To find health is the object of the doctor; anyone can find disease.
- Andrew Taylor Still 1828 -1917
It is incumbent on everyone to find the goodness in another. Even if he is completely bad, you must look and find some goodness, because in that little bit of goodness, there is no bad. And once you find that little bit of goodness, you truly raise him up in goodness and he will return to his good ways
- Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav 1772 – 1810
These two approaches form the basis of my approach to Osteopathic medicine and, I believe, the correct approach medicine in general. The physician must begin with the desire to seek health. Once the outset is clear that we are not just seeking disease but rather the pursuit of good health, the outcome is easier to follow.
The body’s position is connected to mind. The philosophy of Positive Psychology is much the same. Instead of dwelling on our past issues, which can be the cause of much unhappiness and depression, it posits to focus on what makes us happy and what to change to move forward in happiness and ease. Of course, in traditional psychology, there is a real importance and need to discover the source, and most often, should not be replaced by ignoring real issues. However, in many cases, it must be accompanied by an approach to move forward.
Muscle memory acts on this idea too. It remembers health and wants to return. Though muscles can experience trauma and this can be addressed by discovering how the trauma was initiated, healing takes place by moving forward. Some patients ask if a pain will return because of muscle memory. The contrary is true; it returns to health.
The patient would do well to understand the trajectory of the journey to health from the start – we all would.
A most common first utterance from a new patient, whereupon asked what I can do for them, they reply, “I have a scoliosis” or “I have a L4, L5, S1 disc”
When I ask what degree the scoliosis is, they have no idea. They were simply told this by someone years ago. When I ask if they had any sensation in the lower leg, a sign of L4-S1 issues, the answer is no. The MRI just showed there was something and they have now latched onto this diagnosis, but people are not an MRIs! Neither are real issues, but they have now been labelled with an illness that they believe defines them.
Starting from a point of illness, especially when it is not even there, is most demoralising and certainly wrong. If the patient begins their journey from the idea that they are ill, that something is wrong, it will be harder to return to health. The patient wants eradication of disease and an end to pain. Whilst this is true and must be addressed, if the approach is that rather than a return to health, the result, though similar will be less enduring.
Rather, one must look at the whole body first. Of course, things are wrong. Of course, the person is in pain. One cannot deny this and say that they are fine! But within this, there are areas of good health. The dysfunctional areas crave to rejoin the others and return to the same. The aim must be to return the areas of discomfort to join the rest in health.
For example, if a patient has left back pain and the practitioner prods it and it hurts, the patient often asks, ‘is this normal?’ In order to answer the question, you might just prod the other side and the patient will be able to answer the question themselves!
The normal is the good side. The normal is no pain. The aim is to pursue health and a pain-free life. The aim is to pursue goodness and health.