"First, do no harm -
Second, revere the healing powers of nature"

The phrase above has historically been attributed to Hippocrates, the 'Father of Medicine' who is credited with revolutionizing medicine in Ancient Greece. Fielding Garrison, an authority on medical history, states in his landmark text An Introduction to the History of Medicine, "He is, above all, the exemplar of that flexible, critical, well-poised attitude of mind, ever on the lookout for sources of error, which is the very essence of the scientific spirit". Hippocrates believed that the body must be treated as a whole and not a series of parts, and that   "natural forces within us are the true healers of disease".

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"Core training". Now there is a buzz phrase in the fitness and medical worlds these days. Apparently, everyone's got a core strength issue. You have a sore back? Must be caused by your weak core. Lousy golf game? Make your core stronger. Pain with sitting? Must be your weak abdominals. If you're involved with an active population - you've heard it a thousand times. Now you're hearing it with the sedentary population. Before long, core strengthening will be introduced as a solution to heart disease, stroke, and world hunger.

Well, maybe not heart disease - but I digress.

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Politics. A topic that will always instill debate, discussion, and perhaps even social revolt. It seems like there is a political slant to everything these days. Health care and fitness ... aren't any different. There is always a lobbyist pushing for the rights of some special interest group - regardless of the point of contention or discussion. It seems we're becoming more fragmented in the way we live - and think - in our world today.

If we all truly believed that self-care and "wellness" were the way to go forward with our health "care" system (and I use this phrase loosely), then we'd have to admit some deep-seated issues and incongruities in our professional lives.

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A "mentor" is defined as "a wise and trusted guide and advisor". Perhaps this sounds like a crazy idea - but if we have sports coaches and life coaches, what about health coaches? Or better yet, let's put the right slant on it - because, as they say, perception is everything - and call them health mentors. Is this not what we need in the world of health to foster competent self care?

Yes, there is a need for health "care" - and health care providers. That will always be the case. But examine the medical problems faced by our society today. Obesity. Heart disease. Diabetes. All are issues that would benefit significantly from a different approach to health. These are conditions that either have a significant "preventative" aspect or that benefit tremendously from straightforward education and lifestyle changes. They are also conditions that are putting a tremendous strain on the health care system - and that strain doesn't look to be getting better any time soon, especially with an aging populace.

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I was originally exposed to the concept of the SAID Principle, or "Specific Adaptations To Imposed Demands", via exercise physiology. From a cellular perspective, this simply means that the tissues of the body, be they muscle, bone, tendon, cartilage, or ligament - adapt to the demands imposed upon them. For example, weight bearing activities foster an in crease in bone density, and strength training fosters muscular strength and power development. Both are examples of very specific adaptations that the human body makes in order to adapt to the demands placed on the system.

But all cells respond to stimuli.

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It's like the heavyweight championship of the orthopaedic physio world ... and I can just hear the ring announcer now ...

"In this corner, wearing the white trunks ... from various authorities worldwide ... weighing in at 180 pounds ... 'Manual Therapy' ...

"And in this corner, wearing the blue trunks ... the challenger ... also weighing in at 180 pounds ... hailing from New Zealand ... 'Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy' ...

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A revolution in the world of health ... is needed. And it needs to start ... here ... and now.

Let's face it - as it stands right now, the current system of health care, injury prevention, and health promotion - faces some tremendous problems. From the provider side, if you are providing exemplary care you're no better off than if you provide average or outdated care. You don't get paid any more or less for the quality of your work. From the payor side, we're told that "well care" is covered - but this typically amounts to an annual check-up and not much else (if that). From the patient side - I may not want to partake in any of this because they (the powers that be) either aren't going to pay for it, or the cost is exhorbitant (without health insurance), or they're just going to tell me to rest and take some pills anyways. And from the health promotion side - well, good sound educational programs are hard to find and even harder to have reimbursed by a third party payor.

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