I didn't really have time to read the lit. Hopefully this can help someone... A friend of mine runs Chip's Music in Jacksonville, FL. He is friends with former Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Randal Hall. One day in the shop, he relayed to me, that Randal had come down with Carpal Tunnel, and was incapable of playing anymore. I have very small, weak hands. I have used custom light strings all of my career, due to this lack of strength. I suggested to Chip that he set Randal up with a set of custom lights on his guitar. I also suggested a lot of common sense and patience. Chip took my advice and rigged Randal a guitar up. It took Randal several weeks, but the light guage strings did allow him to return to playing full time. Randal, like most pro guitarist, was a tone freak. In order to get great tone, the popular wisdom says you have to use very heavy strings. This philosophy almost stole a great guitarist from us. Even the imcomparable Stevie Ray Vaughn, was downsizing his string guages, when his career tragically ended. Stevie's guitar tech stated in a guitar mag. article, " The day to day toll of the huge strings is wearing him down"! If the man with the strongest, most relentless, punishing guitar attack in history couldn't handle it, what does that bode for us mere mortals? Also, several years ago, I rushed myself to the hospital with an apparent heart attack. I was sitting at work, when my whole left side suddenly went numb! After many tests, it was the hospital staff's considered opinion, that I was suffering from Carpel Tunnel Syndrome. They scheduled me an appointment with the town's best Neurosurgeon. Fortunately for me, he was to busy to ever keep my 3 different appointments. Finally, my wife persuaded me to go see her Chiropractor. I let her go because she believed. Me, I thought they were witch doctors. He did X-Rays and a physical. From that short checkout, he determined that a car wreck from years ago, had finally taken it's toll. After several weeks of manipulation therapy, I've never been plagued by the numbness again. Furthermore, I've regained mobility, and a much greater state of overall health. It would seem to me that keeping the spine aligned and nerve channels open is a good thing.