Greetings!
I have been reading with great interest the discussions on the efficacy of
Ultrasound and electrotherapy.All points have been eloquently stated and
convincing. I have been a physical therapist for over 30 years and have
used adjunctive modalities with great success. I have also used mind-body
therapies with fascinating results and wonderful patient experiences. Why
do they work. I do not have a clue; however I continue to search for the
truth. One of those truths is that I probably won't find it in my life
time, and to completely understand the body and mystery of healing would
involve understanding the universe. Let me present another side of this
equation.
What bothers me about discussions such as this, is that no one is willing
to consider other possibilities. We are entrenched in the mind set that if
we can't quantify the technique then it does'nt work and therefore we
should not be using it. If we do our ethics are questioned. Richard
Smith(1991)editor of the British Medical Journal stated that only 15% of
medical interactions are supported by solid scientific evidence, and an
estimated 10-20% of the techniques that physicians use are empirically
proven. Do we see them throwing out the baby with the bath water?
One of the problems with science (medicine and physical therapy)is the fear
of moving away from our socialized Newtonian-Cartesian concept of reality
that has imprisoned us for centuries. Science (PT) in trying to understand
employs strategies that objectify and divide reality into sections that
they can control and manipulate. It simplifies nature and sees the world
only in terms of analysis, quantification, symmetry, and mechanism. All of
this at the expense of nature's qualities and unquantifiable values. This
leads to fragmentation and oversimplification of an ambiguous and chaotic
universe.I have been fortunate to have traveled all over the world. I have
a greater appreciation of the cosmic nature of the world, humanity, and the
unexplainable.
For science (medicine/PT) to thrive in the new millenium, it must embrace a
willingness to except a new concept of reality. That new concept will have
a foundation in the new discoveries of modern physics which will overshadow
classical physics.This movement toward a new reality will not be driven by
scientists alone, but by patients. I will suggest to you that this is
already occurring. Today, millions of Americans are developing ambivilent
attitudes toward science and its classical approach to functioning of the
body and illness. The research of Susan Lush suggests that this number is
growing and is approaching 1/2 of the population (most of who are not
concerned with why it works, just the reality that it does). Another
statistic that suggests that this movement is taking hold is the 6oo
million visits made to alternative care clinics compared to the 400 million
made to primary care physicians. Addf to this the 28 billion dollars spent
on alternative care. Medicine has taken notice with the establishment of
courses on complementary medicine in 64% of their medical schools.Again,
our response is if it does not pass Sackett's rules of investigation, it
does not work and should not be used.
What will this new reality present to us to investigate. Phenomena such as
the power of consciousness, spirituality, chaos theory, and quantum physics
we become the "eyeglasses" of the future. Personally, from all of my life
and professional experiences, I believe that the chaos theory is alive and
well. Our bodies are pervaded by chaotic, non-linear, open system which are
both complex and simple. The geometry of these systems are fractals. Chaos
frees us from the confines of logic and linear reasoning and allows to
embrace uncertainties, suprising relationships, and fascinating unknowns.
It allows our bodies to make creative changes in a chaotic universe. In
this reality question will be asked and the truth sought, but it will not
be controlled and manipulated. Traditional research supresses the
expression of chaos. Maybe a stronger emphasis on qualitative research
should dominate the new millenium
I am very comfortable with utilizing the unknown; knowing that much is yet
to be discovered. What I do know is that when a patient and therapist come
together in a healing relationship a new collective intelligence emerges
that is unpredictable.I touch, observe changes, make adjustments, wonder
why, ask questions, seek the truth, but never close doors. Marcel Proust
said, "love those who seek the truth, beware of those who claim they have
found it". As a profession we seem to be developing the market on the
truth. I think not. The phenomenology and mystery of healing that occurs in
an unexplainable world is to great. Do I worry about losing credibility
with my peers? No!! My patients buffer that. I would hope that my peers
appreciate that I am a physical therapist on a journey in a very large and
unexplainable universe. As an educator, I teach my students from the same
philosophy and feel just as comfortable.
Just another perspective. Happy Sojourn!!
Rege
Rege Turocy, DHCE, PT
Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Therapy
Rangos School of Health Sciences
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA 15282
412/396-5545
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