The Homestead Reference Library: Pain Free

I haven’t written about our Homestead Reference Library in a long time. It’s time to return to that topic.

One book that we rely on has come back to our attention in family discussions over the holidays: Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain by Pete Egoscue with Roger Gittines (check your local independent bookstore).

(Photo: Mark A. Zeiger.)

(Photo: Mark A. Zeiger.)

We learned of Pete Egoscue (although, alas, not how to pronounce that unique last name!) from a friend who practices acupuncture. One winter I developed severe shoulder and arm pain that became chronic. At that same time, I experienced joint pain from overdoing the firewood chopping. I approached my friend about the possibility of treating these problems. She, bless her less-than-Capitalistic heart, suggested we look at Egosque’s book first, to see if it might help.

We found the book at our local library, followed the exercises, and soon had all of our various aches and pains under control. We purchased a copy to keep on hand, and have since picked up one of their other titles, The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion.

The Egoscue Method’s philosophy appeals to us strongly. Basically it reminds us that our bodies are designed to work, and work well, throughout our lives. To do that, we must keep them in proper alignment, and avoid allowing them to misalign through bad posture or work habits, or by compensating for pain instead of addressing it.

The techniques, which Egoscue calls “Ecises,” are amazingly, almost embarrassingly simple. So much so that I really doubted they would have any effectiveness. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Apparently, many in the medical community don’t like Egoscue. I understand that he’s not a trained physical therapist, but his theory seems common sense sound, and his method seems to work for a lot of people. As aging homesteaders who intend to live out the remainder of our days here, we welcome an alternative to expensive treatments and procedures. Both my father and his father had hip replacements. I do not intend to ever have that operation. Egosque believes that the majority of them are not necessary. Should my hip ever start to bother me, I hope to prove him right.

This life takes a lot out of us, and we can only assume that we’ll face many more aches and pains in the future. The Egoscue Method may not alleviate all of them, but each one the method does address and solve is one more we won’t need to live with, or turn to the medical community to correct.

To read about other titles we keep on our book shelves, start with Introducing the Homestead Reference Library,

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One Response to The Homestead Reference Library: Pain Free

  1. Linn Hartman says:

    Thanks! Will have to check it out-may have something that works for my wife

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