The POSITIVE EFFECTS of CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage on the Body. Retyped from Distinctly Oklahoma June 2013 edition, by Kimberly Green

People don't usually learn about CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage until they are in a great deal of pain and are unable to find any other avenue of relief.

CranioSacral Therapy benefits the parasympathetic nervous system, which functions through the brain and spinal cord to keep the body in balance. Cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the brain and spinal cord is supposed to freely flow from the base of the spine to the head (cranium) and back. Freely flowing cerebrospinal fluid indicates efficient transmission of information from your body to your brain. When there is not a free flow of cerebrospinal fluid, serious physical issues can result.

Practitioners access the subtle rhythmic pulse with their sense of touch. Through light touch, the therapist feels movement or, more accurately, lack of movement to direct their focus. They gently manipulate the tense tissues so that small fluid buildups can be coaxed back into the circulating blood stream. Interstitial spaced between organs are supposed to be relatively free flowing to enable the transfer of nutrients and wastes to and from cells through the capillary system. When these areas are full, this transfer is not efficient.

Many case studies and statistical analysis showing the effectiveness of CranioSacral Therapy have been published in a range of academic and clinical journals in neurology, nursing, pediatrics, physical therapy, alternative medicine and osteopathic medicine.

Those who don't have much experience with CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage usually refer to it as a pseudoscience and call it quackery. However, medical researchers feel that both are important enough to continue to search for evidence of their effectiveness.

Many argue that the cranial bones are fused in early childhood, and therefore, cannot move. However, even an adult jaw is capable of moving in very short order with the application of braces. We know the jaw is solid; however, it quite obviously conforms to pressure over very short periods of time. Braces cause the entire face to change form, so the argument that the cranial bones are fused seems to be a minor point of contention that scientists allow to overwhelm volumes of documented successes.

William Garland Sutherland pioneered CranioSacral Therapy in the United States in the late 1800's. Dr. Sutherland was working on the disarticulated skull when he noticed that the cranial sutures of the temporal bones were beveled where they met the parietal bones. They came together like the gills of a fish, implying their ability to similarly move as a respiratory mechanism. Today, this movement is referred to as "Primary Respiration."

From 1975 to 1983, Dr. John Upledger, an Osteopathic Physician, and Ernest W. Retzlaff, a Neurophysiologists and Histologist, created a research team to study the CranioSacral pulse which Dr. Sutherland worked so hard to define. They went on to publish their results, which were interpreted to support both the concept of cranial bone movement and the concept of a cranial rhythm. Later, reviewers of the studies stated that the research did not meet standards that would product conclusive proof. Case studies speak volumes in spite of whatever problems the researchers encounter with faulty designs and inconclusive results. When we stop paying attention to the results of time-tested therapies, we all lose. Researchers generally argue about the degree of mobility and compliance of the cranial bones rather than the results of the therapeutic treatment.

When there are restrictions in bodily motion, it is an indication of muscle spasm in the tissues surrounding the area. When the circulatory system is restricted in any way, cellular waste can build up within the muscular tissues from foods, environmental toxins and physical and emotional trauma. Gentle massage techniques are used to coax the lymphatic fluid toward the lymph nodes to that toxins are filtered more efficiently. Lymphatic Drainage relieves fluid pressure, which then allows efficient performance of craniosacral techniques.

CranioSacral techniques are more osteopathic in nature. There are no popping necks like you might find in a Chiropractor's office; however, the musculature is manipulated very lightly so that spasms can be released. When they are released, it further enables the body to reach its own state of balance. The body continues to balance for about 72 hours after each treatment.

Part of the problem with research in these areas is that both CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage cause the body to reach homeostasis, or a natural state of balance, which is a different experience for each person. Each body reacts in its own way to the therapy. Some clients sleep 40 to 48 hours, getting up only to eat and visit the bathroom, while others react with great energy and feel uplifted immediately. One case study revealed a woman who had not experienced a normal menses in three years yet began a normal cycle the day after her therapy. Numerous women have reported the inability to become pregnant until they received CraniosSacral Therapy, at which point their body reached balance and they conceived. The stories are voluminous. The reaction of the body depends on the particular issues with which the individual is dealing.

Scar tissue poses huge problems to the CranioSacral system. Scar tissue is very dense, fibrous tissue that pulls on surrounding tissues and causes physical restrictions, resulting in spasms to surrounding muscles. If left untreated, scar tissue can cause spasms in body parts that, to the untrained eye, seem to be disconnected.

The circulatory system acts a lot like a backed-up sewer system when the tissues build up excess fluid. When fluid pressure reaches a certain point, it causes surrounding muscles to contract and press on tender nerve endings, which can cause both local and widespread pain as well as depression. Many times, pain is referred to a completely different area on the body than the original injury simply as a result of fluid buildup. Lymphatic Drainage has been shown to have the effect of totally removing chronic edema after only one to two 30 - 45 minutes session.

If there is an injury in the hips, it can also cause an imbalance in the shoulders and can cause small pockets of spasms anywhere along the spine from the hips to the neck. Most headaches have been shown to have some association with lower back and hip injuries. With the great deal of positive results from these modalities, further research should go toward learning more about how the body, more often than not, can be healed without the use of invasive techniques. Of course, there is room for everyone at the table of healing; medical techniques have their place, but to date, there has been no effective treatment for edema. There are no transplant patients, heart patients, dialysis patients or cancer patients who have all shown positive results to both CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage when traditional doctors have had no other recourse but to use diuretics, which eventually have the bounce-back effect of causing the body to retain fluid.

If these modalities, which have multitudes of positive case histories, have no weight within research community, then likely, researchers are asking the wrong questions. The question they need to be asking is: Why is there such a large body of positive response to the treatment? Arguments over methodology and research method can be made ad infinitum. Until scientists explore all of the evidence, people will continue to have to pay out of pocket for effective alternative therapies not currently covered by insurance companies.

If you are in chronic pain or have medical issues that have not responded to traditional treatment, try CranioSacral Therapy and / or Lymphatic Drainage techniques. Many massage therapists either currently practice it or can refer you to an effective therapist. We owe it to ourselves to hold out hope for underexplored methods. Many people have gone from having no hope of ever recovering to living pain-free, productive lives as a result of the work of many researchers who refuse to give up.

Great strides are being made in the area of physically measuring the results of alternative therapies, and we should support their exploration in the great state of Oklahoma. Known for out pioneering spirit and our high volume of research facilities, there is not better place for this therapy to come into its own than Oklahoma, the state where we find answers Sooner than later, and don't let our feuds over mind and body keep us from making great strides toward holistic healing.

A solid point of acknowledgement and gratitude goes to:

Distinctly Oklahoma June 2013, pg 43 - 45, The Positive Effects of CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage on the Body by Kimberly Green.

for research, compiling, then submitting for print an easier to understand reason for CST. Thank you. Z

DISCLAIMER: This article is written from the perspective of a practitioner and is based on case studies and existing research. You should verify all information for yourself before making any medical decisions. Just as with taking dietary supplements, you should let your doctor know what types of alternative therapies you are using as they can affect treatment plans.