Relieving Pain Naturally (Paperback)

by Sylvia Goldfarb (Author), Roberta W. Waddell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In this hefty reference book, health writers Goldfarb and Waddell take on chronic pain, a topic many authors and physicians shy away from. There are few easy medical solutions to chronic pain, and the authors point out the problems with many conventional treatments, such as the addictiveness of narcotics, the gastrointestinal side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and the increased risk of heart attacks associated with prescription pain relievers known as COX-2 inhibitors (i.e., the recently recalled Vioxx). Health writers Goldfarb and Waddell tend to oversimplify the difference between conventional and alternative medicine, however, implying that while drugs wreak havoc inside the body, alternative therapies are "natural" and therefore virtually nontoxic—an assertion that isn’t always true. Nevertheless, they do succeed in offering quick and easy access to information about pain relief. The book’s first half provides overviews of common pain conditions, from Achilles tendonitis to ulcerative colitis, explaining symptoms, causes, diagnostic criteria, conventional therapies and alternative therapies. In the book’s second half, the authors summarize popular alternative therapies for pain, including homeopathy, bee venom therapy, exercise, acupuncture and acupressure. Both sections are likely to prove useful to people looking for new ways of coping with their pain.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757000797
• ISBN-13: 978-0757000799
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #834,012 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relieving Pain Naturally by S. Goldberg & R. Waddell, April 16, 2005

By	E. B. Edelman (Windham, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this practical guidebook to pain relief a valuable resource. The organization of the book provides easy access for researching a variety of conditions which are the common culprits in causing pain which can be incapacitating in various degrees. The explanations of various treatments for these conditions are clear and well-written, and include sections on "how the treatment is used," cautions to be observed in selecting any particular treatment, and clinical studies done to measure effectiveness of each treatment. There are references to help the reader get additional information about specific or general conditions and treatments as well as listings of organizations and websites. The typeset was large enough to be seen without eye strain, and the print facilitated my ability to find the portions and chapters which were of interest. All in all, this book proved useful to me in the process of seeking relief from back pain, and I would highly recommend it to other readers.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Note from the authors of Relieving Pain Naturally, December 8, 2005

By	Edward G. Randall - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here's a comment from the authors of Relieving Pain Naturally, Sylvia Goldfarb, PhD, and Roberta W. Waddell:

"Although we strongly believe in the efficacy of alternative therapies, we consistently urge caution with selected alternative remedies, and we do not believe that all alternative remedies are automatically good, while all conventional treatments are automatically dangerous, as the Publisher's Weekly review implies."