Reviews (1)

Atlas of interventional pain management
Excellent description of each topic.No necessity to refer any further text books on the topic.Excellent description of procedure techniques. Good review of the indications, contraindications and complications of each procedure. Relevant X ray pictures and diagrams. ... Read more

Book Description

This revision of the popular handbook presents essentialinformation on cardiac anesthesia in an easy-to-use outline format thatfacilitates fast reference. This guide offers anesthesiologists andanesthesiology residents, as well as nurse anesthetists orperfusionists, a comprehensive and current reference in a portableformat that can be carried right into the OR or ICU. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This book is a must for all anesthesiology residents.
Every anesthesiology resident should run, not walk, to purchase this book. It is concise, very readable, and can be used as the primary reference for the cardiac anesthesia rotations. To date I have yet to find a significant omission. Do your self a favor and buy this book! ... Read more

Book Description

A quick reference to the management of pain for specialists as well as general medical practitioners and residents. Written in a concise bulleted format, the content is limited to only the essential facts necessary for assessment and treatment of common pain conditions and presentations. A perfect review tool for both the anesthesia and pain medicine board exams. ... Read more

Book Description

Through case studies and clinical research, this reliable reference offers medical professionalsinnovative recommendations and suggestions for drug therapies that will improve the lives of patients who are in pain due to life-threatening diseases. Evidence Based Symptom Control in Palliative Care provides you with guidelines for treatment that will help meet the patient's last wishes, improve the quality-of-life for patients and their families, and lessen physical and emotional pain. Examining ways to alleviate the various ailments that patients endure, such as depression and dyspnea as a result of a life-ending disease, this vital guide gives you the data you need in order to offer patients relevant care and meet their needs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Evidence Based Symptom Control in Palliative Care : Systemic
excelent resource for the bedside nurse to care for patients with advanced illness. Great tables and recommendations for multiple symptoms. ... Read more

Book Description

An illustrated practical guide to the use and technique of injecting joints for the relief of musculoskeletal pain and inflammation. Introductory chapters deal with the effects of corticosteroids and local anaesthetics and their uses, safety procedures which should be observed when using these products for injection, and guidelines to safe injection techniques. The bulk of the book deals with the technique of injection joint by joint. The page of illustrations illustrating the procedure. For each joint there is a 2-color line drawing of the anatomy of the joint and a photograph (highlighted using a second color) showing the surface anatomy position for injection. ... Read more

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Reviews (7)

ENHANCING YOUR MIND, MEMORY AND MOOD
I have found Dr Sahelian's books on Creatine, DHEA and Pregnenolone very useful, and this one is no exception. He discusses brain function and chemistry and how it relates to nutrition, and provides information on how to improve your mind through lifestyle factors. This is followed by detailed explanations of how supplements work, supported by research findings, under the categories Memory Boosters, Mood & Energy Lifters, Methyl Donors, Keeping Your Brain Young With Antioxidants, Mind Energizers, Amino Acids, Brain Hormones, and Psychoactive Herbs. There are extensive mind-boosting programmes for the age groups 25 - 40, 41 - 60 and for age 61 and over. The last chapter provides natural prescriptions for depression, vision enhancement, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. This well-researched, well-written book is rounded off with a glossary, bibliography and references plus a thorough index. It is the most complete and authoritative book of its kind and also a pleasure to read. I would have liked to find more information on Deprenyl, but it is a drug - not a natural supplement - and thus outside the scope of this book. Similar informative books that deal with nutritional supplementation include William Regelson's 'The Superhormone Promise' and Timothy J Smith's 'Renewal.' Mind Boosters however, remains the best overall reference book on cutting-edge nutrition for a healthy mind.

Enjoyable and Helpful
Another true masterpiece from the fertile mind of Dr. Sahelian. Very easy to read and easy to follow. Anil Minocha MD....

The Best to date On the Subject! Boost Your Mind!
"Mind Boosters" by Dr. Ray Sahelian, as of today, is the most authoritative and detailed book on the way food and herbal supplments can affect your mental performance. As the cover implies, your mind, memory and mood can be profoundly influenced by what you take in your body, key among it various herbs, tinctures and many remedies found in specialty stores, and more often, even in the supermarket.

Especially useful is the information which other books leave out due to their own ignorance, wherease Dr. Sahelian gets right down to the 30- and 40-letter names for specific hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes and other crucial substances, or fluids, in the body that don't HAVE any other name. This is EXACTLY the information that I need for my research, and whether or not you are doing research or just want to improve your overall health, you are really missing out on invaluable information if you have not read this book. For each topic discussed, the author has sub-topics of cautions and side-effects, recommendations, and personal anectdoes filled with specific information about the substance or vitamin being discussed. Dr. Sahelian, for example, is a strong believer that many people suffer stress and and anxiety needlessly, simply because they fail to supplement their diet with B-Vitamins, and also that they lack "good" cholesterol, or the Omega-3 class fatty acids. I was pleased to know that I have been taking Lecithin as a fat emulsifier and brain booster for over twenty years, and is one reason why I have an excellent memory--not to mention clarity of thinking and good concentration. "Mind Boosters" will reinforce or strengthen your knowledge of what you may need to know most in your life.

Furthermore, Dr. Sahelian points out the role of St. John's Wort, Ginko Biloba, fats in the diet and much more, spread over the 22 chapters. Part I starts right at the beginning with, "Using Your Brain..." and can have an ordinary person with reasonable capacity to take in new information beginning to understand some important functions about brain and mind and body interaction. It's like this doctor doing a basic, bare-bones sketch to brand new medical students--and the book does have great, easy-to-understand illustrations. For these reasons, this book will have you so smart by the time you are done that, if you follow the advice (with the help of a doctor), you will have little need to worry about suffering the effects of neglecting your body's precise chemical balances. Also discussed are the role of receptor sites, and how they can be intercepted by pseudo-neurons, or neurons that were "faking" the fingerprint of another.

Dr. Sahelian is a terrific writer. Not one word is wasted, every sentence informs, every chapter educates. This is only one of many books he has written in which he really knows his subjects. This book should be worth scholarly credits. Recommended for all educated readers. Buy it today!

Mind Boosters
I found this book to be an excellent and very readable source of information regarding the current wave of cutting edge natural supplements for enhancing mind, memory, and mood. Dr. Sahelian presents information based on research and also upon his own personal experience with the supplements being discussed, which provides both an objective and a personal perspective that gives the work depth and believability. I was especially impressed with Dr. Sahelian's web site, referenced in the book, which allows his readers to ask follow up questions directly to the Doctor himself (he actually answers!). Buy this book.

Mind Boosters
I first learned about Mind Boosters on author Ray Sahelian, M.D.'s Web Site. My particular interest has been in vitamin and hormone supplementation as an anti-aging regimen. Dr. Sahelian provides an extremely informative discussion of a multitude of supplements -- vitamins, herbs, amino acids, and hormones -- that can keep one's mental acuity at its peak and help maintain a high level of overall physical well-being. Since many of these supplements have yet to be subjected to long-term clinical testing by medical experts, Dr. Sahelian brings to the reader the latest information about the use of many of these supplements that is partly based on his own personal experiences as well as results reported by countless others. He is both prudent and cautious in recommending the types of supplements and the appropriate doses one should take for his or her particular needs. This book is well written, informative and can and should serve as a continuing source of reference. ... Read more

Book Description

This user-friendly guide offers you practical, direct answers for the difficult and little-taught questions that arise when providing care for the dying.
Features:
* Perspectives of patients, families, and other health care professionals, as well as physicians
* Solution-oriented coverage on preparing patients, managing symptoms, and handling legal/ethical issues near the end of life ... Read more

Book Description

This authoritative reference, the Sixth Edition of an internationally acclaimed bestseller, offers the most up-to-date information available on multidisciplinary pain diagnosis, treatment, and management. Pain Management: A Practical Guide for Clinicians is a compilation of literature written by members of The American Academy of Pain Management, the largest multidisciplinary society of pain management professionals in North America and the largest physician-based pain society in the United States. This unique reference covers both traditional and alternative approaches and discusses the pain of children as well as adult and geriatric patients. It includes approximately 60 new chapters and each chapter is written to allow the reader to read independently topics of interest and thus may be viewed as a self-contained study module. The collection of chapters allows an authoritative self-study on many of the pressing issues faced by pain practitioners. Regardless of your specialty or medical training or whether you are in a large hospital or a small clinic, if you work with patients in need of pain management, this complete reference is for you. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful!!!
This book is the best regarding current practices in pain management! A must read for any professional in the field of pain management. It has been an invaluable tool in my practice. ... Read more

Book Description

This comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the psychiatry and neuroscience of Cannabis sativa (marijuana) places particular emphasis on psychotic disorders.It outlines the latest research enhancing our knowledge of the human cannabinoid system, and links it to clinical and epidemiological facts about the impact of cannabis on mental health. Controversial issues are critically explored, including whether a discrete "cannabis psychosis" exists. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a pioneering cognitive psychological study of Ayahuasca, a plant-based Amazonian psychotropic brew. The author presents a comprehensive charting of the various facets of the special state of mind induced by Ayahuasca, and analyzes them from a cognitive psychological perspective. In addition to its being the most thorough study of the Ayahuasca experience to date, this book lays the theoretical foundations for the psychological study of non-ordinary states of consciousness in general. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Bible of the Ayahuasca Experience
The most poetic, engaging, and exhaustive work on ayahuasca. There is no better book on the subject. Not merely a scientific anaylisis, but also a very personal work.

Contrary to an otherwise great reveiw posted here, Benny Shanon isn't an atheist. The book is neither 'atheist', materialist', or 'reductionist'. His personal point of view is made clear in the introduction.

I don't feel I need to say much more, the reviews already posted here are better and more thorough than what I'm capable of writing. I have nothing really to add but that you will not find a better book on the subject of ayahuasca.

The Science of Ecstasy
Antipodes of the Mind is a classic of a relatively-new field, the psychological study of visionary experiences.

A tour-de-force of science and storytelling, well-organized and lucid in its expression, Antipodes has generated a lot of buzz on entheogen-related internet message boards and is much in demand among readers who can shell out the $35 ticket to its exquisite entertainments. It's a book that challenges the beliefs of materialists and mystics alike, on a subject that has received much too little attention because of the difficulty of accessing it. There are areas of the mind which are as hard to reach as the depths of the oceans, Shanon reminds us, but life similarly flourishes there.

As a person interested in literature, in stories and images, one of my favorite aspects of Antipodes is the hundreds of accounts of visions that pepper its pages. Each is like a koan, or a poem, or a distilled adventure film. Some of them are Shanon's own, and others from his many respondants; all are accompanied by carefully-considered analysis.

I'll quote an example almost at random that shows how he organizes and evaluates the stories he has recorded, and that then moves into the realm of personal experience and the kind of poetic profundity that Lorca termed "duende":

"An experientially distinct category (of figures seen in visions) is that of individuals who do not have a name but who do have a specific, well-defined identity. Often, the figures seen have a distinct presence and those who report seeing them feel an intimate link or identification with them. Invariably, in both indigenous and non-indigenous contexts, this phenomenon is attributed to the figures seen being reincarnations of the Ayahuasca drinker's past lives. Putting the interpretative speculations aside for now, I would like to underline the special force of the experience in question. The first time this happened to me was before I had heard of such experiences from other people, and it was clear to me, instantaneously and without any doubt, that the old man who appeared before me in the vision, a lonely shaman in the icy tundra of Siberia was, while still being himself, me." (P.116)

Shanon rightly places ayahuasca visions within the realm of artistic experiences that one may have. He compares them to pieces of classical music in their richness and complexity, and in the esthetic pleasure they can give. Without them, he implies, the world would be a poorer place.

the poetical power of the mind
The book of Mr. Benny Shanon is an exploratory travel, something like Darwin or Humboldt discovering new landscapes and bringing back quantities of samples of unknown species. And beginning to shape a quite new theory of... life on the surface of the earth. Ayahuasca seems to be a continent. But the more exciting for me (as an artist) is the depth of the insight it gives on a faculty, the poetic power of the human mind, which is often misunderstood or described only in "romantic" terms. That "seeing" and "creating" and "understanding" and "loving" are not necessarily separate activities, but are crossing their efficiencies, when our mind is at its higher (and also in its "simpler") mode : that is the poetic mode of the mind. This book of Mr. Shanon is nothing less than the opening of a new "library" in the knowledge of this power and its ethics. Thanks. (Sorry for my bad english)

The Antipodes of the Mind
This book consists of an extensive psychological-phenomenological description and discussion of the Ayahuasca experience. It is based on the author's firsthand experiences with Ayahuasca (an Amazonian-psychoactive brew), as well as on interviews with a great number of people. I find it very interesting and thought-provoking, and recommend it to anyone who finds interest in human consciousness and the riddles it presents. The author's attitude is committed, on the one hand, to science and to serious Western standards. On the other hand, the author holds genuine respect to his targets of research: Ayahuasca, the people who use it, and the traditions associated with it. This results in a rich and complex perspective, raising some important questions regarding the Western-scientific worldview and the boundaries of knowledge and wisdom.

Perhaps one of the most crucial pursuits of our time.
Professor Shanon leaves no stone unturned in his exploration of the Ayahuasca inebriation and the very powerful (in many cases life-altering) ideations so characteristic of this Amazonian brew. Drawing from the reports of more than 200 informants, and nearly as many direct experiences, the author reaches into the particulars of Ayahuasca visions with the utmost concentration, mapping the unfolding stages of consciousness with great detail....a near daunting task considering the ineffable nature of these visualizations. Each mode of consciousness examined is bolstered with the authors' very own direct observations, from the inside; the only way to speak with real authority. Shanon exercises not only a genuine respect for empirical observation, but also the love of wisdom and the intuitive processes therein; virtues essential to any dedicated study of the Mind.

Ayahuasca occasions an experience that runs the gamut of human emotion and wonder, from the mastery of fear and the delicate state of vulnerability, to the empowerment of rebirth and the majesty of existence.... which by all accounts renders this study 'perhaps one of the most crucial pursuits of our time.' ... Read more

Book Description

If you are one of the 50 million Americans who suffer from pain and have searched to no avail for a smart, safe, and, most of all, effective solution, you may find relief in Dr. Norman Marcus's Freedom from Pain. Adapted from Dr. Marcus's remarkable narcotics-free New York Pain Treatment Program at Lenox Hill Hospital, this book will teach you, in carefully graduated steps, how to surrender the attitudes that are holding you prisoner to pain and how to master the physical and mental techniques that can set you free -- techniques that have had an unprecedented success rate and will work with just about any type of chronic pain, including lower-back ailments, headaches, and arthritis.

Dr. Marcus is both supportive and sympathetic, giving even the most severe cases reason for optimism, and his book is the next best thing to a visit to the Pain Treatment Program itself. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Yes, this is worth every cent you pay for it.
I have just completed a 10 day therapeutic session with Dr. Marcus and for the first time in 27 years I am feeling like a normal person. I no longer am "a patient", which is an insidious condition in your mind that can happen suddenly, or very slowly, as it did for me. I spent the last 8 years searching constantly for any kind of relief--from acupuncture to chiropractic to physical therapy and eventually giving in to whatever meds I could get prescribed for me...nothing worked.

Today, 10 days after beginning his treatment, I have a completely new outlook on the remainder of my life. I still have some pain, but it is not overwhelming, nor is it depressing, nor keeping me from living the life I have ahead of me to its fullest. This book helps you adjust your mindset in various ways in very simple, nonsensical ways. It is easy to read, and, when you are ready, easy to follow. I can't praise him or his book any more than this. He's a top-rated doc in Manhattan for the last 3 years and there's a good reason for it. His book will help you get to him or at least his ideas, and to stay with those concepts for as long as it takes to life a full life again.

Clear strategy given for chronic pain sufferers.
This book is a good read for those of us who have attempted many different methods and seen countless doctors in an effort to alleviate the suffering at the hands of chronic pain.

The main leap of faith one has to make if this book is to be at all effective is that chronic pain is muscular in nature. How we deal with this knowledge is the key to overcoming chronic pain's hold on us. This is not to say that chronic pain cannot be treated by various medical procedures. Only that if pain persists for long periods of time, a new approach may be needed.

In my own case, after five years of headaches, I finally was diagnosed with feraminal stenosis at C3-C4 and had a dissection and fusion performed. In laymen's terms, two of my nerves roots were constricted where they exited the spine in my neck. The operation basically "cleaned up" the area surrounding the nerves roots. By doing this operation from the front of the neck, a disk is sacrificed and a piece of bone implanted for fusion.

After this operation, I still struggled with very much the same pain as before, once the operative recuperation was complete. My neurosurgeon and I were quite sure that the operation had repaired the damage that had been causing my pain. My neurosurgeon was quick to note this did not necessarily mean that the pain would go away. I was told the pain may be eliminated totally, partially or not at all. Not what one wants to hear but, honest nonetheless.

I give my own history so that others with chronic pain might at least listen to my review of the book and its methods.

Whether one has had treatment of one sort or another to alleviate chronic pain or not, this book is worth a read. I would also recommend that you inform your doctor of this book.

This book attempts, I believe successfully, to have you take control of your pain and life rather than the other way around. The use of medications is not dismissed altogether although it makes a strong case on eventually eliminating painkilling medication along with tranquilizers.

I have found that while using the steps described in the book do require dedication and some effort, it is much less than the energy used by letting chronic pain rule your life.

The book concentrates on three facets of your life. The first is to slowly get the muscles throughout your body moving to the point where some pain reduction occurs which in turn can ease the transition to a life without painkillers and tranquilizers.

The second component of the book's program is where your mind is used as a tool to help reduce chronic pain. This comes in the form of relaxation exercises and using your mind to focus on ways to prevent chronic pain attacts from dominating your life.

The third component of the program is in the area of diet. In a nutshell, it asks that you eat sensibly and eliminate, at least for the short term, caffeine and alcohol from your diet.

I have taken the steps described in this book over the past six months. I can honestly say that while I still suffer from some pain, the pain no longer rules my life. The steps I take daily to combat the pain have allowed me to go back to work, although in a very different field.

In ending, I quote from page 197: "Many people go around half alive, caught in an emotional rut that they never try to analyze. But chronic pain in a strange way, has forced introspection upon you. Pain, which laid you low, can actually be an opportunity to turn your life around, if you have the courage to look at what is bothering you."

If you can find that courage, this book will guide you on a journey that could change your life. ... Read more

Book Description

Here are the guidelines and tools that the advanced practice nurse needs to provide comprehensive end-of-life care. A review of the end-stage disease processes provide the background for understanding the multiple symptoms experienced by individuals at the end of life. Clinical practice guidelines offer in-depth discussions of the pathophysiology of 17 different symptoms, assessment data to collect when evaluating and monitoring these symptoms, interventions for specific symptom management, and suggestions for patient and family teaching. In addition, a unit in the book is devoted to discussions of psychosocial issues, complementary therapies, and grief and grieving. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

clinical practice guidelines for end of life care
This is an excellent book and is a valuable addition to the libary of both RN's and APRN's working in hospice and palliative care. It provides both a general overview and specific guidelines for end stage disease process and symptom management. It would be a useful resource for anyone studying for the CHPN exam, in addition to a good working reference book to asssist in the managment of patients and their symptoms. ... Read more

Book Description

If you suffer from back pain, as 85 percent of Americans do, you may think there is no way to bring about a complete end to your pain. Books, videos, and even doctors offer ways to manage the pain, but not to stop it. Finally there is a solution. Overcome Neck & Back Pain, the international bestseller, provides a means to end your back pain permanently through an easy-to-follow four-part program of structural analysis and correction, stretching, strengthening, and relaxing.

Kit Laughlin spent years suffering from back pain, and, in search of relief, even traveled to Japan, where he found the solution. Using the principles of hatha yoga, he developed a combination of Eastern and Western medicine that provides a way to stop back pain and even protect oneself from future injury.

Through clear, instructive photos and easy-to-follow instructions Overcome Neck & Back Pain shows the beginner how to use stretching, strengthening, and relaxation to end the pain. Overcome Neck & Back Pain also provides instruction in more advanced techniques, with an explanation of the principles behind the movements. The comprehensive text offers solutions for athletes and nonathletes, old and young alike.

If you've given up hope of curing your back pain, Overcome Neck & Back Pain provides the sensible solution you need. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

got me moving again
While no book could replace hands on instruction, this book comes close. This is the book that got me moving again after years of struggle with chronic back pain. Rather than a "one size fits all" approach, the book encourages one to review the evidence of your body and carefully approach the problem. I wonder where I would be if I hadn't run into this book a few years ago. Try it, it may save your back.

Great guide!
Very complete book with daily routines in the back. The description of exercises is extremely thorough. Much more complete than many other books out there. I have been through some rough times with my back and shoulders, and have searched widely for guidance to help me take care of myself - this one is a keeper. Doctors and Chiropractors are wonderful - but the ultimate responsibility is ours.

A self-service guide to relieve neck and back pain
I had the pleasure of training with Kit Laughlin and other Posture and Flexibility instructors. Prior to learning Kit's approach I often experienced muscle tension in my neck, shoulders and back. Starting with the very first lesson, I learned specific stretches which eliminate tension in these muscle groups.

In Kit's first book, 'Overcome Neck and Back Pain', he introduces a self-service approach to relieve neck and back pain through improvement of whole body suppleness. He demonstrates stretches targeting not only muscles in the neck, shoulder and back, but also muscles in the pelvic area and legs which influence back pain, as the reader will learn. Specific back strengthening exercises are included to help the reader build up the muscle strength needed to maintain good posture and prevent back pain.

I have seen students of all ages and levels of flexibility benefit from using these techniques. Although a book can never replace hands-on instruction, this book will lead you on a path to overcome neck and back pain.

Simple, Effective Pain Relief
I am not a sufferer of neck or back pain, however, with my occupation I come across many people who are. I'm a Fitness Trainer, and have taught many stretches from this book to people, who have gained immediate relief from their neck or back discomfort.

If you're looking for a self-help guide to eliminating your neck or back pain, this would be a great book to have. It explains how to find your own muscle imbalances and directs you to the most appropriate stretches for your problem area. The other great feature of the book is it offers so many variations to each stretch, so if you come across something you can't do, you will always find a version you can do. Many of the stretches can be done sitting in a chair. There are also plenty of clear pictures and diagrams to help you along the way.

You don't always have your massage therapist or physiotherapist at hand, but you can always keep this book close by. I believe for most people, if you follow the book carefully, you will develop a method to ease your pain whenever you need to, and keep your spine strong and healthy.

Overcome Neck and Back Pain Possible!
Pain management can now be changed to permanent pain relief and improved function through strengthening and stretching. It is the only book on the market I would recommend to my clients. Easy to read, follow and understand, the best of East and West has been melded in to the safest, most efficient form of exercises for necks and backs I have ever seen or used. Highly recommended if you want to take back the responsibilty for how good your neck and back should feel. ... Read more

Book Description

AAUP Excellence in Interior Design; New York Book Show Excellence in Cover Design Pain is one of medicine´s greatest mysteries. When farmer John Mitson caught his hand in a baler, he cut off his trapped hand and carried it to a neighbor. "Sheer survival and logic" was how he described it. "And strangely, I didn´t feel any pain." How can this be? We´re taught that pain is a warning message to be heeded at all costs, yet it can switch off in the most agonizing circumstances or switch on for no apparent reason. Many scientists, philosophers, and laypeople imagine pain to operate like a rigid, simple signaling system, as if a particular injury generates a fixed amount of pain that simply gets transmitted to the brain; yet this mechanistic model is woefully lacking in the face of the surprising facts about what people and animals do and experience when their bodies are damaged.Patrick Wall looks at these questions and sets his scientific account in a broad context, interweaving it with a wealth of fascinating and sometimes disturbing historical detail, such as famous characters who derived pleasure from pain, the unexpected reactions of injured people, the role of endorphins, and the power of placebo. He covers cures of pain, ranging from drugs and surgery, through relaxation techniques and exercise, to acupuncture, electrical nerve stimulation, and herbalism.Pain involves our state of mind, our social mores and beliefs, and our personal experiences and expectations. Stepping beyond the famous neurologic gate-control theory for which he is known, Wall shows that pain is a matter of behavior and its manifestation differs among individuals, situations, and cultures. "The way we deal with pain is an expression of individuality." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Captivating study of a grim subject...
A word of advice: as the author states in the preface, this book is NOT a textbook, nor a do-it-yourself recipe book for pain relief. It is a work of communication for educated laymen "intended to give the readers the power of understanding processes in their own body." If the topic were not so grim, one could describe this work as "fascinating and fun." The topics he touches on range from studies of Yom Kippur War survivors to biofeedback training, from migraine auras to the sensitivity of babies to pain, from hand injuries to cannabis, and from nerve regeneration to the attention mechanism in ducklings and monkeys. The slim volume is filled with anecdote and humor, as well as with suffering. He reminds us that pain frequently occurs without physiological basis, and that pain sometimes fails to kick in when we are severely ill. ---- Dr. Patrick Wall (a British professor of physiology who started his career 40 years ago as a neuroscientist) is the author of several other books about pain. He unfortunately has first hand knowledge of pain. He is the victim of cancer. ---- This volume explains what we have learned in recent years about pain - and is honest about the vast amount of ignorance still to be conquered. After examining the corpus of knowledge - much of it gained in the last few decades -- in the first nine chapters, Dr. Wall brings together "all the phenomena we have discussed in the previous chapters and ask[s] what precisely is going on in someone who senses pain" in Chapter 10. His purpose: "a profound understanding one's own pain has itself a therapeutic effect and proposes a rationale for therapy." This is a fascinating summary of the status of knowledge to today. It is a work that invites re-reading.

What a master has learned in a career
Who better to spend a few evenings with (metaphorically) than Patrick Wall, the man who literally, with Ronald Melzack, wrote the (text)book about pain?

Wall is now in the twilight of his still productive career. In this refreshing book, he gives an overview of what he has learned. He distinguishes among normal, i.e. biologically useful, and abnormal pain. He discusses at length the placebo response, showing fascinating data that it may be found even among animals.

His main point is that pain may be seen as a preparation for response, hence the essential role of attention in the experience.

This book is for the educated layman with a curiosity about the ubiquitous yet misunderstood phenomenon of pain. It will also be of considerable interest to the physician treating pain.

Pleasant Reading About Pain
I was attracted to this book because earlier in my life I had experienced chronic pain for 8 years. The search for relief was ultimately successful, but the path to finding that relief was long and arduous. What I learned in the process didn't help me very much for being able to advise others, so I hoped this book would help.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Pain contains more information about pain than all that I learned in my personal journey. "Any knowledge that brings patients into a clearer appreciation of their condition decreases their anxiety," says the author, Patrick Wall who is a pain researcher and was suffering from pain related to cancer while authoring the book.

Wall's basic point is that pain is related to many different parts of the brain and body, and is affected by our psychology. Little is known about many aspects of pain, and there is little focus on pain relief in medical training or medical research. Wall knows that the fear of pain is often worse than the pain, so he makes the subject amazingly pleasant. I expected to be depressed by reading the book, and felt elated instead as I learned more about the causes of pain.

The book starts up with case histories where people with severe injuries report no initial pain. The reason seems to be that they were still in a survival mode, and surviving concentrated their attention away from the wound and potential pain. Many frequent "mysteries" of pain are also explored like people who have lost limbs and feel pain in the lost part of the limb.

You will also learn about fascinating experiments to identify causes of pain and their relief. The book goes on to discuss the sources of pain, how treatments interact with those sources, and how placebo effects can reduce pain. For example, did you know that pessimistic people report more pain than others? As a result, I learned that it is normal to have some residual pain from my earlier experiences. I need not be concerned that full pain will return. That was a nice relief.

I suspect that you, too, will lose some of the unnecessary sources of your concerns about pain. And that will probably, in turn, reduce the pain you will experience in your future.

While that is happening, you should examine other areas of your life where you fear the worst. That could be a harmful misconception. Why not begin to expect the best instead? Think about it. There may be another placebo effect to help you there also.

... Read more

Book Description

This is the 3rd edition of a classic text which still represents the only multi-disciplinary approach to the evaluation and management of a high-risk pregnancy. Since most chapters are written by a 2-author team (an anesthesiologist and an obstetrician or fetologist), information will be efficiently formated, practical, and complete. Coverage will include causes of the health risk, pathophysiology, obstetric treatment written by an obstetrician, and anesthetic management written by an obstetric anesthesiologist. Chapters will include the latest procedures and most advanced technology. They will cover the parameters used to observe fetal well-being and deal with abnormal findings, regardless of the stage of development. Topics will extend through the delivery and post delivery periods. ... Read more