June 6, 2011

One of the many delights of parenthood they don’t tell you about ahead of time is back pain. You carry around little kids enough, and you hunch over while playing with little kids enough, and you lift car seats with babies in them enough, and you’re likely to end up with some back discomfort. Especially if you’re 41 (yes, I’m 41. Didn’t take Sherlock Holmes or Batman to deduce that one, did it?). Back pain is just something that comes with the territory. Or does it? I suffered from major, debilitating back pain for many, many years, until I read a book called “Mind Over Back Pain” by Dr. John Sarno. He believes the vast majority of back pain is caused not by physical abnormalities or injuries, but tension, which manifests itself by impeding blood circulation, which causes pain. The cure is not to eliminate tension, which is impossible, but simply to understand the cause, which results in the tension taking a different avenue of expression which eliminates the pain. I had been to a bunch of doctors, tried every treatment I could, and nothing helped. Then I read his 112 page book and a few weeks later I was pain free for the first time in 15 years. I now re-read it every few years to remind myself of what I now know to be true about my pain and where it comes from. I swear to God, if Dr. Sarno ever calls me and says he needs $10,000.00, he’ll have it in cash, no questions asked, by the next day. Just don’t tell the missus….