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Fred Amir
USA
2 Posts |
 Posted - 06/03/2009 : 08:21:54
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Hi Forest and all,
I am new to this forum but not new to TMS. I want to thank Dave and those responsible for creating this forum for the people they have helped, many of whom have written to me about this forum.
The following article is based on my experience with TMS and recovery as explained in Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain: A Nine-Step Recovery Plan.
It all began with a simple case of back pain. Over time, due to improper diagnoses and inappropriate treatments, I developed pain in my neck, knees, elbows, and one shoulder, as well as pain and numbness in my legs, arms, and hands. I suffered gastritis due to my use of prescription and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. I was constantly in pain and became severely disabled. At one point the pain was so severe that I was not able to stand or sit for more than fifteen minutes at a time, climb three steps, walk farther than one hundred yards, carry more than four pounds, lift a half-gallon milk container, or even write two lines.
My life became limited in ways that I had never imagined. I could not visit anyone and was reluctant to allow visitors. I had to stay away from work and was faced with serious questions about my career, my future, and my life, especially as a husband and father. All this—and I was only thirty years old.
I was seen by general practitioners as well as back specialists and even a nationally known orthopedic surgeon. Each one had his own diagnosis. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the spine, degenerated discs, sprained back muscles, pinched nerve, herniated discs, leaky discs, and piriformis syndrome as possible causes for my back and leg pain. I was given a wide variety of different medications and treatments, some of which caused more pain and disability and made my condition worse.
Early in this painful and often-frustrating ordeal, I discovered that the medical professionals themselves were baffled by back pain. Not only did they have difficulty making an accurate diagnosis and prescribing effective treatment, but they were incapable of providing satisfactory answers to my simplest questions about back pain:
•Why are the majority of people with back pain or chronic pain
under fifty years old?
•Why, unlike a broken bone, does back pain not heal, instead often lasting for years?
•If weak muscles are the cause, how strong do back muscles have to be for one to recover? Do we all need to become bodybuilders to be free of pain?
•If improper sitting and bending can damage the back, why aren’t gymnasts and other athletes who put tremendous pressure on their spines all suffering from debilitating back pain?
To these and many other questions, which appeared simple enough for back specialists and experts to resolve, the responses were unconvincing answers, shrugged shoulders, or simply: “Well, that’s how back pain is!” According to one of the foremost authorities on the subject, Richard Deyo, M.D., “Up to 85% of back pain cannot be given a definitive diagnosis.”
In the face of the medical community’s apparent ineptitude in treating back pain—and the fact that some of the treatments prescribed for me actually made my condition worse—I realized that I could no longer afford to be a passive patient. I began to take an active role in my diagnosis and treatment and tried to become an informed consumer, searching the available literature for a cure to my disabling condition—a condition so prevalent that it has become a national health problem. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of treatments for back, neck, and hand pain is quite disappointing.
• “Surgery has been found to be helpful in only 1 in 100 cases of patients with low back pain. In some people, surgery can even cause more problems.” So concluded the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after conducting a comprehensive study of more than 10,000 cases of back pain.
• “Injecting methylyprednisolone acetate [cortisone] into the facet joints is of little value in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain.” This was the conclusion of a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
• “Treatments [for whiplash-associated disorders] evaluated in a rigorous manner show little or no evidence of efficacy.” This finding was the result of an exhaustive study conducted at McGill University. Researchers found treatments ranging from a neck collar to traction to be of little or no value.
. “Correcting carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common operations performed today. The only problem is, it often doesn’t work,” concluded researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Even though these facts have appeared in some of the most authoritative and prestigious medical journals, you will not learn this crucial information from most specialists, inside or outside the medical profession. Indeed, these treatments are used so widely that you may be shocked to learn that they don’t work in the majority of cases!
The more I studied the medical journals and scientific literature, the more I came across such studies and the more I realized that what we really need is an accurate diagnosis. Lack of a correct diagnosis is the number-one reason why this condition has become a major health problem. As mentioned earlier, as many as 85 percent of patients with low back pain never receive a definitive diagnosis. Without a definitive diagnosis, a cure cannot be expected. Once we have the correct diagnosis, the solution can be quite simple!
After months of searching and reading, I learned about the work of John Sarno, M.D., a professor of rehabilitative medicine at New York University, who was also trying to determine the correct diagnosis. He too was disappointed with the failure of common treatments and realized the need for a new understanding.
As he looked deeper into the medical histories of his patients, Dr. Sarno discovered something that is often neglected by medical professionals. He noticed that 88 percent of his patients had histories of disorders such as migraine headaches, colitis, stomach ulcers, hay fever, asthma, eczema, and high blood pressure. These disorders were strongly suspected of being caused by chronic repressed anger, anxiety, worries, frustrations, stress, and tension. Dr. Sarno wondered whether, in the same way that chronic anger, anxiety, worries, and frustrations can cause physiological changes leading to these illnesses, back pain could also be a physical manifestation of negative emotions.
So he put this new diagnosis to work and began treating his patients accordingly. At first the majority of his patients felt there was not enough stress and tension in their lives to cause their pain. Many of them believed that they were handling their teenage children, problems at work, and marital problems effectively. They didn’t realize that these difficult situations were creating a great deal of anger and rage, internally causing pain in various parts of their bodies.
Once Dr. Sarno treated back patients for this new diagnosis and not for some structural abnormality, his patients began to recover. In fact, 98 percent of his patients with confirmed cases of herniated discs recovered without surgery—certainly a much better result than the 1 percent success rate experienced with surgery.
I know what most of you are thinking: “Not me!” That was exactly my response to the notion that tension and stress were causing my pain. Being a calm, positive person who rarely gets angry or tense, I was quite skeptical about whether Dr. Sarno’s findings applied to me. It is well known that stress and tension can aggravate back pain and many other disorders. However, could repressed anger, anxiety, worries, and frustrations be the actual cause of so much pain and disability? I figured I had nothing to lose by keeping an open mind and learning more. At the very least, maybe what I learned could help someone else.
As I learned more about Dr. Sarno’s explanation of the pattern of pain and why the pain moves around and becomes chronic, I found convincing answers to all my questions and more. I began to see why so many people under the age of fifty facing career and family responsibilities suffer from chronic pain; why, unlike a broken bone that heals, back pain becomes chronic and can last for years; why we do not see an epidemic of disabling back and leg pain among Olympic and professional athletes who put tremendous pressure on their spines; and why, because the mind/body connection is so often neglected, the causes of as much as 85 percent of back pain are not clear. Dr. Sarno’s explanation, of course, makes it clear why surgery and most treatments directed at correcting “spinal abnormalities” fail to help most people.
With this new understanding, I combined his treatment program with my knowledge of psychology and many years of personal experience with the workings of the mind to design an effective nine-step rapid recovery plan. This plan enabled me to begin my journey toward a pain-free and able life immediately. Employing techniques used by Olympic athletes and high achievers, such as visualization and goal setting, I began to create positive emotions and reverse the physiological changes that caused the chronic pain.
My improvements could be seen daily and astonished those who knew how disabled I had been. Within the first four days of my recovery, I was able to stand, bend, sit, and sleep comfortably. I was also able to walk without a limp, climb stairs, wear a tie, exercise on a cross-country ski machine, and swim. The climax of my recovery was when, less than two weeks later, I was able to carry both of my children, each weighing over forty pounds. This I had not been able to do for over two years due to pain in my back, legs, knees, and arms. It felt wonderful. And one month later I began taking karate lessons.
But there was more. I had suffered from hay fever for seventeen years and had taken antihistamines to control my sneezing and itchy, watery eyes. However, with my new understanding that hay fever is one of the many disorders caused by tension, by using the strategies in my nine-step recovery plan I was able to eliminate it quickly.
Then, during a routine eye exam, the ophthalmologist told me that my eyes were fine and I no longer needed the reading glasses I had been wearing for the past fourteen years! I was so surprised that I sought a second opinion. The second ophthalmologist confirmed the diagnosis. I discovered that tension played a key role here too. In fact, decades ago, noted ophthalmologist Dr. William Bates recognized the relationship between tension and nearsightedness and other changes in the eye refraction. He designed a program for reversing the effects of tension on the eyes and eliminating the need for glasses.
Needless to say, at times I was amazed and overwhelmed by these improvements in my health in such a short time. I was also so excited about my discovery that I began sharing it with everyone I knew—and they began to get well! In order to reach more people, I taught seminars and workshops and explained my system in my book, Rapid Recovery from Back and Neck Pain: A Nine-Step Recovery Plan. My hope was to help at least one more person live free of pain and disability. By the grace of God, since my recovery fifteen years ago and publication of my book nine years ago, many people have been helped by my story. I have received e-mails from as far away as Australia and New Zealand from readers who have also recovered by reading my story and applying my rapid recovery plan. To read their stories please visit rapidrecovery.net.
So what were the causes of anger and tension in my life, which were the real causes of my pain? They had to do with my marriage and my parents. They were nothing out of the ordinary. We all experience problems and tensions in our relationships with our parents, spouses, children, friends, and co-workers; what is important is to realize the limitations in our capacity to please others and to cope with chronic stress.
It is vital to understand that, as calm and in control as we might appear on a conscious level, there is a part of us all deep within, on the subconscious level, that may resent certain aspects of a relationship or a situation, be it at home or at work. Unless those troubling issues are resolved through mutual respect and good communication, or through positive changes in our circumstances, it is quite natural to expect physical manifestations of the repressed anger, anxiety, and tension in the form of bodily aches and pains.
I have to admit I was quite surprised at how easily I could resolve the issues that were the sources of my chronic anger and anxiety. I have dedicated Chapter Seven of my book, titled “The Road to Wellness,” to discussing empowering concepts and strategies that have helped me stay pain-free and healthy. You will find nine steps for establishing good communication and resolving conflicts with your loved ones and others, eleven strategies for coping with stress and tension, four steps for immediately improving a marriage, and a three-step plan for raising well-disciplined, goal-oriented children with high self-esteem. These techniques have resolved the issues that were chronic sources of anger, anxiety, frustration, and tension in my life and have made me much happier and healthier. I believe they can do the same for you.
According to Dr. John Sarno and some of my own observations, the following is a partial list of other conditions that can be caused by repressed anger, often misdiagnosed, and can be helped or healed by the Rapid Recovery Plan:
Head, face, and mouth: dizziness, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), migraine headaches, Tempromandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), teeth grinding, canker sores, Bell’s palsy, trigeminal neuralgia, Raynaud’s phenomenon, spasmodic dysphonia.
Back, hip, and leg: Degenerative osteoarthritis, sciatica, pinched nerve, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, ruptured or herniated disc, spondylolisthesis, the pryformis syndrome, osteoarthritis of the hip, spina bifida occulta, pulled hamstring, ondylolysis, fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, myofacial pain syndrome, post-polio syndrome, facet syndrome.
Neck, shoulder, arm, and hand: osteoarthritis, pinched nerve, thoracic outlet syndrome (TOC), repetitive stress injury (RSI), whiplash, carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, tennis elbow, torn rotator cuff.
Cardiopulmonary system: asthma, sinusitis, hay fever, palpitations, some types of high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis, tachycardia, mitral valve prolapse (heart murmur), ectopic heartbeat.
Skin: rash, acne, hives, psoriasis.
Gastrointestinal system: colitis, heartburn, hiatal hernia, spastic colon, irritable bowel syndrome, cramps and chronic diarrhea not caused by an infection, chronic constipation.
Genitourinary system: prostatitis, frequent urination, frequent urinary tract infections.
knees and feet: tendonitis, chondromalacia patella, torn meniscus, bone spurs, neuroma, plantar fasciitis, leg cramps, metatarsalgia, shin splints.
Immune system: repeated colds and infections, yeast infections, Epstein-Barr virus (mononucleosis), hay fever.
Other manifestations of repressed anger may be:
#61692; Subclinical depression
#61692; Depression
#61692; Anxiety attacks
#61692; Chronic fatigue syndrome
#61692; Bulimia
#61692; Anorexia
#61692; Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
#61692; Some acquired allergies
#61692; Chronic pain
#61692; Lyme disease (a bacterial infection caused by tick bites; however, finding the antibody titer in the blood is blamed for the cause of chronic pain)
#61692; Spasms of the diaphragm, chest, and lungs, leading to hiccups, angina, and asthma respectively.
I hope what you read here was helpful to you. It is easy to get discouraged in the face of chronic pain day after day and night after night. But do not give up. Never, ever, give up!
Fred Amir
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fibri
Belgium
56 Posts |
Posted - 06/05/2009 : 08:13:28
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Hi Fred,
good to see you here. I bought your book last week and it was delivered yesterday. As I was reading last night every one of my symptoms flared up - lower back pain, sciatica, even pains in my arm (which I hadn't had in a long time).
At the same time I felt my lower legs, ankles and feet were really stiff and swollen, even though they simultaneously felt rather cold and numb, not hot. I mentioned this also in another topic. Do you believe this could be a TMS symptom as well?
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your book this weekend!
There's one part I didn't really understand. In the early pages you talk about attacking your subconscious mind (even with missiles!) Yet you later talk about rewarding your subconscious child. I found that a bit confusing. Perhaps you could explain?
Thanks. |
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surf4life
USA
7 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2009 : 19:14:20
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Hi Fred,
thanks for your post, I'm halfway through your book. Excellent work. I'm curious, do you accept emailed questions? I had a few questions, as I'm sure a lot of people do for you.
alright
surf4life
surfa |
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HilaryN
United Kingdom
879 Posts |
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woodyb
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2009 : 19:11:20
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I would like to thank you Mr. Amir, I bought your book over a year ago, and I would say after reading it I was instantly reassured that I had TMS, I applied your methods, and immediately i was back in the gym, in pain, but I would push through and keep telling myself it was TMS. After about 6 months of battling the pain, It dissapeared. I haven't had a TMS type thing slow me down since then, sure I've gotten sore, but I ignored it, didn't let it manifest. Your book is amazing.
I believe I have a symptom imperitive going on right now, cause as my pain vanished, something appeared. I would really appreciate it if you would email me Woody_b52@hotmail.com to give me your personal opinion.
Woodyb |
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My Experience with TMS
