A necessary option anatomical alignment

Hi everyone,

I am reading (yet another book) called 'Pain Free: A revolutionary method for stopping chronic pain' (what else!). However, this book I believe addresses pain from a purely anatomical and mechanical point of view. Yes, we experience TMS (that is the pyshcological part) but if our bodies are misaligned (the mechanical side) then we will experience TMS plus the issues related with the fact that our physical scaffolding is not in place. Both my Pilates and physiotherapists have noticed that I have one hip higher than the other and this pulls muscles and recruits compensatory mechanisms in bones and muscles. Bones do what muscles asked them to do. If muscles are not working properly, Pete Egoscue says that the body will ring the pain bell to get our attention. And this is what Pete Egoscue (a physiologist and sports' consultant) does for others with a 95% success in terms of eliminating pain.

What I am trying to say here is nothing new but rather that TMS must be approached in an integrated manner. Pete calls his program E-cises. They are exclusively designed to align the body. Pete's story is fascinating he was a soldier wounded in the Vietnam war. He states that if we are misaligned then doing exercises of any kind can even get the body in worse condition. Please check it out, I started to compliment Pilates with Egoscue's exercises. It can't hurt and is an approach that you can use at home and if you live nearby a clinic by all means visit it. http://www.egoscue.com/meetpete.php
Here is an interview with one of his physiologists

Best wishes for health and happiness,

 

Howdy doo Veronica! Nice to see the face of your lovely doggie. I so love dogs!!!
Many thanks for your kind reply. Like you, I am absolutely committed to observe symptoms and categorize them accordingly (TMS or something else). I believe the TMS story. In fact, I have had proof (as you have too) that certain symptoms are attenuated or disappear by my awareness of the 'psychological strategy'. So I am with you all the way...and, having a scientific background, both in the medical sciences and psychology, I also give room to the possibility that there are other anatomical mechanical causes that can affect some people.

I have no doubt that Dr Sarno and Dr Schubinner and anyone working in this TMS area have also had to come to terms that not everything is straightforward TMS. I am not questioning or denying yours or anyone elses experience. Not at all. But I have learned over time as a medical ally practitioner that there is something called 'idiosyncratic response' which is the outcome of being an individual. Much as we may like to identify with others in pain, we can’t never say 'I know how you feel' or ‘I know what is going on with you’ why? Because we do not know how others experience conditions and pain at the macro and micro levels. We cannot scan them to know that we are on the right track and we cannot diagnose others either. The tendency in orthodox medicine and other areas is to generalize and thus de-individuate human beings. In my humble opinion (5 cents worth) I believe that we must avoid categorizing others’ conditions in the light of our own. Otherwise we will end in the same pot with orthodox medicine which dumps everyone under syndromes and conditions for which sometimes there is no recovery hope. Rather I like an approach that is integrated and which I discuss below.

Let me give you an external example of what I mean with the need for body alignment for optimal functionality. We can learn to swim on our own and we will float. We may even move in the water without sinking or drowning. However, the latter does not mean that we are equipped with the right techniques which enable us using our bodies proficiently in the water. Needless to mention that we won’t make as an Olympic swimmer (not that I am interested in being one) . The fact is that there is a technique for everything that we do and body alignment is one that we do not learn naturally. Touch typing is another simple example. We can learn to touch type with the two index fingers and indeed type fast. But the latter is not match for the proper technique of touch typing with the full 10 fingers. Needless to mention that in time the overuse of these two finger articulations will render the bones and muscles of the hand in general negatively affected. Why, because we have not distributed the load evenly. The body functions the best when there is proficiency of movement by good alignment. It does not matter that one leg maybe shorter than the other. As we get more experienced in the anatomical sciences, we are finding information that we never had before and which can improve movement. The outcome of which is the minimization of potential injuries by overuse of incorrect muscle structures> These in turn will enable us (hopefully) to have a long and good quality of life. In all aspects of life (physical and psycho-emotionally) not to be overloaded we must distribute whatever load comes to us evenly.

Another demonstrated fact in loss of functional proficiency is that as babies we lose our ability to breathe properly, as in deep diaphragmatic breath. Not surprisingly as adults, we become shallow breathers (specially under stress). The latter leads to all sorts of consequences one of which is poor oxygenation of the brain and other body structures. And what is TMS in terms of the biological effect? But poor muscle oxygenation because of autonomic system overload. So yes, I agree that there is a psychological component, and I work on it day in day out ever since I found out about TMS. The awareness of the self functioning well (which is part of the psycho-emotional development catalyzed by the awareness of TMS), also has made me aware of the anatomical and physiological components to which I need to pay notice. We are not just a psychological being, we are body, mind and spirit, in this order.

Let’s face it, for the most part in our lives we learn to be 'improvisers’. Most of us will swim if thrown in the deep end ‘literally’. It begs the question as to ‘in what condition’ we survive. And this is what I am pointing at. Our evolutionary genetic makeup equipped us with inherent capabilities for survival and so we learn to survive with all kinds of body, mind and spiritual functional misalignment. It is known that most of us survive with atrophies in muscles, the question I have is, do I have to accept it? Don’t I want my body to function optimally as I want my mind too? What kind of consequences would misalignment will have in my old age? Would it prevent me from having a long and better quality of life? I have the feeling that it will limit me.

Also, there is something else that you said which I like to comment on ‘it never caused me pain until I was in my late 20s and in an extremely stressful job’. We carry on a lot of dysfunctions until the ages of 20s without warning bells ringing. It is not surprising that after a two decades of overload, in the late 20s and even early 30s people breakdown. This is a known factor in the medical community. First, while we are very young we are also distracted by so many things around us that we can live with the dissonance of some ache here or there. Second, we do not have a deep awareness of the self, as we can have as adults. Third, we are not instructed on body dysfunctions as we do later in life. Fourth, because we are in cognitive development, we forget the aches and pains of childhood if they were not excruciating and disabling. But, as we get heavier (in weight) and also carry heavier psycho-emotional loads then it is not a wonder that we get squashed by its perceived weight.

In summary (apologies about the long treatise ), I have various lenses through which I look at my symptoms. I have to do so because of the post operative symptoms I have. TMS is one of them. I like to think that I am using an integrated approach to the management of my body. Otherwise (I feel)that I could become unbalanced in my approach to discern what is TMS and what is not. I am working at re-aligning my mind by working on so many psychological misalignment, the result of a combination of factors, personality, upbringing, etc. My physical body is not less deserving of being screened also for any misalignment. Needless to mention that then there is my spirit to be cared for. Oh there is so much to look after! One thing at a time and the main thing is to do it with compassion, love and patience.

Blessings of health and happiness to you!

 

Hmmmmmm. While interesting, I think once we become more emotionally (Mind+spirit) "aligned", the rest follows.

 

Yes, Lori, all three parts must be treated together and pay notice to them individually, mind, body and spirit. In this order.
peace,