CD Review by Steven Lavitan, DC, LAc
Title: Pain Relief with Trigger Point Self-Help
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Author: Valerie DeLaune, LAc
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Publisher: Alaskan Acupuncture & Massage Inc.
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Price: $29.95
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Part #: CD-8
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There are many acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists, medical doctors, and osteopaths who use Travell and Simons' two-volume book on trigger points. There are few laypeople who do, because it's too technical.
Davies wrote a fantastic book on trigger points for the untrained, but DeLaune did something else: a CD. It has essays on what trigger points are, therapies, perpetuating factors, general guidelines for self-help, and a complete listing of more than 100 muscles. There are main drawings of the muscles, with solid red areas that show the most painful areas, and there are shadowy areas that have fewer dots, denoting areas that are stiff or uncomfortable when a given muscle has trigger points. These drawings also show the surface anatomy of the trigger points, followed by anatomical drawings that can be enlarged when you click on them. Finally, there are little movie-camera icons that show DeLaune demonstrating different stretches and trigger-point releases on QuickTime. At first, it was a bit strange having a little voice coming from the computer explaining, and a diminished author demonstrating, each maneuver. Each muscle is cross-referenced with its related, relevant muscles, because they can cause "satellite trigger points" in the associated muscles.
"The germane question is, 'Is a CD explaining Travell's work better than a book?' If the answer is yes, this work fits the bill."
To run the program, you must put the CD in and register it on the Internet; otherwise, it won't run. Each time thereafter, you must have the CD in the drive and wait while it activates itself. Additionally, if you have a Mac, you'll have to switch from Safari to Internet Explorer or the program won't run. This part isn't particularly user-friendly.
The essays are well thought out and interesting reading. The author is interesting and more than fair in describing the different therapies. Her descriptions of the perpetuating factors include:
- Acute or chronic viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections
- Allergies and other environmental stressors
- Diet
- Emotional factors
- Good sport syndrome
- Injuries
- Laboratory tests
- Mechanical stresses
- Nutritional problems
- Organ dysfunction and disease
- Sleep problems
- Spinal misalignments and other problems
The quality of her essays is uniformly high. The germane question is, "Is a CD explaining Travell's work better than a book?" If the answer is yes, this work fits the bill. It rates a 9 because it's well-researched, comprehensive, the videography was professionally done, and overall, when in the program, it is relatively easy to use.
Dr. Lavitan's Rating:
9 out
of 10