I ventured 900 miles northeast to North Carolina this past week for my next course in Neuromuscular Therapy. For whatever reason, unbeknownst to me, I went into the class processing thoughts like a conquering hero. Professor Clooney (I’ll explain later) was brilliantly demonstrating treatment methods of the pelvic ligaments for patients who present with scoliotic patterns, disc degeneration or herniation, sciatica, pelvic distortions, or generic back pain, and in a desperate attempt to make known my status (Katie, the conquering hero), I interrupted the proficient demonstration.
“Is it necessary to determine dehydration in the patient in regards to the osteoligamentous junction?”
Huh?
It wasn’t even really a question. It was more of a statement in question form, which, only means that I had voice inflection at the end of my remark. Ultimately, I wanted to make the professor well aware of the fact that I was JUST as knowledgeable as he and that I could probably teach the class if he wanted to take a break.
“How do you know what dehydrated tissue feels like compared to hydrated tissue?” He asked me. “Have you seen or read a scientifically researched study that has had hands on clarified evidence of what dehydration in soft tissue is supposed to feel or even look like? I haven’t. I’ve dissected countless cadavers and manifested my own research, but haven’t come across the kind that has “dehydrated” tissue in one hand and “hydrated” tissue in another.” “And what exactly do you mean by dehydrated?”
He kept going.
“Most concepts noted in text books and schools, if not based off of scientific research, and even then due to low sample rates and marketing tactics, are simply theories, opinions and hypotheses. And it’s very possible that those theories may in fact be true, but noting something as factual when it’s merely a system of belief and not yet been supported by scientific evidence is nothing short of ignorant.”
I couldn’t move. My dehydrated osteoligamentous junctions were stuck in their very place. I scurried back into my “hi my name is Katie and my last name is Green and I’m really shy at first except for when I’m posting articles to facebook” shell. And I didn’t speak again. Until ten minutes later when he asked me to approach the front of the classroom in order to locate the “dehydrated iliolumbar ligament.”
Burn.
The one thing that made all of this okay was the fact that my professor looked, talked and walked just like George Clooney. I would have taken a picture for scientific evidence, but Clooney didn’t allow cell phones in class.
When the time comes that an individual feels certain that they have nothing left to learn, then something has gone terribly wrong. And most likely, that individual is merely benighted in their wishful thinking. (Katie, is that you?)
Life is a pre-existing condition. When we realize that human nature is problematic, we attempt to explore our best available potentials. And one thing we do know? Scientifically, that is? Physiology. The willful Professor made a valid point in that perception happens to be everything. I plan to study physiologic research, evidence, theories, and opinions within the health field for as long as I’m living and breathing. (Physiologically speaking.) And upon learning, will simply decide which hypotheses work best for my practice and me.
A great deal of life is based on systems of belief. It’s up to us to ask ‘Why?’