Living with Chronic Pain: The Complete Health Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Chronic Pain [Paperback]

Jennifer Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2004

Take back your life from chronic pain!

Do you wake up every morning in pain? Do you avoid activities you love because you're afraid of a flare-up? Has managing your pain symptoms become a full-time job? If so, you're not alone. More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. From migraine headaches to arthritis, and sports injuries to back pain, chronic pain can affect anyone at any age. It is frequently undertreated, and worse, many doctors simply ignore it.

Now there is real help and hope. In Living with Chronic Pain, noted pain specialist Jennifer P. Schneider, M.D., Ph.D., offers expert advice and guidance in everyday language on symptoms, causes, and treatments. Here is all the information you need to start feeling better right away.

In Living with Chronic Pain you'll find:
*an up-to-date guide to the newest analgesic pain relievers (including NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors) and other medications that have proven helpful, such as antidepressants, local anesthetics, muscle relaxants and sleeping pills
*a detailed and no-nonsense discussion about opioids, their benefits and risks, why they are underprescribed, and whether they can help you
*the way your personality type affects your ability to cope with chronic pain, including tips from other patients on how they have dealt with their problems
*the latest non-drug approaches to pain management, including massage therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis, biofeedback, cognitive-behavioral therapy, counseling and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jennifer P. Schneider, M.D., Ph.D., is a nationally recognized expert in pain management medicine. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Academy of Pain Management and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She is the author of seven books and numerous articles in professional journals and frequently lectures to physicians, nurses, counselors, and other healthcare professionals about pain management. She has been a guest on numerous national radio and television shows such as the Oprah Winfrey Show. She is in private practice in Tucson, Arizona.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Hatherleigh Press; 1 edition (August 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578261759
• ISBN-13: 978-1578261758
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,239,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll need more than one copy!, November 21, 2004

By 

Ken (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living with Chronic Pain: The Complete Health Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Chronic Pain (Paperback)

I picked up a copy of Dr. Scheinder's book, Living with Chronic Pain, for my sister who has been having trouble coping with the aftermath of two automobile accidents. I stopped off to see my mother-in-law, who has severe arthritis, who saw the book and began glancing through it - by the time I left she was in the middle of chapter 2 and later told me she stayed up all night to finish it off! She said that she finally understood what some of her medications were for and had already begun to find helpful the suggestions in Schneider's book on pain management. So I went and bought another book for my sister and planned to leave it for her to pick up at my parents house. My father then started glancing through it and before I knew it book number two was gone and I had to go buy a third copy for my sister. So be warned - one book is not enough and you may as well order a dozen - and include one for your doctor!

What is great about this book is that it is an easy read with clear sub-titles so you can jump to the section you want to read, be it the medication you or a family member is taking or type of doctor you are seeing or the kind of chronic pain you are most interested in. Techniques for coping with, and overcoming, chronic pain are throughout the book. Dr. Schenider encourages a holistic approach to dealing with the life changes that severe illness, injury and pain inevitably bring. I have to admit it is disheartening to read how under-treated and misunderstood pain management has been in modern medicine but one is encouraged that we have come a long way from the days of no anesthesia or the belief that children did not have a complete nervous system and thus felt little or no pain compared to adults. I highly recommend this book not only for those currently experiencing or living with someone with chronic pain but also for those about to have surgery or have experienced some sudden trauma like an accident or fall.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book about treating pain!, October 11, 2004

By 

Carol (Zebulon, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living with Chronic Pain: The Complete Health Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Chronic Pain (Paperback)

If you have pain, you need to buy this book.
If you have a family member in pain, you need to buy this book.

The compassionate Dr. Schneider explains clearly the causes of pain, the latest information on medications, how personality might play a part in how we respond to pain, how acupuncture and other non-drug treatments can help, and how to work in partnership with your doctor to gain control over pain.

As Dr. Schneider explains, pain is usually undertreated. In reality, no one should have to continue suffering. This book gives you the information and vocabulary to talk with your doctor about your needs, and helps you understand exactly how complex pain control can be. But even the most difficult pain can be tamed. I have had chronic pain that is now controlled, after my doctor and I used the same strategies recommended here. For the first time in years, I can make weekend plans without worrying that I'll have to cancel because of migraine pain. There is hope on these pages--hope that you can actually break the binds of pain to reclaim your life. Highly, highly recommended.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for people with pain, October 14, 2004

By 

A Reader with Chronic Pain (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living with Chronic Pain: The Complete Health Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Chronic Pain (Paperback)

Wow - finally the book I've been looking for! For several years I've been disabled because of pain due to a work-related injury, and I only got my life back when my doctor put me on strong pain medications. It's been hard for me to explain to my friends that these medications are helpful and safe, and that I am not an addict. There are many books available on chronic pain, but this is the only one that really explains the appropriate role of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain. The book also talks about various other treatments, including surgery, alternative medicine, and behavioral approaches, but it especially shines in its clear explanations of the benefits and risks of strong pain meds and the difference between addiction to a drug and simply being physically dependent on it. I highly recommend
the book! I think that doctors could learn a lot from it too.