Medical doctors are often afraid of giving false hope. I’ve heard from many of my students that their doctors have told them there is nothing else that can be done. They give their patients the worst-case scenario, then, prescribe medication to ease the symptoms.
In my case, my doctor told me the worst-case scenario was that I would be paralyzed from the neck down for life. The best case was operating a wheel chair with my mouth, like the late actor Christopher Reeve.
Don’t get me wrong; I have a great appreciation for Western medicine. I owe my life to the skills of Drs. Donald Hales, Orthopedic Surgeon, and Stephen Ritland, Rockstar Neurosurgeon and the staff of Flagstaff Medical Center.
But when it comes to chronic conditions and true healing, I am concerned that there is a lot of false despair out there.
Believe me, I know how devastating a serious diagnosis can be: it can bring your life to a crashing halt. When it comes with the prognosis that you will only get progressively worse and there’s nothing you can do about it; that’s when a diagnosis itself can downright defeat you.
But, I know, if you have a spark of hope inside and a lot of determination, so-called “miracles” like mine can happen. Let me tell you about a few I’ve seen and worked with, personally.
Nick, a 19-year-old man with a paralyzed right arm told by neurologists that he would be paralyzed for life. He’s now completely well and rock-climbing for fun.
Barbara, a 63-year-old woman who suffered from debilitating back pain for 20 years. She’s now in an advanced fitness class and pain-free.
Pete suffered a stroke and could not move his left side, even after six months of in-patient physical therapy. He’s now back to playing his guitar and enjoying his retirement.
JoAnn had been going downhill with MS for 14 years when we met. She is now walking, driving and traveling again.
I have had clients with Parkinson’s who have learned to control their tremors and regain strength and energy and a man with COPD who increased his lung capacity enough to hike to the top of a volcano with his grandkids.
I have seen many medical miracles and I know that our own bodies, minds and spirits contain the seeds of miracles. I think it’s high time we discover what it takes to grow our own miracles.
Sometimes a little bit of hope, a roadmap for recovery and a lot of determination are able to set us back on the path to health and happiness!
Joe Pinella does intensive private sessions for people who have conditions like stroke, Parkinson’s, MS, arthritis and more. For information on private sessions call Joe at 520-343-3523.
Joe also teaches classes called Healing Movements at SaddleBrooke One Fitness Center on Tuesdays at 10:15 a.m. and (starting October 18) Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
He has a class at SaddleBrooke Ranch on Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m.
There is also an advanced Sports Conditioning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:00 p.m. (Call to see if you qualify.)