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Rolfing (/ˈrɔːlfɪŋ, ˈrɒl-/)[1] is a form of alternative medicine originally developed by Ida Rolf (1896–1979) as Structural Integration.[2][3] Rolfing is marketed with unproven claims of various health benefits,[4][5] is recognized as pseudoscience[6] and has been characterized as quackery.[7][4] It is based on Rolf's ideas about how the human body's "energy field" can benefit when aligned with the Earth's gravitational field.[8][9]
Rolfing is typically delivered as a series of ten hands-on physical manipulation sessions sometimes called "the recipe". Practitioners combine superficial and deep manual therapy with movement prompts.[10] The process is sometimes painful.[5] The safety of Rolfing has not been confirmed.[11] The principles of Rolfing contradict established medical knowledge,[12] and there is no good evidence Rolfing is effective for the treatment of any health condition.[11]
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was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Some massage styles with different names may be essentially the same (e.g., Structural Integration and Rolfing)
Before we explore medical reactions to therapeutic innovations in this era, we must stop to consider the meaning of 'alternative medicine' in this context. Often scholars use the term to denote systems of healing that are philosophically as well as therapeutically distinct from regular medicine: homeopathy, reflexology, rolfing, macrobiotics, and spiritual healing, to name a few, embody interpretations of health, illness, and healing that are not only different from, but also at odds with conventional medical opinion.
This is the gospel of Rolfing: When the body gets working appropriately, the force of gravity can flow through. Then, spontaneously, the body heals itself.
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was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Before we explore medical reactions to therapeutic innovations in this era, we must stop to consider the meaning of 'alternative medicine' in this context. Often scholars use the term to denote systems of healing that are philosophically as well as therapeutically distinct from regular medicine: homeopathy, reflexology, rolfing, macrobiotics, and spiritual healing, to name a few, embody interpretations of health, illness, and healing that are not only different from, but also at odds with conventional medical opinion.
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