Pilates is a gentle, yet demanding, form of body conditioning that promotes flexibility, stamina and strength. Proponents claim that regular practice also supports a more positive mindset. Although it was originally conceived to assist recovery from injury, it has recently become the exercise of choice of many athletes, celebrities and fitness gurus. More importantly, its current popularity has spawned an important collection of scientific data suitable for medical review and scrutiny. For the most part, the new batch of controlled trials demonstrate a broad array of health benefits including: a) an improvement in “functional capacity” in heart failure patients; b) a greater sense of “life satisfaction”, “perception of appreciation by other people”, “perception of physical appearance” and other measures of self esteem in adult women; c) reductions in pain and various physical and psychological symptoms associated with ankylosing spondylitis (joint inflammation in the pelvis and spine) and fibromyalgia; d) recovery of endurance and mental health in patients previously treated for breast cancer and; e) the promotion of “personal autonomy, static balance and quality of life” in elderly women. However, it must be said that Pilates is not a cure-all. A recent meta-analysis in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation reports that Pilates does not offer added benefits over standard care in those living with chronic low back pain. Still and all, the majority of research published during the past few years tends to support many of long held assertions made by Pilates aficionados. In the future, I hope that more investigations using different patient populations, such as men and younger volunteers who practice Pilates as a form of physical fitness, will emerge.

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My wife and I had a rather interesting experience over this past holiday. We had the good fortune of being invited to the home of a famous restaurateur. While there we toured his personal and fully sustainable garden and farm. Two things struck me about this unique encounter. The first was the obvious joy that this gentleman exhibited while giving us a tour of his own private paradise. It reminded me, in the best possible way, of the enthusiasm that children display when they’re genuinely excited about something that’s important to them. The other thing that captured my attention was that his young children were keenly aware of the fate that would ultimately befall the chicken, pigs and other animals that live on their farm. They clearly understood that their food was not coming from a package in the refrigerated section of a supermarket, but rather from the land itself. I understand that some people may find the last few sentences objectionable. However I firmly believe that if we decide to eat an omnivorous diet, then we must come to terms with all that it encompasses. This family not only understands that point of view, they live it. Read more »

A common criticism of conventional medicine is that it’s too clinical. Some patients feel like they’re simply cogs in a massive medical machine that needs repair. This is one of the unintended consequences of relying too heavily on the cold, hard facts provided by science alone. On the other hand, alternative medicine can sometimes go too far in the other direction, allowing emotions to run the show. Several years ago I attended a conference in which the famed cancer patient advocate Dr. Bernie Siegel gave a presentation. He emphasized the importance of considering every available treatment option and understanding the reality of one’s condition. But he balanced that advice by adding this, “Statistics do not apply to individuals and there is no false hope”. Read more »

If I asked you to invent a form of physical activity that supports the body, mind and spirit, you’d be hard pressed to come up with something better than dancing. Let me start by telling you that I am not a dancer. When I do dance, the only benefit that I’m aware of is the laughter that it incites in others. It’s just not something that comes naturally to me. But that’s really beside the point. There are very good reasons to consider incorporating dance into your life. As odd as it may seem, scientists from all over world are asking their patients to put on their dancing shoes. Read more »