Product Description
Back Care Basics offers the low-cost solution for back care in the new millenium: therapeutic yoga. Dr. Schatz's approach to back rehabilitation is gentle, effective, and without drugs or surgery. Her program encourages both positive health practices and a positive outlook; the important tools needed for prevention and healing. Dr. Schatz has designed this program to help those with pain from chronic musculoskeletal back and neck strain, spinal arthritis, osteoporosis, premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy, and scoliosis. Simple and practical ways to heal the back, restructure the body, and cope with stress are taught so that one becomes more sensitive to early warning signs of an impending "back attack" and what to do to ward it off. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

great reference
Gives great information about back care and step by step program for doing yoga with back problems. Especially like the forms for assessing flexibility etc and goals list. I want to give a copy to everyone I know with serious back issues! I am a yoga instructor and will be using this as a go to guide for working one on one with students with back problems.

A yoga veteran with herniated cervical disc, Fibromyalga, arthrits etc., finds this book to be a lifesaver
I've been practicing yoga off and on for 30+ years but have come to a point in my life a couple of times now where I had back and neck pain that no one could seem to help (M.D.s, chiros, PTs).So I helped myself by following this book to the letter.On my second time through it I am understanding the section on "Understanding Your Back" much better, and am highlighting my way through and really educating myself on the human spine along the way.You can be a yoga practitioner and know how to do all the poses without knowing much about the anatomy or physiology of the spine.That was me.And I didn't want to know.But you have to know what you're dealing with before you can help the problem.The first time I read this book, by doing the"Alignment and Flexibility Assessment," having pictures taken of myself and comparing them to the pictures in the book, I was able to discover what my specific problems are so I could tailor my practice them.The advice about the pain and fear cycle was also invaluable to helping my get "unstuck" from being frozen in the grip of inactivity because of pain.Now I find myself in a similar situation only worse, and am again turning to this book for help when nothing else is working.Maybe this time I'll get a clue and make the time stick with it even when I get better.I hope so.

Jimyoga review
This is an outstanding resource text book for those interested in relieving back and neck pain in others through the skilful use of yoga. It has helped me tune the kind of yoga I teach to those recovering from chronic back pain.

SCOLIOSIS
I was very pleased with the speed with which my book arrived. The book itself "Used- Like New" as stated,but was not what I was looking for.I need a book gearedtoward scoliosis and this book only had a few stretches for that.Not seller's fault. I should have done a search for SCOLIOSIS

This Book helped me
This book helped me through some rough times as I overcame an injured back. I was not an experienced yoga person, but this book introduced me to the process and sped me on my way to a happier back. I needed gentle, and this book was there. As I started to get better, this book was there, and as I move on this book still helps me. I use it as often asI use my bird identification books and my plant books. It makes a good reference to go back to when I need to refresh my memory or add a new exercise or stretch. It will always be on my bookshelf, no matter its age. ... Read more

Product Description
By illustrating how we can mine our problems and use them as fertile ground to develop our previously untapped inner power and strength, Dr. Holecek offers a progressive path - from common, easily understood hardships to the more subtle and challenging ones that commonly arise on the spiritual journey.

While the material is mostly drawn from Buddhist principles, many wisdom traditions are encompassed, including modern science, philosophy and psychology. The practical nature of The Power and The Pain makes it an indispensable guidebook for spiritual travelers that readily applies to the challenges of daily living. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A neccessary read for anyone on a spiritual journey.
The Power and The Pain is an unbelievable book. I started my spiritual journey about 5 years ago (well, that I was conscious of) and I had never come accross some of the truths that Dr. Holecek discusses in this deep book. Being somewhat new to spiritual living, I had not realized that hardship would be a part of a spiritual journey. In the book he states, "There are countless people who have become spiritual dropouts, or who are lost in detours because they have not understood hardship". WOW! I had taken a detour and was suffering a hardship when I came across this enlightenting book.

The entire book is priceless to me, and in one of the chapters, Mr. Holecek mentions the importance of repeition and how he was told to read a book ten times. I knew then that I would read this very book ten times. I am on my second read now.

I realize more now that what is important is the balance, or middle path. Not necessarily just finding happiness or joy. There will be hardships and we can learn from the hardships. In some cases I realize I learn more about myself and grow from hardships versus joyful times. The chapter about the ARTS was invaluable to me. Helped me to realize that objects can be separated from emotions. A simple realization I just had not thought of before in the way he describes.

Anyone who considers themselves on a spiritual journey, this is a MUST read and will remain on your night stand for daily reference.

Potential for utter life-metamorphosis
According to its subtitle, this book purports to offer guidance in "transforming spiritual hardship into joy." And this the book certainly does, but I think the subtitle is perhaps a trifle deceptive, simply by virtue of its understatement: in fact Holecek's book powerfully and lucidly limns the very heart and scope of the Buddhist path of awakening. The "joy" referred to is no conventional joy, but rather the joy of realizing the very nature of reality beyond birth and death. Writing in a clear and contemporary idiom, Holecek deftly approaches some very elusive spiritual topics, especially the notoriously difficult-to-grasp notion of emptiness. That he succeeds with such vividness and persuasiveness is, I believe, a measure of the depth and maturity of his dedicated Buddhist practice, and of his devotion to the examples of his great teachers, who include such luminaries as Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In all honesty, I am ill-equipped to adequately assess the extraordinary insights presented in this book, but I can say that I find its impact to be shattering (in a very good way), and I am one who has read many fine Buddhist books. The chapters on "ground addiction" and "the origin of confusion" by themselves are worth several times the price of the book -- which is a great bargain! The book's final sentence, suggesting the complete fruition of the Buddhist path, runs: "Our experience then becomes one of eternal bliss, and our activity that of endless compassion." Of course, just reading this book won't entirely do the job, but it certainly can be of immense help; it has helped me on my way, and I wholeheartedly recommend Andrew Holecek's excellent, luminous rendition of profound spiritual truths.

The Power and the Pain
This book is a godsend for those of us who think pain and suffering on the path are the result of "doing it wrong." The author shows us that pain on the spiritual path is necessary, and perhaps good news.In fact, working with pain is the path.He writes, "..what is not overtly taught, and what confuses may followers, is that the path leading to the cessation of suffering necessarily includes suffering."

This is an easy to read guide that lightens the burden for those of us trying to wake up. It also has the first comprehensible explanation of the 5 skandhas that I've come across.The writing is clear, intelligent, well researched, and yet at the same time, the tone is warm and earnest.It's like having a kind teacher hold your hand through the difficulties of the journey.

While this book treats the truth of suffering, it also addresses how this truth can be applied practically to the truth of the path leading to the cessation of suffering. "The path is about learning how to accept and work with darkness and the inevitable hardships of life just as much as it is about learning how to work with joy." We must go through pain to reach the goal, and not around it as we are habitually inclined. In short, it teaches us how to relate to pain in order to discover joy, and this is the path itself.Highly recommended.

This book matters!
This book gave me a new key to peer into several experiences I have wrestled with for years.It is a rich, personal book with insights that really apply. If you have been on a spiritual path, this book will enrich your journey.

This book is 'lives'-saving!


I find the contents of this book 'lives'-saving. I see enlightened activity is possible for us now in this lifetime, through `transforming spiritual hardship into joy.'
In my experience, Andrew transmits an exquisite inseparability of wisdom and skillful means, which guides me to union, makes what I long for, real.Profound liberating teachings and Andrew's capacity for writing from an authentic, mature and compassionate perspective, opens the path wider for both beginners and advanced practitioners, for you as a general reader, as a text for undergraduate and graduate education and as a guide in working with spiritual emergence and emergencies.

Look at a few chapter titles as a roadmap, as this book circles through the Three Turnings of the Dharma: Necessary and Unnecessary Hardship, Progress or Regress?, Suffering or Pain?, Always Practicing, Put it in Perspective, The Pain of Letting Go, Spiritual Detox, The Mistake of Ego, The Art of Working with Emotions, Applying the 4 ARTS, The Blessing and Curse of Deep Meditation, The Origin of Confusion, and Hardship as Loss of the Feminine.

In two of my favorite chapters, The Origin of Confusion and Hardship as Loss of the Feminine, Andrew unveils ineffable, opaque principles such as `mother and child luminosity', shows us what we seek is already right here.Through revealed transparency, confusion can dissolve as morning mist and arise as dawning wisdom. I recommend The Power and the Pain as a 5+!

Dominie Cappadonna Ph.D. Educator and Therapist


... Read more

Product Description

This important book fills a need in the developing area of Pain Medicine. It provides physicians with an up-to-date resource that details the current understanding about the basic science underlying the mechanism of action of the various CAM therapies used for pain. It summarizes the clinical evidence both for efficacy and safety, and finishes with practical guidelines about how such treatments could be successfully and safely integrated into a Pain practice.

Customer Reviews (1)

Very good book!
Finding a decent book on CAM has been difficult. This is the best book I have seen yet! Being a nurse certified in pain I always look for familiar authors. The authors and contributors to this book are both familiar and local to the Boston area where I practice.
An area of importance in treatment of pain is concern for the patient. This validates the pain and the patient knows someone is listening. This book enables the patient to "accept their limitations" (of pain) and be able to live a life that is best for them. The model of this book emphasizes therapeutic approaches to enhance healthy forms of living "while factors such as candy bars and coffee consumed all day long" will not be ignored. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr. John E. Sarno's Healing Back Pain is a New York Times bestseller that has helped over 500,000 readers. Continuing the research since his ground-breaking book, the renowned physician now presents his most complete work yet on the vital connection between mental and bodily health.... Musculoskeletal pain disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the United States, with most doctors failing to recognize their underlying cause. In this acclaimed volume, Dr. Sarno reveals how many painful conditions-including most neck and back pain, migraine, repetitive stress injuries, whiplash, and tendonitises-are rooted in repressed emotions...and shows how they can be successfully treated without drugs, physical measures, or surgery. His innovative program has already produced gratifying results for thousands of patients. The Mindbody Prescription is your invaluable key to a healthy and pain-free life.Amazon.com Review
Dr. John Sarno caused quite a ruckus back in 1990 when hesuggested that back pain is all in the head. In his bestselling book,Healing Back Pain: TheMind-Body Connection, he claimed that backaches, slipped discs,headaches, and other chronic pains are due to suppressed anger, andthat once the cause of the anger is addressed, the pain willvanish. Relieved Amazon.com readers call this book"liberating" and say "it sounds too good to be true,but it is true." Sarno has returned with The MindbodyPrescription, in which he explains how emotions including guilt,anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem can stimulate the brain tomanufacture physical symptoms including fibromyalgia, repetitivestrain injuries, migraine headaches, hay fever, colitis, ulcers, andeven acne. If these psychosomatic problems all sound a littleFreudian, what with the repression of emotions in the unconscious,it's because Sarno unapologetically borrows from Freud for the basisof his theory and cites childhood trauma as a major source ofemotional problems. He also says that his program is a "talkingcure" of sorts, since patients must be convinced their pain isrooted in their emotions before healing can begin.

The book reads a bit like psychology text, with Sarno quoting frompsychoanalytic theorists including Heinz Kohut and Graeme Taylor andthe DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition). Sarno walks through the neurophysiology ofmindbody disorders, lists the symptoms of dozens of disorders that hebelieves are emotion-based, and offers a basic program for overcomingpsychosomatic pain and illness. His recovery plan includes meditationand sometimes psychotherapy, including behavior modification, andstopping any medication or physical therapy. While Sarno's ideas seemradical, they were commonly implemented earlier in the 20th century,when psychoanalysis was at its peak of popularity, and they promise tobecome more accepted in our current era of alternative medicaltherapies and anger management. --Erica Jorgensen ... Read more

Customer Reviews (147)

Changed my life!
This book is a must read for anyone with chronic pain.I suffered from an ulnar nerve entrapment(other side of carpal tunnel) for almost two years.Three weeks after finishing the book the pain was gone.Two more weeks and I was back to doing 100 push-ups a day, a routine I was forced to give up b/c of the weakness and numbness in my hand.Dr. Sarno's theory is spot on and I believe millions could get rid of their pain simply by picking up this book.

carried to the extreme
I definitely believe the author is correct that high levels of stress and anxiety,or "tension"as he calls it,play a major role in bringing on and aggravating back pain,or any muscle pain.

But he goes to the super extreme when he says that virtually EVERY single aspect of back pain described in the book as what he refers to"tension myositis syndrome" is psychological. He ok's on pain killers,but basically is against any other physical treatment of any sort. According to him,the person just needs some good quality time with a psychologist,along with listening to his 3 hour lecture.

I'm all for alternative theories and treatments,but what this guy has to say is to the super extreme,and I just don't buy it completely.

Absolutely amazing
I am returning to playing soccer after 6 years of pain. My wife is 8 months pregnant and lost all of her back and hip pain in a week after reading his first book.

Life saving
This book could possibly save your life. If you give the method a chance it will really work for you. The book is well written and to the point. I'm using it to cure my "RSI" injury. Don't pass up the opportunity to regain your life back by relieving yourself of the pain. I highly recommend this book.

The $15 that saved my life!
I read this book towards the end of 2004, when after a year of debilitating back pain caused by a herniated disk, I was readying myself for the final option : surgery. All that year, the pain had gone from bad to worse. I was not able to bend forward or sit. I was going through life standing. I stopped driving, going to the movies, theater, restaurant. If I needed to lift a pan while cooking, I had to call my husband. Life, for me had ended. The doc said surgery is the only option after months of physiotherapy and steroid shots in the back. I remembered this book that a friend had mentioned 6 months into my pain. I had looked at the cover and given it up as "kooky". Well, what the heck. If you're going to surgery, you'll do anything. So I bought the book and read it. It's hard to believe, but my pain started to diminish from the very next day. As Dr Sarno's book made more and more sense, the pain became lesser and lesser. Slowly, I started sitting, started yoga, and within 6 weeks, I was completely and utterly pain-free!! Why am I writing this review now in 2010? Since then, I have recommended this book to at least a dozen other people. I always end up sending a link from amazon. And as I was sending this link to yet another fellow sufferer, I decided to share my experience with the bigger community. I am happy to report that 5 years later, I am still completely and utterly pain free. My disk still impinges (I had an MRI done after the pain was gone), but I feel no pain. Dr Sarno's book saved my life. He has a knack of explaining things so well, and so logically, that I was able to internalize his concept and get my health back. If you have a herniated disk, you owe it to yourself to read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Beating Gout is the most comprehensive and up-to-date book designed for the gout sufferer. Recent research has shown that up to 78% of doctors do not treat gout properly. This book sets the record straight on the best and most effective ways to treat gout attacks and manage gout's underlying condition, hyperuricemia.Beating Gout covers all aspects of the disease from its progression, diagnosis, treatment, to the latest research on diet and lifestyle choices that affect gout. Over five hundred research articles and texts were reviewed for this book. No other source has more practical, scientifically backed information that gout sufferers can start using immediately to reduce or stop gout attacks while living a healthier and pain free life.

What you will learn:
* Learn the latest gout management techniques that can stop gout attacks forever
* Learn how to stop a gout attack in its tracks
* Learn the truth about how diet and lifestyle choices effect gout
* Completely based on the latest scientific research, not anecdotes or "secret cures"
* Clear and easy to understand
* Focuses on practical advice that you can use immediately to improve your gout and your health
... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Beating gout, from ignorance to knowledge
This book covers the causes, short term treatment and long term treatments and attack prevention of gout.A good reference for anyone suffering from this disease.Also contain a table of foods and corresponding purine content. A larger list than you can find on the internet. This is a very good guide for persons confused of what to eat or prepare.Covers regimen needed depending on the type of treatment as well as alternate treatment options.The nice thing about this book is that it covers the "why's". You can get bits and pieces of information from your doctor and from the internet, but this book is a more comprehensive report.Most importantly, this book works well for me to fight gout. As a disclaimer, always consult your doctor before trying the treatment options.

Good Review of scientif literature on Gout
Mr Konshin has created a wonderful review of the scientific literature on Gout.He has also created a podcast called "The Beating Gout Podcast".If you would like a preview of what type of information this book contains, I strongly urge you to log onto itunes and to check out this free podcast.

There are alot of myths about gout.If you want to really understand this disease and you do not have time to do hundreds of searches on google scholar, I encourage you to pick up this book.

Mr Konshin, if you read this review, I would like to urge you to do a second edition of this book that includes new research and maybe clear up a few mistakes.

essential reading
If you have gout, this is essential reading.It gives you a good description of the causes of gout.It has a VERY comprehensive review of nearly all medications available (including some old and future medications), includes drug/vitamins/minerals/foods interactions list for each.
Describes tests and processes in simple terms.It seems this book is well researched and the author (who also suffers from gout) has been in contact with a good sample of the medical profession regarding best practices for treatment, diagnosis, profilaxis.

for gout pain an instruction manual
Excellent book, well written with a balance of science and experience. This book will definitely help when you review your treatment options with your physician. Because, I have found, that most physicians are not as informed with current medications and treatment as you (a patient) would like to believe. This book should be required reading for anyone suffering from gout.

Based on the diet section, I don't trust this book
I'm not equipped to evaluate the medical advice in this book, but based upon his sloppy dietary advice, I don't trust it.

For example, in the section called LOW PURINE DIET he has a summary of the foods to avoid because of high purine content, and the first item listed is "Food Made With Baker's or Brewer's Yeast."

Of course, the #1 food we eat made with Baker's Yeast would mean BREAD. I wondered what he was basing that on so I flipped to Appendix A: Purine Content of food. Sure enough, it shows Baker's Yeast yielding a whopping 680 mg of uric acid, as compared to a pork chop with 145 mg.

However, like so many of these listings, it's not based on realistic portion sizes, it's just 100 grams across the board.100 grams is about 3.5 ounces, or roughly the equivalent of 4 Reese Peanut Butter Cups! Who would ever eat that much Baker's Yeast?

On the other hand, checking under the Grains section of the list, 100 grams of actual BREAD (roughly 2 slices, but it will vary widely by type) is only 16 mg, as compared to an apple with 14.

Since he does not point out this distinction, I now don't trust anything else this book has to tell me. ... Read more

Product Description
The newly updated edition of the classic guide to assessing and treating pain and injury

For more than twenty-five years, Listen to Your Pain has been a leading resource for understanding pain and injury problems. Now revised and updated based on recent research, this comprehensive, fully illustrated guide:
* explains how to determine exactly what is causing your pain, using simple tests
* provides detailed instructions for therapists on assessing and treating each major injury
* outlines possible treatment choices, from self-therapy to medical help
* catalogs injuries by the part of the body that hurts, for easy reference
* offers exercise and rehabilitation regimens to help promote faster healing and complete recovery

Listen to Your Pain remains the essential reference for active people seeking an understanding of their injuries and relief from their pain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

2nd Copy
This book is a wonderful resource. My family and friends are always asking for my "pain book" so they can find exercises or diagnostic tests for their sports injuries etc. In fact after one of them made off with it I'm now buying a 2nd copy. If I or my family have a muscle pain or injury it's nice to be able to read up in the book to add to what a doctor has said or to find relief without having to make a doctors visit (of course you have to use your own discretion about when you need to make the visit and when the book can replace/add to the visit). If you are active or at risk for repetitive strain injuries I would highly recomend this book.

Ben Benjamin is the master!
I received my first copy of "Listen to Your Pain" by Ben Benjamin in 1988 from my first massage therapist.I have referred to it year after year for the best diagnostic and treatment advice for any/all injuries.I was researching a knee injury online the other night; I always include "ben Benjamin" in my search to see what he says about the injury.That is when I came across this newest edition of "Listen to Your Pain."I ordered it with the fastest shipping and as usual Amazon came through with getting it here on Saturday morning!I turned to the "knee" section and right away found THE EXACT symptoms and description to my injury.This is an issue I have been dealing with for over 2 years and has responded to no treatents.Now I know where to go to properly address this issue.Get this book if you work out or have suffered any type of pain/injury.Ben Benjamin is 2nd to none in helping to diagnose and treating injuries and all without seeing you in person.His practice is only about 2 1/2 hours away from my home and if his book wasn't so good at telling how to fix stuff, I would not hesitate in going there.Don't question it, get it!

Listen to your pain
This is my second copy of this book.I gave my first to a friend.This is an easy to understand and easy to use book to begin diagnosing a weekend warrior injury.

Listen to Your Pain: The Active Person's Guide to Understanding, Identifying, and Treating Pain and Injury (Purchased on 02/0
Shipping was very fast..Speedy is what I like and you mastered that. Thank You

Best Diagnostic Tool EVER!
I bought this book over 20 years ago and have used it frequently over the years to diagnose sprained ankles, injured knees, and back, chest and shoulder pain.It has never been wrong and the treatment advice has been excellent.I have to say I have never taken the "cortisone shot" advice, but have used other treatments suggested in the book and the injuries have always healed.The best diagnosis was experiencing some worrisome chest pain.We discovered that he had overused a deep chest muscle and that was the sole cause of his pain.This book is great and I will never part with it! ... Read more

Product Description
Grounded in state-of-the-art theory and research, this hands-on volume provides a complete cognitive-behavioral treatment program for clients suffering from chronic pain. Ten clearly organized modules for use with groups or individuals offer well-tested strategies for engaging clients, challenging distorted thoughts and beliefs about pain, and helping to build needed skills for coping and adaptation. Also featured are a detailed theoretical and empirical rationale, along with guidelines for setting up treatment groups and conducting effective assessments. Presented in a large-size format for ease of photocopying and use, the book contains everything needed to implement the program, including numerous case examples and troubleshooting tips and over 40 reproducible session outlines, client handouts, and assessment tools.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

excelent
The service was great, but I had to return it, my mistake, because it was more like a text book, and what I was looking for was self help type of book. My mistake.
Monica.

A helpful book for both patients and professionals
"You'll just have to learn to live with it." That's what many patients hear when there is nothing else that can be medically done to alleviate their pain. But how is a patient supposed to learn to "live with it?" Where this statement leaves off, Dr. Thorn's book begins. Dr. Thorn's book illustrates how a therapist can help patients with pain to better cope with their suffering, and to go on to live fulfilling lives. This book is aptly named, for it truly does take the reader on a step-by-step journey through the therapeutic process.

Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain is not a comprehensive chronic pain workbook, nor was it intended to be. It does not cover such issues as medications for pain, nor does it cover breathing techniques for pain or insomnia control. Rather, it takes one critically important aspect of pain disorders, how patients come to think about their pain, and deals with the therapeutic process more thoroughly than any other book currently available.

Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain book is a monumental work on the topic of how pain and suffering are influenced, for better or for worse, by a patient's belief system. Beyond this, this book does an extraordinary job of taking current scientific theory and research about the nature of pain, and distilling from that concrete advice for both clinicians and their patients. This book leaves the reader with the awareness that Dr. Thorn is a master at simplifying complex ideas, and explaining them in a way that even a discouraged patient can understand and benefit from.

Unlike some books, which are scientifically sound but which offer little that is clinically usable, Dr. Thorn's book is eminently practical. Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain walks the reader through the types of the beliefs that influence pain, how to assess them, therapeutic strategies, and homework assignment for the patients. This book even takes the additional step of identifying aspects of these assignments that patients are likely to have difficulty with, and strategies for helping patients overcome these difficulties.

Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain is organized with sections on theoretical matters, assessment devices with their scoring keys, and therapeutic strategies with actual homework forms. Additionally, there are also sample dialogs illustrating how to present this information, and how the patient might respond.

Dr. Thorn's approach is at the same time sympathetic to the plight of patients with pain, while still offering hope. While never judgmental, she still challenges patients to identify ineffective coping strategies, and to learn better ones. Most health psychologists will have a chronic pain workbook on their shelf. Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Pain is the next step beyond such a workbook, and will be an indispensable addition to even a senior pain professional's library.

Although this book is written as a guide for clinicians who treat pain, this book can also be a useful self-help guide for a motivated patient with pain. ... Read more

Product Description
Digitization of business interactions and processes is advancing full bore. But in many organizations, returns from IT investments are flatlining, even as technology spending has skyrocketed.

These challenges call for new levels of IT savvy: the ability of all managers-IT or non-IT-to transform their company's technology assets into operational efficiencies that boost margins. Companies with IT-savvy managers are 20 percent more profitable than their competitors.


In IT Savvy, Peter Weill and Jeanne Ross-two of the world's foremost authorities on using IT in business-explain how non-IT executives can acquire this savvy. Concise and practical, the book describes the practices, competencies, and leadership skills non-IT managers need to succeed in the digital economy. You'll discover how to:

-Define your firm's operating model-how IT can help you do business
-Revamp your IT funding model to support your operating model
-Build a digitized platform of business processes, IT systems, and data to execute on the model
-Determine IT decision rights
-Extract more business value from your IT assets

Packed with examples and based on research into eighteen hundred organizations in more than sixty countries, IT Savvy is required reading for non-IT managers seeking to push their company's performance to new heights. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Transforming IT to a Strategic Asset
I just finished reading: IT Savvy - What Top Executives Must Know to Go from Pain to Gain - by Peter Weill and Jeanne W. Ross. This book is about transforming IT from a Strategic Liability to a Strategic asset. It covers a wide array of topics ranging from defining your operating model, the funding model, driving value etc. to assist in building a true digitized platform. Regarding the operating model for example, the business needs to define what it expects from its IT department in terms of two axes: standardization and integration. This generate four distinct operating models: Diversification, Replication, Coordination and Replication. Each model poses its own challenges that require IT to address. Once the model is defined, IT will embark on a journey consisting of four stages: Localizing,Standardizing, Optimizing, and Reusing. Note however that the return on investment made in each stage will not be the same. Particularly as a company shifts into stages 3 and 4, companies will have to make significant investments which will only pay out on the longer term.A lot of companies struggle with stage 2, as it requires significant changes on the business side. One cannot hope to standardize IT systems if the underlying business processes diverge. A number of examples are given of companies that have made this successful transition, and how they managed to overcome the obstacles. Note that this journey is an on-going one which requires constant effort and refinement to ensure the company is always moving forward.

This book is a good read for business and IS folks alike, as it helps bridge the gap that exists between them. The criticism I have is around the way the book is written. It may have been better to write it as a collection of case studies, which would avoid the duplication in discussing the same example companies and how they employ each aspect discussed.Overall though, an easy to read informative book about IT execution and how it can be leveraged to build a truly leverage-able IT platform that would give its underlying company a competitive advantage.

A must read blueprint for using IT in business
This is an excellent, easy to read book that sets out a blueprint for getting value from your IT investments, in turn growing the company.

The book is based on empirical knowledge built from studies of over 1800 companies in more than 60 countries.

The classic scenerio for IT is the problem of a piecemeal approach to system design that creates inflexiblity and reduces the ability to enable IT's value proposition: automating and standardising repeatable processes - doing what IT is good at.

Incremental point solutions can never result in a foundation for effective business processes - instead processes rely on the instinct, judgement and attention of the person completing it, introducing variablity and inconsistent outcomes. Your Enterprise Architecture becomes a noodle soup of tangled technologies managed by shifting political alliances throughout the business.

Peter and Jeanne go on to outline how to "Transform IT from Strategic Liability to Strategic Asset".

To start its suggested you need to go about fixing whats broken about IT. You do this in two important steps:

1 Defining your Operating Model: Two questions to consider: how much to standardize business processes, and how much to integrate business processes. Put a stake in the ground as deciding your operating model will be the foundation for all IT decisions in your firm.

2 Revamping Your IT Funding Model: make sure business cases demonstrates Return on Investment, and that your IT purchasing decisions are based on transparent and understood priorties and critera, as defined in the operational model. Everyone should know how prioritization works. They make the excellent suggestion that CEO approval be obtained for exceptions, forcing the requester to spend some political capital to get approval - this reduces the amount of requests to ones really worth fighting for.

Watch what happens on projects, make sure your balance of new growth vs refresh expenditure is right for your company and you understand the risk return profiles of your projects.

Moving towards standardizing processes is a key area of the book and a lifecycle for IT in companies is described in 4 sequential stages:

1. Localizing (establishing unique business value propositions),
2. Standardizing (seeking efficiency, reducing costs),
3. Optimizing (discipled process based on operating model - gains world class predictable enterprise business processes, consistently getting the basics right),
4. Reusing (recycle services for new initiatives and opportunities, increased agility)

The point is made that this is hard work, and can only be achieved with effective governance - The CIO cannot do this alone and Executive buy in is needed from the CEO and senior management team. When you have that you are able to allocate decision rights and accountability. Mechanisms to enable this are described, from individual roles, committess or teams, and formalised processes such as post implementation reviews. The idea is to promote desirable behaviour in the management and use of IT and formalize the lesson's learned processes.

The governance structure should be easily understood by all and used to communicate the decision making accountablity. Senior Exec's should be able to describe how key IT decisions are made.
By clarifying IT decision rights and accountabilty you create capability

The last chapter on enabling this process is about using your new standardised platform to grow the company.

Being IT Savvy pays off. The research demonstrates that firms that are above average on both IT Savvy and IT spending have margins 20% higher than industry average.In contrast firms with less than average spending and savvy have margins 32% lower than their industry. Being IT savvy puts you in a postion to take advantage of future opportunities.

This is a thoughtful, well researched book that I highly recommend. It is a blueprint for successful use and reuse of IT for any company, you will not regret buying this one. Enjoy

Not an "IT Rah-Rah" book, but a serious book for executives.
This book is a wonderful treatise on what companies - and senior management, not just IT - must do to make IT a strategic part of the business that directly contributes to the success (and bottom line!) of their organizations.

If, as an executive, you're looking for a comfort-zone book that allows you to throw everything over the fence to IT... then this book will make you extremely uncomfortable.If you're the type of executive that's frustrated with your IT Department, but are looking for real, working solutions, then this book will give you the roadmap you need to move forward.

Don't be fooled by the focus on major organizations as examples; the principles apply (scaled down, of course) to any size company in any stage of their development.I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

A very good reference framework for business-IT alignment
I'm an IT manager, and I really liked this book.Although targeted at business executives, I read it looking for ideas to better pitch and execute business/IT alignment to both senior business and IT management at my organization, and was pleased with what I found.

The book builds the case for business/IT alignment solidly, placing its responsibility within senior management and referring to it as the firm being 'IT savvy'.Essentially, IT savvy companies are shown to clearly define, communicate and commit to strategic objectives and plans, enact one of many strategy/tactical sets for IT to support the strategic outcomes envisioned, effectively govern IT and evolve the plan as it matures.

The detailed case studies really help understand the topics being highlighted, and the candid tone throughout the book lends credibility to the challenges issued to both business and IT.The book defines a number of reference models, terminology and logical constructs in order to condense and systematize the extensive research of MIT's CISR on the topic.I like such academic, structured approach, but other readers may not like it as much.

Be mindful, however, of your expectations regarding the applicability of the ideas in the book if you are not in the right position to exert considerable clout in your organization.In a very particular reference, the book claims that 'businesses have the IT they deserve' (please note: it's not that the book consists of such bold and general statements, a particular reference is being made).If you don't have access or are not willing to recommend this book or discuss it with upper management across the board in your organization, you may be left with a sense of frustration and 'ivory tower' feelings toward the book.I think the ideas actually have plenty of merit, but even with a lot of good will they are hard to implement, as the authors readily admit.Good news is - ROI is high, and as with most business investments the dividends make it worthwhile.

Great contribution!
IT Savvy is full of clear examples (many based on the authors' own research) and steps to take. Weill & Ross provide an assessment tool and the ability to compare your own firm with others. I found myself drawn in by their ability to answer questions I've had for a while. For example, In February 2008 I wrote a post about Southwest Airlines', then new, boarding process. I was impressed with the success of Southwest's complex implementation of the required technology, organization, and people components (showing TOP Management) and noted, "I'd also love to hear how Southwest came to manage the process in the way they did. Do they have this social and technical focus for all of their changes?" IT Savvy gives me the answer: Yes, they do!

"The top thirty leaders of the company each sit on two or more strategy teams so they can inform their colleagues of services and needs within their own functional area while learning about the operations of other functional areas. The teams propose enterprise IT projects, which are reviewed by the firm's executive committee in establishing project priorities. Around 80 percent of Southwest's technology projects are aligned with one of the strategy teams." pp. 87-89.

I assigned McAfee's Enterprise 2.0 book in my Organizational Design course this term. I think IT Savvy is the perfect next step (rubber meeting the road) for those students who continue on to my Managing Technology & Innovation course.

Full review here:[...] ... Read more

Product Description
After twenty-five years in print, this book has been a godsend for hundreds of thousands of readers.When trigger points are released (and this book teaches how it is done) relief comes immediately. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Not bad, but not my favorite
I have to agree with the other reviewer who stated that the information in this book was good but not organized very well.It makes a good companion to other Trigger Point books as it gives you some of the history behind the therapy and a lot of anecdotal bits about how the treatments have worked for various symptoms.I am particularly fond of Clair Davies' book, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook... it is organized by area of pain and is very well put together for regular people.For massage therapists, the Davies book is a good reference that is easier to tote around than the Travell and Simons books.

disppointed
I was disappointed with Pain Erasure 1) the pictures are so outdated 2) almost all diagrams showed it needed two people to handle pain. The book has to be updated with new pictures and it should be possible to take off pain wihout a 2nd person.

Great info
Haven't finished reading the book yet but so far it has a lot of valuable information for anyone suffering with chronic pain issues.

Great book
A nurse friend lent me hers to read.After that I just had to find a copy.As a person who always has tight muscles, it was good to see where all the different muscles are and what you can do to make the aches&pains go. This is a good book to have.The book came fast and was in excellent condition.

Everyone should know this!
Years ago, when I was a massage therapist, an elderly lady with chronic pain told me to read this book and use the techniques on her. She found it helpful and I applied the methods ever since to myself and others, and teach them to anyone who will listen. The myofascial system is practically a big secret, but taking care of or preventing trigger points and adhesions are about as important as flossing. It helps with recovery from injuries and surgery, too. Much of arthritis pain in in the soft tissues and can be helped with this kind of technique. Egoscue's stuff is also very helpful, and is more movement oriented. ... Read more

Product Description
Reversing Chronic Pain offers a dynamic framework for joining body and mind to speed the healing of traumatic pain from the body level up. Each chapter presents a body-centered skill set that can be mastered through a broad menu of practice exercises. The resulting interlinked somatic building blocks help readers shift from physical pain to body awareness, and from unstoppable suffering to heartfelt connection and peace.

Building on the AIDS cocktail approach that reflects the fact that chronic pain is complex and no one tactic is likely to solve the problem, renowned expert Maggie Phillips presents a 10-1 pain plan comprised of easy strategies based on somatic experience. Even if the reader’s pain is perceived as a “10” at the onset of the program, with 10 being intolerable, the somatic building blocks help shift the pain one point at a time until it gradually diminishes to “1” or even “zero.” Showing how the common professional interventions—medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback—may be more harmful than healing, Reversing Chronic Pain stresses self-treatment throughout, involving sufferers in attaining lives not simply endured but actively enjoyed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

The Best Book You Can Buy for Pain Relief
As a person who suddenly came down with a rare illness and had to find ways to cope, I chose this book in my search for books on pain relief.I have purchased many books on the subject with some success, but this one is by far the winner.First of all, Maggie Phillips is empathetic. She doesn't chastise you for not trying hard enough to cope, pitying yourself, etc.She just lays out a tremendous variety of ideas that you can use to try and help yourself have less pain.If you need A LOT of ideas, this book is for you.You can successfully read the book any way you like; skipping around, straight through, doing the exercises or not.No matter how you read it, you will find so many things to try. Some of her ideas take some concentration to understand and follow at first, but plenty are simple to use too.Also, no matter what your variety of pain is, this book would be useful.This is a tremendous book that can really help you.I recommend it without reservation.

The title reflects the offerings of this book.
I am a trauma therapist.I have this book in my library and I also recommend it to clients.Maggie Phillips is one of the foremost experts on the subject of chronic pain.She presents her material in a compassionate and concise way.All methods don't work for every person but there are enough options in this book that you can most likely find something to ease the pain.I have had clients that I have observed doing what this book says in the title:Reversing Chronic Pain.The book offers hope in what sometimes feels like a hopeless situation.Please try it if you are experiencing chronic pain.

Simple and effective
For those wishing to stay away from narcotics for chronic pain, this book will help.The instructions are clear and easy to follow.I would highly recommend this for anyone looking for a more natural way to take the edge off their pain.

An excellent assortment of methods for dealing with pain
Maggie Phillips has gathered an excellent assortment of methods for dealing with pain. These include breathing exercises; sorting out feelings about pain; relaxation; imagery; mindfulness; bioenergy approaches; movement; pendulating (alternating between constriction and expansion); love; and building on success. Each section has discussions, case examples, helpful exercises, notes and references.Phillips' approach is very straightforward and practical, acknowledging that no single method is suitable for every person or every pain.
This is an excellent book both for those needing help with pain relief and for therapists who want to learn diverse methods for dealing with pain.

helpful advice
I think that Dr. Phillips has a clear and effective writing style and an abundance of knowledge about pain and healing. Her advice and case studies are interesting as well as helpful. Great book for professionals and for sufferers or caretakers dealing with chronic pain. ... Read more

Product Description
Briar needs just two things: blood and vengeance. The first sustains her immortal life; the second gives it meaning.

First on her hit list is Gregor, the renegade vampire who schooled her in brutality, then betrayed and tortured her. To achieve her deadly ends, Briar joins the inscrutable Reaper and his misfit gang of vampires who are also hunting her old mentor.

But once she's destroyed Gregor, she'll be gone. The group means nothing to her. Not even Crisa—damaged, defenseless, a liability in every way—the childlike vamp with whom Briar shares a blood bond. Or Reaper. Though they shared one moment of pure passion, it's not as though Briar has feelings for him.

Because Briar needs no one. She needs only to satisfy her twin hungers—ones that may ultimately consume her. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Great Read
This is a great read to go along the with previous ones in series. I would recommend this to anyone into paranormal reading.

Good Fiction a little on the predictable side
This book is on the predictable side. After you read the first couple books in this series this book is easly guessed in the first 2 chapters. You also come to not care for the main character in this book in the other two books so you really dont want to read about this character even though she softens a bit. The book after starts with all new characters so it is almost better to skip this book! Also not much in the romance dept.

Angels Pain

I enjoyed this book but felt that it did not come up to Maggies usual standard. The plot was good, but tended to waffle some what. Hope the rest of the series are better than this one, as i havent read books 1 and2.

love it
I HAVE ALL HER BOOK'S THIS IS ONE OF 3 I HAVE THE OTHER 2 THANK'S I DID'NT SEE THIS IN THE STORE'S AND FOUND IT ON HERE AGAIN THANK'S

Angel's Pain
Briar has had just a couple of things on her mind and the most important one is vengeance.She is a hard nosed and determined vampire with no heart left after the life she has lead - at least that's her thought on the subject.Briar has been doing everything possible to meet back up with her mentor Gregor and it isn't for hugs and kisses.She wants vengeance for everything he put her through while she was with him. Briar is getting closer to her goal with the group she joined up with, but then how come some of her actions seem to indicate soft feelings for them?

Reaper is a renegade from the government with his own reasons for wanting to find Gregor.Reaper would also love to get out from under the hold that the agency has on him.After getting out, he has come to collect his own ragtag group of vampires and humans who are willing to help him put an end to Gregor. He cares for all of them but his prickly Briar might just have a hold on his heart if he can ever get her to admit she has one too.

Matters are getting more and more complicated as Briar and Reaper learn more about Gregor and his past.Even the government agency seems to be more involved than it should be.With lives and hearts, both vampire and human, at stake can Briar and Reaper find the answers and defeat Gregor before everything is lost? Is Briar's vengeance really the answer?

Vampires are not supposed to have warm and fuzzy feelings - right?In Angel's Pain Briar discovers answers that turn her assumptions upside down.For me this was a "aha" book that answers or solves some of the questions that came up during the series.Briar has joined Reaper's group and quickly became someone they looked to for answers.Great just what she wanted. Reaper knows that under the toughness that Briar shows, she is hiding hurt and a tender heart that just needs to feel love.I found it fun to watch the others in Reaper's group just going along with Briar's attitude all the while knowing that she was not the big toughie. I ached for Briar as I discovered all she had been put though both as a human and as a vampire.Reaper showed persistence and love while helping Briar come to terms with her life and her desires.I totally fell for both of them and was cheering out loud by the end of the book.I also seemed to have fallen for the rest of Reaper's group and was very happy on their outcomes too.I immensely enjoyed Angel's Pain and know that it will be in my library for a long time with many re-reads.

While you can read this book as a stand alone, I believe you will go back and discover the rest of the series to get the entire picture.

Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed ... Read more

Product Description
How to Deal with Back Pain and Rheumatoid Joint Pain is apractical manual based on the author's many years of research andnumerous clinical observations.The book introduces a new medicaltechnology to treat and prevent back pain and rheumatoid joint pain.

* Learn the vital information on the mechanics behind your spinal column, the role of the disc and its needs for water.

* Learn the simple body movement that will promote fluid circulation in the disc spaces that will result in relief of the back pain and sciatic pain.

* It is simple, safe and inexpensive. Don't hate yourself for missing out on this information.Amazon.com Review
Dr. Batmanghelidj received his formal medical education at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School of London University.He provides for the layman a clear and comprehensive book on the origins of chronic pain. His clinical and scientific research exposes, for the first time, that recurring "chronic pains" are a signal system of the body indicating severe general or local dehydration. Most of these pains can be relieved simply by drinking water. Instead, however, the patient often receives costly pharmaceutical medications which treat rather than cure.

In this book, back pain and rheumatoid joint pain as indicators of local chronic dehydration are explained. The mechanisms involving the important role of water in holding the spinal column together are discussed. Based on years of detailed study of the human anatomy and the science of physiology, Dr. Batmanghelidj has devised a new exercise approach for the successful hydration of the disc core, the retraction of the displaced discs, and immediate relief of pain, even sciatica. These exercises are clearly explained and demonstrated, and may be the only way to save yourself from the surgeon's knife.

This book is unlike any other "how-to" book on the market. It is an instructive presentation about the very simple way of finding comfort and relief from two of the most commonly occurring pains of the body low back pain and rheumatoid joint pain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Worth the Read
I would definately buy and read this book again.Although the information is simple, he does a great job of explaining how your spine works when it comes to hydration.Gave me some good visuals for helping my spine, I have DDD.I have RA, also, and water does seem to be helping. Again his explanation gave me a good understanding as to what's going on with my finger joints, so I drink more water, and I get better.It's so simple one might pass on the book or dismiss the info--that would be a mistake.

It works!
The instructions for dealing with back problems are clearly explained. The pictures are worth a thousand words, if you don't want to read, then the pictures will show you how to do the exercises.You need 4 pillows-I think firm ones are the best.

My friend was complaining about lower back pain and I explained to him the exercises that were shown in the book.He tried it and said that his back pain went away.He was so amazed. Made a believer out of him!

how to deal with back pain
Book came on time and is loaded with the right stuff.Solved my back challenge and others too..If you want to solve and strengthen your back for future use select this book. In my opinion and example it is the answer...Lew

Fabuloso
Water: For Health, for Healing, for Life: You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty!
No joke... as far as I'm concerned my back painis essentially cured. It took me 3 attempts to get the exercise right . You must follow the directions exactly and rest 24 hrs between attempts. Immediately after the 3rd attempt , I was able to bend down without my knees buckling, and get up from a squatting position with strength in my legs.No pain in the morning. But I do have some pain if I sit in one position for awhile--can deal with that.Physical tx and chiropractic have been helpful but only remedial. This one exercise in the bookcured me. Follow directions about diet and water intake.I'm now telling all my friends. Purchase any of author's books as well. Best Rx for staying healthy in case we get national health insurance when we will not have access to anything.
This is an update(November 10,2008). I don't even think of my back anymore.I can sit in any position for any length of time.I still drink alot water but stopped all exercises because I have no pain. If the pain returns I will resume the exercises. This book is the best of all self-help medical books on the market!. A true miracle. Another update(March 17,2009). We had a bad winter and was able to shovel snow without any pain whatsoever. Of course, I did use proper posture. Stillno back pain of any sort and that includes from any posture for prolonged time period, Also I can walk as much as I want.
Hello again.It is November 21,2009). This past summer, I began getting 'twinges' in my back. No pain mind you, just a twinge or two.I figured my disc was starting to bulge again.So to play it safe, I did the exercise just once and the twinge vanished immediately after. Still no pain or twinge as of today.I am watching my diet and am drinking just water (except one cup of coffee in the morning) As I said in the beginning of this review, I am cured.Wouldn'tyou know it, national health care in probably going to crush us but water to the rescue (until that also is taxed along with botox...not funny!)
Hello again and good-bye after this last update. Today is Dec 14,2009. Here in Michigan it has snowed and iced x3 so far and all in the past 7 days. The snow was fluffy one day and slushy and heavy the other, the third was 1/4 inch of melting ice and heavy. I was able to do my snow shoveling by hand without any pain.I have not had any twinges since this past summer. Let merepeat. My back pain is cured because my disc(s) are back in place using this simple exercise. Try it, you'll like it. Au revoir mes amis
Ooops... spoke too soon. See my new review for Your Body's many Cries for Water re my resolution for a stiff neck. My lower back is still cured, though!!
.

hope health and healing
Dr. Batman is my hero..... I went to the doc to get some pain meds and she sent me to the hospital to get an MRI and they wanted to operate but the neurologist said he would see me the next day . He gave me three choices,surgery,cortizol shots,or 18 months to 24 months to recover from 3 bulging and one ruptured disc #5. After a month in a chair laying on one side---- at the library I found the Body's many cries for water....gave me some HOPE , which I had lost. The first day...my back was improving...my emotions were improving and I felt better.Then I ordered some of his books online and they are GREAT! The back book is very helpful to understand what I am up against. The cancer book was very encouraging. Cancer can bring fear to anyone who doesn't understand there are some safe treatments available.And of course ,I had to buy the bodies many cries for water book. I will be ordering some more books soon and recommending them to friends , neighbors and family members.....Keep your mind open and receive the answers to your questions ,andreceive hope , help, and healing. Haven't used pain meds for 30 days...just salt and water. ... Read more

Product Description

After two serious spinal injuries, Vidyamala Burch foundherself facing the loneliness of disability and chronicpain with few skills or resources to turn to. But insteadof giving up, she set out on a mission to embrace her physicalchallenges with compassion, acceptance, and peace. LivingWell with Pain and Illness shares the fruits of her courageouslife's work, teaching us how the practice of mindfulness canhelp us thrive in the face of health challenges of any kind.

Drawing on the wisdom of a dozen years teaching meditationand a lifetime of study of the benefits of mindful living,Vidyamala encourages readers with insights and instruction in:

Customer Reviews (23)

Get Mindful--get well!
There have been numerous studies showing the benefits of mindfulness meditation with pain relief as well as other benefits.This book provides simple practical instructions to train for mindfulness.At first the effects are subtle and some of the exercises seem almost too easy--requiring that one stay on task.But after a while I noticed improved clarity and a tendency to relax through the painful areas in my body.While I am not free from suffering I have noticed improvement with using this over the last month and am guessing that longer practice will yield further results.There are other benefits such as just taking the time to view the world in a different way, unplugging from the task oriented brain and to just enjoy existence such as it is.

From a pain clinic perspective
Having worked in UK NHS Pain Management for 15 years I had a feeling of 'not more of the same' when a patient recommended this book to me. Having read it I immediately signed up to train as a Breathworks Teacher. The ideas presented are ones that I had been edging towards for some time but had found difficulty in presenting with conviction. The book is written clearly with very practical strategies set out at an easy pace. It is based on the personal journey of the author to contain her own unrelenting pain. Having met and studied with her it is gloriously apparent that it works for her. Having integrated many of the fundamental principles into our existing NHS Program the response that they are being met with has totally converted me to the approach. I would highly recommend this book to anyone overwhelmed by pain. If you also agree please bring this book to the attention of anyone working in the Pain Management field.

Useful methodology, very Buddhist outlook
I ordered this book because I felt it might help me with some chronic pain problems I have. I think it's well written, easy to use, and the practice of mindfulness is a very good pain strategy. That said, it left me wanting something more- though I can't really put my finger on what.

I think that someone totally unfamiliar with yoga, for example, or the Buddhist thought process might have more difficulty getting a handle on this method. But for people who do or have in the past practiced yoga, meditation, etc, this will be easy and ultimately quite helpful. Certainly the basic belief - which is 'live in the moment' (meaning don't concentrate on what you think will happen, or what did happen before, simply see the pain as it is, and then continue with the process from there) is a good one. Burch includes simple exercises/positions which will facilitate the method, too, but ultimately it's mind control which is the core idea of the book.

Bought for a friend in chronic pain, this book was helpful
I sent this book to a friend of mine who is living with chronic pain.He said that this book was exactly what he had been looking for.That is no small recommendation.My friend is quite intelligent and his pain is ongoing, severe, and emotionally exhausting.For him to say that this book works is quite a review all in itself.

positive, pragmatic advice if not a little long-winded
This book encourages chronic pain sufferers to accept and even welcome painful sensations, and to use mindfulness techniques to reset the nervous system.

What I liked:

- Pragmatic advice from someone with experience.There is no oversimplification of treatment options such as "all drugs are bad" or "meditation will make all your pain go away".The author knows it is of utmost importance to find what works.
- Trains you how to use meditation / mindfulness techniques to help control pain and, importantly, our response to pain.
- Stresses acceptance and moving on with your life.

Things I didn't like:

- Repetitive and long-winded in parts.I have a short attention span.Wrap it up.
- Multiple plugs for her organization and products.Mention it once and move on.

Overall I applaud the author for tackling the subject, and feel this book is a valuable tool for chronic pain sufferers. ... Read more

Product Description

Pain Assessment and Pharmacologic Management, by highly renowned authors Chris Pasero and Margo McCaffery, is destined to become the definitive resource in pain management in adults. It provides numerous reproducible tables, boxes, and figures that can be used in clinical practice, and emphasizes the benefits of a multimodal analgesic approach throughout. In addition, Patient Medication Information forms for the most commonly used medications in each analgesic group can be copied and given to patients. This title is an excellent resource for nurses to become certified in pain management.

Customer Reviews (1)

The only reference a health care provider needs to deliver optimal pain management
Margo McCaffery and Chris Pasero, the pain management "gurus" have outdone themselves. If you are a health care provider and deal with patients with chronic pain or work in end of life care (palliative care or hospice) you MUST have this resource and you can literally put all the other texts on this subject placed in the back of the bookshelf.All material can be reproduced for teaching or making up your own resource manuals.Kudos and thanks to them. ... Read more

Product Description
Since it was first published in 1986, Growing Pains has become a classic resource for understanding how start-ups can make the transition to become large, professionally-managed organizations that maintain the special spark that launched them. In the fourth edition of Growing Pains, authors Eric Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle have thoroughly revised and updated the book to include new ideas and concepts including information about strategic planning, Sarbanes-Oxley, family businesses, and overcoming growing pains, as well as new examples and cases of companies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Well worth the cost!
One of the most engaging books I have read in quite a while, primarily because it addresses the common pains companies, like ours, experience with growth. The content of this book is extremely practical to our current stage of growth and adequately addresses nearly aspect of growth. The focus is on systems & frameworks and the changing roles and mindset of the leadership team.

Growing Pains : Transitioning from an Entrepreneurship to a Professionally Managed Firm
This is a great book for anyone in business.It offers tools such as the Growing Pains Questionnaire that you can use in your organization to gather valuable information to work from.

Textbookish but useful
This is a book about an important topic - the transitions compnies must go through, from the struggle for surival to becoming a large, mature company. It contains a very useful and credible model in the form of a pyramid depicting the 'normal' growth stages of a company, beginning with defining product/market and ending with establishing a corporate culture. Two noticeable shortcomings: the authors seem to largely ignore strategy and business models in their description of the growth path, and second, it is written in a very lieless and textbookish style. The management jargon rolls on and on, dulling the reader's mind, and making him wonder if he is reading the same page again and again. The entire approach is extremely conventional, with very little appreciation for more modern theories of management. Overall, a good book, not great.

A High-level Roadmap for Building a "Professional" Business
Flamholtz (the author) does and excellent job of describing the various stages of organizational growth.In each stage he describes what an organization must be doing in order to grow into the next level.The book provides plenty of real-world examples that Flamholtz has himself been a part of.Flamholtz also does a great job of interjecting his business street smarts.The guy understands how to grow a business and he does an even better job of laying it out for the reader in this book through frameworks and human resource concepts.

A Must Read...
This book is a must read for anyone in business.For the entrepreneur, it can be used as a guide.For the more experienced business person, it can be used as a dose of reality. Having just completed my MBA and writing my thesis on this very topic, I only wish I had read this book 6 months earlier.

The authors provide an excellent framework for growing a business along with relevant case studies.And while it may look like a typical text book, it is less theory than most.This is one to be kept for years to come! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

loved it
This book was in very good condition and arrived very fast. I would order from here agen.

Muscles: Testing and Function (Kendall, Muscles)
It was nice to have the postural information in the same book as the tests. I'm an older therapist and it is nice to have a good book.

Good book
This is a great book! I bought it for a class I'm taking and I will probably keep it forever. I am studying to be a Physical Therapist and this book really seems wonderful for all of the muscles, tendons, etc. Great, great learning tool!!!

Shipped quickly. Came packaged and in perfect condition!

The best book on Muscle Testing
As a certifed personal trainer and pilates instructor, I work primarily with individuals who are challenged with back pain and various joint problems. This book provides a clear and concise protocol and information for working with individuals with muscle imbalances. You definitely need a strong background in this area to understand and use the material appropriately. The DVD is also an excellet companion to the book.

muscles testing and function with postureand pain
great book as it help me with my recent studies it was easy to read the diagrams/pictureswere excellent it you don't need to be a scholar to use this book ... Read more

Product Description

Hurt No More

No one who works at a computer or drives a car will be surprised to learn that neck pain is on the rise. About 70 million people in the United States have had neck pain, and the incidence is increasing. Like back pain, neck pain can become a constant plague that is both mysterious and difficult to treat.

Here at last is help. In What to Do for a Pain in the Neck, one of today's leading experts on neck pain provides a broad range of treatments and preventive measures so that you do not have to learn how to live with pain -- you can banish it.

Combining his own extensive experience with the best scientific information available, Dr. Jerome Schofferman presents strategies ranging from such simple tips as rearranging your desk, workstation, and computer height to daily exercise routines to aggressive treatments requiring professional care. Among the areas he explores in depth are

Product Description
Dr. Steven Waldman, a noted authority in the multidisciplinary field of pain management, has assembled an excellent study guide for certifying or recertifying in pain management. A keyword-oriented review of the specialty, it offers the consistent approach and editorial style that make Dr. Waldman's books and atlases some of the most widely read in the field. An easy-access, templated approach helps you to access desired information quickly, and clear illustrations make difficult concepts easier to understand. Covering an exhaustive list of known and defined pain syndromes classified by body region, this is the one must-have book for anyone preparing for examinations. Expert Consult functionality allows you to access the entire contents of the book from any Internet connection.

• Provides a keyword-oriented review of pain medicine that closely follows the board style of examination and study.
  
• Maintains a consistent approach and editorial style as a single-authored text by noted authority Steven D. Waldman, MD.
  
• Utilizes a templated format so you access the information you need quickly and easily.
  
• Makes difficult concepts easier to understand using clear conceptual illustrations.
  
• Creates a virtual one-stop shop with an exhaustive list of known and defined pain syndromes classified by body region.

Customer Reviews (3)

Good book
I used this as a reference manual when studying for my Pain Boards (ASA)
Was helpful in clarifying info.

needs editing
This book must have been rushed out to publication without editing. There are graphical errors and factual errors. Needs an update.

Pain Review
Good review text. Provides a good foundation to build knowledge on.
Well done Steven Waldman - another good contribution! ... Read more

Product Description
"How to find the causes and cures for your pain, regardless of its label, including chronic back pain, chronic knee pain, arthritis, fibromyalgia, damaged discs, sciatica, tendonitis, bursitis, and neuralgia. Also included are cystitis, prostatitis, colitis, lupus, endometriosis, Raynaud's, Gulf War Syndrome, angina, and even end-stage cancer." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Very pleased
I was very pleased because this book arrived on time at my sister's address in Virginia.

Be careful
Want thank you Charles Mertz for making me aware of the history of Sherry A. Rogers. I had to wonder almost 18 books from 1990 to 2009, then I realized she/organization owns Prestige Publishing company. Two years ago I got the monthly newsletter for $40/year.All her books and newletters are repeated stuff. She is a saleslady but look, its working and people are going for it, didn't for me after years of trying. All I ask is for people to be careful, your money buys her more years of continuing this.

Watch Out for The Attack of the Killer Tomato
Watch Out for These Veggies-The Attack of the Killer Tomato

A "nightshade nemesis" is the condition that Dr. Sherry Rogers describes when one has a high sensitivity to eating the plants in the nightshade family.

Describing the various symptoms, including joint pain and chronic inflammation, and offering a simple solution, you would think that it would be easy to exclude these particular plants from your diet.But before you go pointing a finger, these toxic veggies include the ever popular potato, tomato, all colors of peppers, eggplant, and spices like curry, paprika and cayenne.

Imagine telling a vegetarian, who eats primarily organic fruits and vegetables, and only additive and hormone free protein sources, that they must now cut these tasty, vitamin charged vegetables out of their diets.

It sounds ridiculous, but in fact the Solonaceae family of plant's common name is the "deadly nightshade", due to the fact that pastured animals were be found to be crippled and sometimes dead after eating these particular plants, according to Dr. Rogers book.

The good news is, there are reasonable replacements for these foods; for example, you can use sweet potatoes or yams in place of potatoes, you can eat fresh beets and place of tomatoes, you may use a variety of spices including fenugreek, cumin, ginger, cloves, garlic, coriander, and allspice.

Again you have to approach prepackaged foods with an eye toward reading labels, winnowing out those with the ingredients in the nightshade family, including such innocuous ingredients as potato starch, commonly used in bread and to thicken food.

PAIN FREE IN SIX WEEKS TO THE DAY!
Last March I began having pain in my hips and down my right leg. By the middle of the month I could hardly get in and out of the car. By the middle of April my family was leaving for Mexico and I could not go on the trip. I couldn't even sleep at night the pain was so great. During the week they were gone, I had an xray and MRI. I had a herniated disk between L5 and S1. It was putting pressure on the right sciatic nerve. My leg was numb from the knee down. The pain killers they gave me didn't touch the pain. After the MRI they gave me the option of a steroid injection that may or may not work. The next step was surgery. I asked what the goal was for the steroid shot.They said to take the inflamation out of the area.I was determined to try to do it on my own naturally(with a little help!). I quit taking the pain killers, got out my Pain Free in Six Weeks book. (Thought I should practice what I preach.) I did everything Dr.Rogers suggested. The pain slowly started to lessen. Exactly six weeks to the day (amazing!) the pain quit in my leg. Dr. Rogers also suggested that along with taking care of your physical body, that you take care of your emotional and spiritual bodies. That was absolutely the key for me. I feel like I have cleaned house on all levels. I can't thank her enough for giving me my life back. I am living proof that your body can heal itself if you take away all the junk and give it a chance!

Pain Free in 6 weeks
Dr. Sherry gives logical and practical advice for how to greatly improve your pain situation whether it is from joint or muscle or nerve source.
Multiple medical journals are cited to back her position and she give more than one company from which to order the various herbs needed to see relief of pain. ... Read more

Product Description
Back pain is such a common condition that many doctors and researchers consider the complaint a normal part of life, similar to having an occasional cold or flu. If you are a back pain sufferer, you are not alone: