A key goal in writing this publication has been to provide a voice to forgotten victims of medicine so I try to respond to all the messages I receive—particularly those in dire need. However, as this publication has gotten larger, it’s become harder and harder for me to adequately do that due to the volume of correspondences I receive. For this reason, I decided to have monthly open threads where readers can ask whatever they want and tie that into a brief and insightful topic.
In a previous article, I shared some of my views on the back and neck pain industry—particularly how tragic it is that so many people are chronically afflicted by these conditions and that safe and effective treatments for spinal pain have been sidelined so unsafe and ineffective treatments can stay in business.
Sadly this issue appears again and again in medicine (e.g., we all just saw how safe and effective treatments for COVID-19 were kept off the market so the pandemic profiteers could make a killing with bad drugs). This I believe is because the existing economic model incentives indefinitely providing mediocre “treatments” to patients rather than innovative ones which solve the issue (and thus eliminate future sales).
In turn, I have seen many different effective treatments for spinal pain throughout my lifetime, but at the core, my perspectives on the subject have been shaped by my belief that one of the most important things in life is freedom within the body, mind, and spirit.
For example, consider watching this one minute video from Skylab (a now decommissioned space station) and observing how it makes you feel.
Note: the full version of this video can be viewed here and the song here.
One of the greatest tragedies in our modern world is the loss of freedom we have experienced in each of those aspects of our being, and I believe a wide range of consequences ripples out throughout the human system each time motion is lost in the body, mind and spirit. For example:
• A good case can be made that walking is the most effective exercise for health and longevity (e.g. because it drives fluid circulation in the body).
• A good case can be made that the primary cause of back pain is our sedentary lifestyles and the resulting loss of motion in the back. Conversely, one of the most impactful consequences of chronic spinal pain is the loss of motion it creates (since moving outside of a narrow range of motion creates pain).
• As we age, the body rigidifies and becomes more brittle, which results in significant pain, losing the basic mobility we need to function throughout the day, and becoming vulnerable to catastrophic injuries from falls. Conversely, with age, the mind also rigidifies and becomes less able to consider new ideas or questioning existing paradigms (and sadly also becomes prone to dementia), something which can sometimes be prevented or at least mitigated with the appropriate physical exercise (discussed below). Put differently, losing your freedom of motion is a key characteristic of aging, and in many cases, the initial catalyst which sets off all the degenerative changes associated with aging.
Note: I believe this ossification ultimately results from the kidneys gradually losing their ability to maintain the physiologic zeta potential of the body. A case can also be made that it results from too many parts of the body becoming trapped within the Cell Danger Response (which likewise is often one of the most important areas to focus on for maintaining longevity).
• Once you spend time around unvaccinated children (particularly those who avoided the other harmful interventions children are exposed to), it is astonishing not only how much healthier they are, but also how much more vibrant and engaged they are with their surroundings due to the freedom of motion in their body, mind and spirit (which in turn makes things increasingly depressing as you become more and more able to see how much shock resides within vaccinated children).
Note: this process begins with the completely unjustifiable newborn hepatitis B vaccine—so over the last few weeks, I’ve worked to try to expose that issue (e.g., see this thread). Additionally, since releasing this weeks article a few readers contacted me to share additional resources on the harms of the vaccine (e.g., evidence it caused HIV and videos of heartbreaking testimonies in front of Congress)—all of which is in a revised version of the article which can be read here.
• One of the most common causes of unpleasant emotions (e.g., depression or anxiety) are prolonged periods of immobility (e.g., sitting all day)—which again I believe is due to the fluid stagnation inside the body. Conversely, exercise (movement) has consistently been shown to be a more effective treatment for those conditions than the existing psychiatric medications (which instead have a variety of severe side effects).
•Humans have an inherent need for creativity and freedom of expression, so as society becomes more censored and they lose the opportunity for that, the human soul withers and dies. My own belief is that much of the angst and closed-mindedness we see in the medical field is a reflection of my profession not allowing doctors the freedom to express what they believe and explore ideas or therapies that go against the prevailing narrative.
In my case, I’ve made it a point to:
• Prioritize remaining physically active and to do so in a way that fully engages the motion of my entire body. Beyond this having a positive effect on my health, it also has had a very positive effect on my mind and spirit.
• Structure my life so that I have more freedom to move with the spontaneity of life and do what I feel compelled to do in each moment.
Note: in a recent article, I discussed the how humans often become addicted to power. In my eyes, one of the strongest arguments against seeking power is that once you have it, it greatly traps and constrains what you can do as so much of your life becomes wrapped up in the obligations and expectations that power entails.
• Structure my medical practice so that I continually have opportunities to innovate and explore what might help a challenging illness.
So in the case of neck and back pain, my focus is always on what can be done to recover the full of motion of the spine as I feel regaining that motion is both profoundly beneficial to one’s quality of life and is often vital for resolving the existing pain. In turn my motivation for writing that series arose from the fact that I feel this is not focused upon within the spinal pain industry, and more importantly, that many of the existing treatments for back pain actually worsen spinal mobility (particularly spinal fusions).
Natural Agility
Not too long ago I came across across this video of a wild gibbon annoying two tiger cubs (to make them leave its territory) and was astounded by just how agile the Gibbon was.
After a bit of looking, I found out that gibbons can swing through trees at 35 miles per hour and found numerous unbelievable videos of how they can fly through forest canopies with minimal effort while doing numerous feats that look almost impossible (and thus has been extensively researched). Of the videos I came across, this was the one I was the most impressed by.
When I saw the final video, I immediately began imagining what it would be like to be able to move like that. While we can’t (although I have seen movement arts that confer human beings an incredible amount of freedom of motion such as skiing), it is possible to have that degree of freedom in the mind and spirit and a big part of why I write here is so that I can help share that freedom of motion with you.
