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The Health of Ivan Ilych

by Jonathan D. Simon, D.C.

If you sit on a bench and watch people walk by, you will notice, if your eye is trained, an array of bad postures, uneven gaits, patterns of structural imperfection and associated tension at wide variance from what is anatomically possible for our species at its structural best. If you could look inside the minds of these people passing, you might see a corresponding array of nonstructural tensions, as they work ceaselessly to hold off the threats and challenges surrounding them. There is no assailant visible, perhaps, but so many of these ordinary people are under assault: they might have been born into it or have grown used to it and so do not notice, but the very breadth of their knowledge assaults them, the disharmony and busyness of their city, the complex requirements of life.

Unlike people born into the simpler rhythms of a rapidly vanishing life, our people—though arguably better off in many ways—carry a world view which, even in leisure, rarely if ever allows for repose. They are not attached to the land, they do not make things with their hands, they do not witness birth or death (except as sensationalized through media); they sense that we are fabricated, not really born, to fit into a dwarfing steel-concrete-glass-plastic-synthetic environment whose seeming indestructability (how would you go about taking down the Citicorp Center?) throws up the disturbing illusion of immortality: death, banned from the room, whispers outside the door; pathetic clumps of green and patrolled parks show Nature reduced to little islands in our self-important sea.

People notice diseases, they notice bad knees, they notice wrinkles, they notice pain. They do not notice their posture, their gait, their breathing. They do not notice their fundamental fears, the ever-present psychological assailants. These, unlike disease symptoms, are constants, and we tend to notice change. It is no wonder then that so much attention hasbeen focused on diseases, on the things that go wrong with a person's body, and so little on the things that are wrong, have been wrong throughout all or much of the person's life.

Tolstoy told the story, in "The Death of Ivan Ilych," of a man whose life had been "most ordinary and therefore most terrible." His life, molded to fit the standards of normality and respectability, was wrong, but this did not occur to him until he was almost through the battle with the disease—affecting some organ or other, it was never clear which one—that ended his life. With their detachment, condescension, and futile ministerings, the doctors appear simultaneously offensive and ridiculous, but who else's counsel is there for Ivan Ilych to follow? If we could only have intercepted him as a younger man—urbane, practical, competitive, upwardly mobile. If we could have seen the tension in his scalenes, his TMJ, the lack of fullness
in his breathing. If we could have noticed the rigidity of his posture, how his weight did not flow through his body to his feet when he walked. And then if we could have dared to diagnose the detachment, the defense, the unacknowledged confusion really, in his eyes, in his smile, in the tenor of his voice.

What could we--as "alternative" healthcare providers—have done to help him? Could we have touched certain points to relieve the stress stored in the meninges; moved certain bones, released certain muscles to restore ease and fluidity to his structure; pumped cerebrospinal fluid to support his nervous system? Then, though he had not yet one sign of disease, nor reason for concern, could we have founded his recovery upon a restoration of trust, a recognition of how closed he had become and a willingness to reopen? Could we have freed him to see—or imagine, for it may not be a literal truth—the graciousness of the Earth upon which he stood and into which he would one day die; and would this vision have helped the weight flow through his body when he walked, so that he would not always be straining, tense in self-protection and competition? Could we have treated Ivan Ilych and taught him, in the days before anything had gone wrong? In Tolstoy's story, it took death to teach him, and terrible agonizing pain. If the doctors had kept Ivan Ilych alive, or even spared him his pain, he would never have come to see what was wrong with him. He would never have seen that his body was breaking down because he had withheld it from life.

Working with the body is so important because a tense body is like a padlock on the spirit, and will not allow a person the freedom and repose to overcome the anxiety which, in all likelihood, brought that body to its state of tension in the first place. What even Tolstoy could not guess was that Ivan Ilych's body also was betraying him, just as he was betraying it, long before he fell ill. Its unacknowledged tensions must have limited him, not just physically but in character and spirit—harassing him, undermining his energy, his openness, his courage, re-placing these with the quiet desperation that led him inexorably to choose his "ordinary" life from among the pre-fab models of his culture.

Not every person passing your bench is an Ivan Ilych. But who among us may not soon enough die in a hospital, fighting death or anaesthetized into submission, unaware of the graciousness of the Earth?


Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese word meaning "shi" finger, and “atsu” meaning pressure. Shiatsu encompasses more than acupressure. It combines a variety of different techniques, including pressing, hooking, sweeping, shaking, rotating, patting, lifting, rolling and brushing. The practitioner uses gentleness, fluidity and rhythmical motion to work with the client's imbalances. The client can learn how to begin maintaining their own balance.

Some shiatsu practitioners use a massage table, others use the floor in order to apply a wider variety of techniques. If the floor is used, the person lies on a futon or exercise mat. The client remains fully clothed. Loose, comfortable clothing is best. The room is maintained at a comfortable temperature, and soft background music can help to bring the person to a relaxed state of mind and body.

Shiatsu is a gentle, deeply relaxing massage technique based on older forms of massage from China and Southeast Asia. Considered to be therapeutic practice, shiatsu is rooted in the philosophy and practices of Asian Medicine and is considered beneficial in a regimen of health maintenance.

Shiatsu can help:

1. Alleviate the pain and symptoms associated with a wide range of conditions, temporary as well as chronic, including headaches, PMS, back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and sciatica, just to name a few,

2. Assist emotional balancing and alleviate emotional distress,

3. Promote health and strengthen the body's own healing abilities,

4. Regulate the nervous, lymphatic, and hormonal systems,

5. Provide effective stress relief and help sleep problems.

Thailand Massage

Thailand massage was first practiced over 2500 years ago. It is a calming and refreshing form of therapeutic massage. Its origins are founded in the Indian therapies of Ayruvedic Medicine and Yoga mixed with the ancient healing practices of Siam. It was also developed to help Theraveda monks and nuns attain flexibility for sitting in full lotus position during meditation. Thai Massage is still used in Thailand today as a form of healing practice.

Hands, feet, knees, elbows and body weight are used to produce soft rocking, rhythmic motions. Stretches and lifts are performed through supporting the client's body weight. Joints are loosened and opened through a variety of techniques which incorporate passive stretching, palming, thumbing, rocking and muscle kneading. This produces a feeling of weightlessness, which relaxes muscle tension. Thai massage can be adjusted to accommodate the client's physical condition and it is performed slowly, producing a deep relaxation. The client is supported by the practitioner throughout much of the massage.

Thai Massage provides relief to sore, overworked muscles. It helps reduce recuperation time from exercise. Because it can be adjusted to the flexibility of the client, it is very good in helping athletes maintain range of motion. It is also therapeutic for clients who are experiencing difficulty with mobility.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient and effective approach to the healing arts which has been used successfully for centuries by millions of people in Asia. It incorporates the concepts of Taoism and the relationship between human beings and their surroundings. It can impart a more holistic perspective to trying to solve health problems. It is a natural and gentle way to trigger one's own ability to cope with the variety of physical, emotional and psychological stressors which have led to symptoms of illness.

Everyone can benefit from the balancing effects of acupuncture, whether it be to help ward off the flu or to alleviate more chronic problems such as asthma or pain syndromes. It can be especially helpful in treating people with a high sensitivity to drugs, including children, the elderly, and pregnant or menopausal women.