Insects are the most common type of life on this planet and evolve in a very specific way. Their outer exoskeleton’s size is determined by the force of gravity placed on it. Gravity is strong and they remain on average very tiny. They remain many times smaller than us within this same relative force of gravity. This is interesting because when we look at gravity’s effects reduced by waters bouyancy, we find extremely large creatures like the Blue Whale, some of which have been known to grow over 100 feet long. As a person undergoes Structural Integration the affect of gravitys pull on the entire person is lessened as body segments become balanced over one another, thus decreasing the bodies moment of inertia. As gravitys force is reduced, expansion occurs (as evidenced with before and after pictures). This is one explanation why those who finish the 10 series feel, look, and are measurably taller. The body is allowed to lengthened in respect to gravitys pull. As the random body of grandma losses its balance and succumbs to gravity we see the humpback formation as the body disintegrates and gravity overcomes the tensile strength of the soft tissue, thus pulling the erect woman over. If we were all to integrate and balance our bodies in gravity would we see an evolution of taller and taller Homo sapiens? Viewing pictures of Australopithicus afarensis, aka Lucy, we see that although she was a 4 million year old hominid (more ape-like than human-like) her pelvis functioned like ours and she was bi-pedal. Did the ability to stand upright expedite our evolution? This opens up a treasure chest of ideas along the lines of what happens to us as we further this evolutionary quality and stand even more upright. An idea to grow on.

Diet is the number one controllable factor of preventative medicine. Through eating a truly balanced diet, and limiting the number of processed and conventionally grown foods, we can feel great on a daily basis. Our bodies can resist common colds and viruses and repair itself from dis-ease. Health is about balance. The human body will always migrate towards balance, unless it is restricted one way or another. A few principles you should always consider with diet include:

1. Drink more water than you think (and less when you are eating - it dilutes your digestive enzymes). Try taking a digestive enzyme supplement before eating if you usually feel bloated and tired after a meal. Try ‘Garden of Life’ products, they’re awesome.
2. Try to consume primarily organic foods. Not many people can say their heart disease (1 in 6 affected in this country) was caused from eating too many fruits and vegetables. It’s worth the extra money - you not only support sustainable agriculture and prevent environmental destruction, your food has more available nutrients which makes your body much healthier.
3. If you do choose to eat animal products - buy organic grass-fed meat and stick to cold water, wild caught fish. Note: Avoid farm-raised salmon (which is what you are getting at restaurants if it doesn’t specifically say “wild caught”). Avoid shellfish and bottom dwellers - toxins are concentrated in their flesh which then find their way into your flesh.

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Rolf Your Pain Away

WebMD Feature Reviewed By Michael Smith, MD

Concert pianist Leon Fleisher almost played his way out of a career. The repetitive stress of daily practice, rehearsals, and performances left him with a crippling hand injury that sidelined him for 30 years. Though he continued to teach, conduct, and perform musical compositions written solely for the left hand, his ability to use his right hand was virtually nil. For years he explored practically every diagnostic and therapeutic option he heard about, with little or no success, until his wife suggested Rolfing. Ten months later, Fleisher was once again performing — this time with both hands.

Fleisher is not alone in having found relief from intense, crippling pain through this form of massage. Rolfing, which is named for the woman who developed it — Ida P. Rolf, PhD — is attracting increasing attention as more people, including celebrities such as actor LeVar Burton of Star Trek fame, and athletes such as Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko, credit Rolfing for not only easing pain, but also with helping them gain more self-esteem and realize their potential.
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About the way Western Medicine and the “health” care industry thinks. Dr. Ida Rolf said, “You start with Grandpa’s assumptions, you are going to get Grandpa’s conclusions.” I don’t know if this quote is relevant to this but hopefully it will get you to watch it.

The Town of Allopath Movie

I’m the one in the red sweatshirt, bottom middle. Click here for the full link to the article.

In her 1963 study, “Project Breakthrough”, Ida Rolf found that children who had received Rolfing work exhibited better muscle tone, better alignment, and improved social responsiveness.

Dr. Valerie D. Hunt and Dr. Wayne W. Massey of the UCLA Department of Kinesiology completed a five-year controlled study in 1977, entitled, “A study of structural integration from neuromuscular, energy field and emotional approaches”. They found that subjects who had received Rolfing exhibited:

1.Smoother, larger, and less constrained extraneous movements
2.Greater movement efficiency and improved neuromuscular balance
3.More dynamic and energetic body movements, with less fatigue
4.A more erect carriage with less obvious strain to maintain held positions
5.Increased emotional calmness, a greater sense of well being, and decreased anxiety.

More recent research findings include the positive effects of Rolfing on the autonomic nervous system (published in The Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association, Mar. 1988) and benefits of Rolfing for chronic back pain (The Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Sept.1997).

Abstracts for many of these papers may be purchased directly from the Rolf Institute (800.530.8875).

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