What if you could have (almost) X-ray vision?

Our bodies are incredible interconnected webs of different systems working together to reinforce each other. The visual maps we have of our bodies from various medical systems throughout time need an upgrade. From the artistic sketches of traditional medicine maps to anatomically perfect biology posters to new age hollow human energy interpretations – surely it’s time to get a little up-close-and-personal with what’s truly going on inside.

Take a 5 minute break….

INSIGHT
(what we need)

We are relying on pharmacological prescriptions to solve our symptoms rather than holistic maps to realign our systems. 

I’ll never forget during a class decades ago with “Tensegrity” Tom Meyers, renowned anatomist, bodyworker and founder of Anatomy Trains, when he said: 

“Other than our skin, there are six other full head-to-toe systems that connect our entire body. If you were to remove everything but each of these singular systems, you’d still recognize the human form”.

The obvious ones being our skeletal and muscular; but also our circulatory, nervous, lymphatic and fascial systems. I suppose I knew this visually from anatomical textbooks. But it finally dawned on me how these interconnected webs permeate every organ in the body acting in sync each time we breathe to transport oxygenated blood, nutrients and energy. After 25 years imagining my body as a 2D concept carrying an amalgam of thoughts and emotions, it suddenly became very multidimensionally alive.

Yet twenty years later, I’m still looking at anatomical imagery that explains pain or ailments in their isolation rather than a ‘kink in the hose’ that affects other systems. Rub this. Stretch that. Medicate the pain. Our medical diagnostics look for obvious obstructions, breakages, and pathogens to solve. And our treatments focus on pill popping to do site-specific fixing like bind receptors, inhibit enzymes, alter channels, modulate neurotransmitters, influence gene expression or block pathogens from replicating. Though great for minimizing adverse effects overall — they don’t get to any root cause nor look at systems influencing each other.

Our body maps are outdated.
Preventative medicine that actually looks at root causes and are effective (like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda) have meridian and nadi maps that are anatomically incorrect. They are mere approximations of the healing that’s happening by depicting invisible, immeasurable energy systems of the body in static form. Fast forward a few thousand years where modern medicine evolved from the old practice of sketching anatomical parts of cadavers: no interactivity to witness there either! And new age maps are a mere expression of cumulative subjective experiences depicted as glowing orbs and arcs.

We need new body schemas, not scripts. 
Now think to the last “full body check” you got: did you read the print out report with voracity? Likely not. This stuff fascinates me and my eyes still glaze over. You get a rundown from the doc and if we need a little support, here’s a prescription. You left the office imagining the same body you arrived in with either a sense of relief, or anxiety of the unknown.

What we need is to feel more embodied when we leave the doctors office, not less embodied. Some kind of enlivened user-centric understanding of what’s going on in that incredible system we carry around every day. Like an advanced version of what a massage therapist hands to you as a body outline to ‘circle the pain’ – only with both perceived and medically imaged versions. Yes, we will still need our prescriptions and targeted therapies; but treating our whole system dysfunction by managing our interconnected webs has been missing from our “whole system” checkups. As well as our perceived experience of what’s happening unfiltered by doctors opinions.

It’s not enough anymore to know whether our mortality is at risk. 
Quite simply: we need to know where our hoses are kinked! When our energy, lymph, and blood flow are restricted due to unhealthy tissues and muscles, the body's ability to function optimally is compromised. Some of the consequences of our six systems not flowing properly are: decreased nutrient and oxygen delivery, the accumulation of metabolic waste, stagnant energy production, impaired healing pathways, and compromised immune function. All of these exist in a healthy person skipping down the street – albeit a little more fatigued than usual. But create even more ‘kinks in the hose’ if gone untreated. The impeded flow can ultimately lead to metabolic dysfunction, system inflammation, sluggish organs, tissues breaking down and cells over or under replicating. 

Experiencing is Believing.
Our current diagnostics technology and medical assessments are evolved enough to give us a more holistic perspective. However, our patient journeys and integrative medical teams are not. Not only would we be getting a truer reflection of our health state, new diagnostic schemas of our full body systems would train patients to fully embody their health state and possibly place more compliance on prevention measures. Addressing the underlying causes of oxygen, blood, lymph and energy restrictions through various therapeutic (rather than pharmacological) approaches can help restore our sub-par health. Experiencing a more embodied map of what’s going on inside could possibly even advance our therapies forward as we gain whole system perspective.

INSPIRATION
(what we want)

Block Therapy: unravelling the fascial system for total health.

Self-care therapy developed by Deanna Hansen to empower a whole system understanding of pain and how to unravel pain from the source of blockage. There are cause sites and then there’s the referred sites and then there’s the system. Though her body maps are basic, her therapy looks at unraveling the biggest inhibitor of oxygen, blood, lymph, and energy flow in the body: our fascial network.

• Recognizes the interconnectedness of muscles, fascia, organs and emotions to restore alignment, circulation and function throughout the entire body.

• Works through applied sustained pressure and compression to tension zones within the fascial system to release adhesions and restrictions to promote tissue hydration, elasticity and mobility. 

• Alleviating pain, improving flexibility and enhancing overall movement efficiency allow the body to increase circulation of blood, lymph drainage and energy flow.

• Encouraging mindfulness and somatic awareness while incorporating deep breathing and visualization techniques helps people become attuned to physical sensations, emotions and stressors on the body. 

• Igniting positive pain gives people a sense of self-empowerment when it comes to self-care – fostering resilience through “tough, sticky spots” to achieve relief.

INNOVATION
(what we wish for)

MapMe: a dynamic body map approximating the health of our interconnected systems from subjective and objective inputs.

Moving from static, disconnected 2D images to 3D VR approximation imaging created from a series of inputs from imaging techniques, functional assessments, and patient pain scales.

• Non-radiation imaging techniques and physiological assessments that offer valuable insights into the function of the lymphatic, blood, fascial, and nervous systems without the risks associated with ionizing radiation. 

• A health check that begins with functional movement and manual assessment techniques (ie. palpation, range of motion and muscle testing, movement screens) to provide valuable insights into musculoskeletal health, fascial integrity, lymphatic drainage and nervous system function.

• Skilled practitioners can identify areas to assess tissue texture, mobility and sensitivity to understand dysfunction. 

• If deeper dysfunction is noted, then more tests are prescribed to identify abnormalities: from tests to measure electrical signals, nerve conduction, tissue stiffness, blood flow patterns, inflammation or lymph and blood flow patterns using non-radiation imaging techniques (ie Ultrasound, NIRF, fMRI, Thermography). 

• Assessment results along with patient pain descriptions are uploaded to a 3D VR personalized body map that approximates areas of restriction, adhesion, tension or pain. The visual feedback offers patients a schematic representation of their experience — connecting far deeper into their embodied awareness than a printed report of complex stats. 

• This combined approach allows healthcare providers and patients alike to obtain a comprehensive understanding of these interconnected systems and tailor treatment strategies to address individual needs and concerns.