I don’t know if anyone else is having these concerns but I need to say something and offer some ideas about possible solutions.
I am always seeing a big push for evidence-based practice ‘AS IF’ the evidence being produced by research is solving all the issues practitioners are having in practice, especially in relation to helping understand and treat patients with chronic health issues more effectively. I question if this is actually the case?
This would only ‘potentially’ be the case if holistic integrated research were being investigated (which I am sure a few might be trying to do within my profession ‘Osteopathy’ but I haven’t seen it done to any effective level as yet). Instead there seems an over focus on ‘Pain’ and pain pathways and assessment for these things. Focusing on pain (and even part or all of the musculoskeletal system or any system, which is really a small fraction of a total person) is by its very nature reductionist as it attracts one attention primarily to only the tissues or pathology causing symptoms. In my experience, regardless of how technically informative (regionally/locally speaking) this knowledge is, it is rarely helpful in terms of actual treatment in the larger context of what is actually going on in the bodies tissues ‘holistically speaking’ – i.e. in terms of being able to identify and treat the primary problem patterns interfering with the bodies self-healing mechanisms (on all levels – spiritually, psychologically, energetically, physically, past trauma related, etc). Isn’t this what we are MEANT to be doing? Pain is only the tip of the ice berg, so to speak – an effect only (in stressed tissues) and means absolutely nothing without a holistic context. We know about pain and investigate it but if we are doing our job accurately (by finding and resolving patterns of dysfunction interfering with the self-healing mechanisms) then our focus (other than noticing what is causing pain) should be more about what is interfering with the function of the whole person – thereby removing impediments to healing, taking stress of symptomatic components and thus allowing nature to sort effects out for herself. Yet – everywhere we look we see a focus on ‘Pain, Pain Pain, Evidence this, evidence that’ and rarely any common-sense reasoning about what we are actually meant to be doing practically in our actual clinical practice to uncover what is really happening behind the scenes.
For instance – from whence does the ACTUAL EVIDENCE come that we base our actual treatment on. Is this from external evidence-based practice? No, it isn’t! – the external evidence merely informs us about possibilities and current trends (however limited or not). It makes us aware of possibilities and of things to consider only if we are not already considering them. Alternatively – it may provide some detailed understanding of phenomenon or pathways (such as the pain pathways mechanisms itself) to help us explain certain RELATIONSHIPS (hopefully for if and when they are relevant and applicable). It is by no means an exhausting list of all the possibilities and may only have a few percent (may be 1%) of the total picture and yet we jump on it as if it is 100% the answer and then throw out the other 99% (of useful material) as unscientific and therefore we should not explore it until scientifically proven in the external world – despite the fact that many knowing thinking practitioners do scientifically explore and verify these things every day in their practices. Yet how to we test anything? By scientifically following good assessment processes (designed to explore the whole person – not only a part with symptoms) in our own clinics – discovering something and then (hopefully) having the courage to then test it and reproduce it externally through external scientific methodological research to render it more accessible and available for all. I.e. it renders known to the masses what is ‘Known already’ in our own everyday clinical experience by following sound holistic assessment processes and making notes on the components and relationships uncovered from these processes.
Science is therefore meant to be exploring the unknown to render it more known to the masses – and not merely investigating the known to render it more known (and then throwing out anything useful which doesn’t t agree with anyone’s personal and biased individual belief system about what is possible). It needs to be holistic and expansive not increasing more reductionist. In some ways modern research, it is contributing to increased intellectual knowledge of details but decreased common sense holistic practical wisdom. Reductionist research can in some cases actually make us less effective in our treatments – not more effective – especially if we fail to verify its accuracy and applicability with the bodies tissues in our own every day practice. So – we have to have some common sense about how and where it is used and in what circumstances it is relevant. Holistic research is necessary to give context for the information uncovered in any more specifically focused research.
To get people BACK TO BASICS and BACK TO SIMPLE COMMON SENCE HOLISTIC assessment processes for ACTUAL TISSUE CLUES to what is happening I have done my own initial research and developed my own resources. These steps also outline a process for future education and research (once a holistic model is accepted and actually researched appropriately).
- STEP 1: Develop a Holistic Multidimensional Model (This is done already – Link to research and You tube clips – https://www.turnerpublications.com/home/holistic-research-links/)
- STEP 2: Provide education and training in the PRACTICAL Implementation of this model on a postural-structural level (i.e. finding primary problem patterns and explaining relationships between these and tissues/pathology causing symptoms) – This has been done also – Links are https://www.turnerpublications.com/home/holistic-health-education/
- STEP 3: (for people wanting to go deeper). Linking Primary Problems (ART) in the posture with deeper levels of Being (i.e. if you want to learn how to link mechanical ART’s with craniosacral- biodynamic findings – holistically speaking – and finally with multi-dimensional relationship elements etc – then see the following links – of which I have some workshop and other reading options available): https://www.turnerpublications.com/workshops/workshop-options/
Once Steps 1 and 2 are accepted then It is my hope that these can be further researched to lend holistic support to Holistic principles in practice and test its benefits on those with chronic health issues (which are not difficult once these are in place – see also article – https://www.turnerpublications.com/resolving-chronic-health-issues-secrets-to-success/
Best wishes and hope all this helps, Paul Turner.
