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Natural Awakenings South Jersey

The Eight Laws of Physical Health

There are eight laws of physical health, according to Pete Egoscue’s book Pain Free. In an effort to encourage and provide hope for her South Jersey neighbors that wish to live an active and pain-free lifestyle no matter their previous or current experiences with pain, and especially those that suffer from of chronic pain, Egoscue Institute Postural Alignment Specialist Deb Freeman of Aligned by Design, Inc., shares them. 

  1. Vertical Loading – Gravity is necessary for health. In order for gravity to exert a positive and dynamic influence on the body, it must be vertically aligned in its postures. 
  2. Dynamic Tension – A state of constant tension exists between the front of the body and the back. The posterior of the body is responsible for the erection of the body and the anterior of the body is responsible for the flexion or bending of the body. Neither activity can be performed correctly and in a healthy way without this action.
  3. Form and Function – Bones do what muscles tell them to do. All skeletal motion is initiated by muscular activity. 
  4. Breathing – The body will not function without oxygen. So essential is this law that the body has redundant systems to ensure compliance. 
  5. Motion – All of the body’s systems―digestive, circulatory, immune and the others―are interrelated. The common thread that binds them together is movement. The faster the molecules of the body move, the higher the metabolic rate. The higher the metabolic rate, the healthier the human being. We are designed to run, jump, climb, fall, roll and skip, not just for initial development, but for continued health throughout our lives. If these activities hurt or cause pain, it’s because we are violating some or all of the laws of health.
  6. Balance – In order for the law of motion to be effective and true the body must achieve balance, defined as muscle memory, sufficient to constantly return the body to the first law of vertical load. For balance to occur, muscles must work in pairs and equally on the right and left sides of the body. Being left- or right-handed hinders this balance only when we violate the laws of motion. 
  7. Stimulus – The body reacts to all stimuli 24 hours a day, regardless of the conscious state of health. Therefore, the law of motion constantly reinforces this law of stimulus. If motion is limited, the law of stimulus becomes stressful to the body. The body absorbs pollutants and irritants rather than viewing them as of no consequence. 
  8. Renewal – The body is organic; therefore, it’s in a constant state of growth or rebirth. Muscles, bones, nerves, connective tissues, cartilage and the like are all alive. If the body is not renewing, it’s because we are violating the laws of physical health. The more laws we violate, the faster we age and die.

Freeman, who suffered many years of chronic pain with little relief before learning about the Eight Laws of Physical Health, says “getting out of pain, as well as preventing future pain, doesn’t have to be as difficult and complex as it’s sometimes made out to be. It’s important to honor how we are designed as well as how we respond, whether conscious or not, to all of the stimuli around us and Egoscue’s Eight Laws of Physical Health give us a sort of foundation and starting point from which to evaluate how well we are aligned with our design and function.” 

For more information on how to begin to apply these laws to improve one’s health as well as prevent or mitigate pain, call Deb Freeman of Aligned by Design, Inc., at 856-495-6604 or email [email protected]

 

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