Rolfing®

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Clinically unproven

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Did you mean ROFLing? Or perhaps Rolf Harris? Or maybe your finger slipped and you wanted to read about golfing? Which is only painful if you ignore someone saying "fore" and get hit by a stray ball.

Not to be confused with ralphing, though that may follow a particularly intense session of Rolfing.

Rolfing® (or structural bodywork if you can't afford the Rolf Institute version) is the massage of the body's connective tissue or fascia, usually done in a series of 8-10 sessions lasting 1 hour each. Rolfing® has a reputation for being painful. It is claimed to bring the body's posture back into correct alignment, stretch the connective tissue back to its original length, increase height, correct poor range of motion and bad habits, unburden your bank account of excess cash, and have many unspecified general health benefits.

Rolfing® was invented by Ida Rolf in the 1940s. Rolfing® and Rolfing® Structural Integration™ are trademarks of The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration of Boulder, Colorado, which certifies anyone wishing to practice Rolfing®.

Rolfing® enthusiasts tend to make metaphysical claims for the practice as well, especially that Rolfing® brings the body back into "balance" with gravity, and that this somehow aligns the body with the earth's "energy field".

There is no evidence whatsoever that Rolfing® (or even just Rolfing) does any good at all for anything. But it hurts, so it must be good, right?

Some real doctors can be found to advocate this process, but the same can probably be said for smoking.

Really, ROFLing is much better, with laughter being the best medicine and such.

See also

• Massage