Copyright 2020 Eileen Kopsaftis
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Contents
INTRODUCTION:
Can You Move without Pain?
I will never forget watching my brother take his last breath at the age of 42. It was January 11, 2000. He had cancer and was paralyzed from the chest down. Our mother was holding one of his hands and his daughter held the other as he stopped breathing and life left his body.
Just a year later, my other brother, at the age of 45, never woke up. His heart had stopped at some point during the night while he slept. His wife experienced the trauma of waking to find him not breathing. He could not be resuscitated.
Each brother left behind parents, a wife, children, siblings, nieces, and nephews. No family should have to endure that trauma, and that is why I do what I do.
I have always sought out truth, even as a child. When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor; yet, when it was time to start college, I did not agree with the medical model of medicating symptoms and managing disease as it progressed. I believe the truth is vibrant, long-lasting health requires much more than a prescription bottle. I want to help people be healthy.
This desire drew me to nutrition, but I also disagreed with what was, and is, being taught in conventional nutrition programs. The curriculum is based on USDA Guidelines. I have seen diseases progress when these dietary guidelines are followed. The truth I have learned is that many conditions can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed, with the right strategies. I wanted to study and teach the truth behind how food and disease relate to each other. I want to help people get well, not manage a condition.
The physical therapy program caught my eye because I have always been fascinated with the workings of the human body. I didnt think I would disagree with most of what was taught; yet, after I graduated, I still needed to learn from skilled experts about the real causes of pain.
I disagree with the current model of teaching to isolate and treat painful body parts while ignoring the rest of the body. The truth is your body is extremely complex and EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING ELSE. There are many experts who teach this truth, and when I began taking courses that taught techniques and methods focused on this truth, I was hooked! I have studied and practiced for decades, and now I have created my own program based on this truth and the principle that EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING ELSE: Move Without Pain.
After I found the Wellness Forum Institute for Health Studies in 2011, I spent years learning the facts behind food and disease while earning a diploma in nutrition education. No industry bias exists in the Institutes curriculum; it is pure science, and what I learned there works. People get healthy. I was hooked once again!
When I lost my brothers, I knew I had to do all I could to keep others from the same tragedy. My brothers always teased me for being the healthy eater, exercising, and taking care of myself: they didnt think it mattered what they did. I am now in my sixties, take no meds (I dont even have Tylenol in my bathroom cabinet), and work, doing what I love every day, helping people become pain-free since 1994. I feel fabulous!
Truth matters. So, I am on a mission to teach the truth to you.
Back pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, ankle pain, neck pain, knee pain, pelvic pain, and so on, can all be resolved successfully when you do the right things. You just need to know what the right things are, and that is the reason for this book. Some of this information may surprise you, some may even shock you, but the goal is that you will be empowered with the truth to make better choices and radically improve the chance of eliminating pain in your life.
Let me introduce you to my patient, John, to illustrate what everything is connected to everything else means when it comes to pain. (I will share many real stories throughout this book. All names have been changed to protect privacy.)
When I entered the patient waiting area, John stood up quickly from one of the dark blue plastic chairs and reached out his hand to shake mine. He had a strong grip and a warm smile. As we walked back to the treatment area, I began asking John about his symptoms and if he had seen any progress with his neck pain since beginning physical therapy three weeks ago. John was on my schedule for the first time because his therapist was on vacation. He denied any improvement from treatment and described his symptoms in detail. He had been treated with ultrasound, moist heat, massage, and range of motion exercises three times per week without any success. Since I refuse to perform useless treatments, and this was his ninth visit, I offered him a different approach. John readily agreed to having his lower back assessed after my explanation that pelvic dysfunction can often lead to neck issues. I assessed the biomechanics of his pelvis and found a minor issue that corrected easily with a gentle manual technique. Since I didnt think this was the culprit behind his neck pain, I began to ask John more details about his symptoms.
He stated that his favorite thing to do was a long morning walk, yet this always led to neck pain and headaches. He didnt want to give up walking and was hoping physical therapy could fix his neck. He was disappointed there had been no improvement. John was ready to give up and go back to the doctor for further testing, convinced there was something seriously wrong with his neck.
This was when I asked him the question that told me where to find the culprit behind his neck pain and headaches, and it had nothing to do with his neck
If you remember, John experienced neck pain and headaches at the end of long walks. This clue led me to ask if he had ever sprained his ankles. His answer was, Yes, more times in college than I could count while playing sports. I assessed his ankles for dorsiflexion, which is a necessary motion for proper gait. Chronic ankle sprains that were not rehabilitated properly had led to a severe lack of dorsiflexion in both of Johns ankles. This meant every time he took a step, he was not landing with a healthy heel strike, which created an abnormal strain up the back of his leg, up his spine, stressing his neck muscles, and producing pain.