General Articles about Craniosacral Therapy

Food for Thought / Water for Life

Mon, 31 May 2010 13:47:59 -0400

#1.   75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
    (Likely applies to half the world's population)

#2.     In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3.    Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

#4.   One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5.     Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6.    Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7.    A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term
memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on
the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8.   Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast
cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE

#1.   In many states, the highway patrol carries
two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from
the highway after a car accident.

#2.     You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke,
and it will be gone in two days.

#3.    To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the
toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour,
then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes
stains from vitreous china.
(I'm not too sure what it does to a septic system though!)

#4.   To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers,
rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds
Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

#5.    To clean corrosion from car battery terminals, pour
  a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble
away the corrosion..

#6.   To loosen a rusted bolt, apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola
to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

#7.   To bake a moist ham, empty a can of Coca-Cola into
the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil and bake.
Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix
with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

#8...   To remove grease from clothes, empty a can of Coke
into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent and run
through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen
grease stains.

It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

#1     The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid.
It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric
acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major
contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.

#2.   To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), the
commercial trucks must use Hazardous Material place
cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

#3.   The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean
engines of the trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is, would you like a glass of water?

or Coke?

Ted Grand
Director/Founder - Moksha Yoga
www.mokshayoga.ca
416-778-9898
twitter @mokshayoga

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

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Life floats on the waters of the bay and Moses' hands

Wed, 26 May 2010 13:53:13 -0400

BOB MURPHY
April 29, 2010

WE FOOTBALLERS spend a lot of time at Melbourne's beaches at this time of year, all in the name of healing. As the leaves fall and the temperature drops, the rest of you head indoors to your wood fires and woollies, while us jocks stand in our, um, jocks, drawing the salty water into our aching bones.
There are still a few folk about as we take our weekly plunge, people who don't kick a footy for a living yet maintain the ritual anyway. I envy these pure souls as they take to our freezing waters. They seem to have a crystal-clear view of what it takes to heal themselves.
Marvin Gaye used to sing about healing, although probably not the kind you'll generally find in the sports pages. But whether it's broken bones, broken hearts or broken-down trains (again), we all need a little bit of healing.

I'm fascinated with the idea of embarking on a daily ritual to cleanse the body and freshen the mind. The search for a wholeness, if you like.
Whether us Doggies encounter these cold-water gypsies in the waters of Williamstown, Port Melbourne or even out at Sandringham, they all carry themselves in a similar way. They seem oblivious to the bone-rattling cold. It's their calmness I envy.
Health and healing have become more fascinating to me as I've gotten older. Perhaps because of age, perhaps through becoming a parent, or maybe a simpler trigger has been two pretty major knee operations that have needed constant attention.
The idea that all of us are in a constant state of flux between hurting and healing is quite incredible. We are all in this one together; to be human is to hurt and heal.
If you're like me then you'll file your life in various folders. One folder contains your career. For me, that's obviously football and all it entails: kicking, handballing, running and chest marking. Family life is wife, kids, bills, cooking, bins, forgetting to put out the bins.
From there you branch off into other relationships - parents, brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, mentors, baristas (the coffee ones), etc. What else? I'd have to find somewhere for my interests, like music, books, movies, actors, writers, trains, coffee, beards … I could go on and on. All have their own little folder in my filing cabinet.
When my wife and I had our first child two-and-a-half years ago, we took our precious new boy to see a local osteopath. The birth had been pretty tough on everyone, and we thought our little man might benefit from the healing hands of a professional.
We went into the treatment room and sat down to chat over Jarvis' very brief, four-week medical history. Our new osteo spoke with that amazing calmness I mentioned earlier, and as he held our brand new boy, he not only explained how he was treating Jarvis, but also told us what a good job we were doing as new, young parents.
Ever since I've referred to our healer as Moses. I'm guilty of overstating things occasionally, but when I say Moses was placed on this earth to heal people, I really believe it.
Any first-time parent will tell you those first few months are pretty scary, and you're never quite sure what you're doing. As Moses cradled our tiny Jarvis in his hands while reassuring us, it felt like we were all being healed. Looking back on that time, I really think we were.
Moses was performing craniosacral therapy, which in short is the manipulation of the brain fluid. Never taking his gaze off our baby, Moses continued to talk to us about health and the joy of new life.
Jarvis certainly liked it. Little bubs are prone to awful stomach pain, and their bodies contort quite violently. All of a sudden, Jarvis was asleep. His arms stretched out and his mouth hung wide open, completely relaxed.
Silence filled the room - a silence that was quickly replaced by several minutes of continuous flatulence. As the adults giggled, a little boy was free of all pain and continued sleeping for hours.
From that day on, Moses has been a regular fixture in our family's week. Mostly it's just Dad who makes the trek through the desert to see him, but sometimes all four of us bow at the altar of our man with the healing hands.
Over time the treatment and chats have grown to incorporate many things. Moses is a lover of the arts, books, music, football, kids, wine, food, travel and Melbourne. I guess more than anyone he has taught me that these folders we file our lives in aren't separate after all, but are one and the same.
Sitting in my favourite Seddon cafe this week, reading my Wednesday copy of The Age, I came across two articles on opposite pages that mirrored this notion of hurting and healing. One was about a recent study on the health benefits of continuous laughter, the other about a man who had tried to help a woman who was being attacked, was attacked himself, and left to bleed to death as at least 25 people walked by.
People being studied in a laboratory for the joys of laughter, and a man left to die alone on the footpath. I doubt I'll see a better example of how we pinball between these two extremes of hurting or healing.
I can't tell you what will best heal your ills, but I do know a splash of salt water and a dash of Moses won't hurt.

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

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A Light Touch

Wed, 26 May 2010 13:42:47 -0400

By SARA GROVES For the Independent Record | Posted: Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Dylan Brown Independent Record - Sara Groves, left, watches her son, Peter, receive CranioSacral Therapy, a light touch technique, from Phil Robison Tuesday to relieve inner ear pressure.

Dylan Brown Independent Record - Phil Robison stretches out Peter's back after a CranioSacral Therapy session Tuesday

Room for Improvement is a weekly column written by freelance writer Sara Groves about her yearlong quest to improve her physical, mental and financial health.

When I was seven months pregnant with my first baby, Phil Robison visited my prenatal yoga class to talk about his specialty — craniosacral therapy.
I’d never heard of anything like it so when he offered to do a demonstration, I raised my hand. After I lay down on the massage table, Phil lightly touched my chest, back and head and stretched my legs. It felt great but, at the time, I didn’t see how such a light touch — about five grams, or less than the weight of a nickel — could resolve issues ranging from migraines in adults to colic in babies.
Little did I know I’d be desperate for Phil’s help about a month later when my baby’s position shifted and I suddenly had such piercing lower back pain that I couldn’t walk. I literally crawled around my house on my hands and knees. On a trip to Costco, I had to ride in an electric cart, complete with an orange “caution” flag.
No matter what I did, nothing seemed to alleviate the pain. I tried ice and heat. I stayed off my feet. I practiced yoga. I tried physical therapy. Nothing worked. So I called Phil.
Just a few minutes into my craniosacral session with Phil, I felt relief — for the first time in weeks. Craniosacral therapy helped me go from riding in the Costco cart to something between a normal walk and a shuffle. I certainly wasn’t running marathons, but a couple of sessions with Phil got me through the rest of my pregnancy upright and cart-free.
So what is craniosacral therapy? In short, it’s a type of light touch bodywork that focuses on gently stretching the soft connective tissues in the body. The work of craniosacral therapy centers on increasing flexibility at key points in the body, such as the sutural joints of the skull bones, the base of the spine, and other areas of chronic tension. By relaxing these areas of the body, people often experience dramatic enhancement of body functioning and, best of all, the alleviation of pain.
The reasons people try craniosacral therapy are diverse. The majority of Phil’s clients seek relief from some type of pain — headaches, backaches and neck pain. Some people see Phil on a monthly basis as a type of body tune-up.
And lots of people, me included, bring their kids to see him. When my 6-year-old, Mike, was an infant, we brought him to see Phil as part of our well-child care routine. For whatever reason, we didn’t do this with our youngest son, 3-year-old, Peter, until recently.
Peter has had chronic ear infections since he was one year old. Tubes were put in his ears when he was 19 months old and he was ear-infection-free until a couple of months ago — when both of his ears became very infected.
Since cold and flu season is supposedly waning, our pediatrician has advised a “wait and see” protocol before we put more tubes in Peter’s ears. I mentioned this to Phil (full disclosure here: Phil is my neighbor so I see him a lot) and he suggested I bring Peter for a craniosacral visit.
Since I had experienced craniosacral therapy myself, I knew that it is completely non-invasive and there are no side effects to the treatment. In fact, it feels great so it made sense to me to give it a try. The worst thing that could happen was that Peter would enjoy a very relaxing experience. The best thing that could happen was that Peter’s ears would start draining properly.
If you just watch craniosacral therapy, it’s hard to imagine that it could make you feel better. It looks as if Phil is just lightly touching the head, chest and back. But on the receiving end, it is immediately clear that something important is going on. Phil says he is helping the membrane systems of the body balance and lengthen, and that light touch is the perfect way to get the job done.
Phil works on adults for about an hour and on children for a half hour. After my sessions with Phil, I felt great — lighter somehow, free of tension, totally relaxed. The giant tension knot between my shoulders disappeared and I haven’t had a tension headache since my first session.
After his sessions with Phil, Peter walked around with his hands over his ears, complaining that everything was too loud and told me later that his ears felt “really, really good.” Best of all, he has a cold right now, and it’s the first cold he’s had since his tubes have fallen out that hasn’t resulted in him being on antibiotics for an ear infection.
And last but not least, Peter enjoyed himself so much that he has been asking when he can go see Phil again. If that’s not a ringing endorsement for craniosacral therapy, I don’t know what is.
Posted in Health-med-fit on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 12:32 am

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

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LIVE WELL- What does craniosacral therapy feel like?

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 14:35:40 -0500

JEN MULSON
2010-03-05 14:40:29

Craniosacral therapy (CST) has been popping up on my radar quite a bit lately.
A co-worker asked me about it, a fellow yoga teacher I know is studying it, and there’s a CST therapist who works out of the yoga studio where I teach. What I find most compelling though, is my mom’s experience. Her naturopath recommended CST to her after an extended period of head problems, and she began regular sessions last summer. She rapidly became an enthusiastic supporter of the healing modality, raving about it and planting a seed in my mind’s soil.
In the hands-on modality, a therapist will "listen" to the cerebral spinal fluid of a patient's body with his or her hands, gauge the health and rhythm of the flow, and help it to become unblocked.
CST is an alternative medicine therapy, and I realize some might be suspicious right off the bat about anything that isn’t traditional medicine.
I like to err on the side of keeping a very open mind, doing research and trying it on myself. And even after all that, if it still doesn’t resonate with me, it might with somebody else. I sat down with my mom’s therapist, Richard Challenner, for a chat and a short sample session.
What is it?
CST gets its name from the main parts of the central nervous system: the brain and spinal cord. A fluid called the cerebral spinal fluid is the substance that ebbs and flows up and down the spinal cord and fills the brain. This is the fluid a craniosacral therapist works with. The hands of the practitioner are not doing anything but feeling this fluid, and listening to how it’s flowing through the patient.
I thought CST was a brand new technique, but its roots go back to osteopath William Sutherland, who first published his ideas on cranial osteopathy in the 1930s. He believed the bones that make up the cranium can, and do, move. Although most physicians still believe the bones of the skull are immovable by the end of adolescense, Sutherland's ideas gained wider acceptance through the 1940s.
Dr. John E. Upledger expanded Sutherland's ideas in the 1970s and 1980s. Upledger's team took on studies that they believed proved the theories of cranial bone movement and a cranial rhythm -- both ideas are still a matter of debate in the scientific community.
The Upledger Institute became the main evangelists for a new therapy, now called craniosacral therapy, that has since been learned by massage therapists and other body workers such as Challenner.
The cerebral and spinal fluid has a tidal rhythm, Challenner said, and it expands the skull and causes those small bones to move. He listens to that tidal rhythm and in a healthy patient, it flows strongly and the skull expands and contracts as it’s supposed to. This fluid also flows down into the hips and the sacral area expands as well, he said. A healthy body has a smooth, steady and strong tidal rhythm that therapists call the “breath of life.”
However, there can be holding patterns in our bodies, often called blockages by body workers. They can inhibit that smooth flow, causing the area to be dry. This is where CST comes in.
The therapist will place his or her hands on the body, often beginning at the head, and feel for the subtle movement of that cerebral spinal fluid. This is where you, as the patient, have to trust in the therapist’s intuition and ability to get quiet enough to feel the pulse and state of your body. Challenner compares it to Chinese practitioners who feel for the pulse in a patient’s wrist to determine their state of health.
Challenner and other CST workers believe the body has an innate wisdom. It knows what perfect health is supposed to be, and has known that perfect pattern since the moment of conception. The whole living as a human thing gets in the way.
“Whatever we start doing at birth to form ourselves, puts a pattern over that perfect pattern,” he said. We go through our lives, acquiring thoughts and habits that layer unnatural and unhealthy patterns on top of the perfect pattern. We experience trauma and abuse. We eat and drink harmful substances and think hurtful thoughts, and our body takes it all in, never forgetting anything. Everything that happens to us is stored in the body, he said.
Fortunately, that perfect pattern is always etherically there. The body knows and can ideally access it, he said, but the body always does what it’s told. And what it’s told is always coming from the human living in that body, who might not be willing or able to listen to that natural wisdom.
CST gives the patient permission to let go of those unhealthy patterns and move back into perfect health, the theory goes. It helps the body reestablish a connection to that perfect pattern. As humans, we don’t release the habits or fears or traumas. We think we can bypass them, but the body always remembers. It holds onto the fears. And with enough time, all of that “junk” can eventually affect your health.
What the therapist does:
It is a hands-on therapy, but it isn’t massage. If it’s conducted in an office environment, most likely the room will look like a room where you’d get a massage. You won’t have to take any clothing off, except perhaps belts, jewelry and anything that might hinder the therapist.
The treatment might begin at your head or elsewhere, depending on what the therapist intuits. He or she will first feel for the rhythm of that cerebral spinal fluid by placing their hands very lightly on you. Then begins the work of influencing the fluid and allowing the body to release and realign. There might be a lot of work done in the sacral area, where the pelvic bones are often out of alignment, which can affect the knees and the feet. The therapist listens, not in an aural way, but with a medical intuitiveness, and tries to facilitate the body’s healing process. It’s very subtle work.
Challenner describes his work as just being present with that person on the table, and creating a dynamic system where the suggestion and intention of health can affect the other just by that presence. It’s almost like remote viewing, where the therapist can take a kinesthetic view of the client’s whole system and help the body recover its own natural state of health.
What’s it feel like?
I lay down on the table with a bolster under my knees to keep my low back feeling happy. He situated himself in a chair right behind my head.
He asked if it was OK to touch my head, and placed his fingertips very lightly on the sides of my head. He stayed there for quite some time, and the pressure abated and increased occasionally. He moved his hands to my forehead for a bit, then asked if it was OK to slide his arms underneath my shoulder blades, with his palms face up. I felt my upper body lift slightly up and down for another period of time as his hands increased and decreased pressure.
Afterward he said the changes in pressure were made with the expansion and contraction of my tidal rhythm. Sometimes patients can feel shifts in the alignment of their bodies, Challenner said, and sometimes not. I was of the "not" variety, as I didn’t really feel anything other than very relaxed as I lay there. I actually practiced Savasana, the yoga posture we always end classes with. It’s also known as final relaxation or corpse posture. You lay there, still, quiet and let the body absorb the work of the postures. I lay there and let myself absorb the work of Challenner and my own body’s innate knowing. My mom says she “tries to think of nice things,” as she lays there.
When the session ended, he asked me to slowly rise, roll onto my side and then stand and just feel myself in my body. He said he felt some small, lateral shifts in my head as we went along.
I began to really feel the affects as I drove away. I felt lighter and a bit buzzy and spacey, in a good way. Mostly, I felt a little happier and had an overall sense of better well-being. It lasted for the next couple of hours. My brain felt clearer, with less noisy thoughts buzzing around, and I felt calmer.
My mom reports feeling more energized and grounded after her last treatment. Another friend reports her CST experience was “subtle but incredible.”
In regards to side-effects or after-effects, he said patients mostly report feeling calm, relaxed and peaceful after their sessions. Sometimes they can feel a change in body alignment, but even if they can’t feel those changes, he said, the body is nonetheless quietly making those small adjustments to bring itself back into its own natural pattern of balance. He recommends not having any other bodywork done for 48-72 hours so as to allow the body to settle into its new state. Hydration is also important, as you’ll often hear from most bodywork practitioners.
Who is it for?
Anybody can benefit from a treatment. Challenner has worked with people with PTSD, hyperactive teenagers, and those with sleep disorders, headaches, autoimmune diseases and trauma of all kinds. It can also alleviate chronic fatigue, motor-coordination impairments, chronic neck and back pain, scoliosis, central nervous system disorders, TMJ, stress and tension-related problems and orthopedic problems. The frequency of treatments is up to the patient and therapist. Cost varies for the typically one-hour long sessions. A quick search online turned up a range from $75-$130.

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

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What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Fri, 16 May 2008 20:47:12 -0400

By Mark L. Levine

Craniosacral Therapy is an extremely gentle hands-on body-mind technique for evaluating and treating a variety of soft tissue, neurological and psychosomatic problems.

Craniosacral therapy is particularly helpful in situations of trauma, such as car accidents, head injuries, and surgery, and difficult births. Conditions unrelieved by more conventional methods are often relieved through Craniosacral therapy. It is used either on its own or in combination with other forms of bodywork, such as visceral manipulation, myofascial release, joint mobilization, accupressure, massage, and psychotherapeutic bodywork, where appropriate.

The focus of therapy is on the nervous system rather than the muscles or joints. Specifically, Craniosacral therapy addresses the connective tissue wrapping that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, forming the immediate environment of the central nervous system known as the meninges or dural tube. These structures, together with cerebrospinal fluid and the bones of the cranium and face, the spinal column and sacrum, have been described as the Craniosacral system. These structures form the core of your being. Because the dural tube is continuous from the sacrum to the brain, and because connective tissue is continuous throughout the body, stress anywhere in the body can restrict normal motion of the dural tube, resulting in inefficient movement , a deficit of coordination, mental and emotional disorder, and pain, sometimes quite distant from its source

This method of kinesthetic (in contradistinction to tactile) palpation can be taught to anyone who can be still enough to attend to the subtle but definite motions involved.

Treatment is also done through this same method of light kinesthetic palpation, applied with less than 5 grams of pressure, approximately the weight of a nickel. Such light touch is remarkably effective at moving tissues given enough time. The therapy works in part by inducing a state of relaxation deeply enough to allow the client's own self-corrective neuromuscular processes occur.

In this sense Craniosacral Therapy can be viewed as a form of biofeedback. The therapist, connected through touch to the client, responds to faint kinesthetic motion signals, and amplifies them to make the client more aware of the movements which allow self healing to occur.

Facilitation of self healing through this mechanism is, to greater or lesser degrees, afforded through many systems of bodywork, including Chiropractic Physiotherapy, Shiatsu, and Swedish Massage. Craniosacral Therapy is among the most gentle of these systems, related most to Myofascial Release, Strain / Counterstrain (positional release), Therapeutic Touch and the techniques of Cranial Osteopathy.

The theories proposed to explain the Craniosacral rhythm and its relationship to self healing have received a great deal of attention in the last few years, and have ranged from traditional mechanistic understandings focussed on a pressurestat model of cerebrospinal fluid balance and its relationship to normal neuromuscular function, to those associated with transpersonal psychology and theories radically unconnected to the mainstream of scientific understanding.

What is certain is that Craniosacral Therapy works for many acute and plateaued cases in which more invasive therapies have failed, and that many who have experienced this therapy describe profound kinesthetic, emotional, cognitive and spiritual transformations occurring during sessions What mechanisms or principles truly inform such phenomena is fertile ground for further research.

Craniosacral therapy is taught as a postgraduate course to Doctors, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dentists, and Psychotherapists by the Upledger Institute, an educational and treatment centre founded by the American Osteopathic physician John Upledger. It is a method rapidly gaining currency and attention.

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

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Craniosacral Therapy Wikipedia

Fri, 16 May 2008 17:55:47 -0400

Craniosacral therapy (also called CST, cranial osteopathy, also spelled CranioSacral bodywork or therapy) is a method of Complementary and alternative medicine used by massage therapists, naturopaths, chiropractors and osteopaths, who manually apply a subtle movement of the spinal and cranial bones in an attempt to bring the central nervous system into harmony. This therapy involves assessing and addressing the movement of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which can be restricted by trauma to the body, such as through falls, accidents, and general nervous tension. By gently working with the spine, the skull and its cranial sutures, diaphragms, and fascia, the restrictions of nerve passages are said to be eased, the movement of CSF through the spinal cord can be optimized, and misaligned bones are said to be restored to their proper position. Craniosacral therapists use the therapy to treat mental stress, neck and back pain, migraines, TMJ Syndrome, and for chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia.[1][2][3]

Contents

* 1 History
* 2 The Primary Respiratory Mechanism
o 2.1 Inherent motility of the central nervous system
o 2.2 Fluctuation of the cerebrospinal fluid
o 2.3 Mobility of the intracranial and intraspinal dural membranes
o 2.4 Mobility of the cranial bones
o 2.5 Mobility of the sacrum between the ilia
* 3 Craniosacral treatment
* 4 Training and accreditation
o 4.1 Accreditation and training in the US
o 4.2 Accreditation and training in the UK
o 4.3 Accreditation and training in AUST
* 5 Criticisms
* 6 References
* 7 External links
o 7.1 Practitioner Organisations
o 7.2 Training Organisations (UK)
o 7.3 Training Organisations (US)
o 7.4 Other Organisations
o 7.5 Advocacy
o 7.6 Criticism

History

Cranial Osteopathy was originated by physician William Sutherland, D.O. (1873-1954), who studied under the founder of osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still, at the first American School of Osteopathy (now Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine) in 1898-1900. While looking at a disarticulated skull, Sutherland was struck by the idea that the cranial sutures of the temporal bones where they meet the parietal bones were "beveled, like the gills of a fish, indicating articular mobility for a respiratory mechanism."[4] This idea that the bones of the skull could move was contrary to contemporary anatomical belief.

Sutherland stated that the dural membranes act as 'guy-wires' for the movement of the cranial bones, holding tension for the opposite motion. He used the term reciprocal tension membrane system (RTM) to describe the three Cartesian axes held in reciprocal tension, or tensegrity, creating the cyclic movement of inhalation and exhalation of the cranium. He called this breathing movement the primary respiratory mechanism, and later described its origin as the Breath of Life,[5] from the Book of Genesis (2:7). This was an acknowledgement of the vital force as a fundamental aspect of osteopathic philosophy.

The RTM as described by Sutherland includes the spinal dura, with an attachment to the sacrum. After his observation of the cranial mechanism, Sutherland stated that the sacrum moves synchronously with the cranial bones. Sutherland began to teach this work to other osteopaths from about the 1930s, and tirelessly continued to do so until his death. His work was at first largely rejected by the mainstream osteopathic profession as it challenged some of the closely held beliefs among practitioners of the time.

In the 1940s the American School of Osteopathy started a post-graduate course called 'Osteopathy in the Cranial Field' directed by Sutherland, and was followed by other schools. This new branch of practice became known as "cranial osteopathy". As knowledge of this form of treatment began to spread, Sutherland trained more teachers to meet the demand, notably Drs Viola Frymann, Edna Lay, Howard Lippincott, Anne Wales, Chester Handy and Rollin Becker.

The Cranial Academy was established in the US in 1947, and continues to teach DOs, MDs, and Dentists "an expansion of the general principles of osteopathy"[6] including a special understanding of the central nervous system and primary respiration.

Towards the end of his life Sutherland believed that he began to sense a "power" which generated corrections from inside his clients' bodies without the influence of external forces applied by him as the therapist. Similar to Qi and Prana, this contact with, what he perceived to be the Breath of Life changed his entire treatment focus to one of spiritual reverence and subtle touch.[7] This spiritual approach to the work has come to be known as both 'biodynamic' craniosacral therapy and 'biodynamic' osteopathy, and has had further contributions from practitioners such as Becker and James Jealous (biodynamic osteopathy), and Franklyn Sills (biodynamic craniosacral therapy). The biodynamic approach recognises that embryological forces direct the embryonic cells to create the shape of the body, and places importance on recognition of these formative patterns for maximum therapeutic benefit, as this enhances the ability of the patient to access their health as an expression of the original intention of their existence.

In 1953 Sutherland established the Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation as a way of providing a continuity for his teaching.[8]

From 1975 to 1983, osteopathic physician John E. Upledger neurophysiologist and histologist Ernest W. Retzlaff worked at Michigan State University as a clinical researchers and professors. They set up a team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists, and bioengineers to investigate the pulse he had observed and study further Sutherland's theory of cranial bone movement. Upledger and Retzlaff went on to publish their results, which they interpreted as support for both the concept of cranial bone movement and the concept of a cranial rhythm.[9][10][11] Later reviews have concluded that there is insufficient support for the principles of craniosacral therapy.[12]

Upledger developed his own treatment style, and when he started to teach his work to a group of students who were not osteopaths he generated the term 'CranioSacral therapy', based on the corresponding movement between cranium and sacrum. Craniosacral therapists often (although not exclusively) work more directly with the emotional and psychological aspects of the patient than osteopaths working in the cranial field[citation needed]. The Upledger Institute, formed in 1987, has many international affiliates[13] united by Upledger's International Association of Healthcare Practitioners.[14]

The Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK (CSTA) was established in1989 to promote and regulate craniosacral therapists from various UK colleges.[15] Graduates from the College of Craniosacral Therapy who had their own register later became eligible for registration with the CSTA. The Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America was founded in 1998 for the recognition, registration, and as a referral service for certified Craniosacral Therapists and students.[16] The Craniosacral Therapy Association of Australia was established in 2004.[17]

The Primary Respiratory Mechanism
The neutrality and factual accuracy of this section are disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (March 2008)

Craniosacral therapy is originally based on Sutherland's 'Cranial Concept',[18] which proposed a system known as the Primary Respiratory Mechanism (PRM). The basis of PRM function has been summarised in the following five ideas:

* Inherent motility of the central nervous system
* Fluctuation of the cerebrospinal fluid
* Mobility of the intracranial and intraspinal dural membranes
* Mobility of the cranial bones
* Mobility of the sacrum between the ilia

Magoun believes the above five effect the rest of the body is stated by Magoun[19] and lists this as a sixth phenomenon.

Inherent motility of the central nervous system

Still described the inherent motion of the brain as a "dynamo," beginning with the cerebellum.[20] The postulated intracranial fluid fluctuation can be described as an interaction between four main components: arterial blood, capillary blood (brain volume), venous blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).[21][22] The function of such a mechanism is postulated by Lee[20] as being based on a fulcrum created by the root of the cerebellum and its hemispheres moving in opposite directions, resulting in an increase in pressure which squeezes the third ventricle. The pulsation is described as essentially a recurrent expression of the embryological development of the brain.[20]

Fluctuation of the cerebrospinal fluid

Sutherland used the term "Tide" to describe the inherent fluctuation of fluids in the Primary Respiratory Mechanism. Tide alludes to the concept of ebbing and flowing, but also the contrast between waves on the shore having one rhythm, with the longer rate of lunar tides below. The Tide incorporates not only fluctuation of the CSF, but of a slow oscillation in all the tissues of the body, including the skull.

Practitioners work with cycles of various rates:

* 10-14 cycles per minute - the original "Cranial Rhythmic Impulse" (CRI)[23] (also described as 6-14 times per minute)[20]
* 2-3 cycles per minute - the "mid-Tide"
* 6 cycles every 10 minutes - the "long Tide"

Traube and Hering in the 19th Century reported fluctuations in the arterial rates of dogs (the Traube-Hering wave) at similar rates to those reported by cranial practitioners. In 1960 Lundberg made a continuous recording of intracranial activities of traumatised patients, finding three waves, one of which Lee believes resembles the CRI.[24]

Research suggests that examiners are unable to measure craniosacral motion reliably, as indicated by a lack of interrater agreement among examiners.[25]The authors of this research suggest that this "measurement error may be sufficiently large to render many clinical decisions potentially erroneous". Alternative medicine practitioners have interpreted this result as a product of entrainment between patient and practitioner,[26] a principle which lacks scientific support.

Mobility of the intracranial and intraspinal dural membranes

In 1970 Upledger observed during a surgical procedure on the neck what he described as a slow pulsating movement within the spinal meninges. He attempted to hold the membrane still and found that he could not due to the strength of the action behind the movement.[27]

In craniosacral treatment the membranes act as a fulcrum for fascial restrictions throughout the body, and craniosacral therapists may perceive a change in quality as a result of disturbance such as infection or allergic irritation.

Mobility of the cranial bones

Cranial sutures are conventionally understood to be immobile after fusion, preventing movement between cranial bones. According to Lee,[28] this understanding arose in the mid-1900s and was misinterpreted from the work of authors hoping to correlate suture closure with the chronological age of a skull in archaeological specimens. Lees suggests that the authors not only found that there was no correlation between suture closure and the chronological age of the individual, but also that most skulls demonstrated no suture closure at all except as structural evidence of pathological physical trauma. Lee cites many references giving evidence for mobility in human skulls,[28] and modern anatomy books suggest incomplete fusion of some sutures, for example: "Sutural ligaments may effect an almost immovable bond between large areas of bone... but such immobility cannot be effected at narrow edges of bones in the cranial vault," and: "When such sutures are tied by sutural ligament and periosteum, almost complete immobility results."[29]

It is usual in cranial textbooks to say that the motion of the skull is possible during flexion and extension because the sutures are mobile, especially the spenobasilar synchondrosis (SBS) - the junction between the base of the sphenoid and the occiput. Positional descriptions of cranial lesions traditionally relate to the relationship between the sphenoid and the occiput at this junction. An alternative theory to SBS motion taught in craniosacral training suggests that sutures are "lines of folding", like pre-folded marks on cardboard, rather than necessarily being fully open.[30]

Mobility of the sacrum between the ilia

Mobility of the sacroiliac joint is not contested, although the fulcrum of craniosacral movement is through the body of the second sacral vertebra or segment (S2). The cranial concept recognises the link between the sacrum and occiput via the spinal dura, which is attached to the anterior of the sacrum at S2: as the occiput goes into extension the sacrum nutates, and the converse also occurs. The occiput can therefore be influenced by treatment of the sacrum, and vice-versa.

Craniosacral treatment

A typical craniosacral therapy session is performed with the client fully-clothed, in a supine position, and usually lasts about one hour. In the Upledger method of craniosacral therapy, a ten-step protocol serves as a general guideline, which includes (1) analyzing the base (existing) cranial rhythm, (2) creating a still point in that rhythm at the base of the skull, (3) rocking the sacrum, (4) lengthening the spine in the lumbar-sacral region, (5) addressing the pelvic, respiratory and thoracic diaphragms, (6) releasing the hyoid bone in the throat, and (7-10) addressing each one of the cranial bones. The practitioner may use discretion in using which steps are suitable for each client, and may or may not follow them in sequential order, with time restraints and the extent of trauma being factors.

The therapist places their hands lightly on the patient's body, tuning in to the patient by ‘listening’ with their hands or, in Sutherland's words, "with thinking fingers". Therapeutic contact between the patient and therapist may involve entrainment between patient and practitioner.[26] Patients often report a sense of deep relaxation during and after the treatment session, and may feel light-headed . This is popularly associated with increases in endorphins, but research shows the effects may actually be brought about by the endocannabinoid system.[31]

Craniosacral therapy is claimed to be particularly beneficial in children.[32] Adverse side effects of treatment are uncommon: in a study of craniosacral manipulation in patients with traumatic brain syndrome the level of adverse effects from treatment was 5%.[33] Postgraduate study at the UK Osteopathic Centre for children can lead to the award of an MSc in Paediatric Osteopathy.[34]

Training and accreditation

Craniosacral therapy is not protected by statute either in the US or the UK, and there is currently no legal requirement to be trained to any standard or registered with a professional association. In the UK the Health Professions Council is consulting on whether to integrate all craniosacral therapists in the UK under their umbrella of state regulated professions.

Accreditation and training in the US

In 1985, Dr. John Upledger established the Upledger Institute, a health center based in Florida and dedicated to the education and certification of practitioners in craniosacral and related therapies. An Upledger certification in CranioSacral therapy involves four levels of training and an overview of practice. In the most basic introductory CranioSacral courses of the Upledger Institute, training is restricted to people with some background in anatomy and health care.

Certified training in Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy, by Dr. Franklyn Sills (a further development of Dr. Sutherland's investigation into cranial osteopathy), takes three years to complete.

Originally kept in the domain of chiropractors and osteopaths, craniosacral therapy has been opened up to those with no medical training, in that its gentle manipulations do not pose a threat to the body.

Accreditation and training in the UK

There are currently two different organisations in the UK offering registration of practitioners graduating in craniosacral therapy, the UK Craniosacral Therapy Association (CSTA), whose members may use the postnominal letters 'RCST', and The Cranio Sacral Society, based in Perth, Scotland and founded in 1993. The CSTA validates five training colleges, and the The Cranio Sacral Society offers regulation for those with postgraduate training with The Upledger Institute. Both registering bodies are self-governed and have their own code of ethics. They have made moves towards amalgamation into a common register via the Forum for Cranial Practitioners, but the diversity of their training programmes has prevented this.

Accreditation and training in AUST

Training in Australia is provided by Stillness Trainings in sydney, the Craniosacral Academy of Australia in Adelaide. Craniosacral Australia Also available is training in Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy, with Roger Gilchrist and Polarity Therapy.

Criticisms

Skeptics existing both inside and outside the osteopathic profession level the following criticisms at craniosacral therapy:

* Lack of evidence for the existence of "cranial bone movement"

The scientific evidence for cranial bone movement is insufficient to support the theories claimed by craniosacral practitioners. Scientific research supports the theory that the cranial bones fuse during adolescence, making movement impossible. However, this research only points to fusion of the base of the skull which is not contested in craniosacral therapy and does not address movement in the superior plates. As such, this research plays no part in disproving the type of cranial bone movement as postulated by craniosacral therapy.[35]

* Lack of evidence for the existence of the "cranial rhythm"

While evidence exists for cerebrospinal fluid pulsation, one study states it is caused by the functioning of the cardiovascular system and not by the workings of the craniosacral system.[36]

* Lack of evidence linking "cranial rhythm" to disease

No research to date has supported the link between the "cranial rhythm" and general health.

* Lack of evidence "cranial rhythm" is detectable by practitioners

Operator interreliability has been very poor in the studies that have been done. Five studies showed an operator interreliability of zero.[37]
The one study showing some operator interreliability has been criticized as deeply flawed in a report to the British Columbia Office of Health Technology Assessment.[12]

References

1. ^ The Upledger Institute (2001). Craniosacral Therapy. Retrieved March 27, 2004.
2. ^ Ferrett, Mij (1998). What Is Craniosacral Therapy? Retrieved March 27, 2004.
3. ^ The Sutherland Society General information on Cranial Osteopathy Retrieved January 24, 2006
4. ^ Sutherland A (1962). With Thinking Fingers. Indianapolis, IN: Cranial Academy, 13.
5. ^ Sutherland W (1939). The Cranial Bowl. Mankato, MN: Self-published. Republished 1986, Indianapolis, IN: Cranial Academy.
6. ^ The Cranial Academy Accessed 10th July 2006
7. ^ The Cranial Academy Osteopathy in the Cranial Field Retrieved January 24, 2006.
8. ^ Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation Accessed 10th July 2006
9. ^ Upledger JE (1977) The reproducibility of craniosacral examination findings: a statistical analysis. J Am Osteopath Assoc 76(12):890-899. PMID 7899490
10. ^ Upledger JE (1978) The relationship of craniosacral examination findings in grade school children with developmental problems. J Am Osteopath Assoc 77(10): 760-776. PMID 659282
11. ^ Upledger JE, Karni Z (1979) Mechano-electric patterns during craniosacral osteopathic diagnosis and treatment. J Am Osteopath Assoc 78(11):782-791. PMID 582820
12. ^ a b Green C, Martin CW, Bassett K, Kazanjian A (1999). "A systematic review of craniosacral therapy: biological plausibility, assessment reliability and clinical effectiveness". Complement Ther Med 7 (4): 201–7. doi:10.1016/S0965-2299(99)80002-8. PMID 10709302. An earlier version of the paper is available without a subscription: Green C, Martin CW, Bassett K, Kazanjian A (1999). "A systematic review and critical appraisal of the scientific evidence on craniosacral therapy" (PDF). BCOHTA 99:1J. British Columbia Office of Health Technology Assessment. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
13. ^ The Upledger Institute Accessed 10th July 2006
14. ^ International Association of Healthcare Practitioners Accessed 10th July 2006
15. ^ Craniosacral Therapy Association of the UK Accessed 10th July 2006
16. ^ Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America Accessed 10th July 2006
17. ^ Craniosacral Therapy Association of Australia Accessed 10th July 2006
18. ^ Sutherland, W G. The Cranial Bowl. Self-published, 1939. Reprinted by the Cranial Academy, 1948.
19. ^ Magoun H I (ed.), Osteopathy in the Cranial Field. The Cranial Academy, 3rd edn, 1976, p. 23.
20. ^ a b c d Lee R P. Interface: Mechanisms of Spirit in Osteopathy. Portland, OR: Stillness Press, 2005, pp. 193-8. ISBN 0-9675851-3-9.
21. ^ Greitz D, Franck A, Nordell B. On the pulsatile nature of intracranial and spinal CSF-circulation demonstrated by MR imaging. Acta Radiol. 1993 Jul;34(4):321-8. PMID 8318291.
22. ^ Greitz D, Wirestam R, Franck A et al. Pulsatile brain movement and associated hydrodynamics studied by magnetic resonance phase imaging. The Monro-Kellie doctrine revisited. Neuroradiology. 1992;34(5):370-80. PMID 1407513.
23. ^ Magoun H I (ed.), Osteopathy in the Cranial Field. The Cranial Academy, 3rd edn, 1976, p. 25.
24. ^ Lundberg N. Continuous recording and conrold of ventricular fluid pressure in neurosurgical practice. Acta Psychiat Neurol Scand, 36:suppl 149, 1960. Quoted in Lee R P. Interface: Mechanisms of Spirit in Osteopathy. Portland, OR: Stillness Press, 2005, p. 199. ISBN 0-9675851-3-9.
25. ^ Wirth-Pattullo V, Hayes KW. Interrater reliability of craniosacral rate measurements and their relationship with subjects' and examiners' heart and respiratory rate measurements. Phys Ther. 1994 Oct;74(10):908-16; discussion 917-20. PMID 8090842
26. ^ a b McPartland JM, Mein EA. Entrainment and the cranial rhythmic impulse. Altern Ther Health Med. 1997 Jan;3(1):40-5. PMID 8997803
27. ^ Upledger J E, Vredevoogd J. 1983 Craniosacral Therapy Eastland Press. ISBN 0-939616-01-7
28. ^ a b Lee R P. Interface: Mechanisms of Spirit in Osteopathy. Portland, OR: Stillness Press, 2005, 130-33. ISBN 0-9675851-3-9.
29. ^ Williams P L, Warwick R, Dyson M, Bannister L H. Gray's Anatomy. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 37th edn, 1989, p. 468. ISBN 0-443-02588-6
30. ^ Cook, Andrew, An alternative to Spenobasilar Synchondrosis (SBS) Motion. Self-published online, Sep 2005. PDF
31. ^ McPartland JM, Giuffrida A, King J et al. Cannabimimetic effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2005 Jun;105(6):283-91. PMID 16118355
32. ^ Frymann VM, Carney RE, Springall P. Effect of osteopathic medical management on neurologic development in children. J Am Osteopath Assoc, Vol. 92, No. 6. (June 1992), pp. 729-744. PMID 1377192
33. ^ Greenman PE, McPartland JM. Cranial findings and iatrogenesis from craniosacral manipulation in patients with traumatic brain syndrome. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 1995 Mar;95(3):182-8; 191-2. PMID 7751168
34. ^ Osteopathy Education Osteopathic Centre for Children
35. ^ Madeline LA, Elster AD. (1995) Suture closure in the human chondrocranium: CT assessment. Radiology 196(3):747-756. PMID 7644639
36. ^ Ferre JC, Chevalier C, Lumineau JP, Barbin JY (1990) Cranial osteopathy, delusion or reality? Actualites Odonto-Stomatologiques 44: 481-494. PMID 2173359
37. ^ Hartman SE, Norton JM (2002). "Interexaminer reliability and cranial osteopathy" (PDF). Sci Rev Alt Med 6 (1): 23–34. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.

External links

Practitioner Organisations

* The Cranial Academy of the American Academy of Osteopathy
* Craniosacral Therapy Association (UK)
* Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America
* Schweizerischen Berufsverbandes für Craniosacral-Therapie
* The Cranio Sacral Society (UK practitioner organisation for Upledger CranioSacral Therapy)
* The International Association of CranioSacral Therapists
* International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings
* IAHP: International Association of Healthcare Practitioners

Training Organisations (UK)

* Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust
* Institute of Craniosacral Studies
* Karuna Institute - web site
* Resonance Trainings
* The College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy
* Upledger Institute UK

Training Organisations (US)

* The Cranial Academy
* Milne Institute Inc., an educational institution founded by Hugh Milne
* The Sutherland Cranial Teaching Foundation
* Colorado School of Energy Studies
* Honolulu Institute of Complementary Therapies
* The Upledger Institute, an educational institution founded by proponent of CranioSacral Therapy John E. Upledger

Other Organisations

* UK Forum for Cranial Practitioners Creating common standards of practice for cranial and craniosacral therapy in the UK

Advocacy

* Cranial Osteopathy - Myth or Science?
* PDF Overview of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Based on the Teachings and Writings of Franklyn Sills, by John Chitty

Criticism

* Craniosacral Therapy - Stephen Barrett, MD, on Quackwatch
* An evaluation of Dr. John Upledger's craniosacral therapy - Harriet M. Hall, MD on Quackwatch
* The Skeptic's Dictionary

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy"
Categories: Alternative medicine | Osteopathic manipulative medicine

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Craniosacral Therapy - Time Magazine

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:50:53 -0400

A New Kind of Pulse

John Upledger has never shied from risk taking. As a Coast Guard medic in the 1950s, he once performed an appendectomy in the eye of a hurricane with the help of an onshore surgeon who guided him by radio. "To the best of my knowledge," he says, "no one's done that before or since." Today Upledger, 69, keeps on setting precedents. An osteopath by training, he is the founder of a form of nontraditional medicine called craniosacral therapy that is rapidly gaining adherents.

While assisting in a spinal operation in the 1970s, Upledger was startled to notice a strong pulse in the membranes that surrounded the patient's spinal cord. He determined that the pulse--which did not appear in the medical books--was coming from the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord. He came to believe that anything that blocked the flow of this fluid could cause physical and mental distress. "All these membranes affect brain function," he says, "and when they're not moving properly, there can be harm."

To free up the restrictions, Upledger applies light resistance to parts of the body that seem to be stuck. These frequently include the bones of the skull, which Upledger says remain mobile throughout life--a point many medical doctors dispute. During a craniosacral session, the therapist may gently lift a person's head to allow a skull bone to shift and the normal flow of fluid to resume.

How well does it work? Upledger says the treatments have relieved conditions ranging from headaches and chronic back pain to autism and learning disabilities in children--and there is no shortage of testimonials. He is currently working with Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder at his clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a facility that has trained some 60,000 craniosacral practitioners. And while many M.D.s remain skeptical of the therapy, others have followed the lead of pain-control centers and physical-rehabilitation units in sending Upledger their patients.

"What we do is take away obstacles," says Upledger, "like removing stones from the road." And that, he might add, has proved far easier than cutting out an appendix in the center of a storm.

JOHN UPLEDGER

His treatment addresses an astonishing range of ailments by using gentle manipulation to restore normal circulation in the cerebrospinal fluid that bathes and nourishes the brain and spinal cord

--By John Greenwald

Published in Time Magazine
Monday, Apr. 16, 2001
http://www.time.com/time/innovators_v2/alt_medicine/profile_upledger.html

And this was also published in the same issue:

To Our Readers:

By STEPHEN KOEPP, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

Don't try to sell snake oil to TIME's science journalists. Or cold fusion, or any other unproven notion. "We pride ourselves on being sticklers for science, rooted firmly in the mainstream," says assistant managing editor Philip Elmer-DeWitt, whose hard-nosed science team produced this week's installment of Innovators, our monthly series on 100 people with breakthrough ideas. It was quite a departure for Phil's reporters and writers to venture into the realm of alternative medicine, where hopes proliferate and proof is often sketchy. Yet the field is booming because millions of Americans swear these therapies have given them relief where conventional medicine has failed them. Indeed, our skeptical journalists found six pioneers, in therapies ranging from guided imagery to visceral manipulation, who really seem to be on to something. "I was surprised," says senior writer Mike Lemonick, "at how long a record of success some of them have." Our truest believer is senior writer and health buff John Greenwald, who has tried many of the therapies and whose appearance routinely fools people into thinking he is 10 years younger than his actual age. "This was particularly meaningful to me," says John, who wrote two pieces in the package. "In fact, I celebrated the completion of this project by having a craniosacral session."

Stephen Koepp, Deputy Managing Editor
Monday, Apr. 16, 2001

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Visceral Manipulation - Time Magazine

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:14:01 -0400

Has Your Liver Been Liberated?

Probably the only thing most people care to know about their gurgling inner organs is that they are functioning properly. But for Jean-Pierre Barral, an osteopath practicing in Grenoble, France, the body's vital viscera are like a beautifully complicated timepiece, each part in subtle but perpetual motion relative to the others. "In a single day, your internal organs move 30,000 times," he says. "Your liver alone travels 600 meters."

Problems arise, according to Barral, when a trauma or malfunction puts the mechanism out of alignment. "An organ that loses its mobility can throw the whole organism out of whack," he says. "Our task is to help it get back on track." To that end, Barral, 56, has spent nearly three decades developing the therapeutic technique he calls visceral manipulation.

Here's how it works: using only his hands, Barral coaxes the kidneys, liver, stomach and other soft tissues back to their natural movement by applying soft pressure to the abdomen, thorax and urogenital areas. In this way, he claims to have successfully treated ailments ranging from chronic back and joint pain to indigestion, infection, incontinence, migraines and even impotence and sterility.

Barral came naturally to his vocation. "My grandmother was a healer, and I always liked to touch people," he says. Working as a physical therapist before receiving his osteopathic training in England, he discovered that each internal organ has a capacity to cause pain to the spinal column, whereas conventional osteopathic thinking assumed the opposite. "At the time nobody was talking about manipulating organs," he recalls, "but I kept seeing patients with aches and pains that I could relieve simply by kneading their organs."

Initially, Barral's gentler, hands-on approach met with skepticism. But some in the medical community are starting to recognize its benefits. Visceral manipulation has become part of the standard curriculum at all European osteopathic schools, while seminars in the U.S., Japan and Russia are drawing large crowds. In Grenoble, where osteopaths treat a surprising 25% of the city's population, nearly one-third of Barral's patients have been referred by mainstream doctors. "We often get called in when regular medicine can't do anything," he says. "That's where being an organ mechanic is a beautiful thing. There aren't many of us, and there are a lot of organisms out there that need help."
JEAN-PIERRE BARRAL

Healthy internal organs are free to roll around within the body, observes Barral, who pioneered a technique for unlocking viscera that have become tied in knots. "I was particularly drawn to the abdomen," he says

-By Tala Skari

Published in Time Magazine
Monday, Apr. 16, 2001

http://www.time.com/time/innovators_v2/alt_medicine/profile_barral.html

And this was also published in the same issue:

To Our Readers:

By STEPHEN KOEPP, DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR

Don't try to sell snake oil to TIME's science journalists. Or cold fusion, or any other unproven notion. "We pride ourselves on being sticklers for science, rooted firmly in the mainstream," says assistant managing editor Philip Elmer-DeWitt, whose hard-nosed science team produced this week's installment of Innovators, our monthly series on 100 people with breakthrough ideas. It was quite a departure for Phil's reporters and writers to venture into the realm of alternative medicine, where hopes proliferate and proof is often sketchy. Yet the field is booming because millions of Americans swear these therapies have given them relief where conventional medicine has failed them. Indeed, our skeptical journalists found six pioneers, in therapies ranging from guided imagery to visceral manipulation, who really seem to be on to something. "I was surprised," says senior writer Mike Lemonick, "at how long a record of success some of them have." Our truest believer is senior writer and health buff John Greenwald, who has tried many of the therapies and whose appearance routinely fools people into thinking he is 10 years younger than his actual age. "This was particularly meaningful to me," says John, who wrote two pieces in the package. "In fact, I celebrated the completion of this project by having a craniosacral session."

Stephen Koepp, Deputy Managing Editor
Monday, Apr. 16, 2001

******************************

For more information, please contact:

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Upledger Interview

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:10:13 -0400

An Interview with John Upledger, DO

Interview by the editor, Sheila Rogers, MS

Dr. Upledger, would you start by explaining what the craniosacral system is?

Dr. John Upledger:
The Craniosacral system (CSS) is a newly acknowledged physiological system, along the lines of the cardiovascular or digestive system. The CSS is comprised of a tough waterproof membrane, the dura mater, which lines and compartmentalizes the skull, and lines the spinal column and the more delicate membranes: the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater. It includes the body parts that directly affect the membranes, such as the skull bones (most of which are attached to the membrane) and the vertebrae (though their attachments are not so direct).

In addition, a semi-closed hydraulic system controls the flow of fluid into and out of the membranes. This system is responsible for the production, circulation, and reabsorption of the cerebrospinal fluid. It maintains the physiological environment in which the brain and nervous system develop and function.

And CranioSacral Therapy?

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a light touch, hands on therapy that focuses on bringing the CSS into balance.

What do you mean by balance?

Typically, the production and reabsorption of the craniosacral fluid within the dura mater results in a continuous rise and fall of pressure. Generally, homeostatic mechanisms allow for self-correction and self-balancing within the body. But if for some reason the body is unable to accommodate these pressure changes, a buildup of pressure can occur which can contribute to dysfunction and ill health, especially within the central nervous system. The musculoskeletal, vascular, lymphatic, respiratory, and endocrine systems can also be affected.

An experienced craniosacral therapist can palpate the craniosacral motion anywhere on the body. A lack of symmetry in this motion can help indicate where the problem lies, though it will not necessarily reveal precisely what the problem is. Restoring the symmetry often results in a reduction in abnormal symptoms.

The fluid pressure rises and falls about ten times per minute. This rhythm is independent of the respiratory or cardiac rhythm. The inflow of cerebral spinal fluid is turned off or on as signals are given to it, and the volume within the sac rises and falls correspondingly. When the volume rises to a certain point, stretch receptors in the system cause the production of fluid to stop temporarily. When fluid pressure drops and the volume goes down, then the stretch receptors relax. The receptors, mostly located in the sutures (the joints between skull bones) are capable of slight movement. The bones are attached to the membranes. When the fluid expands, then the sutures stretch.

What about the professionals who dispute your theory that cranial bones can move?

Well, they’re wrong. Actually, it’s not theory—it’s fact. The movement is very slight, but it’s significant enough to allow expansion of the craniosacral fluid, and to allow for necessary adjustments. Through studies at Michigan State University, this movement has been measured on life adult primates and fresh human cranial bones, in contrast to chemically preserved specimens which indeed are rigid. Physicians in the Mediterranean area have been aware of cranial movement for many years.

You’ve mentioned that the CSS has a direct impact on the nervous system. Do you feel CST has a role in treating autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tourette syndrome, or learning problems?

I’ve not had a lot of experience with Tourette syndrome—those children just haven’t come my way. But we have done a great deal of work with autism and ADHD. I would say it’s most successful with hyperactivity, and the improvement can be very significant. Autistic children may also show improvement but the therapy has to be regularly applied until the child reaches full growth.

With ADHD, once you make the necessary correction, it’s over—you don’t have to worry about it anymore. The correction, when appropriate, usually involves resolving a compression in the neck area (atlas occipital region) that occurs during the birth process. I estimate about 50% of individuals with ADHD fall into this category.

What about learning problems?

We’ve had some excellent results with reading and math disabilities. I certainly don’t suggest that all learning problems are due to CSS dysfunctions. But I would emphasize that brain function problems can often be related to a CSS dysfunction, and unfortunately this tends to be overlooked.

Am I correct in assuming these teachings evolved from cranial osteopathy?

They evolved from two sources. I got my first glimpse of the CSS during a surgical procedure that involved lifting some vertebrae off the back of the neck to get at a calcium plaque that was on the outside layer of the dura mater membrane. We wanted to maintain the intactness of the membrane itself, so the membrane was not cut—though usually it would have been. As a result, the integrity of the hydraulic system I mentioned previously was maintained.

I observed the rise and fall of fluid pressure I’ve described. It was actually the first glimpse at a physiological system that had not yet been recognized as such. I didn’t realize I was looking at what the cranial osteopaths would have liked to have seen.

After I viewed this, I took a course in cranial osteopathy that taught some of the techniques that could be used to change this system. At the time they didn’t understand what the system was all about—they were just doing things that worked. However, I had seen the system and had a reasonable understanding of it from a physiological perspective. I then adopted and adapted some of the techniques from cranial osteopathy to fit a primarily membranous hydraulic system, rather than focusing on bone motion per se, which is what the cranial osteopaths were doing.

What would your advice be to parents bringing a child into this world [at this time]?

Try to provide osteopathic manipulation and CST for the mother during at least the last three months. The purpose would be to remove constrictions and abnormal tension patterns from the pelvis. Then, as the delivery date approaches, tissues can be loosened manually to help ensure a smooth delivery. I recommend they steer clear of vacuum extraction.

Why is that?

Usually vacuum extraction is used because the baby is stuck. Consider what happens when a vacuum is strong enough to pull a baby through the birth canal. It’s quite a bit of force. What happens is that all the elements that are somewhat mobile inside the skull are pulled to the top of the head. That means you get fluid congestion, excess blood and, I’m sure, some rupture of tiny capillaries in the brain which irritates the brain tissue.

When I work with children with problems, and they have been vacuum extracted, I can always feel it—there’s a glob of energy and tissue at the cap of the skull. Cesarean section is OK, but the doctors should be requested to let the fluid pressure inside the uterus change very slowly. If you make a large incision in the uterus for an emergency C-section to let the fluid out, there is often an instantaneous loss of fluid, and that can be a tremendous decompression problem for the infant, much like when a diver surfaces too quickly. If the fluid can decompress more naturally as when the water typically breaks, it gives the child a better chance. When forceps must be used, they should be used cautiously and symmetrically.

I’m waging a strong campaign that every newborn should have a CST evaluation within the first few days after delivery. I predict that we could eliminate about half of the brain function problems we see in the schools today.

What does it take to be a good CranioSacral therapist?

It’s not really a question of one’s formal background. It’s a question of sensitivity and experience with CST. Neither an occupational, massage, or physical therapist, a DO, MD, or dentist will necessarily have an advantage in learning these techniques because this is new functional anatomy for all of them. The main question is, do they have a license to put their hands on people and work with them. If so, they may decide to add CST to their repertoire of techniques.

Dr. John Upledger specializes in osteopathic manipulation, CranioSacral Therapy, SomatoEmotional Release, acupuncture, and preventive medicine. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Osteopathy and has a Doctor of Science in alternative medicine. For several years he was clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University. His development of CranioSacral Therapy has gained him worldwide recognition. An innovator in the field of alternative treatments, he established the Upledger Institute in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which serves as a clinic and a training facility for thousands of healthcare practitioners. He has served as a committee member of the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine. Books include, among others, CranioSacral Therapy, Your Inner Physician and You, and a Brain is Born.

Reprinted from Latitudes, vol. 3, no. 2; published by ACN.
Copyright ©2007 Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy. All Rights Reserved.

Latitudes is a quarterly online publication of the Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy (ACN). Every issue has information on non-toxic approaches to autism, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity. Subscription: $40. To order online click here. Or, fax address and credit card information to (561) 798-9820; checks can be made payable to ACN and sent to Latitudes Subscriptions, P.O. Box 2198, Broken Arrow, OK 74013.

http://www.latitudes.org/articles/cranio_upledger_ld.html

The Gentle Power of Craniosacral Therapy

Fri, 16 May 2008 15:02:04 -0400

A Method of Restoring Rhythm
By Susannah Kent

Published in Vitality Magazine
March 2006 Articles

One cannot help but be impressed with a health treatment so powerful, it can change the direction of a person’s life work. This was the case with Robert Harris and Alix McLaughlin, co-directors of The Cranial Therapy Centre in Toronto.

Over 20 years ago, Robert and Alix were massage therapists working with a chiropractor treating a wide variety of patients, including Karen Kain and members of the National Ballet. While working out one day, Alix fell and tore ligaments in her knee. The knee required major surgery and had to be placed in a cast at a 90 degree angle. When the cast came off nine weeks later, Alix’s knee was fused at that angle due to the scar tissue inside the joint. She faced long, painful and arduous sessions of physiotherapy to get her knee to straighten and function normally. This involved having her knee forcibly pushed towards straightening in order to break down the scar tissue and to regain its range of motion. Initially the progress only measured about three degrees of opening per session.

Still on crutches, Alix attended a party where she was introduced to a woman who did CranioSacral Therapy. Seeing Alix’s condition, she offered to apply some hands-on therapy. The therapist laid her hands front and back on Alix’s knee and her hands made very tiny, subtle movements, even pausing in certain positions for a while. Alix commented that, “it felt like there were hands inside her knee, helping to reorganize things. The movement felt like something floating around, at times pain would seem to percolate out, and then disperse.”

Surprised and intrigued, Alix made an appointment to see the therapist for a treatment. After just two one-hour sessions, Alix’s knee had opened up to the equivalent of what would have taken nine sessions of physiotherapy. And this was achieved with no pain or forceful efforts.

Alix and Robert were so impressed that they immediately signed up for courses in CranioSacral Therapy. Together they founded The Cranial Therapy Centre which recently celebrated its 19th anniversary of helping people ovecome pain, stress and neurological disorders.

Clearly CranioSacral Therapy changed the lives of Harris and McLaughlin, but what exactly is CranioSacral Therapy? How does it work? How did it originate? What are the benefits? And finally, what conditions does it address? These are all questions that should be asked and answered when considering whether to try CranioSacral or any health treatment therapy.
The Origins

CranioSacral Therapy originated from the work of osteopath William Sutherland in the early 1930s. Although traditional medicine taught that the adult cranial bones do not move, Sutherland, through anatomical examination and experimentation on his own skull, discovered that the cranial bones not only move, but that this movement has important health implications. His work in cranial osteopathy was groundbreaking. It continues to this day, but training is only offered to osteopaths and dentists. In the 1970s Sutherland’s work was expanded upon by another osteopath, Dr. John Upledger. He was the one who coined the term “CranioSacral Therapy” and his research is still the basis for much of the way the therapy is practised today.

In order to understand CranioSacral Therapy a little background on the central nervous system is helpful. Our brain and spinal cord is composed of three layers of membrane or fascia. The outer layer, the dura mater, is tough and waterproof. The innermost layer is called the pia mater. It follows the contours of the brain and spinal cord and carries blood vessels that supply them. The middle layer, the anachnoid mater serves as a gliding surface between the outer and inner layers of membranes. There is fluid between each of the three layers called cerebrospinal fluid. One function of this fluid is to act as a lubricant between the layers of membranes as they move in relation to each other. In other words it helps to keep them flexible and unrestricted.

CranioSacral Therapy theorizes that the movement of the cerebrospinal fluid rhythmically goes through a rise and fall in volume and pressure, beating within the range of six to 12 cycles per minute.

“This Craniosacral Rhythm, the tidal change in the fluids, moves the bones of the head and the sacrum,” Robert Harris explains. “These natural changes in pressure cause motion to be felt through the whole body, with slight toning and relaxing, as these fluid pressures expand and relax.” CranioSacral Therapists believe that this rhythmical system is as crucial to health as the breath and the heart beat. With very light contact of their hands, therapists detect this small movement as the cerebrospinal fluids rise and fall. According to Harris, it is the symmetry and ease of movement that determines health. Thus, if there is a variation to the rhythm, or if it is not symmetrical, this is an indicator to the therapist that there is a problem or a place of restriction.

The objective of the therapy is to release restrictions and restore ease of movement anywhere in the body. Light touch or palpation, no heavier than five grams, enables the therapist to follow the Craniosacral rhythm and find restrictions, whether it is in the head, spine or elsewhere. As the therapists’ hands respond to the craniosacral rhythm, they provide very subtle unwinding motions or gentle, gradual lengthenings in the restricted areas. The responsive, non-intrusive touch of the therapist enables the person receiving the treatment to go deep within. In fact, they generate their own releases, feeling reorganization occur from their very core.

And contrary to what I initially believed, CranioSacral Therapy is not head or cranial massage. The therapists’ hands do come in contact with the head, but also the face, neck, chest, pelvis and legs. In fact my own treatment started at my feet. In CranioSacral Therapy the bones are used to manipulate deeply into the system of membranes and fluids of the entire central nervous system. As therapist Luciana Stan explains, “we use the bones as handles to go deeper into the fascia and tissues underneath to release blockages.”

She goes on to point out that CranioSacral Therapy releases the blockages by a very light touch; there is no force involved and the idea is to facilitate the correction or restoration of the CranioSacral rhythm, to assist the patient’s own body to make the correction. Or as Robert Harris puts it, “CranioSacral Therapy allows the body to respond at a cellular level to what feels right or to find the state of greatest ease.”

Because of the very light touch involved and its non-invasive, non-directive nature, CranioSacral Therapy is very safe. It has shown to be effective in the treatment of a wide range of health issues associated with pain, neurological and biomechanical dysfuntions: migraines, TMJ, insomnia, hyperactivity, PMS, sciatica, sports injuries, sinusitis, tinnitus, scoliosis and colic just to name a few. CranioSacral Therapists also have a wide patient base, treating newborns, the elderly, and all ages in between. Because of the gentleness of the therapy it has been especially useful for treating babies. As Harris suggests, “if all newborns received some form of CranioSacral Therapy, we would see a significant lowering in a great number of health problems suffered later in life.” This theory is reinforced with stories such as the following from one of Luciana Stan’s patients: “During a regular checkup on my then two-month-old daughter, her doctor noticed that she could not turn her head completely to one side. She suggested I try CranioSacral Therapy and after just two sessions with Luciana, Sarah had a full range of movement. As an added bonus she slept through the night for the first time!

“When Sarah turned one, I once again turned to Luciana for help. My daughter had developed a lump on the back of her head, which turned out to be lymphoma. My pediatrician informed me that although it was not life threatening it would only get bigger and needed to be surgically removed. After two sessions with Luciana it completely disappeared and has never returned. Sarah’s pediatrician to this day at regular checkups still feels the back of her head in disbelief.”
Firsthand Experience

As a part of the research to do this article, I felt compelled to actually experience the therapy. Although I do not have any health issues at this time, I still felt it would be advantageous to try CranioSacral Therapy. I visited The Cranial Therapy Centre where Robert Harris showed me firsthand what this therapy can accomplish. He began the treatment with his hands at my feet, moving gently up each leg toward the knee. He explained as his hands moved, then stopped, then moved again, how he was trying to distinguish by touch the smoothness or unevenness of the movement. This would be an indicator of the rhythm of the spinal fluid. He commented (without any prompting from me verbally) that he felt I probably have or had issues with sciatic pain. I have. But what was even more unusual, and made me believe there is truly something special about this therapy, happened when Harris moved up and began the light touch to various parts of my head. At one point I suddenly felt my left eye involuntarily pulling toward the left. It was like those “magical hands inside Alix’s knee”; only they seemed to be gently tugging on my eye, trying to bring it to the centre. Which makes strange sense as I do have an eye condition (lazy eye) where my left eye turns inward. I was amazed and somewhat confounded. Besides these two phenomena, I felt totally terrific after the treatment ended. This endorphin-like induced feeling of well-being lasted the rest of the day and well into the next.

It is hard to imagine that I would have anything in common with much “concussed” hockey star, Eric Lindros. But I do. We have both experienced the gentle power of CranioSacral therapy. Lindros once said that after a session he felt like “hugging a tree.” He might have been making a joke, but maybe not. He believed the therapy helped him with his many head injuries and I can certainly attest myself to the sense of well-being that ensues after a treatment. And while conventional medicine cannot (or chooses not to) explain the exact therapeutic value of CranioSacral Therapy, there are thousands of satisfied patients and health practitioners who have discovered the deep and profound efficacy of this most gentle and subtle healing system.

http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/node/702

Cranial Osteopathy

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:57:20 -0400

American Chronicle
Friday January 1st, 2008
By Subodh Jain

Cranial osteopathy is a specialist technique used to manipulate the bones of the skull with a touch so light that many people can barely feel it. Advocates claim it is based on sound anatomical and physiological knowledge combined with palpatory skills that are finely tuned and extremely sensitive qualities of touch.

It was developed in the 1930s by American osteopath William Garner Sutherland, a disciple of Andrew Still. His osteopathic training taught him that the bones of the skull, which are separate at birth, grow together into a fixed structure and are immovable, but he noticed that these bones retained some potential for movement even in adulthood. If they could move, they could also be susceptible to dysfunction. With experimentation on himself and others, he discovered that compressing his skull could have severe mental and physical effects. He discovered that the cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord fluid had rhythms, which he called "the breath of life," because the rhythms appeared to be influenced by the rate and depth of breathing. By gently wanipulating the skull he found he could alter the rhythm of this fluid flow.

As the bones of the skull are moving normally, the cranial rhythm remains balanced, but any disturbance to the cranial bones can disturb the normal motion of the bones and the cranial rhythm, which, in turn, affects function in other areas of the body. An example of this is the birth process, when the bones of the skull can become disturbed, causing unresolved strain within the -cranium. And it is this dysfunction that causes disease and ill-health.

Elements of Therapy

Therapy comprises gentle manipulations using fine, sensitive touch applied directionally, mostly at the cranium and the sacrum, but also elsewhere. The idea is to resolve any compression or distortion of the cranial bones, especially if any part of the rest of the body is deemed to be affected by such compression or distortion.

Craniosacral Therapy (CST)

Craniosacral therapy is a recently established form of cranial osteopathy based on Dr. Sutherland's work but developed and popularized by John E. Dpledger. Still evolving, this therapy retains several authoritative models as promulgated by a number of individual teachers. Dpledger himself has evolved a model intended to promote "somatoemotional release." Others with backgrounds in chiropractic have evolved additional sacro-occipital techniques suggestive of a more mechanical approach.

Basically, the aim of the therapy is virtually the same as that of cranial osteopathy. The treatment comprises a sequence of movements that are not dictated by symptoms; it aims instead to improve the overall functioning of the cranial system and the membrane structures of the body. Practitioners are required to have some training, but they do not necessarily have to have medical qualifications.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/47578

Craniosacral Therapy American Chronicle Article

Fri, 16 May 2008 14:36:33 -0400

From the American Chronicle
November 20th 2007
Alternative Therapy Guide - Craniosacral Therapy
Bakhru Krishan Bakhru

Based in osteopathy, CST was originally developed by physician John E. Upledger at Michigan State University after an eight year study as a professor of biomechanics. Dr. William Sutherland had pioneered the idea through his work in cranial osteopathy. Dr. Upledger was assisting with a neck surgery when he noticed rhythmic movement of a system later to become known as the craiosacral system. CST evaluates and helps the functioning of the craniosacral system-the membranes and fluid-that surround the spinal cord and brain.

Using extremely light pressure on the head, restrictions are released in order to improve the central nervous system flow and function by feeling the rhythm of the cranioscaral system. This method is used as a holistic and preventative approach to healing and preventing central nervous system problems and is particularly helpful in alleviating the pain and even the cause of migraines, chronic neck and back pain, and motor coordination problems. This theory and resulting techniques have also been reported as having a positive effect on relieving colic in infants and chronic fatigue.

Practitioners of craniosacral therapy claim to be able to locate and release what are referred to as energy cysts, where energy has built up and then become blocked, as in neck pain from holding ones neck at a particular angle all day at work. This has proven to be an extremely effective and powerful technique, and can cause the recipient to relive all sorts of past injuries, emotional as well as physical. Suppressed emotions inhibit structural releases, so uncontrollable emotional outbursts-such as crying- are common during therapy. An experienced and reputable craniosacral therapist will have the skills to help you move through these memories and sensations and out the other side of them. He/she will be able to listen attentively and remind you that whatever caused the pain in the past is no longer present in the future. Once everything is unblocked and realigned, the patient may exhibit better listening and memory, comprehension skills.

What will happen at your session? Wear loose clothing and feel free to remove your shoes. You will lie on a massage table and the lights will be dimmed. The therapist will typically sit at your head first, and place their finger lightly on either side of your temples. It is quiet and you must lie still, they are listening. They will pick up the tension in your temples or a clenched jaw line. They will then move down to your torso and work their way to your feet. What sensations you may experience during the session will be unique to each individual, but typically you will relax to the point of falling asleep. You may even begin to recall hidden memories and express emotion, as previously described.

Many sessions use other types of therapy to help strengthen the system. Chiropractic is often used to realign the spine, relieving pressure all the way to the clenched jaw, or acupressure or acupuncture is used to help increase the chi flow. This entirely holistic approach to cure and prevention of the body's ailments is fast becoming an increasingly popular alternative to conventional methods of physical care wherein only pain pills are prescribed or invasive surgery with long convalescent post op care is required. Unfortunately, most medical coverage, although beginning to change its opinion of alternative medicine, still does not cover most holistic care therapies. Acupuncture, massage and chiropractic were the leading therapies to be covered by health insurance.

There are certain conditions where the therapies of CST are not especially helpful. These include conditions where varietal increases in brain pressure would not enable the ailment to dissipate. Acute aneurysm, cerebral hemorrhage or severe bleeding disorders can be worsened through CST therapy and should be referred out to another practitioner. If you elect to see a CST provider, your number of sessions will vary with the severity of your disorder, usually 2-3 treatments a week for several weeks is the average length of therapy.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/43418

Craniosacral Therapy For Children

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:53:04 -0400

MY SON grinds his teeth in bed and is a light sleeper, which are minor problems when compared to other childhood conditions, but they do tend to make him tired and after a few nights it can start to affect the rest of the family's sleep patterns as well. When he was born, John had a ventouse delivery, but it only took one small suction to get him out. He was a healthy, if a bit snuffly and colicky baby, but otherwise well enough and now is a strapping six-year-old. However, I couldn't help wondering if the trauma of his birth was in any way responsible for the sleep problems he has.

I decided to ask the advice of my former neighbour Anne Stevens, who works as a lead physiotherapist at Anatomie clinic in Bushey. She is also qualified in Clinical Pilates and Cranio-Sacral therapy. Anne told me that Cranio-Sacral therapy could help. Apparently, during labour the passage of the baby through the pelvis and the birth canal can affect their bodies. The soft bones of the head are designed to move during birth but they don't always go back to the right position. Anne says: "Cranio-Sacral therapy is particularly good for children because it is a gentle and pain free treatment that allows their body to express what needs dealing with. It allows the child's cranial bones to find the right position, freeing up the cranial nerves which might be irritated, causing problems with swallowing, digestion, colic and breathing."

I booked John in for an appointment with Anne and on arrival at the clinic we were shown into the waiting area where the children can sit and play with toys. Mandy the receptionist is ready with crayons and paper for them to do drawings to help them settle down before treatment. Anne then goes through information on the birth and the medical history of the child up to the present day. Treatment is always given with mum present in the room. "The relationship between the mother and child will have an impact on the child's condition," says Anne. "The trauma in birth is suffered by both the mother and child. The mum is not a passive part of the situation and sometimes she chooses to have treatment herself.

"With children things happen as soon as I put my hands on. I can feel it straight away but they can find it difficult to put how they are feeling into words. There are signs of what happened in birth where something gets stuck and I help to finish the process that didn't quite happen back then. "Thankfully children do not have as many layers of accumulated problems to deal with as adult do so they can heal quicker."

For our session John is lying on the treatment couch but Anne tells me little ones often sit on the floor on a blanket with mum, or on mum's lap, and sessions are kept to a minimum. This is particularly effective with toddlers. "Children do not have the same level of patience and when the child says it feels uncomfortable or starts wriggling around I respect that and respond by taking my hands off. We might finish the session there."

Research has shown that childhood and adolescent conditions that have responded well to Cranio-Sacral therapy include Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD), autism, teeth and jaw mis-alignment, adolescent withdrawal, fears and phobias, bed-wetting and asthma. Anne tells about a baby she saw who was only a few weeks old. The mum was worried, because the baby couldn't keep her food down. After the first treatment the baby kept her food down for 24 hours, next treatment gave a week of respite. On the third treatment, the little girl had started to get a slight problem again, but after the treatment mum reported that she now kept all her food down, and was putting on weight like a normal baby, and the sessions stopped there.
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During the course of our session John tells Anne about a porcupine that is prickling the top of his head. She gives him the image of a balloon, which represents the balloon around the brain. Anne suggests that the feeling of a porcupine pinching John's head might be the balloon stretching.

"If the child experiences a tingling, pulling or expanding sensation that's what it might feel like. Like the pulse of the cardiovascular system, the Cranio-Sacral system has a rhythm that can be felt throughout the body. As a practiitioner I feel an ebb and flow movement, which should be present everywhere in the body."

Anne will usually recommend three or four visits for treatment to be completed. After this session I notice John sleeps much better and in a follow-up session although very wriggly, he later settles down to another blissful night. I have noticed his breathing is more regular and he hasn't succumbed to the usual bout of autumn colds just yet.

Anatomie has branches in Harrow and Northwood but for Cranio-Sacral therapy contact the Bushey office on 020 8420 4600.

Details: anatomie.co.uk For Cranio-Sacral therapy: Craniosacral Therapy Association 07000 784 735, www.craniosacral.co.uk The Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust, www.cranio.co.uk/ For women who have experienced birth problems: Birth Trauma Association www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk

4:14pm Thursday 11th October 2007

http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/display.var.1754185.0.0.php

Craniosacral Therapy for Infants and Children - General

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:47:33 -0400

What is Craniosacral Therapy?

Craniosacral therapy is a light touch therapy that is done with the hands to address restrictions in the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Imbalances or restrictions in the craniosacral system negatively impacts the nervous system and can a variety of disturbances in the body. Craniosacral therapy is a gentle way to correct those restrictions so the body can release the effects of stress naturally and heal itself.

Craniosacral therapy for infants and children:

Even the most natural of births is stressful for the skull and spine of the baby being born. Research strongly suggests that the birth process is responsible for many brain dysfunctions and problems caused by central nervous system imbalances. Because craniosacral therapy is so gentle it can be performed at birth or within the first few days of life to potentially reduce a wide variety of newborn and childhood problems, many which are not apparent until your child is of school age. Problems of head shape, small fontanelles, and skull bone override can also be corrected with the application of craniosacral therapy.

What are some conditions that can be avoided or improved by treating newborns and children with craniosacral therapy?

Misshapen Heads
Colic
Breastfeeding Problems
Aphasias
Sinus Problems
Hearing Problems
Motor Problems
Seizures
Down's Syndrome
Spasticity Cerebral Palsy
Erb's Palsy
Klumpke's Palsy
Torticollis
Developmental Delays
Dyslexia
Vomiting
Sleeping Problems
Jaw Disorders
Hyperactivity
Behavior Problems
Strabismus
Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disorder (GERD)
Autism
Hydrocephalus
Abnormal Fears
Failure-to-Thrive
Otitis Media

How is craniosacral therapy performed?

CranioSacral Therapy uses light touch - no more than the weight of a nickel - to monitor the rhythm of the cranialsacral system to detect restrictions and imbalances. The therapist continues to use this light touch in order to release any problems areas and relieve undue pressure on the brain and spinal cord.

How did CranioSacral therapy begin?

The founder of Craniosacral Therapy is John E. Upledger, an osteopathic physician, who witnessed the rhythmic movement of the craniosacral system in 1970, during spinal surgery. He theorized that there was a kind of hydraulic system functioning inside the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord and then set out to confirm his theories.

In 1985, Dr. Upledger went on to establish The Upledger Institute in order to educate the public and healthcare practitioners about the benefits of Craniosacral therapy.

For more information, please contact:

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Colic is Here! - babyboomba.blogspot.com

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:11:24 -0400

April 15, 2008

Something I wanted to get out of the way before I start this blog: Mr. Hubster's clean laundry is still sitting in his hamper UNFOLDED. Read all that blog written 7 days ago. We’ll see if my 2 week prediction works. 1 more week to go.

As promised a billion times, the post about colic is here. What makes me an expert? Because Buddy was blessed with this trait for 4 months. Mind you, I’m only an expert in my own situation.

What is colic?
Many people think that colic is just endless crying. It is, but there’s a reason for it.

"Severe abdominal pain caused by spasm, obstruction, or distention of any of the hollow viscera, such as the intestines. Often a condition of early infancy, colic is marked by chronic irritability and crying."
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/colic

How did it start?
Buddy was extremely mild mannered for the first week. We don’t think we even saw his eyeballs until the third day. He slept for most of the time. Then a week came. The crying started. It wasn't general crying from hunger or a diaper change. It was constant crying and screaming around the clock.

The hospital emergency room.
One night at 1 am while doing a diaper change, his belly looked like the bottom of an hour glass. Though only on one side. We brought him to Emergency. They took him in right away since he was only 19 days old. After an x-ray to determine that nothing was lodged in his GI tract, they determined that the bloating was a huge gas pocket. The crying continued ALL night.

How did we know it was colic?
Well it was quite obvious. After every feeding, he would get extremely fussy, pull his knees to his chest (from the gas pains) and start the crying. It was confirmed by the ER Doctor and our aunt who works at a High Risk Birthing Unit. Besides the colic, he was generally fussy. Setting him down in a swing would last 3 seconds before he would start screaming.

Our (My) daily cycle:
Feed, Cry from gas for 3 hours. Get hungry again. Feed. Cry from Gas for 3 hours. Get hungry again. Feed. Cry from Gas for 3 hours. Get hungry again. I’ll let you figure out the rest. This lasted all day and into the night. Mr. Hubsters wore out the carpet by walking the same path endless hours trying to calm him down.

We tried:

* 3 types of Gripe Water (even scoping special West Indian Stores): None Worked
* Massage as led by a book: Kind of worked
* Swaddling: Buddy hated it like the devil
* OVOL: it was like a second bottle
* Shhhhhh in the ear: nope
* Researching: gave me relief knowing I wasn't the only person on earth dealing with this
* Yoga Ball: this was the only surefire way to make him stop crying. The only thing is, we would have to bounce on it 3 hours at a time. That ball was attached to us like underwear. Thankfully, I lost weight at the same time.

At the 5 week mark, I was ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater. One can say that when enduring endless screaming and crying 24/7. Everywhere said that this colic thing can last up to 6 months. There was no way I was going to live with this for another 5 months.

So I did lots of research. I found that there was treatment for infants with colic. It’s called Craniosacral Therapy. Huh? Yes, lots of people were looking at me like I was from Pluto. “You’re bringing your 5 week old to an Osteopath ? What is that? And are you crazy?”. I replied "live in my house fo 24 hours or even better 1 hour and then ask me that question again."

Not many people know about this type of care. It is recommended that EVERY infant do this! We found an amazing expert who specializes in Craniosacral and Osteopathic Manual Therapy. His name is Mark Levine. We brought Buddy to do 4 sessions with him. Half an hour each session over the span of 2 weeks. After the end of it all, Buddy was a like a “new man”. Or course, he wasn't 100% cured from colic. But his fussiness had dramatically changed. He can now sit content in a swing for 14 minutes. That was a great accomplishment.

How we kept our sanity
We didn’t. But if you are going through this, remember it does stop as their digestive systems matures. He was over it by 4 months. We were also lucky to have my mom help out ALOT. I won’t sugar coat it either. The general fussiness still lingers. Because of colic, the baby is constantly attached to you as you try to calm him. As a result, I think that this developed in him a greater separation anxiety. And that’s what we are dealing with now! And we have achieved our latest accomplishment: self-soothing to sleep which you can read about here in my "coming out of zombie land" blog.

Click here to visit Mark Levine: www.marklevine.ca - He is located in Richmond Hill, Ontario and I would HIGHLY recommend him even if your baby is not colicky. He also works on mom too! I talked with several other parents who swear that every baby should be “adjusted”!

Click here to visit Fussy Baby: www.fussybaby.ca – an excellent resource for any parent dealing with fussy, colicky and high-need babies. This website is founded by Holly Kehler Klaassen from Vancouver, British Columbia and provides a wealth of information on how to deal with your little one! Join her Facebook Group here.

Both are Canadian Resources!

Posted by boombalady at 10:01 AM
Labels: colic

http://babyboomba.blogspot.com/2008/04/colic-is-here.html

What is Integrative Medicine

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 20:11:43 -0400

This clinic is based on the model of Integrative medicine, offering best practices for safe and effective bodywork.

Integrative medicine, as defined by NCCAM (U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine), combines conventional medical treatments and CAM alternative treatments for which there is some high-quality scientific evidence of their safety and effectiveness.

The term Integrative Medicine has been attributed to Dr Andrew Weil, but this phrase was actually coined by the Californian physician and author, Dr Elson Haas:

"Integrative medicine is the term being used for a new movement that is being driven by the desires of consumers but that is now getting the attention of many academic health centers. Importantly, integrative medicine is not synonymous with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It has a far larger meaning and mission in that it calls for restoration of the focus of medicine on health and healing and emphasizes the centrality of the patient-physician relationship. In addition to providing the best conventional care, integrative medicine focuses on preventive maintenance of health by paying attention to all relative components of lifestyle, including diet, exercise, stress management, and emotional well-being. It insists on patients being active participants in their health care as well as on physicians viewing patients as whole persons—minds, community members, and spiritual beings, as well as physical bodies. Finally, it asks physicians to serve as guides, role models, and mentors, as well as dispensers of therapeutic aids."

-Snyderman R, Weil AT (2002). "Integrative medicine: bringing medicine back to its roots". Arch. Intern. Med. 162 (4): 395–7.

For more information, please contact:
Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Craniosacral Therapy and Children

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 19:57:05 -0400

What is it?

Craniosacral therapists use their hands to detect subtle movements in the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Craniosacral therapy Craniosacral therapy is often used to treat infant colic and sleeping difficulties

The practitioner may gently manipulate the bones of the head to free blockages and promote the circulation of this fluid from the cranium (skull) to the sacrum (tailbone), thereby encouraging the body's natural healing process.

What are its benefits?

It is claimed to boost the immune system, as well as helping with acute and chronic conditions such as arthritis, asthma, back pain, depression, digestive problems, PMS and hyperactivity. It is often used to treat infant colic and sleeping difficulties. The aim is to relieve stress, decrease pain and enhance the body's overall wellbeing.

What does it involve?

Therapists place their hands lightly on a patient's body and "tune in" to the cranio-sacral system. Most people experience deep relaxation. Others feel tingling and may be agitated as the therapist works to free up a blockage caused by a physical or emotional trauma. When this settles, the patient should feel a sense of lightness.

Who does it?

Therapists undergo a two-year part-time training course at an accredited school. The Craniosacral Therapy Association (CSTA) publishes a register of qualified members. Expect to pay £30-£65 for a session lasting 30-60 minutes. For details see www.craniosacral.co.uk.

Is there proof that it works?

No clinical trials have been carried out, but the CSTA says 85 per cent of clients are happy with the results of treatment. Anecdotal evidence suggests patients enjoy an increased sense of relaxation and wellbeing, and a reduction in aches and pains. Some NHS hospitals give the therapy to babies, to settle their systems after birth.

Published in the Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=P8&xml=/health/2006/05/16/hnew13.xml

New ager: craniosacral therapy
by Judith Woods
(Filed: 15/05/2006)

Judith Woods selects some of the best alternative therapies

For more information, please contact:

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

CranioSacral Therapy Celebrate the Healing Power of a Gentle Touch

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 19:01:24 -0400

Sometimes all the body needs to activate the healing process is a light touch by a skilled hand. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle approach that works to alleviate a range of sensory, motor or neurological disorders.

It’s no secret that among the keys to good health are proper nutrition, exercise, a stress-free life (to the extent that’s possible) and steering clear of harmful habits. But what about that aspect of health that originates from inside, within our internal self-healing system? We know that the body is designed to defend us from disease and assist in healing, as evidenced every time we “fight off” a cold or a cut heals. What we may not be aware of are the innovative hands-on techniques available to facilitate that process.

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a light-touch manual approach that enhances the body’s natural healing capabilities. For nearly 30 years is has been shown to be effective for a wide range of medical problems associated with pain and loss of function. CST is useful as both a primary treatment method and combined with other traditional or complementary techniques.

How CST Works

The CranioSacral Therapy practitioner works with the patient to assist the body’s self-correcting mechanisms. Generally using about five grams of pressure, or about the weight of a nickel, the practitioner evaluates the body’s craniosacral system. This system plays a vital role of maintaining the environment in which the central nervous system functions. It consists of the membranes and fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord as well as the attached bones – including the skull, face and mouth, which make up the cranium, and the tailbone area, or sacrum. Since the brain and spinal cord are contained within the central nervous system, it is easy to see that the craniosacral system has powerful influence over a wide variety of bodily functions.

The CranioSacral Therapy practitioner essentially helps the body release restrictions – which it has been unable to overcome on its own – that inhibit the body’s normal, self-correcting tendencies. Rather than deciding how these changes should be made, the therapist follows cues from the body on how to proceed. When the therapist follows this gentle approach, the method is extremely safe and effective. The few contraindications to CST are aneurysm, intracranial hemorrhage, and other conditions where altering intracranial fluid is not recommended.

Benefits of CranioSacral Therapy

CST has been shown to alleviate a wide range of conditions, including traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, migraine headaches, chronic fatigue, motor-coordination impairments, chronic neck and back pain, scoliosis, central nervous system disorders, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), stress and tension-related problems, and orthopedic problems. While the focus of CST is to uncover the source of the problem, symptom relief also is achieved. The length of time and number of sessions needed is extremely variable and depends, among other factors, on the complex layers of injury and trauma that may mask the original cause of the problem as well as the body’s defense mechanisms. Due to its gentleness and effectiveness, many people include CST as a component in their personal wellness programs. They report having more energy, sleeping better and being sick less often.

The Foundations of CranioSacral Therapy

In the early part of this century, osteopathic physician William Sutherland put forth the original concepts for what is now known as the craniosacral system. Dr. Sutherland’s studies culminated in a system of treatment known as Cranial Osteopathy. Another osteopath, John Upledger, is credited with developing CranioSacral Therapy. While assisting during a surgery in 1970, Dr. Upledger observed a rhythmic movement of the dura mater, the membrane that encompasses the brain and spinal cord. Neither his colleagues nor medical texts could explain his observation. Dr. Upledger’s curiosity led him to the work of Dr. Sutherland, and later to develop his own scientific studies to confirm the existence of the craniosacral system. This work went on from 1975 to 1983, while he served as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University. The findings of the research team he supervised first established the scientific basis for the craniosacral system.

Dr. Upledger’s continued work resulted in his development of CST. He formed The Upledger Institute in 1985 to educate the public and healthcare practitioners about the benefits of CST. To date, the Institute has trained more than 40,00 healthcare practitioners worldwide in the use of CST. Practitioners include osteopathic physicians, medical doctors, doctors of chiropractic, doctors of Oriental Medicine, naturopathic physicians, psychiatric specialists, psychologists, dentists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, acupuncturists, and massage therapists.
With a growing number of practitioners, CST provides a new healthcare option – one that uses a gentle approach working with the body. By following the body’s lead, the CST practitioner often can uncover the source of pain or dysfunction that can open the path to wellness.

Further Information

Your Inner Physician and You by John Upledger, D.O. (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, CA, and UI Enterprises, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 1997) describes CranioSacral Therapy in greater detail and offers a number of case histories.

Article written by
Thomas Bianco, M.S.P.T.
Physical Therapist
CranioSacral Therapy
East Longmeadow, MA, USA

Mark Levine is clinical director of Mark L. Levine, B.A.(hons), R.M.T., Pediatric + Family Craniosacral Therapy, providing craniosacral and osteopathic manual therapy services to infants, children and adults for a wide variety of physical, emotional, neurological and trauma related concerns.

Mark L. Levine, B.A.(Hons), R.M.T.
Pediatric & Family Craniosacral Therapy
310 Kerrybrook Drive
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4C-3R1

905.780.2468
info@marklevine.ca
www.marklevine.ca

Craniosacral Therapy and Yoga

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:34:03 -0500

Spine Saver
From Yoga Journal
Daily Insight
February 22, 2008

Hunched shoulders, an aching back, and a stiff neck are all signs of a body that could benefit from the soothing hands of a craniosacral therapist—even if you do yoga. In fact, practicing yoga can give you a head start on the benefits of craniosacral therapy (CST). The two complement each other in several ways, since CST is likely to have similar benefits to yoga: calming the central nervous system, boosting the immune system, and releasing the body's habitual tension patterns. But unlike yoga, CST is hands-on work that focuses on the area between the skull and the sacrum (the triangular-shaped bone that fits into the back of the pelvis).

The underlying concept of CST is that tension can develop in the body's connective tissue (fascia), restricting craniosacral fluid. Craniosacral therapists try to release this tightness by placing very light pressure on an area or by putting their hands on the spot until the muscles slowly release.

A regular yoga practice can help you reap the benefits of CST more easily by teaching you how to relax and direct your breath—both of which facilitate cranium changes.

http://www.yogajournal.com/dailyinsight/022208.html