Irony.

You know the meaning. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. BTW, it does not mean “something make entirely of iron.”

One of the greatest ironies today is medical specialization. A person goes to college, majors in biology or chemistry and graduates in 4 years. Then, they proceed to go another 4 to medical school, followed by a 2 year residency. Add another 2-3 years for a specialty and you have a good ‘ole American doctor who specialized in one single body part. The belief is that the problem exists only and exclusively in that one area.

Unfortunately, most people buy into this notion as well. Have problems with the hand, go see a hand specialist. Problems with the lungs, a lung doc is the (wo)man of the hour to visit.

Even the most evolved. . . Time out here. I am having a hard time keeping a straight face on this one. Let me start again. . . . .

Even the most evolved humans on the planet — Enduras Athletus – on occasion, fall into this trap.

But it is rarely a single part; rather, it is part of the whole. A connectedness between the body. Here are some examples:

• Adrenals – medial knee pain (inner portion of the knee)
• Gall bladder – pain in the back of the knee
• Large intestine – back problems, hamstring problems and lower body fatigue
• Small intestine – quadricep problems, back pain
• Bladder – ankle instability – sex organs – gluteus pain, lack of muscle tone in the abdominal region
• Liver – chest muscle (pectoralis major) pains, headaches, fatigue, upper back strain
• Kidney – psoas muscle, lower back pain

Which comes first? The organ or the muscle. In Natural Medicine, the answer to this question is yes. Moral of the story — treat the whole.
This irony of oneness is also a reflection of our sport. Despite the presence of tens of thousands of people, there is a oneness, a unity when we are all out there doing our thing.

You run with your whole body, not just your legs or feet. Remember to treat it as a whole.