Many people visit a physical therapist and have physical therapy for various reasons. Physical therapy sounds and looks harmless and many people say it’s beneficial and experience some kind of relief. But what is physical therapy? What is the origin of physical therapy? Is physical therapy indeed harmless? Are physicians, including physical therapists, really blessed and send ones from God, as many Christians say? What does God say about physical therapy? What does the Bible say about physical therapy and physical therapists?
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is concerned with the remediation of impairments and disabilities and the promotion of mobility, functional ability, quality of life, and movement potential through examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and physical intervention.
What is the purpose of physical therapy?
The purpose of physical therapy is mainly to reduce pain in the body, improve mobility, flexibility, stability, range of motion and body functions, build muscle strength, and correct posture.
The treatments
The treatments combine passive modalities with therapeutic exercises to rehabilitate the spine and other parts of the body. Passive modalities include heat/cold therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, massage, trigger point therapy, and joint mobilization. These modalities are not the sole treatment but supplement therapeutic exercise. Active therapy or therapeutic exercise includes stretching, strengthening, and postural modification to rehabilitate the spine and prevent re-injury.
What is the history of physical therapy?
Physical therapy dates back to the Greek culture and to Hippocrates (460-370 BC). Hippocrates was a temple priest and physician (asclepiad) of the Asclepeion (the temple of Asclepias; the god of medicine). The asclepiads received knowledge, insights and revelations from the god Asclepias (Read also: The throne of satan).
Hippocrates is considered the father of Western medicine. Hippocrates was the first person, who believed that diseases had a natural cause instead of a spiritual cause. He didn’t believe that diseases were caused by superstition and gods. The disciples of Pythagoras credited Hippocrates for allying with philosophy and medicine.
Hippocrates separated the discipline of medicine from religion, because he believed that disease was not a punishment inflicted by the gods, but the product of environmental factors, diet, and living habits (Read also: Jehovah Rapha or doctors?).
He was one of the first, in the Western world, who could make a diagnosis based upon physical symptoms and prescribed a certain therapy (this was already done several millennia before in India and China).
Hippocrates was the first practitioner of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques, and hydrotherapy to treat people.
During 1500-1700 AD, the metods of Hippocrates, to treat muscle and bone disorders continued to evolve.
From 1800-1900 exercise and muscle re-education were utilized for a variety of orthopedic diseases. During WOI there was a need for medical workers. Therefore women were recruited to help and restore the wounded soldiers, and the field of physical therapy was institutionalized.
During the 1920s partnership of physical therapists with the medical and surgical communities grew, and the profession of physical therapy gained public recognition and validation.
What is the source of physical therapy?
This is just a summary of the source and development of physical therapy. The source of physical therapy is Hippocrates. Hippocrates didn’t acknowledge God and didn’t believe that sickness and diseases had a spiritual cause. Instead, Hippocrates believed that sickness and diseases had a natural cause.
Hippocrates separated the discipline of medicine from religion. He believed, that sickness and disease were the product of environmental factors, diet, and living habits.
Hippocrates lived about 400 years before Jesus came to the earth and Hippocrates also had many disciples, who followed Hippocrates. Therefore these methods (therapy), which Hippocrates had developed, were also applied to the people, who lived in the time of Jesus.
What does the Bible say about physical therapy and physical therapists?
What does the Bible say about physical therapy and physical therapists? Well, let us first look at what Jesus did. Did Jesus apply the doctrines of Hippocrates to the people, who had an infirmity and were ill? Did Jesus send them to the followers of Hippocrates? How did Jesus heal the people, who had the same ailment, wherefore people nowadays go to a physical therapist for physical therapy treatment?
What did Jesus do to the woman who was bowed together?
Let’s go to the first case: a woman, who was bowed together for eighteen years and couldn’t straighten her back. She would be a good candidate for physical therapy, wouldn’t she? Well, let’s have a look at what Jesus did to the woman who was bowed together.
He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God (Luke 13:10-13)
Wow, no therapy at all! Just by His words and the laying on of His hands, the woman was set free and healed. In a split of a second, she was made straight.
A spirit of infirmity
Jesus didn’t heal her by any physical therapy treatments. Instead, Jesus healed her by casting out a spirit of infirmity.
Jesus knew, that the cause of her back being bowed together didn’t have a natural cause. A wrong posture did not cause it. It was a spirit of infirmity that caused the curve in the woman’s back.
Jesus didn’t give the woman any massages and didn’t let her do all kinds of exercises. No, just a few words were enough to eliminate the problem in her body, which had a spiritual cause and not a natural cause.(Read also: ‘The danger of massage therapy‘).
What did Jesus do to the paralyzed man?
Now let’s have a look at another candidate: a man, who was paralyzed. This man also had an infirmity for over 38 years; he couldn’t walk, he was paralyzed. Paralysis is a loss of muscle function (a loss of power).
This paralyzed man would also be a good candidate for physical therapy. Although a physical therapist would not be able to heal the man completely. The treatment would mainly focus on how to cope with paralyzing and massaging the paralyzed body parts (sometimes with electrical stimulation). With this said, let’s have a look at what Jesus did to the paralyzed man.
And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath (John 5:5-9)
Jesus healed someone again, completely! Again, Jesus knew, that this infirmity had a spiritual cause and not a natural cause. This time Jesus commanded the paralyzed man, what to do. When the man obeyed the words of Jesus, the spirit of infirmity left his body and the man was made whole (Read also: Jesus, the Healer).
This man hadn’t walked for 38 years, and in a split second, his legs became strong. He could walk without any problems. He didn’t need physical therapy or exercises to strengthen his legs. No! He was totally healed by the words that Jesus spoke.
Jesus vs Hippocrates
We can conclude, that the doctrine of Jesus (principles of the Kingdom of God) diametrically opposes the teaching of Hippocrates (principles of the kingdom of the world; the devil). Hippocrates separated medical science from religion. Therefore when people say, that doctors, physical therapists, and psychologists are blessed ones from God, it is a lie from the devil!
When we are carnal and walk after the flesh, we shall always look at diseases and infirmities as the result of a natural cause. We shall always look for natural causes, like a wrong lifestyle, stress, wrong posture, food (diet), etc, just like Hippocrates did.
As long as we believe in a natural cause, we will also look for a natural solution in the natural realm, i.e. the physical therapist, manual therapist, mensendieck, etc. (Read also: ‘Jehovah Rapha or mensendieck?‘)
But when we walk after the Spirit, we shall see that sickness and disease have a spiritual cause.
We shall know, that the cause is a demonic evil spirit, who disturbs the harmony in a body. We shall know that physical therapy will not get rid of the problem and we shall know that not any therapy could take away the root of the problem (disease/sickness). Therefore we will use our spiritual weapons, to solve the problem.
Jehovah Rapha vs physical therapist
When you visit a physical therapist, you may experience some kind of relief, but this will only be temporary. After a while, the pain (the problem) will come back, and will often become worse. It can also be, that the pain will come back in another part of the body and that you need physical therapy again.
- Is the way of physical therapy really God’s way? Is it the way of the Kingdom of God?
- Does God (Jesus) really want you to be treated, by someone, who applies methods based upon a worldly doctrine of man, which is at odds with His doctrine?
- Does God approve to become involved with a therapy that originates from the kingdom of darkness, and denies Him and the spiritual world?
- Does He want you to allow a physical therapist to lay hands on your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and therefore God’s possession?
- When you visit a physical therapist, how can you fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus of believers laying hands on the sick and they shall recover? How can you believe that someone shall recover by the laying on of hands, while you visit a physical therapist, who lays hands on you?
‘Be the salt of the earth’
Source: KJV, *Wikipedia
