Health Books

Former Mr. America and bodybuilding great, Dave Draper, is a gifted writer and deep, thoughtful thinker. This book is a collection of his best essays on life and bodybuilding. But more than that, they're inspiration to all of us who lose our motivation to workout --- and that pretty much includes us all. Right?

Each chapter stands on it's own. So you can read it straight through or pick a chapter. I like to read one a day or one before a workout or just when I need inspiration. The book has been a real blessing to me and my guess is it will be for you as well.

It's not dated. So buy it now.

Highly recommended.

- Susanna K. Hutcheson

I liked this book, It's a great story of the grandfather of bodybuilding and his techniques, mindset and nutrition.

Great read and well written.

this is the one. In my opinion, this is the only book you will need. Whether just starting out or a seasoned bodybuilder, this great book puts it all together. Sure there are hundreds of books out there all touting the latest routine or supplementation but Dave Draper plows through all that and gets down to the tried and true facts. His writing style is unique, refreshing, down to earth and motivational. The bodybuilding bug bit me at around age 15. I wish this book was around then as it would have saved me so much time and heartache. Not only is Dave Draper a great bodybuilder, (yup that's present tense for you yougins that think once one stops competing they aren't a bodybuilder anymore) but he's an all around great guy. I "met" Dave many years ago when I stumbled across his website, [...]. I was in a place in my life that needed some bodybuilding direction big time. Due to life circumstances, I let training take a back seat. Dave was kind (and wise) enough to teach me it was ok to get back on the horse after falling off. It's so easy to let life get in the way and make excuses. Buy the book, read it and get going!

Rick Fingerman, CFP(r)
President- Financial Planning Solutions, Inc

Decades ago I saw on TV the movie Don't Make Waves, and I remembered Tony Curtis's foil the great beast of a man, blond and mostly mute, when the luminous James Wolcott linked to a literate and aging body builder in a blogpost this year.
And so they are the same. This warm and wise book is a great encouragement to those of us whose bodies need the stress of physical work to maintain health and joy.
Part technical guide, part moral guide, part memoir, the Bomber's book is still a whole work and for me it lifts the strange sport of body building, sans steroids, up on Dave's big back to a new level of respect. Highly recommended.

The most useful part of this book is the advise about how to train around injury and over training. This is what happens when yer an old geezer and want the 18 year old body. I'm 59, and actually don't look like I'll be dead in 13 years. Thank you Dave.

The book was very well written! I was surprised at the how humorous is turned out to be... although TBI is seldom funny Cathy Crimmins has a knack for keeping things on the light side! A must-read for anyone who has experienced a TBI or for anyone looking for a fantastic book!

In 1992 I too suffered a Frontal Lobe Brain Injury. While I had already suffered and underwent rehab for I looked to this book for a picture of someone else who had "been there." I was not disappointed! Ms. Crimmins story presented a picture that was both extremely tragic and hopeful. I found myself laughing along with them due to having "been there, done that." I have since given this book to many of the people I have met. Fellow TBI survivors continue to recommend it to those that they meet, both survivors as well as family members of people newly injured.

It is well written and a truly incredible story to read. I would recommend it for persons in the medical field, particularly trauma centers. I would also recommend this book for anyone who knows someone with a traumatic brain injury. I would also recommend this book to anyone who likes a good book.

Cathy Crimmins talks of the reality of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and shares the emotions as they are. An easy read with so much insight into the life of the victim and the victim's family from the moment of trauma onward. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll have a better understanding, and then you will start the process all over again. This is an absolute "must read" for anyone whose life has been touched by TBI. I praise her poignant honesty in telling the story of her husband's battle "back" after the boating accident that caused his TBI as well as the honesty of the family's long journey learning not just what, but how they dealt with this life-changing accident on a day-to-day basis.
Kathy Keefe
www.allinfo24-7.com
www.kathykeefe.info

This was one of four books that I had to read for an Intro to Communications Disorders class that I took last semester. I was pleasantly surprised what a good read it was. After reading this book I checked into my insurance to see how much coverage I would have for accidents like this one. It also made me think about how fragile life is and how your life can turn on a dime. The brain is complex and vulnerable to trauma both externally and internally. The book also helped me to communicate with my husband about these kinds of accidents. If your language center gets damaged then you can't communicate. I told him that if that happened to either one of us then one really helpful piece of advice is to find a book such as this to see whats going on in the injured person's head. I really appreciate that people take the time to write about their experiences even very traumatic ones such as this.

A good book on the subject, with lots of discussion on why Arthritis happens and how the medical profession is holding back the real cure.

One other very simple and good book WITH the cures IN the book is Arthritis: The Cure, and if you just want the cure, read it! You'll be typing, walking, running, etc before you know it!

Arthritis: The Cure: The Last Book You'Ll Ever Need On Arthritis

Enjoy!

The only "cure" for my partner's RA, the doctors told us, are drugs with very serious side effects. And those drugs would only hold off the inevitable debilitating deformities. We decided that we had to take this into our own hands. I read many books on the subject that were helpful, but when I read Barbara Allen's book, I knew I had found the miracle that we were looking for. We both changed our diets and my partner got relief immediately. We are now awaiting the results from the Alcat blood test so we can further "tone" our diets and avoid inflamatory foods. If you too are feeling discouraged with what your doctor is telling you about RA, read this book. You will be glad you did!!

The information is organized into a well-researched, easy-to-follow plan for getting well again and includes case histories of people with dramatic and lasting recoveries.

Ms. Allan writes from experience and so do I. At the core of the author's suggestions is the concept that food sensitivities may perpetuating your pain. I have help myself and guided many others by discovering the link between chronic pain and/or inflammation and food sensitivities.

In the 20+ years that I've been educating myself about safe and effective natural therapies for arthritis, I've never seen all of this pricelessly pain relieving advise collected into a single volume.

Bravo Ms. Allan!

GREEN TIP: First edition (2002, reprints 2005 and 2007) might be available at your local public library has a copy. But the 2nd edition important up-to-date information that can help short cut your process of healing.

If you or a loved-one have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or any autoimmune disease then Barbara Allan's Conquering 2nd Edition is worth the purchase.

FYI:
I'm am a licensed massage therapist and karate instructor.

Sincerely Yours,
Denise H. Williams

MUCH KNEADED
massage - nutrition - martial arts
NY, NY

I have Reactive Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondolitis, and am HLA B-27 positive. My mother also has an auto-immune disease and several known food allergies. We both decided to try the juice fast and food reintroduction techniques found in the book. In short, The fast has helped reduce a lot of my mother's pain, but none of mine.

Overall, I think the ideas presented in the book are worth a try. I have heard several people state that approximately 30% of arthritis cases are caused, or at least worsened, by food allergies and sensitivities. In those cases, the arthritis can be cured by performing a juice fast and food reintroduction. The fast includes completely eliminating all foods, avoiding all other inputs - medication, alcohol, and smoking for example, and using enemas to clean out any trace food particles.

The book was easy to read and consistently provided footnotes to Allan's research and suggested reading. My issue with the book is the following:
Allan repeats some information ad nauseum, often at the expense of providing more detailed information elsewhere. I would have liked the sections on the actual fast and food reintroduction to be greatly expanded. For example, it is not sufficient to just say 'begin self-administered enemas and continue until regular bowel movements occur after the test is done'.

Also I feel that Allan gave a far-too-simple explanation of food reintroduction, and in some cases even contradicted herself. For example she states that when reintroducing food only test one food a day, then later says to test one new food every 24-36 hours, then in her sample guide to reintroducing food she says to introduce 2 foods on the same day (apple and a lettuce salad). There is no explanation why this example breaks her previous reintroduction strategy. The final complaint that I have is that much of the stylistic writing and font choice is unprofessional at best, repetitive and gratuitous at worst. All of these problems could have been solved by using a mainstream publishing company and editor, but I am sure no mainstream company would have published this book! That said, I do think that this book is worth purchasing if you have an auto-immune disease and are willing to work hard to solve it! Even though it didn't work for me, it may work for you.

At age 30, after being a college athlete and in "perfect" health, my daughter was diagnosed with RA. We were devastated!! Two years later, she was on Enbrel, methotrexate and other meds for her condition--things looked pretty hopeless. After much research into the disease, we decided we wouldn't just sit around and let the disease take it's course. Researching on Amazon's site, we came across Barbara's book and thought it sounded too good to be true! After all, the rheumatologists were telling us there was no cure. We had nothing to lose but the price of the book, a little time and effort--but we had everything to gain if it did indeed work.

One year ago, we started with the fast that Barbara recommends and we were absolutely shocked with what happened. After 5 days, my daughter was completely without pain, swelling or any sign of RA. We were ecstatic!! Now, the problem was sustaining it! This proved to be the most difficult of the equation. We enlisted the help of a PA who was open to a different approach to the disease and (as Barbara suggested) was able to get food sensitivities completed. Remarkably, the list was extensive, but corn wasn't on it!! My daughter undertook a rotational diet and added many supplements to her daily diet. After a period of six months, she was able to come off Enbrel and methotrexate, but not all of her meds. However, though it is slow,we continue to make progress. This disease didn't happen overnight and will not be stopped overnight.

I believe we couldn't have done this without Barbara's guidance. Her book became our source of strength when we thought about giving up. It was precise, thorough, informative and most importantly--certain this could be done.

There are four other books which we have used in this journey. One, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, is also a must read. Three others, Probiotics Revolution, Children With Starving Brains and Healing the New Childhood Epidemics, are based on the theory of disease being gut related. The latter three books are significant in that they give good recommendations for nutrients to combat inflammation of the gut, which appears to play a large part in RA.

If you only read one book on Lyme disease, then this is the book to read. It reads more like a novel than a text, so it is fun to read, yet it is packed with information. As a physician interested in Lyme Disease, I have read numerous books and texts on the subject. This was the only one I couldn't put down.

This is an EXCELLENT book! It explains the history of the lyme disease controversy, and the corruption of the Infectious Disease Society. Many patients are suffering because of the IDSA's flawed guidelines to lyme disease detection and treatment. Lyme disease is an epidemic that is expanding. Believe me, you don't want to become one of these patients that have to fight for a diagnosis and proper treatment-and told that it's "all in your head". It is appalling that we live in the United States, and yet we are treated this way. Until you come down with an illness, such as lyme disease, you may never really realize how corrupt our society, and the medical establishment is. It's all about money and profit for the pharmaceutical companies.
Read this book!

Diagnosed with chronic Lyme in 2004, while I was pregnant, threw me into the Lyme wars. I have read lots of books, articles and web sites about Lyme. Weintraub's book, however, is above all the rest. Her factual details, combined with personal experiences, make for fantastic reading. I have ordered copies for my family, as reading this book will help them understand the Lyme wars, and understand the varying bits of information they receive from different sources - media, friends, MDs, patients.

I have done months of oral antibiotics and weeks of IV antibiotics. Even with a CDC positive test, getting aggressive treatment was difficult. I have now found the best success with Eastern medicine. Like Weintraub, I put my faith in new testing, and unbiased scientists, to lead us down a better path. I also hope that a One Medicine approach, combining the knowledge of human and veterinary medicine as it applies to infectious disease, will yield breakthroughs.

This is a fantastic book. Buy more than one copy, as you will want to spread the word.

This book is to lyme disease what Osler's Web is to CFS, and yes the two diseases not only share physical similarities but are historically interwoven like fornicating worms. If you don't have lyme disease or haven't heard of it, it'll read kooky, cultish, and conspiratorial. If you have had any personal experience with lyme disease, you might catch yourself wishing this were an elaborately-contrived conspiracy to stave off the sobering realization that lyme patients never stood a chance.

Pamela Weintrub is a meticulous scientific journalist who leaves no big name un-interviewed on either side of the polarizing lyme debate and no stone unturned to give an evidence-based lashing of big pharma, academic medicine, gov't research, and managed care: the Big Four responsible for spinning and stifling unbiased research results to keep patents alive, pockets full, and egos way up high.

Lyme disease sufferers should not add this book to their arsenal of treatment books because incredulously, all the patients in this book had amazing results with monotherapy--antibiotics alone. No no, readers shouldn't read this book for any kind of therapy--including hope. Cure Unknown is the truth and nothing but the truth: The Bible of How We Got Shat On. But for the policy wonks out, this book is 20 years of pressing evidence that our healthcare system is equal parts egomaniacal and inefficient. Let's read and weep (I did twice)...and change.

The four Weintraub's left New York City to live in a dream home in Chappaqua in Westchester County as they thought this would be better for the kids. The parents thought the open woods with deer would prove healthier than the smog city. However, within a very short time from when they relocated, one of the sons becomes ill followed by the other boy. Soon afterward the father and finally the mother became ill also. Each had similar aches and pains that were progressively getting worse. The local physicians considered Lyme disease infection, but decides that was not the cause. The family turned to the best medical facilities in New York and received similar no help responses as the cures were making the disease worse. Desperate, Pamela Weintraub decided to use her skill as a science writer to research the symptoms. What she reports in this insightful frightening book is shocking as she affirms the widening spread of Lyme disease with the medical field in her opinion buried in the sand or ignorant. Ms. Weintraub, whose sons remain very ill, exposes the health system's failure to react to a growing epidemic that could turn pandemic rather shortly. Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic is a well written shocker that makes the case act now before it is too late.

Harriet Klausner

I bought this book almost 3 weeks ago and I'm amazed at how quickly and relatively easy it was to change some of my eating habits. I have a horrible sweet tooth and didn't think it was possible for me to not eat sweets during the week but for the most part I'm already used to it. Did I splurge the first couple S days? Of course I did but now that I'm getting used to it I rarely think about having something sweet. I was very skeptical about no snacks but I think many points the author makes are valid. I know for me snacking didn't mean my lunch or dinner was smaller so snacks were just extra calories, even if they were healthy. I did have a tough time the first week without the snacks but I got thru it. The thing that I am most amazed by is that following The No S Diet Plan has dramatically reduced the amount of time I spend thinking about food. I'm not obsessing about what I'm going to eat and it's such an awesome feeling. I haven't lost weight yet but I don't have a lot to lose and I'm confident sooner or later the pounds will come off since I'm eating less.

Dear Book Buyers,
If you ever needed a book to help you with something you already were taught but forgot this is the book for you. I was taught to have no snacks no sweets and no seconds except on "S" special days. I am so happy that Reinhard Engel took the time to remind us all and show us by his example how we should be taking care of ourselves and our relationship with food. It is so nice to enjoy life because of not thinking about when to eat it is already decided just make sure to eat one plate of breakfast lunch and dinner how simple is that. Thank you Mr. Engel for bringing normal back. Sincerely, Liz Thaler

In the book, No S Diet, Reinhard gets down to the heart of why people are fat! Why? Because we eat too much. It's that simple.
This book is an easy read with nothing but the truth. It's not so much about dieting as it is about looking at yourself, your bad habits, how to make changes little by little and getting back in control. If you want to make changes in your life, I suggest you read it. After only two weeks, I'm a new person.
You can find out more at www.nosdiet.com

Wonderful! This really works. It's so simple and easy and can work for ANYONE without gimmickry or nonsense. It's the antidote for a fat America.

Most people like the old KISS adage of "keep it simple stupid," so here it is: no snacks, no sweets, no seconds...except on days that start with S. That's pretty easy to remember, right? Leave it to software engineer Reinhard Engels to come up with what he calls "the simplest and most effective diet ever to sweep the Internet." Engels quickly grew tired of all the miracle diets promising gobs of weight loss if you cut this, added that, or did something spectacular with the way you lived your life. He noticed many of these would work for a while, but none of them were sustainable for life. His No S Diet grew out of this frustration with the diet mentality and encourages sensibility over obsession about every morsel of food that you consume. He includes quite a few success stories, tough love answers to your burning questions, and a writing style that draws you in to this introspective man's commitment to living healthy-his way!

We have more men and women in prison in the US than the entire country of Nigeria. I would recommend this particular book over any other to send to anyone you might know or care about in prison. It is a constant source of comfort and hope for these hidden souls.

Awesome Book. All the stories are so heart felt... Besides I love all Chicken Soup 4 The Soul books...

I purchased this book for my husband and he had written me several times quoting passages from it and told me he wished I had a copy so we could discuss it together. With that said, I purchased an additional copy and read it in one day. My son walked by and saw and me tearing up and asked what I was reading and I read him the except. We continued reading them together out loud. He too cried. It is an awesome and inspirational book that will make you laugh and cry. It created some bonding time with my son and opened up topics of conversation between my husband and me. Worth every penny and so much more!

I was searching to find a inspirational book for my dad whom recently was sent to prison. He said right away he loved the book and now it is being shared by all his friends in his unit. He cant get enough Chicken Soup books and wants more of them right away !!! 5 stars for sure

prisioners need to have something possitive to read. A bad attutude will carry to there life after they get out and on the other hand so will a possitive one. Smiles to all

It really is a miracle. I was so nervous and worried. I didn't do all 10 steps. I just did the breakfast oatmeal thing and worked in extra bran, flaxseed, margarine and soy milk, and wha-la! I'm looking at a healthy ratio. I can't wait to see what happens 5 months from now. REALLY GREAT BOOK, good information, good ideas, good success stories, good all over! AND it works!!!

book arrived on time and in pretty good condition. many pages were slightly crumpled due to what seemed like very light water damage, but no big deal. would order from them again.

There are many books on lowering cholesterol. However, this is the best in my opinion. Clear and easy to follow. I don't religiously follow all the steps exactly, but I incorporate as many as possible into my program. These are healthy recommendations for everyone.

I followed her steps everyday and lowered by 50 points. It is a great book to follow.

When my husband was diagnosed with high cholesterol, I wanted to help him
tackle the problem. This book gives 10 pretty doable recommendations for
how to lower cholesterol. They are the same suggestions that our
dietician gave him. Although, she also suggested fish oil supplements in
addition. The best part of the book is the detailed explanation as to
why all these suggestions work. The science behind why almonds, apples and oatmeal help pull cholesterol from your bloodstream really helped
my husband buy into making the changes. Good luck.

I have read other 'self hynosis' books that go on and on. This is a quick and easy "get to the guts of it" book. No non-sense - for sure.
Also a great value for the money written by a truly understanding pro.

I have to say, the many good reviews got me excited to buy this book. I read most of it when I first got it (excluding the history of hypnosis at the end), and was very inspired about the author's talk about success and dreams.

The scripts he provides for deepeners are good, and his body progressive relaxation one is okay as well (it's just very long) but what bothered me the most was the lack of depth regarding creation of your own scripts.

His process includes thinking of outcomes, gathering the reasons why you want the outcomes, and then coming up with the steps to achieve that outcome. This is all okay, but what do you do after? He doesn't tell you how to organize the details or give you various techniques to make your script even more effective (except about "day dreaming" which you discover by reading his other specific scripts). He just tells you to look at his other ones, and if you still have trouble, ask a professional.

He only has 4 specific scripts, and the book is quite small. The layout of the cover and of the pages inside are very basic. I'm not sure if it should really be 20 dollars (probably better at 10).

Overall, it's a good book for beginners, but if you've already read other hypnosis books then all you'll really get from this inspiration and some nice deepener scripts.

This book covers many specific areas of self-change and personal development. And as it covers all of the basics, it means that this title is beneficial for anyone.

"Things should be as simple as they need to be, and not simpler." This book took me only a few minutes to read, but the knowledge in it will last a lifetime. Mr. MacKenzie talks about self-change in the most quick, simple, succinct and ingenious way I ever read. (And I've read a lot...) And I have no complaints about his delivery of the subject matter, either. The way he uses language and metaphors shows that he isn't just a hypnosis/NLP expert on paper, he really is. And that's a beautiful thing. So, obligatorily, yet totallly encouragingly. Buy and read this book.

Captain Josh.

[...]As for the content... Well, about all I can say is there is some. Probably less than you'd find on a decent website about hypnosis. The introduction is a pep talk, telling us how great hypnosis is. Then comes the single induction script, then a few odds and ends and a couple of scripts for specific issues, before a section on the history of hypnosis, obviously included as padding.

Reading this book tends to raise more questions than it answers. The less enquiring mind may find that this is all they need to know to achieve success with hypnosis. However, those who want to truly understand how and why hypnosis works, in order to apply it most successfully, will find little of value here. Similarly, those with complicated or persistent issues, will not find any detailed information on how to deal with them.

Our son was just dianosed with AS. This is just one of the books
we opted for. Some might say that this is written for kids, but
I thought it was a very helpful book. I am actually going to have my son read this, as I think it will actually help him understand himself even more.

Both my children are on the Autism Spectrum. My 11 year old could not put into words what or how he felt. He's been a target for bullying since starting school.

This year he started a new school and a majority of children have not been around a child with a disability. Jonathan had an opportunity to talk with his 5th grade class about Aspergers and this book helped him put it into words so the students could understand.

I have bought 3 more books and have given them to the school so that they can be used as a reference.

It is a book that all teachers should read to their students. It is simply put and short.

You probably know someone on the autism spectrum, likely several someones. It seems like Aspergers is getting more common, or at least diagnosed more as we learn about it. So the more we understand about AS, the better we can relate to our friends (including the friends of our children) who are on the spectrum.

I got this book from the library, along with several others, as part of an effort to better understand AS. What really struck me (aside from the pleasant comics-like font which I found relaxing to read) was the warm and gentle tone of the text. Because one of the main traits of Aspergers has to do with not being fluent in subtexts like body language, figurative speech, and other empathetic stuff, people with AS can come across as harsh and/or bossy. This book helps to explain that phenomenon. And because it is written in the first person, from the point of view of the Asperger's child, it is as if it takes us beyond that "cold" external semblance to the struggling human being within.

Asperger Syndrome is not the only thing that can make it hard to see the struggling human behind the mask.

I gave this book to one of my children and asked him to read some of it, to see if he thought it might give him insight into our AS friends. I was surprised to look over a little while later and see him still reading it -- this particular 10-year-old is not terribly fond of reading. So I'd say it's an engaging book, and certainly helpful.

Another thing I like about this book is the reference section at the back. It lists organizations, other books, and websites.

Also I like the generous amount of white space. The format couldn't be better, in my opinion. Another reviewer has mentioned that they wrote in their copy -- with their AS child they marked the parts that particularly resonated, and crossed out the bits that didn't apply to them. I think that's a great idea too.

Good luck. Hope this was helpfu

This book is written simply and without an overabundance of clinical terms. This allows the reader to focus clearly on the information offered, making it a wonderful gift for family members, friends, teachers, neighbors, or anyone who may have contact with a person who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.

As a mother to a son with A.S., I have found that this book is a useful tool when asked about symptoms or behaviors my child may exhibit. It has also been a wonderful read for myself, my son, his brother, and his father.

I highly recommend this book as it promotes an instant basic understanding of the world that is Aspergian. Such insight is a gift and while it may not encompass everything about A.S., its glimpses are a perfect beginning for one and all.

If you want a book that gives an explanation of Aspergers in a simple and "shortened" form, THIS is the book for you.

After reading "Can I Tell You About Asperger Syndrome?", I gave it to my son to read. He could "see" himself and it helped him feel less isolated. He wasn't alone.

Due to the length of the book, reading it doesn't require a lot of time or effort. I have loaned this book to others so they could get an understanding of Aspergers. For people who have extremely busy schedules, this is a quick resource. Short, sweet and to the point.

Educating those who interact with your child is very important. It is even more important if they have extended contact. Teachers, child care providers, family members, siblings, doctors (YES... DOCTORS) etc., who are part of your child's life should have a basic understanding of where your child is coming from!

I am absolutely delighted both with the condition of the book and the speed in which I received it.

The text was so interesting, sensible and practical that I finished reading the book in one day.

An absolutely 'must have' for those already experiencing back pain and those trying to avoid it.

A great read.

Monica

I have found this book to be an effective approach for back and hip pain. I recommend and have gifted this book to several people. It does take doing the exercises. I had some hip pain that was bothersome for a couple of months and went away never to return after using Dr. Brownstein's approach.

I suffered from lower back pain for more than 10 years, with my back going out time and time again (sometimes for weeks, leaving me unable to do anything except lay down or walk to the bathroom) but the final year was the worst. Doctors said I had degenerative disk disease and that I could do exercises (that hurt to do, and I couldn't do during blowouts) to help mitigate the situation but that was it. Doctors, chiropractors, physical therapy, nothing helped decisively... my final year in particular I spent 6 months or more on my back, three of those months wearing a back brace. I was depressed, sad, so sick of being in pain. And then I bought this book (since clearly, none of the other things were working).

This book is nothing short of a revelation. Written by someone who *understands* your back pain (he's had surgery himself) and is ALSO a doctor and ALSO understands the yoga/natural methods himself, it's like talking, finally, to someone who has felt your pain but who knows the answer. His own journey was painful, and he shares it so you know you're not alone. That hooked me. But then he teaches you even more:

* Why your back is out of alignment (that DDD isn't so much a "disease" as it is a result of not taking care of your back muscles, and letting them tense/stretch your spine out of whack)

* That muscles can be retrained (!!)

* How pain and stress affects your back and how to learn how to re-train your muscles to NOT stiffen and worsen when there's pain

* How to do SAFE stretches and exercises (unlike the ones most doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists gave me) - even ones that will work when you're flat on your back, wracked with pain (these exercises actually EASE some of the pain)

* How to take control of your back muscles

I followed the exercises and stress areas religiously for three months and within three months I had a stronger, pain-free back. Three years later, I don't have blowouts at all any more, but I do occasionally get soreness... when I'm bad and don't keep up with the exercises and de-stressing techniques.

If you've been checked out by medical professionals and still aren't seeing any relief... this is the book for you. My doctor now recommends it to her patients, after our discussions about how it changed things for me, how it works. I cannot, seriously, recommend it strongly enough. It gave me my life, and my family, back.

I have had several accidents and hard falls in my younger years, and was a chiropractic patient for long periods of time. I have been suffering intermittently with sciatica pains for the last year, and last August I started having various lower back and hips pains, with changing intensity, going from side to side and radiating down beyond my knees. I would like to add that I am 79 years old. My MRI shows various dysfunctions, which I will not enumerate here.

Massage, physiotherapy did not help, I finally agreed to have a cortisone injection. Two weeks after the injection the pains started to return.

My orthopedic surgeon was giving me signals that we are moving towards surgery, and I decided to try anything else. I started enzymatic therapy ( serrapeptase) and having had in my life many good results with exercise, went for an exercise program that sounded very promising. I gave it 2 months , but it did not do what it promised.

I am glad to report that finally after discovering a couple more inaccessible because of distance or cost alternatives, I have purchased Dr. Brownstein book a week ago. I read it thoroughly, the part on various meditations twice, and am doing the stretches once a day, with a few of them also in the evening. I am almost pain free - and I am only in the first days of applying the program, without spending entire days on it. In addition to almost no pain, my mood is incredibly improved, not only by the painlessness, but I sleep better and feel energized, getting up in the morning with zest for life. I have a living proof that I can lead a painless life till the end of my days, without getting caught up in the surgery merry-go-round. I feel my body is in total approval of this new way of moving and thinking, it is developing a friendly and mutually beneficial relationship with my mind. Radiant health is in our power.

I am looking forward to starting the advanced stages of stretches and positions, I enjoy the meditations and visualizations trmenedously, and am planning to purchase several copies of this book for gifts for my friends who have similar problems. I cannot give them anything of better value!

I will add to this review later, I feel I am doing something to help people floundering about as I was for a year in pain and sometimes despair.

Thank you, Dr.Brownstein, for sharing your invaluable knowledge with me!

This book is excellent. Suffered for over 20 years with back pain, diagnosed with degenerative discs and multiple level herniations. Experienced many times the kind of intense pain that finds you on the floor. Tried physical therapy, chriopractors, acupuncture, pain management, anything to avoid surgery. But I was afraid that surgery was my only hope. Now since I've read this book I no longer worry about surgery. Because I'm pain free and can even do yoga - something I never thought possible.