The cynical response, when confronted with one of those self-help disclaimers - don't do this without consulting your doctor-mother-spouse-automobile mechanic - is to anticipate that what follows will be an irresponsible, if not downright slapdash, attempt to exploit our physiological and psychological weaknesses. It is as though the author knew he hadn't come up with a solution; just enough of a tease to make the customer cough up twenty-plus bucks.
But in the case of "Good News For Bad Backs," the happy opposite is true. The Swezeys have to warn the reader against traveling the path of self-diagnosis and cure because the text is so seductively complete. It is hard to imagine what a medical doctor or chiropractor could possibly add.The Swezeys offer ways to stave off both panic and pain. They start with basic anatomy, to help you understand the machinery you are dealing with. Then they categorize levels of back pain - just because a twinge is sudden and sharp does not mean that you are headed for the operating suite, but there are danger signals that demand professional attention, no matter how clever you are at persuading yourself otherwise.
This back primer falls squarely into the ounce-of-prevention-pound-of-cure category. Those of you who suffer from back pain probably have had enough enforced rest time to think of everything you have ever done wrong. Those of you who have not might be well-advised to read this book and learn good habits early. - By Karen Stabiner (For the Los Angeles Times)