they have a defective body. At that point, that's it--their healing has been negated . But what the physician doesn't know is harming them. Even worse, few physicians care to know. ​

"99.999 percent of the medical profession does not accept this (TMS) diagnosis.

John E. Sarno, MD "

 

[Freedom]

For anyone who has read both books, whats the big difference between this and "The great pain deception" ? I was thinking about getting Great Pain Deception as I'd heard such good reviews. Would that be better to read than this? Or better to read before this? I have of course read Dr Sarnos healing back pain.

 

[Ryan]

page 15,

"The "spinal problem believers" are forever lost in suffering. The physician with higher credentials firmly convinces them they have a defective body. At that point, that's it--their healing has been negated . But what the physician doesn't know is harming them. Even worse, few physicians care to know. ​

"99.999 percent of the medical profession does not accept this (TMS) diagnosis.

John E. Sarno, MD "

What a great quote, shows how much mainstream medicine is doing more damage than good. Its not there fault they just don't know.

 

[Ryan]

For anyone who has read both books, whats the big difference between this and "The great pain deception" ? I was thinking about getting Great Pain Deception as I'd heard such good reviews. Would that be better to read than this? Or better to read before this? I have of course read Dr Sarnos healing back pain.

Don't get caught in the never ending rabbit hole of obtaining more tms information. Healing back pain has all you need to know but some people need more to let there anxiety get relieved. GPD is a great book, probably the best overall best for tms. Just read a couple books then put them into action.

Ryan

 

[BruceMC]

Yes, reading and reading and reading is the easy part. It's putting them into action where the real work begins!

 

[kylehuisman]

This is the essence of Ron Siegel's book Back Sense. No repressed emotions, no distraction theory, no inner children or bullies, just this: fear (and anxiety) create muscle tension. Muscle tension creates pain, often severe. Pain, in turn, ramps up fear and anxiety. The fear/pain/fear cycle. So the only way to break the cycle is to overcome the fear.

I found these diagrams on Ron Siegels website.... what beautiful diagrams and summations of how both cycles work, for chronic illness, and Recovery. Keep it simple, the simpler the better. Dr. Sarno encouraged both the acknowledgment and feeling of emotional tension just as much as he encouraged getting back to living life without fear, or in spite of the fear, bringing to life a whole new attitude. There comes a time when one has to simply shift back to living.... theres no other way to heal than to shift into and embody, physically, what health and wellbeing is all about. Living, doing, movement, activity, relaxing, enjoying, having fun, whatever it is you need to take care of in daily life and want to do. No amount of intellectualization and analysis of a "condition" can heal it. This is just trying to fix the symptoms, in turn fuelling their existence even more, bringing to them more attention and energy, creating more tension on top of tension. It is the very "preoccupation" with the symptoms that keeps them going. All that is needed is to leave the symptoms alone, give them the space to release on their own time, much the same way as a common cold, or cut on the skin. We are inherently Resilient. Take all the sensations and feelings into life with you with an accepting attitude. This is the beauty of the wisdom that has been uncovered... we can drop the whole load of "it" on the floor. The "it" in the mind. By not fearing the symptoms and carrying on with life you are dealing with "it" directly. See the truth of how recovery works and the common thread across all success stories. Once the fear of symptoms is gone, recovery is inevitable, the symptoms will lessen and eventually disappear... leading to more positive states of mind, the tables have turned... the cycle is reversed.