HEALING BACK PAIN The Mind-Body Connection

As a cause of back pain, tension myositis syndrome (TMS) is much more common than all of the mechanical diagnoses typically offered. The author says TMS is mild oxygen deprivation in certain groups of muscles due to stress, and especially the stress of repressing anger. Rather than limiting movement to avoid pain, the author recommends we move normally to reclaim the harmony between mind and body that is needed for healing. Though Sarno's ideas make some sense, his blustery assertiveness is often more prominent than his reasoning. He also attributes a wide range of ailments to TMS and says little about how blocked emotions cause this syndrome. Still, this is a reasonably good lesson for anyone frustrated by the typical medical approaches to back pain. T.W. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]