INCONVENIENT TRUTHS: RESHAPING WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW TO CONFRONT WHAT WE BELIEVE

People tend to have a very defined (and concrete) definition of their Self. (Like, we really KNOW who & what we are … fo’ sho!) Frequently I have the experience of offering some tool / strategy / advice to a student only to have it immediately rebutted with something they BELIEVE to be true about their own body / experience / reality. (Often it’s something a friend or authority said once maybe ten years ago … it felt true then … must be true now.) 

The problem is that even science is only a little more right today than it was yesterday … and a touch more wrong now than it will be tomorrow. 

What we label as facts … change. 

So, certainly concerns and preferences should change … too. 

In an effort to jump this hurdle, in my workshops and sessions I’ll include some current truths about the human body. These are things modern(-ish) science has recently “found out” about … us.

• You have a surprising amount of non-human cells & such that make up the YOUR body

• Up to 10% of your DNA is non-human virus DNA

• Chemical signals from gut microbiome cross the blood-brain barrier … and contribute to your happiness and overall health. Without these bacteria you’d die … literally

• Lungs don’t just respirate … they PRODUCE red blood cells

• No worries though because your skin “breathes” oxygen too … like leaves

• Your skin … and your eyes … have many important (and easily disrupted) jobs

• You have 4 quadricep muscles … or is it 5 … or is it 4? Science isn’t sure. But they’re strong!

• Your strongest muscle may surprise you though: it’s your masseter muscles (in your jaw)

• Most of your fascial system is actually liquid

• If you don’t know what “fascia” is … it’s a whole other soft-tissue system that science just discovered (part of), but manual therapists have been working directly ON for over 80 years (catch up, science!)

• Healthy bones are strong, pliable, and filled with “goo” … they act like shock absorbers … rather than rigid rods

• Speaking of bones … humans are growing a “new” knee bone (one we “use to” have)

• Bare-feet are important … in more ways than you know … taking those bare feet outside is even more important

• The brain doesn’t just adapt … it can re-map itself … as in, create completely new software for itself

• There’s a specialized lymph-system that cleans the brain (more stuff crossing that blood-brain barrier)

• The “taste bud map” we think we know … is totally wrong … we taste all over the place

• You have over 60,000 miles (100K kilometers) of blood vessels inside of you right now

• Humans NEED dirt … we grow really unhealthy without it

• We also need to be in sunlight … it’s a vital relationship

• Speaking of the sun … it’s not the only “thing” that shines bright: The human body GLOWS!

If this is news, would you be surprised to learn that being (the right kinda’) fat is a good thing… and the average human body temp is NOT 98.6 Fahrenheit. 

IF ALL THAT’S TRUE …

Is stretching really the best practice?

Is lifting heavy things bad … or good … when you’re in pain … how about for decreasing pain?

Is there such a thing as correct posture? 

Is reality REALLY what we think it is? Or do we just make it up as we go along?

Now that your world is shattered … take in a breath.

Let it out slowly.

You’ll be okay.

Just wanted to bring forth the idea that sometimes what we believe we know isn’t the full picture. Even these “facts” will one day (most likely) be fiction … or at least just parts of a fuller picture. And if that’s the case what’s the harm in letting go of some of our boundaries / preferences / and those narratives we are overly attached to … they’re probably old news anyway. 

HOMEWORK: There are approximately 997 links in the above content (give or take a bunch). Pick one and allow yourself to get lost in the gravitational vortex of Google. New ideas are good for the mind … and the dopamine hit you’ll receive from the search isn’t half bad either. (Or is it!?)

~ james CRADER