Dropped Into Still Waters

The Ripple Effect

In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action.

Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse.  Everything we do and think affects the peotple in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others.

As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy,inspiration, anxiety, or pain.  Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward.  The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences.  You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.

Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will feel likely compelled to do a good deed for someone else.  Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy.  One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life.  Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin.  You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness.  Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.

A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world.  You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with.  The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of love and kindness.

For years we have been encouraged to drink more water when dieting, however the reason why was based on little evidence.  Recently though a group of scientists from Virginia Tech published a study about the effectiveness of drinking water when dieting.  In the study people were put into 2 groups and received a calorie-restricted diet for 12 weeks.  One group was instructed to drink 500 ml. of water before each meal, while the other group was instructed to drink nothing.  The results were a 44% greater weight loss in the group that drank water.  Even more astounding is that the weight loss could not be attributed solely on reduced calorie intake since both groups consumed the same amount of calories during the 12-weeks.

This study definitely confirms what most already know.  If you want to lose weight start drinking more water.

The health benefits of drinking water are well documented. Yet at my Egoscue clinic in San Diego I would say that over 90% of the people who walk through the door are chronically dehydrated, what’s even worse most people aren’t even aware they are dehydrated.  Our body is a magnificent machine with all kinds of check and balances and warning signals.  When the body is dehydrated there are many warning signals that are sent out:

• Heartburn
• Dyspepsia
• Rheumatoid Pain
• Back pain
• Migraine
• Leg pain when walking
• Fibro myalgia
• Colitis
• Angina
• Morning sickness

If you want to learn more the health benefits of water check out this book

Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by: Dr. Batmanghelidj M.D.

Our bodies have a design or blueprint.  The 8 load-bearing joints (shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles) should line up horizontally from one another and stack vertically on top of one another (see images below).  When our body deviates from this design abnormal wear and tear occurs in the joints and soon PAIN.

Today we are facing what many are calling an epidemic of repetitive stress injuries, ie: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Repetitive stress???

Does that mean our body’s joints have a certain amount of movement before it starts to breakdown? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it.  Our body was made to move, and you are much more likely to suffer from simple muscle fatigue a lot faster than your joint will degenerate from repetitive motion.  What’s really causing these repetitive stress injuries, like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, is the body losing its natural design or posture.  When this happens our body’s joints lose their kinetic connections causing them to be unstable and prone to abnormal wear and tear.

Take a look at the two images below.  One shows a functional sitting-position, the other shows the position of someone suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  In the first photo the person’s weight is distributed evenly, and the load-bearing joints are vertically and horizontally aligned.  This position does not happen naturally anymore and most people need to work at it.  When looking at the second photo you might think that most people don’t look like that, yet go walk around any office sometime.  Chances are you will see a lot of people in that slouched position.  Plus I bet there is an even better chance that they are having some wrist, and/or elbow pain and stiffness.

When it comes to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome the site of the pain may be the wrist, but the source of the pain is the disengagement of the shoulders and spine.  To understand this a little better try this experiment.  Scoot up close to your desk or table, bend your arms at the elbows to ninety degrees, and place the palms and the wrist flat on the surface: let your back and shoulders slump forward.  Raise the hands off the surface keeping the wrists flat, and flex them up and down 5 or 6 times.  Where do you feel the muscle work?  More than likely it’s under the wrists, where there is little room for the muscle tendons to move.  Essentially you are rubbing the tendons raw; the result is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and a lot of pain.  Now sit up tall, place and arch in your lower back and pull the shoulders square.  Again flex the hand up and down 5 or 6 times.  Where do you feel the muscle work now?  You should be feeling the work up near the elbow where it belongs.  By merely changing the position of the spine and shoulders, the elbow and wrist now have more room to operate.

This is why surgeries and ergonomic redesigns of the workplace do nothing to cure you of the true cause of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. To truly cure CTS you need to treat your body as a unit and give it the motional nourishment it needs to keep it functional and in proper alignment.  Just like we need to eat, and sleep, our body needs a certain amount of specific movement to maintain basic musculoskeletal functions.

If you are suffering with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome the remedy and cure is to get your body into its design position.  Remember that bones do what muscles tell them to do.  If you work on stabilizing your joints the pain will subside.  The body is a unit and that is how it should be treated.

Click on the link below for an easy to do e-cise routine to help with Carpal Tunnel pain.  If you have more questions about Egoscue and how it can help you cure Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or other hand, and wrist pain contact the clinic directly at:

sdsouth@egoscue.com or call 619-294-3259

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I am an avid outdoorsman, particularly when it comes to hunting and fishing. At almost 60 years old, however, my congenital scoliosis  finally began to catch up with me in recent years; I found that spending hours standing in a fishing boat or hunting blind resulted in low back pain/soreness and tension in my neck, shoulders and hips. Finally, at the advice of a couple of family members who had found relief in the Egoscue method, I contacted John Elder and began my menu in March 2010. I regularly completed my menu for more than 2 months, when it came time for my annual fishing trip with 2 friends. Our destination was the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica, our targets were marlin and sailfish. As we planned on spending the nite on our fishing boat 60 miles offshore, I was anxious about how my body would react to the constantly unstable platform of a fiberglass boat for almost 72 hours, not to mention the stress of fighting big fish on light tackle. Well, we had the trip of a lifetime, hooking almost 30 billfish in 3 days fishing; AND, I hooked and brought to the boat a 250 lb. blue marlin on a fly rod, after almost two hours. The most amazing part of the trip, however, was how my body felt during the trip and after getting off the boat. For the first time in 15 years, I had no soreness or any sort of pain during and after the trip. I frankly was shocked as to the lack of ill effects particularly after the long fight on fly tackle with the marlin. Clearly, the being diligent with John Elder’s recommended menu thru the Egoscue method paid big dividends and taught me a valuable lesson about the importance of regular, intelligent e-cises in taking care of the old body!

- Peter Schutt, Memphis

Scoliosis is not a disease but rather a treatable condition.  If you would like more info on Egoscue and how it can help someone with Scoliosis please feel free to call or email the Egoscue San Diego South clinic.

619-294-3259 or sdsouth@egoscue.com

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