Regaining Freedom of Motion in The Body Mind and Spirit

Written by A Midwestern Doctor on September 25, 2025. Posted in Current News

A key goal in writing this publication has been to provide a voice to forgotten victims of medicine so I try to respond to all the messages I receive—particularly those in dire need

However, as this publication has gotten larger, it’s become harder and harder for me to adequately do that due to the volume of correspondences I receive.

For this reason, I decided to have monthly open threads where readers can ask whatever they want and tie that into a brief and insightful topic.

In a previous article, I shared some of my views on the back and neck pain industry—particularly how tragic it is that so many people are chronically afflicted by these conditions and that safe and effective treatments for spinal pain have been sidelined so unsafe and ineffective treatments can stay in business.

Sadly this issue appears again and again in medicine (e.g., we all just saw how safe and effective treatments for COVID-19 were kept off the market so the pandemic profiteers could make a killing with bad drugs).

This I believe is because the existing economic model incentives indefinitely providing mediocre “treatments” to patients rather than innovative ones which solve the issue (and thus eliminate future sales).

In turn, I have seen many different effective treatments for spinal pain throughout my lifetime, but at the core, my perspectives on the subject have been shaped by my belief that one of the most important things in life is freedom within the body, mind, and spirit.

One of the greatest tragedies in our modern world is the loss of freedom we have experienced in each of those aspects of our being, and I believe a wide range of consequences ripples out throughout the human system each time motion is lost in the body, mind and spirit. For example:

•A good case can be made that walking is the most effective exercise for health and longevity (e.g. because it drives fluid circulation in the body).

•A good case can be made that the primary cause of back pain is our sedentary lifestyles and the resulting loss of motion in the back. Conversely, one of the most impactful consequences of chronic spinal pain is the loss of motion it creates (since moving outside of a narrow range of motion creates pain).

•As we age, the body rigidifies and becomes more brittle, which results in significant pain, losing the basic mobility we need to function throughout the day, and becoming vulnerable to catastrophic injuries from falls.

Conversely, with age, the mind also rigidifies and becomes less able to consider new ideas or questioning existing paradigms (and sadly also becomes prone to dementia), something which can sometimes be prevented or at least mitigated with the appropriate physical exercise (discussed below).

Put differently, losing your freedom of motion is a key characteristic of aging, and in many cases, the initial catalyst which sets off all the degenerative changes associated with aging.

Note: I believe this ossification ultimately results from the kidneys gradually losing their ability to maintain the physiologic zeta potential of the body. A case can also be made that it results from too many parts of the body becoming trapped within the Cell Danger Response (which likewise is often one of the most important areas to focus on for maintaining longevity).

•Once you spend time around unvaccinated children (particularly those who avoided the other harmful interventions children are exposed to), it is astonishing not only how much healthier they are, but also how much more vibrant and engaged they are with their surroundings due to the freedom of motion in their body, mind and spirit (which in turn makes things increasingly depressing as you become more and more able to see how much shock resides within vaccinated children).

Note: this process begins with the completely unjustifiable newborn hepatitis B vaccine—so over the last few weeks, I’ve worked to try to expose that issue (e.g., see this 𝕏 thread). Additionally, since releasing this weeks article a few readers contacted me to share additional resources on the harms of the vaccine (e.g., evidence it caused HIV and videos of heartbreaking testimonies in front of Congress)—all of which is in a revised version of the article which can be read here.

•One of the most common causes of unpleasant emotions (e.g., depression or anxiety) are prolonged periods of immobility (e.g., sitting all day)—which again I believe is due to the fluid stagnation inside the body. Conversely, exercise (movement) has consistently been shown to be a more effective treatment for those conditions than the existing psychiatric medications (which instead have a variety of severe side effects).

•Humans have an inherent need for creativity and freedom of expression, so as society becomes more censored and they lose the opportunity for that, the human soul withers and dies. My own belief is that much of the angst and closed-mindedness we see in the medical field is a reflection of my profession not allowing doctors the freedom to express what they believe and explore ideas or therapies that go against the prevailing narrative.

In my case, I’ve made it a point to:

•Prioritize remaining physically active and to do so in a way that fully engages the motion of my entire body. Beyond this having a positive effect on my health, it also has had a very positive effect on my mind and spirit.

•Structure my life so that I have more freedom to move with the spontaneity of life and do what I feel compelled to do in each moment.

Note: in a recent article, I discussed the how humans often become addicted to power. In my eyes, one of the strongest arguments against seeking power is that once you have it, it greatly traps and constrains what you can do as so much of your life becomes wrapped up in the obligations and expectations that power entails.

•Structure my medical practice so that I continually have opportunities to innovate and explore what might help a challenging illness.

So in the case of neck and back pain, my focus is always on what can be done to recover the full of motion of the spine as I feel regaining that motion is both profoundly beneficial to one’s quality of life and is often vital for resolving the existing pain.

In turn my motivation for writing that series arose from the fact that I feel this is not focused upon within the spinal pain industry, and more importantly, that many of the existing treatments for back pain actually worsen spinal mobility (particularly spinal fusions).

Regaining Motion

Given the importance of regaining motion, I reviewed a variety of therapeutic interventions I have repeatedly seen return motion to the spine in the previous article about treating neck and back pain.

However, in that article, I largely focused on what other people can do for you rather than what you can do for yourself. This, in turn, was a major motivation for writing the DMSO series as the tissue healing, muscle relaxing, and pain reducing qualities it provides has allowed many to regain their lost freedom of motion—something many readers here have attested was transformational for them.

Likewise, home regimens that can restore and maintain our body’s motion are vital (particularly in older individuals with difficulty standing). So in the final part of this open thread (which exists for you to ask any lingering questions from the last month), I will discuss some of the most useful approaches I’ve found over the years (e.g., specific exercises or ways to obtain healing baths and hot springs).

Aquatic Therapy

A huge dilemma you frequently run into with older patients is that they need to exercise to regain their strength and mobility, but because their health has weakened, simple weight bearing exercises like walking just aren’t feasible for them.

One of the best solutions I have seen to this Catch-22 situation is to have the individuals initially exercise while partially submerged in water, as this takes the load off their body and hence makes it possible for them to stand and exercise until they regain their strength.

The value of this approach (for solving the unsolvable Catch-22) has gradually become recognized and many places now offer physical therapy programs (covered by insurance) that provide this benefit to those who can be helped by it.

Note: Typically these programs are called “Aquatic Therapy” although sometimes “Aquatherapy” or “Hydrotherapy” are used too.

One of the unfortunate things about aquatic therapy is that many more rural places in the Midwest either do not have pools, do not offer aquatic therapy, or if there are pools, they are either too cold or too chlorinated (salt water pools are much better for the body).

I hence find it quite frustrating when I meet people who live in warm coastal areas and do not take advantage of the aquatics available (pools or the ocean) and instead remain sedentary because it’s hard for them to move.

Therapeutic Baths

Prior to the AMA taking over the practice of medicine in the United States, hydrotherapy was a popular healing modality, and springs with potent restorative qualities were routinely used around the country (many of which were then capped and abandoned).

For this reason, I’ve tried to track down those springs and also visited hot springs across the country.

From this I have found:

•Hot springs greatly vary, with some just feeling like a warm bath, while others have fairy restorative qualities.

•Regulars at hot springs frequently state that the springs are the thing that has “kept their body loose” eliminated their back pain—particularly at the springs I feel have the most healing water (where regulars often also report it greatly helped their joint pain).

Note: I know of multiple early rheumatologists (before medicine was monopolized and transformed into a pharmaceutical focused paradigm) who had hydrotherapy from the correct spring be a central part of their medical practice.

•Typically, the “best” springs I find tend to be relatively un-commercialized (or largely unknown) and mostly visited by people who can feel the healing qualities of the water rather than those who came about the resort feel.
Note: resort hot springs also tend to have significantly more chemicals in the water (which significantly diminishes the quality of the water).

In turn, if it is possible, I would recommend trying to visit multiple hot springs in your area and noticing how each one makes you feel, both while you are there and afterwards, as with time, you will find certain ones are much more potent for healing the body (particularly if you make a point to do your best to relax your body while in them them).

However, while I have tried to visit a lot of springs over the years, there are still many I still have not had time to visit—so for that reason we would love to know if there are any specific ones you have found have remarkable rejuvenating properties.

Note: for a longtime, the U.S. Geological survey’s map of thermal springs across America was the gold standard for finding hot springs (e.g., I would often consult it whenever visiting a new area). However, it had two issue. First, in May of this year, it was discontinued (but fortunately was mirrored here or here and hence can still be accessed). Second, that dataset was comprised of hot springs the US government knew about in 1980, resulting in many being missed, and I often learn of excellent ones which aren’t in it, and for that reason, I now often will consult other references (e.g., AI systems, this map, or state maps—which tend to be the most detailed) when visiting an area to see if there are any noteworthy hot springs in it.

Additionally, while hot springs are often not accessible, I frequently find that epsom salt baths made with chlorine filtered water (e.g., via a shower filter) can provide some of the key restorative qualities of hot springs, and I’ve had more patients than I can count who told me adopting this recommendation was incredibly helpful for them.

Note: I believe the benefits of epsom salt baths are in part from their magnesium being absorbed into the tissue, but also due to the sulfates increasing the zeta potential of the body and facilitating the production of liquid crystalline water.

See more here midwesterndoctor.com

Header image: American University

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