Pain Free for Life: How to Heal Yourself Naturally Without Drugs or Surgery

"I bought this book after seeing it recommended in Kevin Trudeau's book Natural Cures. I was a little skeptical of the hype in Kevin's book, but since it did get me started in my extensive research of natural health and healing, to me it was worth the read. I did learn a lot, but still feel he intended to send you to his website to make more money off you, which I did not fall for. Anyway, I thought Darrell Stoddard's book was a complete [...]. It says on the cover, how to heal YOURSELF naturally, and then most of the book is spent talking about Chinese medicine (which I already read about in other books, this is not what this book is supposed to be about) and then he tells you in the end you need his special Biotape to heal yourself, and proceeds to direct you to his website. He tries to sell other things in his book as well. He does toss in a few tips about drinking plenty of water to keep your tissues hydrated and making the needed electrical connections, and eliminating caffeine, duh, all the usual advice most people already have heard on Oprah. But how to heal yourself to be pain free for life, by buying his one use Biotape? Come on. That is very misleading at best. Most people think the word naturally means you don't need to run out and buy a patented product to do it. This is not much different than a patented drug. [...]I am also disappointed in Trudeau for recommending this book, tells me a lot about him, too."
~ Written on 2007-07-16

"I absolutely loved Darrell Stoddard's book. He makes complex concepts about Chinese medicine accessible to the layman. He also has some interesting theories re: the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Absolutely worth your time."
~ Written on 2006-02-26

"I bought Darrell Stoddard's book "Pain Free for Life" for the same reason that I bought Hulda Regehr Clark's book "The Cure for all Diseases", because I thought that the title was bold and fairly presumptuous. Because of this, it piqued my curiosity and I wanted to see if it could deliver on its seemingly boisterous title. I was pleasantly surprised by the contents and found myself unable to put the book down until I'd read the whole thing. I then went right to the computer and looked up the author's web site (...) and proceeded to go through that quite thoroughly. The web site had little more to offer than the book, other than a lot of fairly impressive testimonials from quite a few Doctors (some very famous ones)and other health care professionals and the like... The web site is a fairly rudimentary one, but easily navigable. The book is a good and interesting read and fairly well written for a first try. It has a lot of very interesting information and science-backed theories regarding the origins of pain and disease and suggested methods of dealing with same.

Darrell Stoddard's Biotape invention is fascinating and I just had to order some right away. The tape arrived, coincidentally, on a day when I had managed to get a nerve pinched in my back. I refrained from going to my Chiropractor right away, because I was expecting the Biotape and wanted to try it out first hand. So I sat around most of the day with muscle spasms torturing me, waiting for the mail to arrive. When it did come, I immediately asked my husband to put a few strips of the tape on my painful area. I was kind of disappointed that the pain did not magically disappear within the first 5 seconds. However, within the first hour it did improve by 30-40%, which made life a lot more bearable. By bedtime (about 6 hours later), I could barely locate any pain at all and I slept quite comfortably through the night. Next day, I could just feel a slight pressure in my spine, which told me that I still ought to go see my chiropractor and straighten things out. I took the tape off my back and by the time I got to the Chiro's office, it was starting to twinge again. He reset my spine and I lent him my book.

I highly recommend this book to anyone dealing with chronic pain. I have bought several copies to pass out to people I hope will benefit from it. I also will try the Biotape out on a few people I know who suffer from chronic back, knee and shoulder pains... to mention just a few right off the bat.

I must also mention, that when I called to order the Biotape, I was lucky enough to catch Darrell Stoddard himself, who was kind enough to spare some time for me and answer some questions I had. He was very gracious and informative and I am very pleased that he took the time to talk to me and clarify some points I asked about. It was quite a pleasant and edifying experience. Thank you Darrell, for being the pioneer you are. I just hope we can help spread the word."
~ Written on 2005-08-30

"I have just finished reading "Pain Free For Life" and was thrilled with the book! I couldn't put it down. I was captivated about the way many of today's diseases, pain, and other ailments were described and how we can prevent them and heal them. Dr. Stoddard wrote in a down-to-earth manner making the information very understandable and most useful. Pain has never been described like this before and it made total sense. I am trying to take more control of my health and "Pain Free For Life" was a wonderful, easy, educational experience. Pain Free For Life gave many every-day examples about how we can alter our habits in such little ways that make BIG differences to ease or delete pain and disease from our lives - common pain and common diseases. This is not brain surgery-type reading. This is real life reading. I highly recommend it. I even got my 72-year old mother to read it and take action. THAT speaks volumes! When you read this book and implement just a few of the very sound concepts that are based on published medical literature, you will feel a positive difference in your life! I have to say that this is one of the best health books that I've ever read. It will be a staple that I'll refer to and share the information for many years to come."
~ Written on 2003-11-15

"Darrell Stoddard does a fine job of explaining the Traditional Chinese Medical theory of pain to Westerners in simple Western terms. His criticisms of Allopathic (drugs and surgery) Medicine are pretty sound, as is a great deal of the health/lifestyle advice in this book. I found it curious that the glowing reviews from doctors quoted in the book don't include Chinese Medicine practitioners, but more traditional MD's and DO's. As an acupuncturist with training in Auriculotherapy (the technique Mr. Stoddard is trained in) I learned nothing from reading this book, and found the hype wearisome. However, if you don't have Chinese Medicine or Auriculotherapy training, you may learn quite a lot from this book. If you do have such training, but aren't an expert in modern toxic issues, then you may also learn something from this book.

I really appreciated Mr. Stoddard's ideas regarding some modern problems, including mineral deficiency/dehydration, aluminum toxicity and Alzheimer's, chlorine in the tap water, and other similar issues. I didn't agree with every word, but it is presented as theory rather than fact, and much of it coincides with my own discoveries in treating chemically sensitive/allergic individuals. For many, the ideas in this book would be cutting-edge and mind-expanding in a most positive way.

Mr. Stoddard's treatments involve Auriculotherapy, which requires a professional specialist to administer, and his tape invention, which anyone can do themselves. There is no substitute for a skilled practitioner in treating challenging medical problems. However, if you don't have access to such a person, or can't afford it, I expect the tape could help you help yourself. I doubt that people treating themselves would be likely to get the kind of results that are described in the case studies presented in this book. The only real advantage I can see to using the tape over being treated by a skilled professional is that you can do it yourself. This book is directed towards people who do not know about or understand Chinese Medicine or Auriculotherapy.

As in most books written by people who are not writers, the writing could be better. Occasional sentences don't actually make sense, and the overkill hyperbole only detracts from the credibility of the message. Though the book claims that addressing blockage of meridians treats the source of pain (it does), no mention is made of treating the cause of the blockage. Though he claims to be addressing the root of the problem, he is not, but at least this approach comes closer to treating the root than allopathic approaches. Despite the book's flaws, this book could be a real education for people suffering from pain."
~ Written on 2003-05-22