It would be another seven years before he got his first clients, and another 11 before he opened his first clinic in San Diego. Today, he has 30 clinics across the world, millions of clients (including an impressive roster of professional athletes) functioning pain-free, and six best-selling books to his credit, with a seventh due out this week, a revised and updated version of his first, Pain Free.

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But it was 50 years ago that he figured out why, despite a year of medical treatment for wounds incurred in Vietnam, he was still in pain and, with that knowledge, began developing the Egoscue Method by which he has helped so many, including himself, become pain-free.

As he writes in this latest book, indeed in all of his books, “Humans are designed as symmetrical bipeds.” Which means we should be symmetrical from side to side, that is, one shoulder or hip should not be higher than the other. We should also be aligned vertically, which is to say that in profile, there should be a straight line from our ears to our ankle bones that runs through the center of our shoulders, hips, and knees.

That is not the case with most of us, and it wasn’t the case with Egoscue 50 years ago. We have eight load-bearing joints—shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles—and he realized that when one of those joints is out of position, some other part of the body has to compensate to enable us to function, which led him to a major discovery that too many medical professionals today still ignore: The source of the pain is rarely the source of the problem.

Related: The At-Home Workout That Will Help You Live Pain-Free

For an event like a car accident or broken bone, yes, the source and site of the pain are the same, but for the chronic musculoskeletal pain that more than 50 percent of all Americans suffer from, the source and site are different and are the result of one part of the body compensating for what another part can no longer do. For instance, if you have back pain, it’s probably because your hip is out of alignment. And yet, most remedies for back pain treat the back, perhaps alleviating the symptom of pain but never addressing the actual source, and therefore never fixing the original problem.

That’s what Egoscue spent years figuring out how exactly to do. Knowing that “bones do what muscles tell them to do,” he experimented with an array of stretches and exercises designed to get our muscles to move our joints back into their proper position. Egoscue had learned that when our hips are where they’re supposed to be, our back stops hurting. Or when our ankles are functioning the way they’re designed to, our knees stop hurting. Or when our shoulder can move as it was intended, we no longer get tennis elbow or carpal tunnel syndrome. It took time for him to learn how muscles move joints, but eventually he learned enough to develop the Egoscue Method, his revolutionary program to return our postures to their original design and thereby relieve ourselves of chronic pain.

Egoscue explores all of this anatomical and physiological information in his expansive new Pain Free, the revised and updated edition of his 1999 best-seller. The book is written in such engagingly accessible prose that one needn’t be a PhD in either field to readily grasp what he’s saying. But much of this information has been available since he wrote his first book decades ago. Why the revision?

“When I wrote my other six books,” he says, “we had a stronger tradition of self-reliance in our country. But we’ve lost a lot of that. We’re more isolated as individuals now than we’ve ever been before, and since the advent of social media, we’ve become more reliant upon the opinion of others in everything, including our pain. We’ve succumbed to this idea that somebody else knows more about our bodies than we do. That’s just not true. But we have to convince people now in ways we’ve never had to before that they really do have the capacity to relieve themselves of their pain.”

That gentle convincing explains, in part, the warmer tone in this updated version: less clinical, more consoling and encouraging.

But he also wrote this revision because, as a society, we are in a different place than we were when he first devised the Egoscue Method—and that place isn’t good. “Many Americans now are physically weak, and by weak, I mean they have lost the ability to remain upright,” Egoscue says. “It’s astonishing to me how many people cannot stand on one foot and, sadly, don’t even know they’re supposed to be able to. We have lost postural stability. Forty years ago, we could treat clients by focusing on strength because they were still stable. Now, we have to stabilize them first before we can strengthen them.” The culprit here is our sedentary lives.

Related: The Simplest Change You Can Make for Better Health

As Egoscue points out in the book, “In the 1920s, manual workers outnumbered knowledge workers by a ratio of 2:1. By 1980, that ratio was reversed.” All that sitting impacts our postures and leads to pain.

“Evolution didn’t stop once we got upright,” Egoscue explains. “It continues, and our evolving, or de-evolving, depends upon the stimulus of our environment.” Right now, for too many, that stimulus doesn’t involve movement. Sadly, that affects more than just our bodies, a mind-body relationship that Egoscue also explores in this book. “We know that exercise improves our endurance, strength, and cardiovascular health,” he writes, “but movement is also directly connected to feelings of hope, happiness, connection, and confidence.”

The book also contains testimonials from beneficiaries of the Egoscue Method, some famous, some not, including a wonderful foreword from NFL Hall-of-Famer John Lynch, who gives a share of the credit for his success to Egoscue. “Quite simply,” Lynch writes, “Egoscue is the most brilliant person I have ever encountered when it comes to the human body and unleashing its vast potential.” When Lynch was hired as general manager for the San Francisco 49ers, he immediately incorporated the Egoscue Method into the team’s fitness regimen.

And of course, the book incorporates menus of E-cises (Egoscue exercises) to address the issues in your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders that are causing pain elsewhere in your body or reducing its ability to function at its full potential. The menus come with pictures and detailed explanations to make sure you’re doing the E-cises correctly.

Egoscue is notoriously reluctant to discuss himself, but when asked to reflect on his accomplishments these past 50 years, he said that his favorite fact is that he’s created competition. “You can imagine the ridicule and scorn I endured when I started talking about posture as a source of most of our pain. But now that thinking permeates the healthcare world, and we have competitors, and I think that’s wonderful. We’re figuring it all out together, and in the end, that can only benefit us all.”

True enough. But it all started with Egoscue 50 years ago, and this newest edition of Pain Free (available on Amazon) is the ideal commemoration of how far we’ve come in our understanding of the relationship between our posture and our pain.

The post Pain-Free Reading: The (Updated) New Book from Pete Egoscue! appeared first on Sonima.

The Surprising Ways Posture Affects Digestion

Any kind of misalignment can alter how the organs relate spatially to one another, impacting the digestive processes as a result. The tilt of the pelvis is especially crucial. The pelvis serves as the floor to all the vital organs in the body.  If the hips are out of whack, it creates a cascade of misalignment in the curve of the spine, pushing the transverse colon (the longest part of the large intestine) up to the chest cavity, impinging the nerve that triggers the diaphragm, preventing it from helping the colon contract. This can lead to a buildup of waste and gas in the body.

“For good digestion, it is important to have proper body alignment so that blood flow is provided to all of the internal organs, especially those of the digestive tract,” says Dana Ellis Hunnes, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., a senior dietitian at Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center.

Brian Bradley, fitness director of Elev8d Fitness, the new home workout program from the experts of Sonima, agrees. “Think about water going through a hose,” he says. “If you scrunch or coil the hose, the water doesn’t pass through efficiently.” Your intestine is the same (all 32 feet of it). When your posture is compromised because the hips are tucked under, the intestine is restricted and waste can’t move through properly, causing bloating.

Related: The Ultimate At-Home Weight-Loss Workout Series

But remember, everything is connected. You’d think that because the intestines sit in the low stomach that alignment of the hips is the only focus. “But the position of the rib cage is the roof of intestinal protection,” Bradley says. “We’re working from both ends of the house here.” Putting your shoulders into better alignment shifts your spine, then your low back, and so on, aligning from the top down. Once your shoulders are in a better position, you breathe better, and when you breathe better (over 22,000 times a day), your diaphragm drops down and compresses the internal organs. This up and down compression aids peristalsis, the wave-like contractions that push food through the digestive tract.

Acid reflux, an issue caused by stomach acid being regurgitated into the esophagus, can also be triggered by improper posture. “The stomach is angled so the acid lies at the bottom,” explains Pete Egoscue, world-renowned alignment expert and co-founder of Elev8d Fitness. “But if you roll your hips under, it not only changes the position of your stomach but also it shortens the distance between the hydrochloric acid pool and your esophagus.” And, thus, the bile can more easily travel back up to the esophagus.

Related: The #1 Most Overlooked Muscle in Your Workout

An Alignment Tune-Up for Better Digestion

Restoring our body’s natural positioning through exercise not only allows gravity to do its job, but it also ensures good circulation and aids in delivering oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, reducing the likelihood of bloating, gas, and acid reflux. Correct posture throughout the day will aid the ongoing process of digestion. And, Bradley points out, movement begets movement. The more you move, the more you stimulate your internal organs. A quick, 8-minute Elev8d Fitness workout and a brisk walk will shake loose the cobwebs of a sedentary workday or a long dinner to help you more efficiently process the food you’ve put in your body.

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Transform your body in a little as 8 minutes a day! Try Elev8d Fitness, the revolutionary new approach to fitness that helps you achieve better results by doing less. The innovative Flat Belly Workout Series also helps you burn more calories and build a stronger core.

Embedded photography courtesy of Hailey Wist.

The post Feeling Bloated? Try Our Alignment-Based Approach to Better Digestion appeared first on Sonima.

Once an athlete pulls a hamstring, he or she can be knocked out of commission for anywhere from two weeks to two months, depending on the severity of the damage. That is why many athletes go to great lengths to avoid this injury, incorporating a detailed and protracted regimen of stretching. Unfortunately, no amount of stretching will prevent this problem for one simple reason: The crux of the matter lies in the hips, not the hamstrings.

I’ve said it thousands of times, but it bears repeating: barring recent trauma, such as a car accident, the source of the pain is never the source of the problem. Hamstring pulls are really the result of a dysfunctional posture and an imbalanced body. To prevent this injury, athletes must bring proper alignment to their postures so that their bodies can work as a unit.

First, let’s cover some anatomical specifics. What is commonly referred to as the hamstring is actually three muscle groups: 1) the semitendinosus muscle and tendon, 2) the semimembranosus muscle and tendon, and 3) the biceps femoris, short and long. Those muscles run from the pelvis to the knee and are attached by the tendon to the bone. When people pull their hamstrings, it’s often in one of the muscles, however, the more severe strains that take longer to heal occur in the tendon. Regardless of whether the pull is in a muscle or a tendon, the underlying problem is the inability of the tendons and muscles of the hamstring to work in a synchronized fashion.

Related: Taking the First Steps Toward Pain-Free Living

When we break into a sprint, the muscle spindles in our hamstrings contract. In a properly aligned, fully functioning body that contraction is flawless. The tendons at the knee and hip work simultaneously to allow that muscle to correctly engage. However, if the hamstring tendons at the hip don’t work in synchronicity with those at the knee, the body, in its wisdom, puts an immediate halt to the contraction in that hamstring muscle. While the body instinctively commands that muscle to stop, the rest of you doesn’t get the memo so you continue to full-on sprint. In that split second, you may experience a pulled hamstring. (Note: I am speaking here about the most overwhelmingly common cause of hamstring pulls.)

So, you can see, the problem is not the hamstring, but rather the inability of the tendons at the hip to work in concert with the tendons at the knee and in accordance with the muscle. Pain is the body’s way of communicating to you that something is wrong. A common misconception is that you can stretch that muscle back into alignment. But the truth is, stretching or isolating it by intensely strengthening the muscles around it will not remedy the underlying issue. Yes, the hamstring will eventually feel better, but that’s the result of time allowing the body to heal itself.

Moving the hip back to the appropriate position is what will best prevent hamstring pulls. No one is more aware of this than Elliot Williams, the director of Functional Performance for the San Francisco 49ers. Elliot was recently hired by my old friend, John Lynch, the new General Manager for the 49ers. I have worked with John on his posture and fitness since he was a teenager, and because he is such a staunch supporter of postural alignment, he immediately brought on Elliot, an Egoscue Method-trained therapist, to work with the NFL team on their alignment, too. Given the prevalence of hamstring injuries among athletes, Elliot spends a great deal of time working to counter their occurrence.

“When it comes to hamstrings,” Elliot says, “the actual compensation is almost always upper-body driven. That is, if the hip isn’t in its proper place and working as it was intended, it’s something in the upper body that gives me that clue.” For instance, if a player is in the weight room, and he does a series of squats, Elliot looks at the position of his arms when he is finished.

“If those arms are spread wide and distant from their sides, as if he’d just worked his trap muscles, then I know there’s a big problem with the hips. Squats are a hip-driven exercise. But if that hip-driven exercise caused his arms to move out as if he’d just done a back-driven exercise, that means the back did actually do too much work, and that’s because the hips couldn’t. The back was compensating for a hip that’s so dysfunctional, it’s in danger of not being able to work properly for a sprint.”

The upper body is always a dead-giveaway if there’s a misalignment that could hurt the hamstrings, Elliot continues. For example, when a player sprints, his arms will move freely back and forth if the hip is properly aligned. But when the player’s hands don’t move very far from the body mid-sprint, then that’s a sign the shoulders aren’t enabling the arms to swing. In this case, the shoulders are working too hard to compensate for a hip not doing its job to allow the body to run. Sometimes, the compensation will be so extreme that the hands actually chug sideways, crossing perpendicular across the center line of the spine. That’s another sign of someone who is about to pop his hamstring.

Elliott also pays attention to the legs. “If I see someone’s stride has noticeably shortened, that’s a sign of a compromised hip.”

The bottom line: The body is a unit, and all of its many elements work in complete concert. You cannot isolate any one part from the rest. Too many people are pulling their hamstrings these days, and it’s causing untold hours of pain as well as disappointment on multiple levels. When a professional baseball player pulls his hamstring, the team loses his services for any number of weeks, perhaps diminishing the team’s chances of winning and certainly reducing the return on the owner’s investment. And when amateur athletes pull their hamstrings, they lose their ability to play that game of tennis or golf over the weekend, take that jog with their dog, or go for that moderately difficult hike with their kids.

Hamstring pulls can be prevented by aligning the body so that it is balanced and the hips are functional. Full postural alignment with a trained therapist is always best, but if that’s not immediately accessible to you, try this 15-minute exercise sequence to realign your hips so that they can help your hamstrings out when needed.

The post Why Hips Are Hurting Hamstrings appeared first on Sonima.

If you haven’t tried any kind of alternative treatment or medicine before, you might be skeptical. It’s worth exploring, though, if you have a serious OTC habit. In fact, 38 percent of American adults use some kind of complementary alternative medicine according to the National Center For Complementary and Integrative Health. Janet Zand, O.M.D., notes that once people figure out the alternative remedy that’s best for them and their specific type of pain, it’s sometimes possible over time “to move for example to half the dose of conventional OTC pain reliever after adding in a natural one.” Ideally, after awhile you might even be able to skip your OTC medicine altogether. Plus, there are often positive side effects from natural pain relievers, since many of them have more than one use. Before starting any new pain relief regimen (natural or otherwise), Zand recommends checking in with your health practitioner first about appropriate substances for your symptoms, potential drug interactions and correct dosage.

Here are some natural remedies that will help soothe your pain that are both tried-and-true by health practitioners and scientific studies.

1. Ice and Heat

Best for: Muscle and joint pain, cramping pain
Why it works: While this might not be the most surprising treatment, ice and heat are nature’s most intrinsic treatments for pain. Heat is ideal for chronic pain, while ice is better for inflammation or a relatively recent injury. This is because heat increases blood flow to the painful area, which relaxes tight muscles and joints, and ice constricts blood vessels which numbs pain. Check out this handy infographic from the Cleveland Clinic, which explains when to use heat versus ice.
How to use it: Apply an ice pack, damp cloth, heating pad or heat wrap for 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off.

2. Curcumin

Best for: Any kind of inflammation, especially arthritis
Why it works: Found in turmeric, curcumin is one of the more well-researched natural pain relievers. While larger-scale studies are still needed to completely understand all of its uses, it’s been confirmed that it does help alleviate inflammation and some pain. A 2016 study found that the supplement was effective in combatting exercise-induced muscle soreness, and a 2012 study found it effective as part of treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Curcumin is also currently being studied for several other purposes, notably as part of treatment for and prevention of colorectal cancer.
How to use it: Some people wonder whether eating food with turmeric is enough to get curcurmin’s benefits. According to Zand, “food seasoned with turmeric is healthy but is most likely not a therapeutic dose. It is a good healthy habit to eat it, but if you are experiencing pain don’t expect a bowl of curry to make your pain go away.” She recommends looking for a pill supplement that contains 95 percent curcuminoids. “Generally, the products are standardized,” she notes, and it’s easy to tell from the label exactly how much you’re supposed to take. It should also be added that you should not take more than the recommended dose of this (or any) supplement, as it can cause digestive issues like nausea and diarrhea.

3. Arnica

Best for: Bruising, swelling, and inflammation
Why it works: While arnica is one of the most well-known homeopathic methods, there is conflicting research on its effectiveness. Despite this, many people continue to use it. Zand explains that while most of the evidence around arnica’s effectiveness is anecdotal, if it works for you there’s no reason to rule it out. It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to use, so it’s worth a shot — especially for bruising and light swelling.
How to use it: Arnica generally comes in an ointment form, but can also be taken as an oral supplement.

4. Proteolytic Enzymes

Best for: Inflammation, digestive issues
Why it works: These enzymes are naturally made by your pancreas to help digest food, but they can also be ingested as a supplement for additional benefits. Though they’re generally thought of as supplement used to treat inflammation, they are true multi-taskers. In addition to treating pain caused by inflammation in joints they can also help lessen the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other digestive issues.
How to use it: These are taken as an oral supplement. Zand particularly recommends a supplement called Wobenzym. “It works best when taken between meals,” she says, “and you should definitely consult your healthcare practitioner before you start taking it.” Certain types of enzymes are not appropriate for everyone.

5. Willow Bark Extract

Best for: Musculoskeletal pain, back pain
Why it works: Willow bark extract contains salicylic acid, which Zand likes to call “the original aspirin,” since the chemical makeup of the extract is similar to the active ingredients in the OTC drug. This substance has been proven effective in long-term treatment of musculoskeletal disorders as well as back pain, both with and without the aid of OTC pain relievers and other pain management medications. In fact, many people prefer willow bark extract to aspirin because of aspirin’s digestive side effects.
How to use it: Just like aspirin, willow bark comes in pill form, and you should follow the dosage instructions on the packaging.

Related: A Closer Look at How Acupuncture Works

6. Acupuncture

Best for: All kinds of pain
Why it works: A recent study conducted in the emergency department of a hospital showed promising results of the ancient practice of pricking needles into the skin at specific pressure points. The researchers showed that acupuncture treatments reduced both the pain and anxiety of patients in the emergency room. Additionally, acupuncture boasts the advantage of being one of the most versatile natural pain treatments, as it can help alleviate many different types of pain.
How to use it: The first step to getting pain relief from acupuncture is finding an experienced practitioner. Zand recommends the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s database as an amazing resource to find someone highly qualified.

7. Corydalis yanhusuo

Best for: Acute pain, inflammation and nerve pain
Why it works: Corydalis yanhuso is rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. In 2014, it was discovered that the plant, traditionally used for pain relief, contains an analgesic called DHCB. The study calls this discovery a “promising lead in pain management” and more research is being done on exactly how to harness this ancient herb’s powers.
How to use it: This pain reliever can be taken in oral supplement form.

The post 7 Natural Pain Relievers That Really Work appeared first on Sonima.

Your Diaphragm

“The average person at rest takes around 23,040 breaths per day,” says Matt Delaney, C.S.C.S., a licensed massage therapist and Tier X Health Coach at Equinox Columbus Circle. “Our diaphragm initiates every single one of them.” That’s not all that this dome-shaped muscle at your ribs does: Along with other core muscles, it helps stabilize your trunk, which is key for efficient, pain-free movement, says Delaney. When there’s dysfunction? You’re susceptible to injury and pain.

Massage it: Sit in a chair and curl the tips of your fingers under your rib cage, says Delaney. Take a deep breath into your belly and on the exhale, flex forward trying to bring your head to your lap; allow your fingers to move further under your ribs. Make sure to exhale fully — this allows the diaphragm to reach its end range under the contact of your fingers. Repeat three to five times.

Your Gut

Many scientists consider the gut the second brain, says Scott Weiss, C.S.C.S., a New York-based physical therapist. That’s because more and more research suggests that a healthy gut (filled with beneficial bacteria) creates a healthy body (and mind). “A mechanical massage aids in moving digestion along,” Weiss says. It also eases muscle tension and relieves air and gas from the system, he says.

Massage it: With firm pressure, make circles to the left on the stomach’s surface. “This circular pattern mimics the normal digestive movements,” says Weiss. Then place one palm on your upper abdomen and overlap it with your other hand (consider this 12 o’clock). Start pressing inward, applying pressure in a clockwise fashion. Slowly go from 12 to 3 to 6 to 9 and back again, he says. This can be done 20 to 30 times with strong, firm pressure.

Your Face and Jaw

Whether you realize it or not, you hold a lot of tension in your face and jaw. Emotions, thoughts, and an internal dialogue can lead you to clench your jaw and facial muscles, says Weiss. “Eating, speaking, and reacting all day can stress these muscles, too.” Yet, most massages leave these stressed out muscles alone.

Massage them: Use the palms of your hands and and pads of the fingertips to apply pressure to the face, forehead, and jaw. Clench you jaw a few times. You’ll find the muscles that need work. Apply pressure where needed. Make your way around the ears, too.

RELATED: 6 Self-Massage Tools to Restore Your Body at Home

Your Thumbs

There are three muscles that sit at the base of your thumb — they make up what’s called the thenar eminence, explains Delaney. And these muscles take a beating all day long as you text and scroll, impacting your grip strength and fine motor control, he says. “It may not sound like a big deal, but grip strength is vital to our longevity,” says Delaney. So much so, in fact, that it’s one of the measurements cardiologists use to predict the outcomes of surgical patients.

Massage them: Start with your thumb flexed into your palm with your palm facing down. With the pointer and middle finger of the other hand, reach under the middle of the palm just below the thenar muscles and draw some tension toward the thumb knuckle. Maintain this tension as you slowly move the thumb away from the palm and allow your fingers to glide up toward its base. Repeat 3 to 5 times per hand.

Your Wrists

In a world of tablets and laptops, your hands and wrist muscles are used more than any other major body part, says Weiss. The best news: Maladies like carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis can be kept at bay with some simple massage, he says.

Massage them: Clasp your hands together and make figure eights. Use the prayer position to open and stretch the wrists. Push your fingers to the left and right while together to further stretch the deeper muscles of the wrist, he says.

Your Feet

Most of us take our feet for granted until problems crop up. Here’s why that needs to change: “They are the most dynamic part of our structure,” says Delaney. “Our feet are our first point of contact with the ground and are constantly providing the brain valuable information about where we are.” Plus, a sedentary lifestyle can leave them craving stimulation and too-tight shoes can constrict them, impeding blood flow.

Massage them: Place a golf ball under your foot at the base of the heel, says Delaney. Sitting or standing, trace a line from the front of your heel to each one of the toes and back. Be sure to work across the foot, too, paying special attention to trace the cup of the heel and ball of the foot, he says. Repeat three to five times per foot.

The post 6 Often-Ignored Body Parts That Benefit from Massage appeared first on Sonima.

The Point of the Practice

Needle phobes are likely familiar with acupuncture’s main tool: fine, disposable needles no thicker than a few strands of hair. Practitioners use them to stimulate so-called acupoints all over the body, says Alexandra Vander Baan, a doctor of acupuncture, and owner of Yintuition Wellness in Boston, Massachusetts. These acupoints, which total 361 across the skin’s surface according to the WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region, are used to bring energy back throughout the body where it might be imbalanced.

Break a bone or burst an appendix, there’s no better choice than allopathic (or mainstream) medicine, says Vander Baan. But when it comes to some common conditions such as respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, and chronic pain, acupuncture is incredibly effective—and arguably more successful in delivering results, she says. A key difference between conventional medicine and a holistic treatment like acupuncture is that the latter addresses those interconnected systems of the body, plus the underlying causes of concerns, including inflammation or hormonal imbalances, she says. “Today, the overwhelming majority of symptoms we experience are systemic—affecting the whole body, not just a single organ or tissue,” she adds.

Related: The Magic of Dry Needling for Pain Relief

How does acupuncture work? In a typical session, a patient will discuss their concerns with the acupuncturist who will then insert needles in strategic areas of the body, depending on the patient’s needs. Once the needles are in place, the patient will continue to lie comfortably on the treatment table for anywhere from five minutes to an hour. Most people report to feel very relaxed during treatment, and generally experience no discomfort from the needles. Research suggests acupuncture encourages the body to release feel-good endorphins. Other studies find the practice improves circulation, which can help the body repair itself and mitigate both pain and perception of pain, says Vander Baan. More studies are needed on the topic.

While some science suggests acupuncture can fend off low back pain or headaches, other research shows that these outcomes are minimal—nothing more than a placebo effect. However, many current clinical guidelines for chronic pain, chemotherapy, anxiety and depression, and labor pain do feature acupuncture as a recommended treatment, and that means something, Vander Baan says. The World Health Organization even lists 28 different medical conditions that can be treated, at least in part, by acupuncture. The National Institutes of Health agrees, stating that the needles are a therapeutic intervention for everything from menstrual cramps to nausea brought about by pregnancy or chemotherapy.

Is Acupuncture Worth Trying?

Acupuncture’s devotees range from dedicated yogis and weekend warriors to athletes and stressed-out 9-to-5ers. The clientele is diverse because so, too, are the uses for acupuncture. Fatigue, anxiety, headaches, low back pain, constipation—all of these can be signs of an underlying imbalance in your body, Vander Baan says. “One of the advantages of the TCM is that we can detect and treat sub-clinical symptoms before they become full-blown medical conditions,” she says.

Being receptive to the medicine is key to success. “This isn’t to say those who ‘don’t believe in it’ won’t benefit,” says Vander Baan. But the placebo effect plays a role in all therapeutic interventions—not just acupuncture, she says. One 2014 study published in Science Translational Medicine found that half of a migraine drug’s power came from simply thinking it would work, even when people were taking a placebo. In addition to embracing positive results, it’s important to keep your overall well-being in check, too. Those who take an active role in their health will likely see the most boons from the practice. After all, a healthy diet and lifestyle help support and sustain progress, Vander Baan says.

Paying for the Pinch

Complementary treatments like acupuncture used to be far from complimentary. Data from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey found that 83 million Americans spent $33.9 million on alternative medicine in just one year. Ouch. But Vander Baan says that today she sees more insurance companies footing the bill for time on the table.

“The landscape of insurance coverage is changing because of an increasing demand for complementary therapies,” she says. In fact, research from consumer insights firm Nielson found millennials are more likely to use acupuncture and herbal remedies than other generations. An estimated 3 million Americans have signed up for acupuncture, especially since emerging research has demonstrated it’s safe and cost-effective. And more are welcome to try it: About 54 million Americans are eligible for acupuncture covered by the Affordable Care Act, reports the Journal of Integrative Medicine, published in 2014.

Not sure if you’re covered? Ask your insurance provider, and get the scoop (here’s a list of go-to questions to ask) before you book an appointment. Some companies may cover your session if you have a prescription and the treatment is pre-approved, or only if you go to a doctor in-network. If you’re not covered, you’re looking at fees from $60 to $120 per session, according to AcuFinder.com. Also worth noting: If the practice works for you, it could help you cut costs down the road if you can avoid other expensive and invasive interventions (i.e., surgeries or long-term prescriptions), Vander Baan says. Find a trained acupuncturist through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

The post A Closer Look at How Acupuncture Works appeared first on Sonima.

“The rear-end should act as support for the entire body and as a shock absorber for stress during exercise, but if it’s too weak, other parts of the body take up the slack and it often causes injury,” says Chris Kolba, Ph.D., a physical therapist who specializes in orthopedic and sports medicine at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Sitting is a great way to weaken those butt muscles, the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius. Kolba calls the condition that results “dormant butt syndrome.” Stuart McGill, Ph.D., the director of the Spine Biomechanics Laboratory at Waterloo University, describes it as “gluteal amnesia” because people afflicted with it seem to “forget” to use their glutes when they perform tasks like squatting or hinging at the hips. Whatever you want to call it, when the glutes are effectively out to lunch, a host of extra strain winds up on the hamstrings and lower back. That can kick off a vicious cycle that leads to chronic back pain.

Related: Understanding the Source of Back Pain

McGill’s research has conclusively shown that pain, whether it stems from the back or the hips (another common trouble spot), inhibits the glutes. When the glutes are restricted somehow, more stress winds up on the back. You end up in a chicken-or-egg situation where it’s no longer clear whether the back pain is shutting down the glutes or vice versa. What is clear is that the two issues often go together.

The good news? McGill’s work also shows that when someone manages to get his or her glutes back in working order, the pain they had experienced in their lower back subsides or disappears entirely. Follow his three steps below to unlock your buttocks’ full potential and live a more pain-free life.

Step 1: Rebuild the mind-muscle connection.

Try this simple technique to check whether you’re still in touch with your bottom half. Lie back on the floor and place your hands underneath each of your butt cheeks. Take turns contracting each of your glutes. Your hands are there to notice if those muscles are indeed firing. This may feel a bit silly, but it serves an important purpose. “It’s getting your brain to connect to the muscle,” McGill says.

McGill cautions that this is a self-exam and corrective exercise, not a new way of life. “Some people think that they should walk around with their bottoms clenched all the time. But that’s just silly,” McGill says. “Your glutes are a very phasic muscle, you should use them only as you need.”

Step 2: Get your glutes back in business.

During his more than three decades of research on back pain, McGill tested several many different exercises to see how they affected the glutes. Over and over again, the two moves he found to be the most effective at getting the glutes to work well within a person’s daily movement patterns were clamshells and glute bridges. He suggests performing 3 sets of 10 reps of each move at least once per day. (McGill compiled these exercises and dozens of others in his new book Back Mechanic, a guide to self-assessments you can use to identify and solve your own back pain.)

Clamshells

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Glute Bridge

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Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your butt to feel its engagement, then squeeze the cheeks as if you were trying to hold a coin between them. Your goal is for the pelvis to remain neutral and not tilt in any way. From there, bridge up, using your butt to drive the movement. The bridge activates the gluteus maximus, the larger muscle that makes up the bulk of your rear.

Step 3: Keep your body—and your backside—more active throughout the day.

Sonima.com’s pain and anatomy advisor, Pete Egoscue, agrees that inhibited glutes can wreak havoc all over a person’s body. “The idea that a person’s glutes are going to suffer from all of that sitting is correct,” says the creator of the Egoscue Method. So while you’ve probably heard this before, remember you should try to avoid sitting for prolonged periods. When you’re at work, get up and take a break every 20 to 30 minutes. Consider a standing desk—they’ve become a lot more affordable in recent years. Egoscue also has two exercises he suggests people perform to give their booty an occasional wake-up call throughout the day.

Rear-Leg Knee Bends

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Stand up and take one step forward with your right foot. Make sure your feet are hip-width apart and pointing straight ahead (or as close to straight as you can manage). Keeping your torso vertical, bend the knee of your left (rear) leg , then straighten it. When you straighten your rear leg, focus on feeling the line of energy from your butt down to your heel on the ground. If you place your hand on your butt, you should be able to feel your glutes contract as you do this. Perform 10 reps on each side.

Three-Position Toe Raises

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Stand with your big toes touching, your right heel pointing at 5 o’clock and your left heel pointing at 7 o’clock. Engage your quadriceps (the big muscles in the front of your thighs) and rise up onto the balls of your feet then lower. Keep your toes pressed against the floor and focus on keeping the quads tight as you move up and down. You should be able to feel the muscles of your upper thighs and glutes flexing as you rise. Do 10 reps.

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Then switch it up so that your heels touch and your toes are pointing outward (toes pointing to 1 o’clock and 11 o’clock). You should feel even more glute engagement along with a bit more sensation in your quads as you perform 10 more reps in this second variation.

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Lastly, stand with your feet pointing straight ahead and roughly hip-distance apart. Repeat the toe-raise 10 more times, keeping your quads engaged and pelvis neutral (not tilted forward or backward).

The post The Surprising Muscle Weakness Linked to Back Pain appeared first on Sonima.

What is your body saying? It could be hinting at an imbalance. Maybe you’re not vertically loaded properly—meaning your head, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles aren’t stacking up right. Or perhaps you’re just not bearing weight evenly, says Egoscue, creator of the Egoscue Method for pain-free living.

To find out exactly what your body is telling you, tune in. Once you start paying attention to the subtle signals (usually accompanied by a minor ache), stretch or shift positions to continue enjoying your TV, laptop, smartphone or whatever device is captivating your attention in comfort and with peace of body and mind. Use Egoscue’s guide below to help translate your body’s messages and take appropriate action.

When this hurts: BACK, SHOULDERS, HEAD

Your body may be saying…change the way you sit.

Sitting with your shoulders slumped forward, hip flexors shortened, and back rounded can put extra stress on your lower back, which may curve into a ‘C’ shape instead of its natural ’S’ shape. This pain doesn’t come from only sitting, but also from being misaligned. Your body is compensating, Egoscue says.
Listen and learn: Look down at your feet. You want them hip-width apart facing forward with toes slightly turned in. Your knees will want to come together, but keep them out, he says. Then pull your shoulders down, relax your abs, and roll up and forward with your hips, putting an arch back into your lower back with your pelvis. In this position, he says, you’re vertically loaded. “That’s the way you sit without effort. Your body has just adapted and adjusted to what you have conditioned it to do.” Sit like this and you could notice back and shoulder pain dissipate and even see improvements in issues, like constipation and digestion, he says.

Related: Understanding the Source of Back Pain

When this hurts: HEAD, NECK, ARM

Your body may be saying…look up!

The average human skull weighs between 10 and 11 pounds. Imagine that weight tipping over the front of your body. That’s the scenario when you text or email from your smartphone or laptop. “People think it’s just a head issue; but it goes a lot further than that,” says Aaron Brooks, founder of Perfect Postures in Newton, Massachusetts.
Listen and learn: When using a device you have to look down at, your back may round, pulling your shoulder blades away from your spine, he explains. Over time, muscles at the front of the body shorten; and ones at the back elongate. When muscles tighten, you can experience referred pain, says Brian Kelly, a physical therapist at Pivot Physical Therapy in Washington, DC. (That’s why you might suffer migraines, headaches, pains in your arms or hands, or shoulder tendonitis.) To take tension off of the muscles in your neck and upper back, hold your device just below eye level, so that you’re not looking up or down, Kelly says. You also want to sit tall, reminds Brooks. Roll your pelvis forward, increasing the arch in your lower back. This leads the muscles between your shoulder blades to contract, helping the head pull back, he says.

When this hurts: JAW, HEAD
Your body may be saying…chill out.

“The jaw is one of the most powerful muscles in the body,” Brooks says. Unfortunately, it’s an area hit hard by stress. Both teeth grinding and clenching have links to stress and anxiety. Clenching not only tenses that master muscle, but also the muscles of the temple and cervical area. Tightness here can cause headaches, jaw clicking, and make it hard to eat or talk depending on how severe the pain. Check your range of movement by opening your mouth wide. Muscles restricted or tight? Can’t keep your mouth open very long? Your jaw is likely pretty tight, Brooks says.
Listen and learn: Try a chin tuck. Pull your chin down toward your chest with your head straight, which will help lengthen some of the backside cervical muscles, he says. If you’re clenching a lot, your pectoral muscles can shorten, pulling your shoulders forward. Try stretching your arms out across a doorway so that your shoulders and elbows are straight. Step through the doorway with one foot. “This will decrease stress in the area of the jaw by way of releasing the chest muscles,” Brooks says. Then break the habit: Keep your mouth slightly open or your tongue in between your teeth to remind you not to clench.

When this hurts: WRISTS
Your body may be saying…consider your form.

Offices everywhere may be seeking ergonomic designs to quiet complaints of back pain or carpal tunnel, but Egoscue says most people who work in offices will suffer from these issues regardless. Why? Alignment. Interestingly enough, carpal tunnel has roots in shoulder positioning. If one hand is too far in front of the other, the front shoulder will sink down and your hand and forearm turn inward, explains Brooks.
Listen and learn: To realign, move the mouse closer to your body and lower its height. This will drop your shoulders and your trapezius muscles (over the back of your neck and shoulders) won’t want to engage as much, he says. You also want to make sure your wrist isn’t bent too much up or down—keep it as flat as possible.

Related: Simple Stretches for Office Workers

When this hurts: NECK, SHOULDER, CHEST
Your body may be saying…I need some air.

Thanks to our autonomic nervous system, which controls bodily functions, we don’t think about breathing, says Carolyn Appel, C.S.C.S., a master instructor at Equinox with a focus in biomechanics. But, she says, “we should be mindful of how it’s being done.” Why? Subpar breathing patterns are linked to muscle tightness, inadequate amounts of oxygen reaching your tissues, fatigue, back pain, and reduced concentration, she says.
Listen and learn: Take a deep breath, expanding your ribcage fully (your belly comes out). When you exhale, your ribs and belly shrink, helping expire carbon dioxide. Problem is, that’s not the way many of us breathe. Instead of doing this—and relying on our diaphragm and intercostal muscles (between the ribs), many of us breathe by elevating our upper ribs (if you’re doing this, your shoulders would rise when you breathe in and your belly would expand when you exhale), she says. This approach overtaxes small, accessory muscles. The solution: Mastering the diaphragmatic breath to beat pain before it even starts.

The post 5 Body Imbalances You Might Unknowingly Experience appeared first on Sonima.

What Causes Vertigo?

Sometimes, vertigo is disease or illness-based, the result of a virus or a tumor, but doctors can quickly determine those cases. Most often vertigo is idiopathic, which is a medical term meaning no known cause or origin. In my experience, though, I’ve found most of those idiopathic versions of vertigo actually have a very specific cause—the position of the head. In other words, vertigo is usually about posture.

Related: How Your Feet Reveal Why You’re in Pain

Humans are gravity machines; like the entire operating system of our universe, we rely on gravity to function, and because the body knows just how important our relation to gravity is, it offers redundant systems to make sure we have an accurate reading on our gravity field, i.e., the ground.

One of those systems is something called proprioception, which is defined as, “The unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself.” In other words, your body knows where it is because it just does, and it’s constantly, instinctively, letting your brain know where the body is in relation to the ground. You have an inner sense of the ground on which you walk, and that’s why you don’t have to watch the ground when you walk.

Another system to modulate our relationship to the ground is the semicircular canals, which are three interconnected tubes in the deepest recesses of the inner ear. (Many of you probably remember this from high school biology). Those canals are filled with a fluid called endolymph, and that fluid flows freely when we are in proper relation to our field of gravity, thereby enabling us to function without losing our balance or getting dizzy. The final system is good old-fashioned eyesight. You can see the ground, and that helps you keep your balance. It’s much harder to walk with your eyes closed, and not simply because you’re worried about running into something.

Still, even with those redundant systems, many of us encounter vertigo, and that’s because of the position of our heads. When the body is properly aligned, the load-bearing joints of the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles are perfectly balanced from side to side and rest directly on top of each other; that enables the spine to maintain its designed “S” shape which in turn enables the head to rest directly on top of that spine, level so that the ears are directly perpendicular to the ground. When one of those joints deviates from its designed position, which is common in our sedentary lives, the body begins to compensate, usually resulting in a spine that morphs from an “S” to a “C” and a head that loses its proper relationship to its field of gravity—those ears are now angled.

When a head is out of balance, either leaning to one side or jutting forward, the systems designed to maintain balance start having an argument; the proprioception instinctively knows where the body and the ground are so conveys the right message to the brain; the eyes can always see where the ground is so confirm the message that proprioception sent. But those inner ears cannot see; they can only register the field of gravity by the position of the head, so when that head is out of position, it sends a message to the brain that is completely at odds with the message the other two systems sent. Enter vertigo.

The body adjusts, though, which is yet another example of how amazing the human form is. It almost always adjusts to a new positioning of the head, which is why, untreated, vertigo often disappears on its own within a day or two. But the head’s position will only continue to get worse, triggering new bouts of vertigo in the future. What’s more, for some people, their head has been out of position for so long that that fluid in the inner ear thickens and even develops microscopic calcifications that affix to the cilia of the inner ear, and that’s what contributes to those long-term bouts of vertigo that can last weeks and even years.

The solution is to return the head to its proper position. I’ve included a brief menu of Egoscue-cises (e-cises) to begin the process of repositioning the head, and they are good for short-term relief from the dizziness that comes with a fresh bout of vertigo. But for long-term relief, you need to realign your entire body and return it to its designed position so that both ears are perfectly perpendicular to the ground, the head is directly over the shoulders, and the spine is that letter “S.”

4 Posture Exercises to Cure Vertigo

Sitting Knee Pillow Squeezes, 3 sets, 20 reps

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Shoulder Rolls, 3 sets, 10 reps each direction

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Known as the Father of Postural Therapy, Pete Egoscue has helped relieve thousands of people from their chronic pain, including many of the world’s leading athletes. For more information on Pete and any of his 25 clinics worldwide, go to egoscue.com.

The post What Causes Vertigo? How Posture Plays a Role appeared first on Sonima.

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Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images

But it’s important to differentiate between the traditional Eastern practice of cupping and the use of cupping as a tool for myofascial release, says Carrie Gaerte, a doctor of physical therapy and certified athletic trainer with the Indianapolis-based St. Vincent Sports Performance (SVSP), which is staffing Proctor and Gamble’s Athlete Recovery Center in Rio during the Games. (Ralph Reiff, who was director of athlete care for the 1996 Olympics, is St. Vincent’s executive director, and SVSP has helped train 97 athletes on the U.S. gymnastics, track and field, and diving teams.)

“We’re not practicing the traditional Chinese form of cupping,” says Gaerte, who has been using the method for the last three years, and says about half of her clients these days want to try cupping. “We don’t support it as a cure-all—we’re using it as a tool for soft-tissue mobilization, like any other type of manual therapy. We’re able to identify myofascial restriction and release it, in an effort to reduce pain, free up movement, and help the body move more efficiently. What we’re doing is specific to musculoskeletal issues.”

In Eastern medicine, cupping is traditionally done along the body’s energy meridians to promote the flow of chi, with the goal of activating one’s natural healing abilities. Dating back to as early as 3000 BC, the practice was used by Egyptians and by Hippocrates in ancient Greece (according to the Ebers Papyrus, the oldest medical textbooks in the Western world) before spreading to China, where the Taoist alchemist and herbalist Ge Hong recorded its use around 300 AD. The method is fairly straightforward: Suction is created on the skin—traditionally through using flame to heat a glass, which is then placed on the body, creating a vacuum that sucks the skin up into the cup.

Related: What is Rolfing and How Does It Work?

These days, many practitioners use hand or electrical pumps attached to the cups, rather than heat, to create suction. The signature bruises are caused when the capillaries just below the surface rupture. (A variation known as “wet cupping,” which involves making a small cut in the area below the cup so the suction will draw out blood, is less popular among Westerners, for obvious reasons.) Gaerte and her colleagues at SVSP use silicone cups that don’t require pumping or heat to create a vacuum.

How does cupping work? Gaerte says the suction creates a rush of blood to the area that, for some people, seems to facilitate healing and release of tension—perhaps in part because of the warmth created by the increased blood flow, which helps to loosen the fascia. “There’s a lot that’s not known about it,” she says. “It’s not for everyone—some people find relief and some don’t.” Many of her clients swear by it, and she has found it to be helpful for people who have trouble tolerating more intense forms of manual therapy for myofascial release.

Scientists have had mixed results in validating the method. A 2012 review of 135 studies on cupping therapy concluded that it appears to be effective for various diseases and conditions (shingles, acne, facial paralysis, and arthritis in the neck were cited as responding particularly well to the practice) but warned that few of the studies met the standards necessary for unbiased research.

A 2013 study, comparing cupping to progressive muscle relaxation as a treatment for neck pain, indicated that the two techniques had about the same level of effectiveness—but those using cupping reported greater levels of well-being and less pain sensitivity. Another study, done on patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, showed a decrease in pain compared to a control group. Because it’s so difficult to set up double-blind studies—when you have a suction cup stuck to your body, you definitely notice it—researchers posit that the placebo effect might be in action with cupping. That’s also been suggested when professional athletes have turned to healing methods such as kinesio tape for stimulating blood circulation, cryotherapy for decreasing pain and inflammation, power bands to enhance balance, and aqua-titanium necklaces to reduce fatigue.

Related: The Magic of Dry Healing for Pain Relief

“There are not a lot of randomized controlled trials [on cupping] out there,” says Gaerte. “They’re challenging to carry out, because this isn’t a drug where you can control all the variables. Even touching someone [during cupping] can create a positive response in the body.” (Though it is possible to self-apply cups, Gaerte recommends that those interested in trying the method should begin by visiting either a Chinese medicine practitioner, sports medicine practice, or certified trainer who’s experienced with the process.)

But Gaerte wholeheartedly supports any benefit athletes might get from cupping, even if it’s all in their heads. “As long as it’s safe, with minimal risk, I see no reason not to try something,” she says. “If we can help somebody to perform optimally and realize their full potential, why wouldn’t we?”

The post The Gold-Medal Healing Power of Cupping appeared first on Sonima.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not dazzled by human ingenuity and what we accomplish because of our inquisitive minds. It’s those traits that lead to our incessant innovations, but in the medical field, it’s those innovations that have, in part, led us to where we are performing these useless surgeries. With cat scans and MRIs and other tools, we are able to see things we’d not been able to see before. We can see the herniated disc, the torn meniscus, the damaged vertebra. But the ability to see on such a microscopic level has led to a myopia in which we do not look past that source of pain. As a result, we treat that source of pain, but barring recent trauma, such as an accident, the source of the pain is never the source of the problem. And the latest research continues to pile on in confirmation.

Related: A Simple Daily Routine to Eliminate Knee Pain

Let me be clear: the problem is not the surgeons. They are doing a great job. With each surgery, they are doing exactly what they intend to do, and they are doing so with a rare and incredible skill. The problem is the surgeries themselves, which should never be performed. If the lower spine is damaged, it’s not because of dysfunction on the part of the lower spine. It’s because of a misaligned body that has adjusted the form and function of the spine, putting more demand on the lower spine than it was designed to withstand. Similarly, if a meniscus is torn, it’s not because the knee is malfunctioning. It’s because there is an imbalance elsewhere in the body that has led to a series of anatomical compromises that have put too much stress on the knee.

Again, when we see a symptom such as a ruptured disc, we’ve stopped asking why and are simply assuming the source and the cause of the pain are the same, which is why 99% of all tears or ruptures or similar maladies in our body are labeled idiopathic, which means no known cause. You will hear causes thrown rather casually about—it’s genetic, it’s aging, etc., but those are never said definitively or with conviction, and further investigation usually reduces them to the hollow explanations they are. One of my own favorites is that the pounding of jogging is causing that problem in the left knee. If that were true, why is it not causing the same problem in the right knee, which is running just as much as the left?

The Alternative to Surgery Most People Ignore

The body is an amazing machine. At the cellular level, it is in a constant state of birth, death, and renewal. Discs are alive. Cartilage is alive. We have lost our understanding of what a magnificent regenerative machine the body is, and if our meniscus or discs aren’t regenerating as they should, it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s because they can’t. In my experience, I have found they can’t because our body is out of balance, out of alignment, and when we restore our entire bodies to their proper alignment, those issues in the knees and lower back and everywhere else resolve themselves, making unnecessary any of those surgeries, which studies are confirming are useless anyway.

Related: Watch One Man’s Journey to Becoming Pain Free

Known as the Father of Postural Therapy, Pete Egoscue has helped relieve thousands of people from their chronic pain, including many of the world’s leading athletes. For more information on Pete and any of his 25 clinics worldwide, go to egoscue.com.

The post Why Are “Useless” Surgeries Still So Prevalent? appeared first on Sonima.

Ortho-Bionomy is a non-invasive, quick-acting form of manual therapy rooted in the field of osteopathy. In 1964, an American osteopath Lawrence Jones developed a specific osteopathic treatment where pain and tension could be relieved in minutes by slowly and carefully exaggerating an abnormal posture to make the patient maximally comfortable. For example, if a shoulder is lifted due to muscle tension, the practitioner would lift the shoulder even farther in order to release tension.

A decade later, British-trained osteopath and Judo instructor Arthur Lincoln Pauls, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy, expanded upon Jones’ wisdom by developing a technique to gently stimulate the body’s reflexes to facilitate the body’s natural realignment and self-healing mechanisms. Pauls discovered a way to initiate the release of a contraction in the body within only three to 15 seconds without any pain, based on the core principle that the body’s natural state is balance.

In contrast to manual therapies such as Rolfing or massage that may apply aggressive force to break apart tension or knots, Ortho-Bionomy is considered safe, gentle, and subtle. The practitioner unlocks tension and relieves pain using hands-on or non-physical contact with the client’s energy field, initiating innate reflexes that remind the body of its own natural ability to find balance. This energetic component works similarly to Reiki, Harari explains: “Why try to fix the body when it can heal itself and all it needs is a little support?”

Combining tools from his background in dance, yoga, acrobatics, and massage therapy with his training in Ortho-Bionomy, Harari founded his company called Kinetic Body Therapy. The technique he now practices is called Kinetic Release Therapy (KRT), which includes but is not limited to pure Ortho-Bionomy.

Related: How Does Rolfing Work to Relieve Pain?

Prior to founding Kinetic Body Therapy, Harari noticed that the deep massage techniques he was practicing worked temporarily, but often did not have lasting effects. He believes this dilemma relates to the body’s response when force is applied to release a contraction: to contract more and protect itself. Edan has witnessed how the body can heal dramatically and spontaneously from chronic pain and tension when held in a safe space, though this is based on anecdotal evidence more than existing scientific data.

Kinetic Release Therapy (KRT) is based on the principle that the body has innate wisdom, opposing techniques based on a philosophy that the body needs to be fixed or manipulated. Harari’s clientele have ranged from an eight-year-old boy to a 98-year-old woman. He states that his work has no contraindications because of its gentle nature.

Kinetic Release Therapy works on the nervous system, positioning the body in a way that sets off sensors and proprioceptive reflexes of the nervous system to instantly unlock contractions organically and naturally: “This is what you feel in a Kinetic Release Therapy (KRT) session; a complete release of a contraction from the inside out.” However, Harari’s work is not just limited to the nervous system. He uses the nervous system as a launching point to stimulate circulatory fluids to move into the lymphatic and endocrine system, the systems in our body that relate to immunity and hormone balance. He also works with joints and internal organs to bring the entire structure of the body back into balance.

Related: A Yoga Sequence to Balance the Body

Based on the comfort level of the individual, a KRT session typically begins with Acro-Therapeutics or inversion therapy, where the client is held in an upside down position to decompress the spine. Afterward, Harari moves onto the Ortho-Bionomy portion, scanning his client’s body to release contractions from the fascia and tissues as well as realigning joints. He also looks at contractions in the lymphatic system. “It’s about treating the individual in a holistic way, not just the symptoms.”

Similar to concepts in homeopathic medicine, Kinetic Release Therapy is rooted in a notion that movement with the flow of energy makes it more likely the body will heal itself. For instance, if an individual’s shoulder is lifted due to a contraction, rather than pushing the shoulder down with force, the shoulder is lifted even further in order to be released. One unique aspect of KRT is that there is no protocol. KRT is principle-based work guided solely by the intuition of the practitioner.

Harari feels strongly about his role as a healer and body-worker.

“It’s not that I healed them, it’s that their body healed itself and I’m just the facilitator. When we feel safe in a matter of seconds the body can heal itself and release its own tension.”

The post What Is Kinetic Body Therapy? appeared first on Sonima.

Severe or chronic pain affects nearly 50 million American adults, reports a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which was published in The Journal of Pain last summer. About half of these people are suffering from chronic pain every single day. Steven, the subject of Sonima.com’s new video series called “Becoming Pain Free,” is one of them.

The 34-year-old independent filmmaker and photographer, who just moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Melanie, and 5-year-old son, Victor, has been battling consistent joint pain in his legs, wrists, and lower back—a byproduct of his profession that requires holding heavy camera equipment for hours—for about nine years. It’s common for Steven to wake up with numb arms and feet and unable to walk. When doctors couldn’t help him address the pain, he turned to Pete Egoscue, Sonima.com’s pain and anatomy advisor, author of multiple books including Pain Free, and creator of the Egoscue Method, an exercise therapy program—taught at more than 25 clinics worldwide—aimed at healing chronic pain without prescription painkillers or invasive surgery.

In episode eight of the series, Steven brings his family to Del Mar for his final visit to the Egoscue Clinic. In a before-and-after photo comparison, Steven’s progress is obvious to Victor, who points out the noticeable difference in his posture. Melanie, attests to changes in Steven’s energy level and overall well-being. After reviewing this progress together, Brian introduces Steven and his family to the “function run,” a slow-paced conditioning exercise designed to engage the hips and lower body and support better posture and mobility. This simple exercise will be key to Steven’s maintenance program now the the eight-week-program is complete, and it’s also something that the whole family can do together. Watch the video above to learn more about Steven’s transformation, and how this journey has affected him and his family.

Missed the earlier episodes of “Becoming Pain Free”? Watch them here:

• Episode 1: Taking the First Steps Toward Pain-Free Living
• Episode 2: The Surprising Factors That Contribute to Chronic Pain
• Episode 3: Continuing the Journey to Pain-Free Living
• Episode 4: See the Amazing Role That Posture Plays in Pain Relief
• Episode 5: Why Proper Alignment Is Crucial for Pain Relief
• Episode 6: How the “Patch” Workout Aids in Pain Relief
• Episode 7: The Power of Your Mindset in Healing Chronic Pain

The post “I Healed My Chronic Pain Naturally in 8 Weeks” appeared first on Sonima.

Severe or chronic pain affects nearly 50 million American adults, reports a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which was published in The Journal of Pain last summer. About half of these people are suffering from chronic pain every single day. Steven, the subject of Sonima.com’s new video series called “Becoming Pain Free,” is one of them.

The 34-year-old independent filmmaker and photographer, who just moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Melanie, and 5-year-old son, Victor, has been battling consistent joint pain in his legs, wrists, and lower back—a byproduct of his profession that requires holding heavy camera equipment for hours—for about nine years. It’s common for Steven to wake up with numb arms and feet and unable to walk. When doctors couldn’t help him address the pain, he turned to Pete Egoscue, Sonima.com’s pain and anatomy advisor, author of multiple books including Pain Free, and creator of the Egoscue Method, an exercise therapy program—taught at more than 25 clinics worldwide—aimed at healing chronic pain without prescription painkillers or invasive surgery.

In episode seven of this video series, Steven travels to Florida to meet with Pete Egoscue, founder of the Egoscue Method, and together they discuss some of the psychological underpinnings of why so many people remain in chronic pain for years. By empowering the individual to examine and correct the source of pain, the Egoscue Method makes it possible for people to live their lives free of limitations they once considered inevitable outcomes of their physical makeup or lifestyle.

After meeting with Egoscue, Steven returns to Los Angeles to meet with his Egoscue specialist, Brian. This week they focus on relieving symptoms Steven is experiencing in his arm and wrist after moving a large tree in his house. The exercises, combined with Steven’s new perspective on pain, allow him to make more progress on his journey. As Brian says, the exercises are important, but once you change the belief system it’s an easy transformation from there.

Missed the first episodes of “Becoming Pain Free”? Watch them here:

• Episode 1: Taking the First Steps Toward Pain-Free Living
• Episode 2: The Surprising Factors That Contribute to Chronic Pain
• Episode 3: Continuing the Journey to Pain-Free Living
• Episode 4: See the Amazing Role That Posture Plays in Pain Relief
• Episode 5: Why Proper Alignment Is Crucial for Pain Relief
• Episode 6: How the “Patch” Workout Aids in Pain Relief

The post The Power of Your Mindset in Healing Chronic Pain appeared first on Sonima.

Severe or chronic pain affects nearly 50 million American adults, reports a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which was published in The Journal of Pain last summer. About half of these people are suffering from chronic pain every single day. Steven, the subject of Sonima.com’s new video series called “Becoming Pain Free,” is one of them.

The 34-year-old independent filmmaker and photographer, who just moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Melanie, and 5-year-old son, Victor, has been battling consistent joint pain in his legs, wrists, and lower back—a byproduct of his profession that requires holding heavy camera equipment for hours—for about nine years. It’s common for Steven to wake up with numb arms and feet and unable to walk. When doctors couldn’t help him address the pain, he turned to Pete Egoscue, Sonima.com’s pain and anatomy advisor, author of multiple books including Pain Free, and creator of the Egoscue Method, an exercise therapy program—taught at more than 25 clinics worldwide—designed to treat chronic pain without prescription painkillers or invasive surgery.

In episode six of this video series, Steven is introduced to the Egoscue “Patch” workouts, which leverage specially designed equipment to create an obstacle course of sorts. Because of the apparatus’ uneven structure, seemingly simple maneuvers over, under, and around the patch challenge the body in unique ways to help build strength, agility, and better posture. Watch as Steven attempts a patch workout for the first time and hear how it affects his body.

Missed the first episodes of “Becoming Pain Free”? Watch them here:

• Episode 1: Taking the First Steps Toward Pain-Free Living
• Episode 2: The Surprising Factors That Contribute to Chronic Pain
• Episode 3: Continuing the Journey to Pain-Free Living
• Episode 4: See the Amazing Role That Posture Plays in Pain Relief
• Episode 5: Why Proper Alignment Is Crucial for Pain Relief

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