Help!

Science is upside down. I want to stay upright.

Egoscue Commentary: Pain Free: Chapter 3

This continues my summary and commentary on the literature put out by the Egoscue Method

'Pain Free' by Pete Egoscue.Chapter 3: The Egoscue Method: getting personal to stop chronic pain.

This chapter focuses on the practical aspects necessary to implement the Method in your life. And, it hammers home points introduced in earlier chapters.

OK, everyone repeat after Pete: "Bones do what muscles tell them to do" (p.30)

Now, everyone: wake up to your pain. Ouch. Start to listen to the subtle variations in your body. Instead of quenching them with caffeine and television until all hell breaks loose. Stand up straight and focus.

Muscles remember. Imagine your first date, yeah, you remember that, don't you? Well, muscles remember how to run, jump, do backbends. Why do they remember? So that you can know what you can or cannot do right now. Just like your first date. You remember so that you will know what to do on the second date, if there is one. Another term for muscle memory is 'kinesthetic sense'. The Method re-introduces healthy, positive, aligned memories to your muscles. It's like going on a first date again, except this time your date arrives on time with flowers! Another important aspect of the Method is that it requires you, and only you. You are not subject to anyone else's 'higher knowledge'. You've got enough, don't let other people push your muscles and bones around when you can do it yourself.

How do you learn the Egoscue Method? Here is how Pete plans it out: 1. Your head: read the book, try to understand the concepts. 2: Your body: apply it to yourself, feel and recognize the changes that take place 3: Use it to understand how and when your body is functional and or dysfunctional in daily life.

Pete emphasizes that pain and dysfunction are not normal. It is not normal to suffer aches and pains on a daily basis, no matter your age. Pete reminds us of a principle that most statisticians at biomedical research centers neglect to take into account: even 'normal' controls that are dysfunctional are not necessarily normal. Let's drop the stats and focus on posture.

Pete makes a very important philosophical point: If we look for causes of problems via XRays and MRIs, we will find them. Not because they are there, but because we can only see what we look for. It has been a conundrum in the physical sciences for the last century but has not yet transferred to the biological / medical sciences.

What are the e-cises? E-cises are muscular retrainment. They are good stuff. Trust me.

Thank you Pete, for your ability to develop and design the Egoscue Method in the face of an inverted and dangerous medical psychology.

Egoscue and Web 2.0!

I'm hoping to get the Egoscue Method more talked about in the social networking sites around the web. If you belong to Myspace, Facebook, or Tribe, there are groups there you can join to talk about Egoscue. If you are a therapist, client, or just interesting in building a life that is pain free, I highly encourage you to join.



http://groups.myspace.com/allaboutegoscue



http://tribes.tribe.net/egoscue

Thoughts on studying and life

(This post is reprinted from my original blog on Myspace.com)


How did I do so well in school, people often ask? I must be such a nerd, nose in the books all the time. Well, I can't disagree with that. But, I actually studied a lot less than most of my peers and did very well. How? Very simple: for subjects like the maths and sciences, memorizing facts and formulas is usually a waste of time. It may seem like the easiest way to go, but it isn't. The way to go is to understand concepts, where the formulas were derived, not the general how of phenomena, but the why. Because, if you understand the logic behind your subject, you will always excel as you will have a basic method of understanding from which to make your assumptions and conclusions.

On to life. It's a bit trickier. Let's narrow it down to health. Still tricky, but workable. My 'test' question is: how do I care for my health? Here is what western medicine tells me: eat a balanced diet (fruits, veggies, meats, grains, depends on the source), watch my cholesterol, exercise 30min 3x per week, socialize, get 7-9 hours of sleep, take a multivitamin, take a pill, etc, etc. In other words, it gives me facts upon facts to memorize and carry out in my life. To confuse matters, the 'newest' developments often displace previous advice, different sources can give opposite recommendations, and credibility of sources is often an issue, considering the high stakes involved in the promotion of pharmaceutical and agricultural goods.
Someone like me, who hates to memorize but loves to try and understand, is left groundless. I begin to realize that there is no underlying basis from which to work from to understand what is best for my health. And unlike a test handed out to an entire classroom, my life is too unique to apply a generic set of facts to.

Here is where our medicine miserably fails and where we can learn a lot from traditional medicines like Chinese Medicine. In Chinese Medicine, the basic premises of yin / yang and the five elements, once understood, can be applied to any lifestyle situation, be it nutritional, emotional, physical, or all of the above. Of-course, there are facts to memorize with regard to specific treatments and imbalances. But, most importantly, there is an underlying theory from which the facts and ideas spring from. I have applied this theory in my own life and have found, for the first time in my life, a firm philosophical ground upon which to walk and base my decisions. Of-course I will always continue my study of this philosophy, as my understanding of it will never be complete. But, I have enough of a working knowledge to make wiser decisions than I have previously. And yes, my health is the best it has ever been. Small coincidence, no?
So, my advice for those of you who are struggling with your health, approach this topic as you would a quandary upon which to build a philosophical foundation. If you find a system that provides you only with 'branches' of knowledge for generic symptoms but no 'root' upon which to make your own decisions, it is a groundless and dangerous system. If you find a system that provides you with foundational roots as well as branches, go to it, as you will go far. Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, several religious philosophies, Egoscue, energy medicine - there are many systems to explore, with several intriguing overlapping philosophies. Go out, find your system. Because when you do, you will know, as the tests you will be presented with will suddenly become do-able, no matter what the subject may be.

The concept of health

(This post is reprinted from my original blog on Myspace.com)

I am currently reading 'Imagery Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine' by Jeanne Achterberg. It was written in 1985, but it is really one of the only erudite works that I have read that speaks about the psychological origins of healing through a historical and philosophical lens. Most other works, if not classical philosophical 'treatises', are often advertisements for their services in our current society, and so it is difficult to know who to trust. This book is full of gems, but I would like to share one passage which deals with defining health in a society that took my breath away."The function of any society's health system is ultimately tied to the philosophical convictions that the members hold regrading the purpose of life itself. For the shamanic cultures, that purpose is spiritual development. Health is being in harmony with the world view. Health is an intuitive perception of the universe and all its inhabitants as being of one fabric. Health is maintaining communication with the animals and plants and minerals and stars. It is knowing death and life and seeing no difference. It is blending and melding, seeking solitude and seeking companionship to understand one's many selves" (p. 19).To note, Dr. Achterberg is a practicing Buddhist, and many of her concepts of health parallel the Buddhist notion of spiritual development more so than specific shamanic philosophy. That being said, I still think that a definition of health like the one above, which emphasizes spiritual development, may serve as a guide to those searching for a meaningful philosophy from which to build their lives. I'll continue the passage to its end..."Unlike the 'modern' notions, in shamanic society health is not the absence of feeling; no more so is the absence of pain. Health is seeking out all the experiences of Creation and turning them over and over, feeling their texture and multiple meanings. Health is expanding beyond one's singular state of consciousness to experience the ripples and waves of the universe" (p. 19-20).Now here is my question - where in our society is such an aspect of health promoted, if it is? It can arise in the most unusual of places...

The medicalization of menstruation

(This post is reprinted from my original blog on Myspace.com)

The FDA has recently approved a new drug from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals that stops menstruation indefinitely. Here is a great article describing some of the pitfalls of this drug. There are so many issues with bringing such a drug to the market that I am too jaded to go into. But there is one thing I will point out: clinical trials usually do not run longer than one or two years. It is already known that use of the birth control pill causes many women to have irregular cycles and difficulty getting pregnant after discontinuing use. The problems associated with HRT, including increased risk for heart problems, is well documented. And now, a completely unnecessary, and I would say 'cosmopolitan' drug with no long term clinical trials is being put on the market. My prediction: women WILL take it, in hoards. Five, ten years down the road, we will see what kind of burden they will present on the healthcare system.

Exercise for long life

A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine tracked almost a 1000 men who were part of a larger study and had survived to 90 years of age. Some highlights:

1. The current estimate is that genetic variance accounts for only 25% of variation in lifespan. The other 75% is up to you.

2. Regular exercise increased chance of living to 90 by 30%!

3. Smoking and being overweight were risk factors.

4. These men reported overall excellent mental and physical health on questionnaires.

So, what is the lesson to be learned? Move move move. Eat well. Don't smoke. Live to 90 and beyond.

Sound familiar?

The Eight Laws of Physical Health - Egoscue Style

This is my continued commentary on the Egoscue Method literature.

From 'Pain Free' by Pete Egoscue, Chapter 2.

The Eight Laws of Physical Health

1. VERTICAL LOADING.

The necessity of gravity for physical health. The skeleton must be vertically aligned by good posture.
Think about the muscle and bone loss that occurs with astronauts in space.
What implications does this have when we decrease our gravitational load by sitting,
biking, and engaging in non-impact activities? I started swimming at the age of 18 after suffering severe knee pain 'resulting' from years of tennis (or bad posture, according to Egoscue). All those years of swimming were years spent falling in love with a sport, but also seriously ignoring increasing dysfunction in my body. Now, there is even more work to do. Keep this in mind - do not swim away from pain. You cannot.

2. DYNAMIC TENSION

The tension between the front and back of the body. The back holds the body erect and the front causes the body to bend forward. All physical activity needs BOTH actions.
Overworking just the front side can lead to an overextended back side and a contracted
front - think about the 'computer posture', it is very similar to the 'muscle gym
posture'

3. FORM AND FUNCTION.

Bones follow muscular commands. Period.
Think about it. When you take a breath, your brain sends a signal to your muscles via neuromuscular interactions, which cause expansion and contraction of the lungs (and all sorts of other biochemical reactions). Here's the point: the brain tells the muscles what to do, the muscles tell the body what to do. Therefore, if we move muscles in an appropriate way, all else will be good.

4. BREATHING.

Oxygen is important. 'Nough said.

5. MOTION

All systems are interrelated. Movement makes the systems work together. Motion equals life, stillness death. This is true at every level from the nanoscale to the astronomical. You are not the exception :)

6. BALANCE

You want motion, right? To get motion, your muscles need to balance your body in a vertical loading position. In other words: vertical loading + balance = proper motion

7. STIMULUS

The body is always reacting. ALWAYS.

8. RENEWAL

Actually, this is a rephrasing of the stimulus law. Your body is reacting and changing itself consistently with respect to its environment. It's up to you to get the inertia going in the right direction.

***OK, so I completely agree with the above laws. But, I have to add in these variables into the mix: social interactions, psychological environment, current life status, nutrition, spirituality, (fill in your own 'law' of a successful life here)***

I think that physical health is a reflection of our accumuluated reaction to our total environment.

Egoscue Commentary: Pain Free: Chapter 2

This continues my summary and commentary on the literature put out by the Egoscue Method

'Pain Free' by Pete Egoscue.

Chapter 2: The body's design: a first-class mechanism battered by second-class treatment

Well, the title says it all, doesn't it! The chapter begins with a sad story of an overzealous surgery performed on someone with a mild muscoskeletal injury with detrimental consequences. I will not reveal more.

Pete terms such medical abuse as "high-tech pain killing at its worst" (p. 19). He continues that "we've become so intoxicated by modern tools and techniques that we are casually sacrificing the body's most indestructible and vital mechanisms" (p. 19). Remember, you need to use the right tools to treat appropriate injuries.

Pain is, again, presented as an alarm system. If we do not listen, it will lead to a detrimental quality of life. But, we have to be sure to treat the cause, not the effect.

Pete talks about the awesome things that happen when we go for a jog. It is much more than muscular activity or calorie burning. The entire organism: the lungs, the nervous system, the endocrine system all work to get that body running. If you stop running you not only burn less calories, you stop training all your systems.

Smart shoes, stupid feet

In the book 'Chi Running' by Danny Dreyer, running guru Danny Dreyer talks about buying shoes (p. 186):

"Once I went into Chinatown in San Francisco to buy a pair of T'ai Chi shoes. When I told the Chinese woman behind the counter what I wanted, she took one look at the running shoes I had on and said, 'I don't understand why Americans wear shoes like that...all they do is make your feet stupid."

I'm not in agreement with a number of the technical concepts presented by Danny Dreyer, but this one hits the mark exactly.

Out with orthotics, out with knee braces, in with alignment

I ran 6.5 miles today without my orthotics or knee braces. I had not run this much, this well, and this joyfully since I was 16 years old.

Thank you Egoscue.

One of the reasons that Egoscue is definitely revolutionary is that his techniques and philosophy, if applied to a large percentage of the population, will risk putting a lot of health professionals and medical products at a market disadvantage. Egoscue proposes the most ecologically economical method of health attainment: preserve yourself, before they try to 'fix' you. Very akin to the environmental movement

Egoscue commentary: Pain Free: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Chronic Pain: the modern danger of ignoring an ancient message.

The chapter begins with Egoscue's 'war story'. It is very short, we are not told more than that he was wounded in the Vietnam war when serving as a marine. The focus is centered on what is told by a doctor to a dying patient next to him in a US. hospital ship where he lay recovering: 'You either get well or you die'. Pete made a choice.

It is interesting how Egoscue's story, life, and purpose are very similar to that of Joseph Pilates. I will explore the two men and their methods more completely in a future post.

Pete goes on to state that the simple power of the body's own healing powers are routinely ignored in chronic pain management. Drugs, braces, and surgery. This point is emphasized again and again. Pete reminds us that we are designed PERFECTLY. Putting aside the religious connotations here, this message tells us that we are not so debilitated as the medical profession makes us out to be. A quote (p. 3): "Being truly pain free depends on rediscovery, not reengineering". Amen.

Pain is talked about as a form of communication. Pete presents that the message pain sends is this: inadequate motion. Physical movement is a really, really big deal. Our bodies do not want to stop moving. Adequate motion is the cure, not rest. I will add that the medical profession considers us incapable of realizing adequate motion, and thus they prescribe bed rest.

Again and again: we were designed to move: hunt, migrate, endure all weather conditions. The law of inertia applies here: The more we move, the more we are capable of moving. Conversely, the less we move, the less we are capable of moving (p. 5). Go Newton!

Dysfunction, in Pete's definition, is due to 'acute motion starvation'. Pain signals lack of proper motion, and lack of proper motion causes a downward cascade of maladies. Pain killers, surgery, etc. ignore the message, at great peril to our health.

The beauty of the spine. The S-shaped curve of the spine is the goldmine of our health. Yoga, pilates, Egoscue: all regard the shape and space of the spine as critical to our health. From this spine, the rest of our joints are positioned accordingly. It is so awesome because it is a scaffold that is designed to move and be moved. Moved by what? Muscles. That's right, muscles move the bones into place. Muscles are moved by environmental stimuli and nerve activity. It does all start in our head. The less muscular activity, the less movement, the more dysfunction. Muscles maintain proper functional health. What happens with loss of proper muscular activity? Bones follow the dysfunction

Another 'radical' thought: "All the body's organs, its bones and muscles, are already governed by a coherent, comprehensive canon of rules. We can only understand and follow them" (P. 15). Wow, that's got quite a lot of implications in there. But I'll put my twist: these 'rules' are the awesome evolved structure of the human body. Following the rules is about as close as you can get to discovering the elixir of life. How do you start to follow the rules? Learn to stand tall and listen. It is that simple, and that complicated. Stand tall, balanced, proportioned. If you cannot, just listen. Your body will very clearly guide you as to what you can do to get back into balance. Egoscue helps us to decipher the language, but he only helps. That language is coming from you and needs to be acted upon by you.

Egoscue Commentary: Pain Free: Introduction

A short commentary on the Egoscue Method book:

PAIN FREE: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain
Pete Egoscue with Roger Gittines

The 'legal' disclaimer.

I *love* this about Egoscue. No consulting your physician. You should know whether you are capable of going through this book or not. It's all about personal responsibility, from page one.

INTRODUCTION

The focus: 'the body's inner power to heal itself and to be pain free'. 'Being pain free takes personal effort and commitment'. That's right - it's up to you, not Advil or Dr. Orthopedist. YOU. And remember, your was is the 'easy way out'.

A Quick Guide to Using 'Pain Free' (pg. xviii)
1. Read the first three chapters. Get the background. Egoscue first introduces here his philosophy of 'design motion' which he elaborates on later.
2. Skim through all the chapters. Your foot is connected to your shoulder. If your foot hurts, you should at least have a basic idea of what's going on with your shoulder.
3. Go to the chapter that focuses on your condition. Only now. After you've gotten the background.
4. Don't just read it, do the exercises, daily and in order.

I would add that it may help to jot down the changes that you notice in your body during and after the exercises. You will be better able to track your progress.

Now, Egoscue puts forth his business plan (pg. xix): ask a client what he / she expects from the Method. Then deliver, and inform how much time it will take and how it will cost. If the client does not feel better, the visit is free.

Wow. Imagine that, a responsible health care practitioner. How many times have I walked out of physical therapists offices in more pain than I came in? 'That's just how it goes', I was told. Boy were they wrong.

Egoscue goes on to ask his readers to put forth these questions to their health care practitioners: Not what is wrong, but why is there pain? And what do the diagnostic tests have to do with the cause of the problem? I'll venture further to state that this line of questioning should extend beyond musculoskeletal conditions.

Still with Science

I've done it before. I've ran away from science to embrace what I thought was the truth. This time, I'm still going to embrace the truth, but I think my arms are big enough to hug it with science.