From Reynolds Weekly¹, 22nd July 1894, courtesy of Wellcome Library It is one of the proud glories of our civilisation that it is perpetually breeding new diseases, the very names of which, invented by our fashionable physicians, would have made our good old great grandfathers stare and gasp. And as soon as these diseases have, so to speak, got into working order, and are doing their deadly execution, with a vigour worthy of a better cause, some new remedy is suggested to our civilised victims, which soon becomes all the rage. One of the best known of these recent remedies is called massage, and it is supposed to be of use in rheumatic, nervous, and other affections. Massage, in plainer … [Read more...] about Massage and aristocracy c.1894
Critical physiotherapy research update
Moving forward in nursing In an editorial in Nursing Philosophy late last year, Derek Sellman wrote a piece that will resonate with a lot of people frustrated by the corporatization of health care; 'I retain a deep distrust of moving forward as a spindiom (spin idiom, spindiom, get it?)...The primary values of education and health care are not those of the corporation' (p.156). Sellman, D. (2014). Moving forward in nursing. Nursing Philosophy : An International Journal for Healthcare Professionals, 15(3), 155-6. doi:10.1111/nup.12059. Reviewing research papers In the same edition of Nursing Philosophy, Martin Lipscomb asks 'how much understanding of the research process is enough for a … [Read more...] about Critical physiotherapy research update
Why I recommend physiotherapy to my patients
In this blogpost, Dr Mario Elia talks about the reasons he supports referral to physiotherapy. I've re-blogged it here not because he waves a flag for physiotherapy - which is all well and good - but that he portrays physiotherapy as a safe pair of hands: consistent, predictable and reliable. "When I refer a patient to physiotherapy, for the most part I know exactly what my patients are getting into." While this might be the fantasy of our regulatory bodies, part of me wonders if being so conservative is such a great thing in the 21st century. Is there something about the embodied, sensual nature of health and illness that is elided when you have a strong, dependable professional identity? … [Read more...] about Why I recommend physiotherapy to my patients