Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Mea Culpa

Last week, I made the following statement:

"I can help my clients in ways (almost instantaneously) that no chiro, PT, or Orthopod can."

Hindsight being 20/20, this was a rash, ignorant statement made after a "mountain-top" experience. I've said it before, but I will say it again: We need these medical professionals (although I think a lot of PTs think DCs are quacks...) and I'm glad they exist. I think it's important to make several distinctions about Z-Health based on my statement.
  1. Dr. Cobb has never, to my knowledge made this statement publicly or privately, and certainly not to me. This is my own statement and I take full responsibility for it.
  2. I do not have a financial stake in the company, Z-Health Performance Solutions. I only use their products. I am not compensated to write about my experiences with their products/systems. Nor do I expect to receive any compensation.
  3. Z-Health is first and foremost an exercise system based on precision movement with the focus on healthy joint movement allowing the body to express more movement options.
  4. Z-Health does produce amazing results, when applied correctly, primarily through increased movement awareness and [re-]education.
  5. Z-Health is not marketed to diagnose or treat illnesses or injuries, although it has been my experience that the system's movement education has the ability to enable the body to heal itself after injury.
  6. I cannot explain my experiences on a neurological level adequately enough for some. I am not a physiologist.
  7. I use the system based on the results I have seen personally, with my contemporaries, and with my clients. I freely admit I do not have all the science at my fingertips to support my use of the product.
Why am I writing all this? Because my blog was excerpted and posted on somebody else's forum. It happened to be a forum for PTs specializing in most things neurological. When I tried to explain Z-Health to them, I found my explanations woefully lacking anything meaningful to them.

My main point of this post is this: If you've been waiting to get involved with Z due to lack of scientific evidence supporting the system, I now understand your point of view. And I don't blame you. We're all wired differently. Keep on waiting, I'll make no judgments on your actions. If you're happy with what your doing, can prove it using current scientific knowledge, and your getting results, please drop me a line and let me know what you're doing. I'm always open for learning.

As for me, I'm still going to keep on using the system because I like the results and my clients like the results. I will start doing some more digging in the scientific literature, though.

11 Comments:

Blogger Frankie Faires said...

Geoff,

If this is a rash, ignorant statement, it is only because you weren't able to predict the consequences of making the statement.

The statement is factual.
The converse of the statement is also factual.
Orthopods, Chiros and PT's CAN do things we cannot do.

I think orthopods especially have their place (perhaps their place isn't as large as some of them think it is).

PT's and Chiros can take insurance.
That might be nice.

Beyond forms of payment, PT's and Chiro's have both classical & alternative educations that I am envious of...but I don't want the belief systems (or maybe rigidity of belief systems) that come with it.

Who wants "neurorigidity" when they can have neuroplasticity?

PS (Have you read Rob Bell's VELVET ELVIS?)

4:27 PM  
Blogger Geoff Neupert said...

Good point. I certainly can do things those guys can't, IN MY FIELD and you're right they can do things I cannot.

I don't want to get into the insurance game though.

VELVET ELVIS? What's it about?

5:16 PM  
Blogger Frankie Faires said...

Look it up on Amazon. I saw you have mentioned your faith a couple times...you might appreciate this book.

5:38 PM  
Blogger Frankie Faires said...

http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Elvis-Repainting-Christian-Faith/dp/031026345X

5:50 PM  
Blogger Franz Snideman said...

Velvet Elvis? I did some research on it and although alot of it looks very interesting I must say it sounds rather different than sound bibilical teaching. The author Rob Bell is a pastor of Mars Hill Church ( part of the emergent church).

8:24 PM  
Blogger Frankie Faires said...

Geoff,

If I step out of line on your blog, I'll rein it in immediately. Just let me know.


Franz,
Your use of the word sound brought up an interesting memory.

In the Christain denomination I grew up in (Church of Christ), there were two sects: "sound" and "liberal."

Of course, the names of the two sects came from the "sound" sect. The use of the term "liberal" was associated with "unsound."

I have no firm opinions on sound or liberal Biblical interpretations. The only thing I encourage all people of faith is to challenge, question and temper their own faith.

I think a great way to do it is through the study of contextual & historical (insert your religion or philosophy here) in conjunction with expository or interpretive studies.

For Christians, I really like Marcus J. Borg's READING THE BIBLE AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Have you read it?

8:40 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I would say the Velvet Elvis is from the Emergent point of veiw. It is a good book with many truths. None of which have anything to do with Elvis... I enjoyed it.

8:42 PM  
Blogger Franz Snideman said...

Frankie,

no, I have not read that book. I am a huge reading buff and do read alot but that one I have not seen. I to agree with you that people should challenge their thinking process constantly and never accept what other's say to be the Gospel truth. In fact that is how I became a Christian by investigating, questioning, studying and applying the truths of the bible to my life to see if what the Bible was claiming to be true was actually so. Well, in my experience biblical principles have proven to be true.

One of my favorite Christian Teachers is John R.W. Stott. I'm reading a book he wrote about "the book of Romans" and he writes:

"For faith can be weak or strong. How then does it grow? Above all through the use of our minds. Faith is not burying our heads in the sand, or screwing ourselves up to believe what we know not to be true, or even whistling in the dark to keep our spirits up. On the contrary, faith is a reasoning trust. There can be no believing without thinking."

Stott says it so well. You have to think, really THINK in order to have real faith. Sadly so many Christians are biblically illiterate. They rarely read the bible and know what they believe. Jesus even says in the gospels that you must love God with all you heart, soul, and all your MIND. Apparently he knew that if the mind wasn't involved in faith, it wouldn't last.

Cool stuff!

9:23 AM  
Blogger Frankie Faires said...

Amen!

10:31 AM  
Blogger Geoff Neupert said...

Franz,

"Jesus even says in the gospels that you must love God with all you heart, soul, and all your MIND. Apparently he knew that if the mind wasn't involved in faith, it wouldn't last."

GREAT point.

Critics of all systems are critics for two reasons:

1. They don't understand the system from their own vantage point or construct: They try to understand the system from the outside not from the inside. They lack the experiential.
2. Fear. The new system negatively (in their mind) challenges their own system. They are afraid to be wrong. Their psyche's are wrapped up in being right, all the time. Usually they are afraid of giving up some sort of "power."

Now my evaluation doesn't take into account that some systems are actually incomplete or faulty. But please not I am talking about the CRITIC, not an honest evaluator.

11:32 AM  
Blogger Franz Snideman said...

Geoff,

Got it! The Honest evaluator is the person to be; not the critic who judges without testing out the goods!

9:08 PM  

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