Letters to Muscles

Dear Transverse Abdominus,

I’m sure you’re lovely, but this focus on you for low back pain just isn’t working out. We can still be friends, but we’re just not going to be spending a lot of alone time together. I hope you understand. It’s not about you, it’s just an evidence thing.

Isn’t it Enough?

Pseudoscience at its very best wastes time and money. At its worst it can cause undue suffering and end lives. I am fortunate that in my own chosen fields of fitness and massage that the consequences are rarely so high, but this does not change the fact that dubious claims and magical thinking exist in both. There is no simple answer for why this happens, but I often find myself wondering if much of this shoddy thinking and borderline quackery happens because many in these fields do not fully appreciate just how wonderful what it is that we do.

How Pain Cognitions Can Influence the Pain Experience

The following was written as a research paper to meet my massage therapy program’s writing requirements. As such, it is written for an academic audience in APA format and it may be dry and/or difficult reading for the general public. If this subject interests you, I’d advise first reading my article A Primer on Pain where I touch on many similar issues in an easier to read format. I never had any intent of posting this online, but many of my colleagues have encouraged me to do so. If you don’t like it, you have my full permission to blame them.

Often, Sometimes, Rarely

Topics surrounding healthy eating are often hotly contested. It’s easy to get intimidated or confused by the overwhelming amount of conflicting information and opinions out there. That’s why I like to start with deliberately simplified systems of thought when it comes to food.

Why Your Body is Not Like a Car

The argument goes something like this: “Your body is like a car. If parts of your car are out of alignment, it’s going to put uneven stress on the wheels and somewhere down the line your car is going break down. So too, if your body is out of alignment then your joints and muscles will be more stressed, which causes your body to break down and get hurt.” It’s a compelling story that I’ve heard hundreds of times from all sorts of well meaning therapists, trainers, and coaches, but in most cases it’s probably not true.