A Modest Proposal to Rub Out Doctors

photo by Lush.i.ous
I submitted a proposal called "Rub Out Doctors with Your Bare Hands" to ChangeThis.com.

It’s not that I have anything against doctors. I just think if you can maintain your own health without their help you’re better off. The economy is better off, everyone is better off. Even doctors are better off because with spare time on their hands they can improve their golf game, brush up on their bedside manners, and get their own health back on track.

I believe that most illness and injuries can be prevented if you catch them when they’re small with a few simple techniques like massage that are easy to learn and simple to do. I believe it because it works so well for me. And there is some research that supports this thesis.

The folks at ChangeThis.com are holding a contest to see which of 20 proposals gets the most votes. The one that does gets to write a manifesto to illuminate their proposal. If you want to take a look at my proposal it’s copied below. If you’d like to see it turned into a 40 or 50 page article click here and then click on the button: Yes, write this manifesto. You can also check out the other proposals and vote for them. I hope you do.

Rub Out Doctors with Your Bare Hands
Relying on doctors to fix you up after the fact is risky, painful, and stupid. You can prevent most illness and overuse injury by going to a massage therapist twice a week or taking matters into your own hands.

When received two or more times a week, massage revs up your immune system and keeps it firing to reduce your need for scary medical treatments. The future of healthcare belongs to those who seize it.

Massage therapy made the time-tested practice of massage cool again by applying the science of modern medicine. With a few tweaks, you can apply the benefits of massage therapy to yourself. If you’re in touch with your own body, you’re less likely to strain, tear, or break it.

By making massage immediately accessible, self-massage dramatically amplifies the power of massage therapy. At your fingertips, massage is the most powerful preventive medicine available.

Self-massage! It’s not just for one small part of your body anymore.

Surgery and Running Injuries

photo by sean drellinger

I recently got an email from a running buddy I hadn’t seen or heard from in awhile. When I asked how her running was going, she told me “your mouth will drop when you read this but I just had knee surgery, for the sixth time in two years.”

The original diagnosis was a meniscal tear. She may run again, she may not, no one knows.

About five years ago, I had a swollen knee that I believed was due to a bad bike fit. The MD at the HMO who examined my knee hadn’t been practicing long. She referred me to a surgeon. The surgeon examined my knee, diagnosed a meniscal tear, and recommend surgery. I told him I wanted an MRI and a second opinion.

The MRI showed a possible but not definite meniscal tear. The second surgeon also recommended surgery to fix the meniscus. When I pointed out that none of his tests revealed symptoms of a meniscal tear, he said there were indications of meniscal tear. And “besides, he said, “the knee is swollen and once I scope that knee I’ll find something. Out of every 500 knees, maybe one doesn’t need some work.”

I deferred on the surgery and saw a physical therapist who recommended stretching and strengthening exercises which I did. My knee healed. When the problem recurred a couple of years later I discovered a yoga pose that fixed the problem once and for all.

I’m not sure what the moral of this story is or even if there is one. Maybe:

Doctors make mistakes.

or

In the end everyone is there own doctor.

or

Western medicine may result in an expensive way to resolve a simple problem.

Treating Running Injuries

I had a friend who was a physical therapist and liked to hang out with runners because they get injured so often.

When I was in law school a professor asked when does a problem become a legal issue? After many attempts to coax the answer from the class using the Socratic method, he finally had to suggest the answer. “A problem becomes a legal issue when a lawyer is asked to solve it. The same question brought to a psychiatrist is a psychiatric problem. If it’s asked of an architect it requires an architectural solution.

Think about that next time you have a running injury that needs medical treatment. If you consult a surgeon, they’ll recommend surgery. If a medical doctor who doesn’t practice surgery is selected, she’ll write a prescription for drugs. Take that same problem to a physical therapist and the solution is likely to be stretching and strengthening exercises. Take it to an acupuncturist and what do you think will be offered as treatment?

Next time a running injury requires medical treatment it might be wise to first take it to the least invasive practitioner who in your opinion has a reasonable chance of resolving the issue.

Foot Massage for Runners

Every runner needs a foot massage, here’s how to massage your feet and feel better fast.

Nine Steps to Happy Feet
Step 1: Choose the foot that most needs a massage.
Step 2: Glide your hands over that foot to warm it up, from your toes to your ankle.
Step 3: Squeeze your whole foot beginning with your toes and moving gradually towards and eventually up your ankle. Look for tender areas and work them a little extra.
Step 4: Squeeze, pull and twist each toe. Begin with the biggie and end with the pinkie.
Step 5: Press both thumbs into the bottom of your foot and press your remaining eight fingers into the tops of your foot. Begin near your toes and move towards your ankle.
Step 6: Repeat step 5, but this time roll your thumbs as you press into your foot.
Step 7: Press and roll your fingers into your ankle area.
Step 8: Repeat Step 3 and squeeze your foot beginning with your toes.
Step 9: Drum the tops and bottoms of your feet lightly with your fists.

Get up and walk around noting the difference between how your two feet feel. Then sit back down and do it all again with your other foot.

Suggested Time: 2.5 minutes per foot (but take as long as you need)

There are two types of runners those who have foot problems and those who will have foot problems. Foot massage will relieve problems that you have now and prevents new ones from forming.

Extra: All you need for a good foot massage is a hand and a foot. To go deeper try a massage tool. My favorite is the Backnobber II. While it’s not designed for the foot it’s still the most effective tool I’ve found for my feet. You just pull the little knob at the end into your foot with as much or as little intensity as you need. Move it from spot to spot until you’ve found all the spots that need work.


Backnobber II used for foot massage

Watch the YouTube video of this massage: Foot Massage: Do It While You View It