Al Kalol
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The craniosacral system is a physiological system that
exists in humans, as well as those animals possessing a
brain and spinal
cord. Its formation begins in the womb and continues to
function until death. When there is an imbalance in your
craniosacral
system, your brain and spinal cord suffer. These organs
are the core of your being. Without them, senses, emotions
and motor
functions would not be capable
of working effectively.
CranioSacral Therapy is a method of examination and
treatment that has been devised to correct problems that
affect this vital
system.
We call it "CranioSacral" because it involves all of the
bones of your skull, face and mouth - which make up the
cranium - and
extends by a system of hydraulics and membranes to the
lower end of your spine, or the sacrum. Trauma or other
things that affect the lower end of your spine, such as a
fall on your "tailbone," can have adverse effects on the
"cranial," or head end of the
craniosacral system. The whole system and the body parts
that affect it must be evaluated and treated in order to
improve the
conditions or the environment in which the
brain and spinal cord must do their job.
We elected to use the word "Therapy" rather than
examination and treatment, because therapy implies a softer
approach with
more of a cooperative effect between the client and the
therapist. It implies a mutual effort towards helping the
craniosacral
system work efficiently, rather than the more mechanical
approach that would evaluate what's wrong and fix it
without the help
of the person who happens to own
the craniosacral system.
The positive effect of CranioSacral Therapy relies to a
large extent upon the client's normal self-corrective
physiological
activities. It relies upon the hydraulic forces inherent
within the system to contribute a great deal toward the
corrective process.
The therapist who practices CranioSacral Therapy more or
less removes obstacles that the normal self-correcting
physiological
forces have been unable to overcome. The therapist seldom
dictates how the correction should be made, but rather
assists the
body in its own natural self-corrective activities within
the craniosacral system. Therefore, when certain rules that
enforce a
gentle approach by a therapist are followed, there can be
no serious error or side effect because the craniosacral
system itself
decides how the correction should be made. The
therapist simply removes obstacles, activates and empowers.
How Is It Done?
CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, non-invasive
manipulative technique. Seldom does the therapist apply
pressure that exceeds
five grams or the equivalent weight of a nickel.
Examination is done by testing for movements in various
parts of the system.
Oftentimes, when movement testing is done, the test has
removed the restricting obstacle. The system is then able
to complete
its
self-correction.
Experienced clinicians are able to palpate the
craniosacral motion anywhere on a patient's body. Valuable
examination
information can be gained very quickly by palpating the
craniosacral motion for rate, amplitude, symmetry and
quality.
The parts of the craniosacral system that can be easily
palpated by the hands of the therapist are the bones of the
skull, sacrum
and coccyx, because they attach to the membranes that
enclose the cerebrospinal fluid. This cerebrospinal fluid
is filtered out of
the blood in a dynamic feedback loop. The system then
acts like any semi-closed hydraulic system with pressures
building as
the amount of fluid increases, forcing the fluid to move
up and down the spinal cord. When the fluid moves, the
membranes
containing the fluid moves, normally at a
rate of six to twelve cycles per minute.
All of the other bones of the spine and pelvis are used in
CranioSacral Therapy, but because of their less direct
effect upon the
hydraulic system, more expertise on the part of the
therapist is required for their effective use. The same is
true of the jaws and
the temporomandibular
joints.
Low amplitude of the craniosacral rhythm indicates a low
level of vitality within the patient. That is, the
patient's resistance is
low and hence the
susceptibility to disease is high.
Occasionally the craniosacral rate, as palpated on the
head, is twice normal and the amplitude is low. But the
energy internally
that is attempting to drive the cranial system seems quite
high. I subjectively interpret this finding as indicative
that the boundary
or meningeal membranes of the craniosacral system are
quite restrictive, and lacks accommodation to craniosacral
motion.
Therefore, the rate has doubled while the amplitude is
reduced by approximately 50 percent. This condition
continues a normal
range of motion per minute. We often find this situation
in cases of inflammatory problems that presently involve or
have
involved the meninges and/or the
central nervous system.
Lack of symmetry of the craniosacral rhythmical motion
throughout the body is used to localize pathological
problems. The
problems may be of any type that cause loss of
physiological motion. That is, they may be problems of the
musculoskeletal
system (somatic dysfunction), inflammatory responses,
adhesions, trauma with cicatrix, surgical scars, vascular
accidents and
others. The asymmetry of motion will not tell you what
the problem is, but it will tell you where the problem is
located. Once
located, you must rely upon other evaluative methods to
determine the exact pathological nature of the problem you
have
found.
Restoration of symmetrical craniosacral motion to the area
of restricted motion is used as a prognostic tool. As the
asymmetry
is eliminated and normal physiological motion is
restored, the problem is being or has been resolved.
One may consider the body fascia to be a slightly mobile,
continuous-from-head-to-toe sheath of connective tissue
that invests
in its pockets all of the somatic and visceral structures
of the human body. With this model in mind, it is apparent
that any loss
of mobility of this tissue in any specific area can be
used as an aid in the location of the disease process that
has caused the lack
of mobility. By some means, probably via the nervous
system, this fascia system is kept in constant motion in
correspondence
with the craniosacral rhythmical motion. By direct
connections and by common osseous anchorings, the
extradural fascia and
the meninges are interrelated and interdependent in terms
of their motion. Therefore, the examiner is only limited by
his or her
palpatory skill and anatomical knowledge as to how
much information can be obtained from the examination.
Abnormalities of structure and/or function of the nervous
system, the musculoskeletal system, the blood vascular
system, the
lymphatic system, the endocrine system and the
respiratory system may influence the craniosacral system.
Where Did The Craniosacral System And
Its Therapy Come From?
In the early 1900s, William G. Sutherland, an Osteopathic
student in Kirksville, Missouri, was struck by the idea
that the bones
of the skull were designed as they were in order to
provide the opportunity for movement in relation to one
another. Sutherland
graduated and practiced as an
Osteopath in Minnesota.
For over 20 years, he thought about the prospect of
movable bones in the adult human being. He did makeshift
experiments on himself with helmet-like devices that could
impose variable controlled and sustained pressures on
different parts of his head. His
wife described personality changes that he displayed in
response to different pressure applications. He described
various head
pains and problems with coordination, which
related to different pressure applications.
In the early 1930s, Dr. Sutherland published his first
article about his work and ideas under a pseudonym in the
Minnesota
Osteopathic Journal. He also developed a system of
examination and treatment for the bones of the skulls. He
had some
success with patients and developed a small cadre
of osteopaths who studied the cranial work with him.
Sutherland's system became known as Cranial Osteopathy.
Because little was known about how it really worked, and
because
the results with patients seemed at times to be
miraculous, Sutherland's system acquired an esoteric and
cultist reputation. This
reputation and the system known as Cranial Osteopathy
became an embarrassment to the Osteopathic Medical
profession that
was trying to establish itself
as an acceptable science.
In 1970, under specific circumstances during a surgery on
a patient's neck, I was privileged to view firsthand the
rhythmical
movement of the membranous boundary of the hydraulic
system that I later researched scientifically. This system
became
known as the
craniosacral system.
After first seeing the craniosacral system in action, two
years had elapsed before anyone could shed any light on
what I had
seen. None of my colleagues nor any of the medical books
had an explanation for the observation that the outer layer
of the
meningeal membrane (called the dura mater) in the neck
visibly moved in and out rhythmically at about 10 cycles
per minute
when the bones were removed to expose these membranes to
the naked eye. The observation had to mean that pressure
inside
of the membrane sack was
rhythmically fluctuating.
In 1972, I attended a seminar that explained Sutherland's
ideas and taught some of his techniques of evaluation and
treatment.
Coupling my tactile sensitivity with scientific
background, I quickly understood how a hydraulic system
might work inside of a
membrane sack that was encased inside of the
skull and the canal of the spinal column.
I used the techniques with success and, in 1975, was
asked to join the faculty of The Osteopathic College at
Michigan State
University as a clinician-researcher in the Department of
Biomechanics. Part of the charge of this research
department was to
either scientifically support or debunk once and for all
the embarrassment to the osteopathic profession known as
Cranial
Osteopathy.
At Michigan State I led a multidisciplinary research team
made up of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists and
bioengineers
through the maze of research that first established the
scientific basis of the craniosacral system. We explained
the function of
the system in scientific and practical terms, and showed
how the system could be used to evaluate and treat poorly
understood
malfunctions involving the brain and spinal cord, and a
myriad of other health problems such as chronic pain,
lowered vitality
and recurrent
infections.
CranioSacral Therapy focuses on problem solving. It will
enhance your clients' general health, improve their
resistance to
disease, improve their brain and spinal cord function,
reduce accumulated stress, and work with the patients' own
natural
mechanisms to enhance
effectiveness.
As you improve your level of experience in palpation, you
will enhance your ability to evaluate and treat a myriad of
problems
that before may have seemed well beyond
your understanding and experience.
###
NOTE TO READER: If you found this interesting, or if you
want to see articles with additional information about
craniosacral
therapy, send e-mail using
the E-Mail Form.
The Answer
Tbe nose knows.
Peace
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