Health Articles

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=150 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#centering_the_session_with_intention_1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>Centering the Session With Intention</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#the_will_to_persevere" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>The Will to Persevere</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#a_natural_approach_to_degenerative" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>A Natural Approach to Degenerative</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#when_the_inner_physician_speaks" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>When the Inner Physician Speaks</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#chronic_pain_and_cst" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>Chronic Pain and CST</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#depression_research" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>Depression Research</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#massage_eases_alcohol_withdrawal" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>Massage Eases Alcohol Withdrawal</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#reiki_reduces_heart_rate___bp" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>Reiki Reduces Heart Rate & BP</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#the_aging_nose" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>The Aging Nose</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="health_articles_home_page_m.htm#cst___conjoined_twins" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="Health Articles"><U>CST & Conjoined Twins</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B> </B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="665" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM HEIGHT= 31 WIDTH="396"><div> <B>Handful Of Cherries</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#990066" FACE="Verdana" ><B> </B></FONT><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Handful Of Cherries"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B> : </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Handful Of Cherries"><U><B>up</B></U></A><B>  :  </B><A HREF="yoga_thread_home_page.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Yoga"><U><B>previous</B></U></A><B>  : </B><A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Information"><U><B> next</B></U></A><B> </B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <B>          Restoring Balance in Life</B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="675" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BELOW" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 24 WIDTH="669"><div> <I>Health Articles</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=370 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > <A NAME="centering_the_session_with_intention_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></FONT><B>Centering the Session With Intention</B>   By John Upledger, DO, OMM</div> <bR> <div> The longer I practice as a therapeutic facilitator, the more I realize the power of intention. To this day, the kind of intention I use most often in my work is the simple intention to support whatever the client's "inner wisdom" wants to do at any given moment. </div> <bR> <div> My first intention in a session, therefore, is to let the client know that whatever he or she wants to do is OK with me. I transmit this message non-verbally through my initial touch. On the outside we may be talking about many different things. Small talk is a wonderful distraction; it helps the body get past the mind's defenses. Yet while our voices may be saying one thing, our touch may be communicating something entirely different. </div> <bR> <div> As the integration between conscious and subconscious awareness within the client progresses, I may very gently and with great sensitivity begin to verbalize what our touch has been communicating since the session began. Here's what that means in practical terms: </div> <bR> <div> When I first put my hands on a client, I silently say, "If you want to do CranioSacral Therapy, that's what we'll do. Show me where to begin. </div> <div> "If you have a pressing issue with an energy cyst, that's okay. We'll do that. Show me where you would like me to be. </div> <bR> <div> "If SomatoEmotional Release is what you want to do, just start and I'll be with you. Go ahead and image all you want; please share those images with me. Perhaps I can help you understand what they are trying to tell you. </div> <bR> <div> "We'll dialogue anytime you want to. Just let me know when you're ready. Whatever you think is the best way to come to resolution of this problem is OK with me. Let's do it." </div> <bR> <div> It's wonderful to see how the client's body begins to respond to this offering of help. I don't have to say a word until his or her body tells me to start talking. </div> <bR> <div> According to my best memory, the mystery of what I now call "intentioned touch" and "blending" came into my conscious awareness as early as 1954. It was shortly after I finished my training as a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Coast Guard. I was placed on independent duty on a patrol ship in the Gulf of Mexico. There were no other medically trained personnel aboard the ship. I had finished 16 weeks of training and two months of internship in an outpatient clinic in New Orleans before being assigned to sea duty. </div> <bR> <div> I was on the ship just a couple of days when the captain's steward sent word for me to see him. He was unable to walk due to a sudden pain in his left calf. He was lying on the deck grimacing, holding his leg and writhing about. I was trained in life-saving procedures and had no idea what to do here. There were about six or seven crew members present; I felt them watching and judging my ability. Let's just say the pressure was on. </div> <bR> <div> I tried to look knowledgeable as I took his left leg between my two hands. I could feel a lot of heat and muscle contraction in his calf. Still, I had no idea what the problem was or what I could do about it. At a loss for anything else, I made my hands as gentle as I could and envisioned everything relaxing, the pain leaving, and the blood vessels and nerves normalizing. Within two or three minutes the steward smiled, said it felt fine and thanked me. Then he stood up, tested his leg, continued to smile and walked away. The onlookers also smiled their approval. From then on they called me "Doc." </div> <bR> <div> At that moment I learned that if you intend to help the healing process and blend with the body tissues you're touching, things will usually get better. By "blending" I mean consciously envisioning the boundaries between your hands and the other person's body dissolving, and your hands entering the body. </div> <bR> <div> To imagine how this might work, consider what happens when you have two bars of soap, one blue and one pink, and you place one on top of the other, wet them and wait. The two bars merge at their areas of contact and the colors blend with each other. You may even see a lavender color as the blue and pink mix. Similarly, the energies of our bodies mix and integrate when we consciously intend it to happen. When the relatively normal energy of the therapist blends with the problem, it dilutes the problem energy and moves it toward normal. </div> <bR> <div> At the same time, if the therapist allows the problem energy to enter his or her body, an awareness of the problem can be perceived by the therapist. Since the entry of the problem into the therapist's body is consciously allowed, it can also be consciously removed - with intention, of course. </div> <bR> <div> <I>John E. Upledger, DO, OMM</I></div> <div> <I>Palm Beach Gardens, Florida</I></div> <div> <U>www.upledger.com</U></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="the_will_to_persevere"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>The Will to Persevere    </B>By John Upledger, DO, OMM</div> <bR> <div> This past year I met a remarkable young man named Will Wright who was helped with CranioSacral Therapy (CST) and Lymph Drainage Therapy (LDT). His philosophy is simple: "Everything that has happened has made me a better person." Impressive, considering he is only 28 years-old, and his transition into adulthood has been anything but smooth. </div> <bR> <div> At 19, an altercation left Will in a coma with swelling in the brain and fractures to his face. About a year later he started having seizures and left-sided paralysis that left him with a learning disability; yet all this was minor compared to what happened next. </div> <bR> <div> Five years later in June 2001, Will was run over by a road grader - a machine about 30 feet long and 38,000 pounds. Will remembers the day well. He had been part of a paving crew working in a parking lot. As usual, he was partnered with a guy whose basic function was to watch him and the grader. </div> <bR> <div> "In a split instant, I heard faint hollering over the grader's loud motor," Will said. "I knew exactly what was happening. "I was trying to straighten up and run from its path when it caught my right foot. It basically turned me over and came up my side. When it got to my stomach area, the driver rotated in the opposite direction and it threw me out." </div> <bR> <div> When the paramedics arrived, they found blood coming from Will's nose, ears and eyes. Amazingly, his vitals were normal. He spent the next 12 days in the hospital, more than a month at home on bed rest, and weeks in rehab. </div> <bR> <div> By February 2002, Will was ready for light duty at the paving company. All went well until the heat of summer set in. "That's when I started to see some recourse from the accident in 2001," he said. "I had a lot of problems with my eyes." </div> <bR> <div> A trip to the doctor left him with a diagnosis of depression. Normally calm, Will's voice rose as he told the doctor, "I am not in a state of depression. I understand that I've been through a lot. I know I can never be what I was before. I'm not worried about that. I just want answers. I just want to know what I need to do to get better." </div> <bR> <div> Still, he ended up on a succession of antidepressants, pain medication for his right heel, and other drugs to calm his stomach from all the medications he was taking. </div> <bR> <div> Finally, in a visit to his optometrist, Will was encouraged to see Phyllis Thomas, LMT, who practices CST and LDT. "My eye doctor's into alternative ways of healing the body," Will said. "She told me, 'I don't know what it'll do, but it might help you.' At that point I was willing to do anything to get my life back together. All the medicine they had me on wasn't correcting the problem. It was just making me get by day to day." </div> <bR> <div> Phyllis focused extensively on Will's lymphatic system. "She worked on me probably every week once a week and sometimes twice a week for a year," Will said. "It took about three or four months for me to see what she was doing. Once I saw that, it was astonishing all the way around. I had so much fluid built up inside my body that I could literally feel it coming out of me." </div> <bR> <div> Yet as good as Will was beginning to feel, he was still having problems with his eyes. Ultimately, a neuro-ophthalmologist discovered extensive nerve damage and a midline shift in Will's vision. "Since my accident I see everything to the right," he said. "He put me in glasses that move everything about six inches back to center." </div> <bR> <div> That's when Phyllis urged Will to come to The Upledger Institute (UI) HealthPlex clinic in South Florida. "We've got your lymphatic system where it's working," she told Will, "but it's not where it needs to be. Once they do CranioSacral Therapy on you, all of your systems will start to work together instead of working against one another.'" </div> <bR> <div> In February 2004, Will came to UI for two weeks of intensive therapy. "My experience was unreal," he said. "I could really tell that I was releasing something. They explained how the body has a memory and how energy is released when something has been damaged. I could definitely feel the energy coming out of me. They also pointed out how off-kilter I was. As they worked on me it felt like all my systems, bones and organs went back to as close to their original spots as they're supposed to be." </div> <bR> <div> According to Kevin Rose, LMT, CST-D, a UI staff clinician, "The main emphasis in Will's treatment was to increase fluid flow in the lymphatic and craniosacral systems. Being crushed by a 38,000 pound machine can certainly lessen the body's ability to exchange fluids efficiently and effectively." To Kevin, an equally important factor in Will's progress was his outlook. "He came in with a strong intention to solve the challenges that no one else could help him with. This attitude of perseverance is, in my opinion, the core of strengthening the self-healing process. Will's incredible focus was the foundation that supported his steps closer to a full recovery." </div> <bR> <div> Will was so excited by what he experienced at UI that he signed up for a CST class. He said he has no aspirations of becoming a therapist, but took the class "because I know CranioSacral works, and I wanted to understand more about it." </div> <bR> <div> He added, "Here you've got a young man who's been almost killed in an altercation, then a year later is pretty well paralyzed on the left side of his body, can't talk, can't do anything. My level of concentration was out the door. At that time I was a sophomore in college and was put at an eighth-grade education level. Then five years later I had a worse accident than the first two. Nobody before this really considered that I had multiple problems that were already there, and that they were still coexisting inside my body. The lymphatic and CranioSacral work released everything." </div> <bR> <div> Will also said he hopes his ordeal will serve others, both as encouragement and as a wake-up call. "People need to learn their own bodies," he said. "They need to understand that if they'll just give their bodies what they need, their bodies will heal themselves. </div> <bR> <div> "I'm aware of my body now and what it needs to make it work, or help make it work. At 28-years-old, I feel better than I have ever felt. I see clearer; I'm more responsive. Have I conquered the world? No. But have I conquered something that nobody thought I could? Yes, I have." </div> <bR> <div> <I>John Upledger, DO, OMM</I></div> <div> <I>Palm Beach Gardens, Florida</I></div> <div> <U>www.upledger.com</U> </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="a_natural_approach_to_degenerative"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>A Natural Approach to Degenerative Diseases of the Central Nervous System    </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >By John Upledger, DO, OMM</FONT></div> <bR> <div> As a complementary care practitioner with a long history in the medical field, I tend to look at trends in medicine with a broader eye than some mainstream physicians. With all the press these past few years on degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) - Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, senile dementia, and the like - I'd like to weigh in on noninvasive options in therapeutic care. It's vital for clients to have choices.</div> <bR> <div> Research indicates that a significant number of degenerative brain diseases are caused by the accumulation of waste products generated by physiological reactions that involve brain proteins. This particular waste product is called "beta amyloid peptide" (BAP). The peptide is formed from a protein called "amyloid precursor protein" (APP), which is a constituent of the neural cell membranes of the brain, spinal cord and spinal cord roots. Toxic levels of the peptide can also be formed from the accumulation of heavy minerals such as mercury, aluminum and cadmium. (Some authorities suggest this abnormal accumulation of BAP results from genetic mutations. The jury is still out on that concept.)</div> <bR> <div> Beta amyloid peptide products accumulate at toxic levels more often in the brain than in the spinal cord and its roots. Yet when abnormal accumulation does occur in the cord or roots, degeneration that histologically resembles that of the brain does occur. In any case, the formation of BAPs from APPs is physiologically normal; however, when BAPs are neither removed as waste nor neutralized by normal biochemical reactions, CNS diseases can occur.</div> <bR> <div> No matter the reason, the abnormal accumulation of BAPs may result in the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques. The presence of these plaques can then induce the inflammatory response, which facilitates the hyper-phosphorylation of a protein named "TAU." While still under study, we know TAU forms intracellular fibrillatory tangles. Between the plaques and the tangles, the neurons become dysfunctional and may die. In addition to producing plaques and tangles, BAPs can: 1) interfere with the proper functioning of voltage-dependent calcium channels, usually causing neuronal hyperexcitability and ultimately death, and 2) enhance the activity of an enzyme known as "GTPase," the hyperactivity of which then interferes with long-term potentiation at the synaps, which results in memory failure. </div> <bR> <div> The production of BAPs depends on the presence of APP, which is an integral cellular-membrane protein. It has three different isoforms made up of either 695, 751 or 770 amino acids. It also has a large domain outside of the cell. The extracellular portion is connected to a smaller intracellular portion by a part of the molecule that passes through the cell membrane, thus forming a connection between the extracellular and intracellular parts of the molecule. Since both parts have receptors, APP passes information between the extracellular and intracellular domains of the molecule; hence, between the extracellular and intracellular regions. In view of all this, it's clear that the major causes of degenerative diseases of the CNS include the incomplete removal of BAPs and excessive inflammatory responses.</div> <bR> <div> Certainly, biochemicals that have been used to treat these conditions (neprilysin, insulin degrading enzyme, endothelial-converting enzyme and plasmin) have been moderately successful in terms of slowing the disease processes. But what about approaching the situation by using hands-on therapeutic techniques that physiologically remove the culprit molecules, namely the beta amyloid peptides? </div> <bR> <div> It seems to me that using approaches such as massage and CranioSacral Therapy (CST) to enhance the flow of fluids that pass through the interstitial spaces of the central nervous system would be of great therapeutic value. If we could help the body obtain a proper balance through these techniques, the accumulation of BAPs would naturally be reduced. One of the major goals of CST in particular is to enhance the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through the craniosacral system, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. We accomplish this by releasing any membranous tensions that restrict the easy, natural, rhythmical motion of the craniosacral system. When the craniosacral system is operating at a high level of efficiency, the accumulated BAP waste is flushed from the interstitial spaces of the central nervous system and excreted from the body. Thus, a major contributing cause of degenerative diseases of the brain or spinal cord is eliminated.</div> <bR> <div> Yet even preventing further degenerative changes will not restore neurons, neuronal circuits and glial cells that have already been lost. How can manual therapists help restore these losses? Personally, I incorporate CST with SomatoEmotional Release and dialogue techniques to "talk" with the stem cells that are already numerous in the brain and spinal cord. First, I humbly and respectfully describe the functional losses of the central nervous system to the stem cells.</div> <bR> <div> Next, I politely request that these stem cells replace lost neurons, circuits or what have you, as they see fit. It's important to understand that I <B>do not</B> tell them how to do it. I only describe the problem and ask that the stem cells apply their wisdom and ingenuity to do whatever they feel is appropriate and necessary to restore normal function to the brain and spinal cord.</div> <bR> <div> For those of you willing to venture with me into new areas of thought and therapeutic care, you'll find yourself able to render valuable services to clients afflicted with a wide range of degenerative diseases of the brain or spinal cord. And isn't that where the true value lies? </div> <bR> <div> <I>John Upledger, DO, OMM</I></div> <div> <I>Palm Beach Gardens, Florida</I></div> <div> <U>www.upledger.com</U> </div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="when_the_inner_physician_speaks"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>W<B>hen the Inner Physician Speaks, I Listen    </B>By John Upledger, DO, OMM</div> <bR> <div> Even after many decades of being a physician, my work never gets boring, because I am constantly learning from my own patients. One of my greatest teachers was a woman I'll call "Samantha." My experience with her brought me into a far greater awareness of the power of dialoging with body tissues and cells as an extension of the work I had long been doing with my patients' Inner Physicians.</div> <div> For CranioSacral Therapy or any other bodywork to succeed, I believe that the therapist must release all assumptions, blend with the client and listen intently – with the hands and all faculties – to the Inner Physician. This is the voice of wisdom; the part inside all of us that maintains complete awareness of our inner and outer workings.</div> <div> Samantha came to see me about five days before she was scheduled for a radical mastectomy of her left breast. She had a malignant tumor that was about 2 cm by 0.5 cm on the mammogram. It was attached to a smaller tumor about half its size, which was interpreted as a spread of the larger tumor. Fortunately, there was no detectable spread to the axilla (armpit).</div> <div> In the few days she had before surgery, Samantha wanted to see whether she could reduce the tumor and avoid a radical mastectomy by receiving CranioSacral Therapy and accessing her Inner Physician. As I worked on her, I gently placed my hand on the tumor tissues and silently asked the white cells to phagocytize (consume and digest) the tumorous cells. For about 30 minutes, I intentionally sent energy into the breast tissue while I visualized the two tumors shrinking. After awhile, I actually felt them getting smaller and melding into each other. The process finally stopped when the tumor felt as if it was about the size of a pea. When Samantha visited the surgeon a few days later, he was openly astonished at the change. Instead of having to perform a radical mastectomy, he did a simple lumpectomy and removed the pea-sized tumor through a small incision.</div> <div> I saw Samantha frequently for some weeks after the malignant tumor was removed. All went well for about a year. Then one day, she came in with an ulceration in the same spot where she had the incision on the breast. Together, we put healing energy into the ulceration with positive, observable results. To my knowledge, Samantha has been fine ever since.</div> <div> I had another teacher-patient I'll call "Joyce." She had breast cancer with axillary metastatic, highly malignant lymph nodes. Armed with pathology reports for both the breast and lymph nodes, she was scheduled for surgery a week later.</div> <div> Joyce came to see me for three consecutive days. During our sessions, we did CranioSacral Therapy and dialogued extensively with her Inner Physician. From those experiences, Joyce came to believe that the cancer was her inner self desperately trying to get her attention. Through our conversations with her Inner Physician, it dawned on her that she had come into this life to fully experience being a woman; yet, by her own admission, she had not wholly embraced the roles of wife and mother.</div> <div> A few years before presenting with cancer, Joyce had experienced endometriosis – another undeniable connection to her womanhood. Ironically, she had been treated with male hormones for the condition. Now, Joyce felt the breast cancer was a message that could not be ignored. She became aware that it could be lethal if she did not fully honor herself, and instead chose to continue being only a part-time wife and mother. Joyce agreed to make her female roles her highest priorities. In return, she asked the cancer cells to become benign. About a week after returning home, Joyce called to tell me her husband had insisted on the radical mastectomy. After the entire breast and its 22 lymph nodes were removed, both her husband and her surgeon were astonished to find they were all benign. The pathologist report showed no malignant cells.</div> <div> I like to think this was undeniable proof to Joyce that she was on the right path to embracing her whole self. For me, I learned to be very careful about what we communicate to cells, tissues, organs, systems, bodies, aches and pains. For better or worse, they take our words literally.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="chronic_pain_and_cst"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><B>Chronic Pain and CranioSacral Therapy</B>    <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >By Tad Wanveer, LMT, CST-D; guest author for John Upledger, DO, OMM</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I>Editor’s note:</I><I> Dr. John Upledger has asked Tad Wanveer, LMT, CST-D, to share his insights on CranioSacral Therapy.</I></div> <bR> <div> CranioSacral Therapy has proven to be a powerful complement to massage therapy in addressing chronic pain. While massage can effectively address abnormal somatic patterns through the musculoskeletal system, CST approaches somatic disturbances through the craniosacral, fascial and central nervous systems.</div> <bR> <div> Chronic pain can range from mild tissue irritation to intense suffering and disability affecting an individual’s entire body, psyche and life. What’s more, the perception of pain often persists long after the injured tissue has healed. This can cause compensatory patterns that continue to maintain the sensation of pain, eventually leading to abnormal somatic and visceral changes that frequently mask the primary cause of the chronic pain. “Nineteen percent of American adults, almost one in five, suffer from chronic pain.”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >1</FONT></div> <bR> <div> CranioSacral Therapy can be used to identify and help the body change core patterns contributing to chronic pain. It also effectively addresses its associated symptoms, such as musculoskeletal imbalance, trigger points, myofascial dysfunction, chronic fatigue, immune system dysfunction, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, elevated heart rate, high blood pressure, endocrine system dysfunction, stress, anxiety, hypothalamic dysfunction and sleep difficulties.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >Chronic pain has a multitude of causes, including congenital disorders, spinal disorders, musculoskeletal imbalance, compensatory patterns, surgery, scar tissue, disease processes, trauma, infection, overuse, disuse and misuse. “The common denominator of conditions that cause chronic pain is irritation of the nociceptive (pain cell) endings, axons, or processing circuits causing abnormal activity that is interpreted as pain.”</FONT>2 </div> <bR> <div> Recent research points to central nervous system adaptation as a common contributor to chronic pain. “Many chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes – including regional myofascial pain syndromes, whiplash pain syndromes, refractory work-related neck/shoulder pain, certain types of chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia and others – essentially might be explained by abnormalities in central pain modulation.”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >3</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Body tissue often responds to pain through habitual muscle tension, postural distortion, diminished tissue mobility, thickening and congestion of the fascia, decreased blood flow to painful areas, a build-up of metabolic waste products, adverse strain on the peripheral, central and autonomic nervous system tissues, and an overall sense of fatigue.</div> <bR> <div> Persistent peripheral nerve strain due to muscular imbalance, tension, injury or infection might lead to a flood of chronic activity and excessive sensitivity of local nociceptors. This can cause a continual bombardment of signals into the central nervous system. It’s as though there is a constant roar of pain information focused on the brain and spinal cord. </div> <bR> <div> The central nervous system tissue might respond by undergoing any number of adaptive changes. Thickening and inflammation of the membrane layers surrounding the spinal cord and brain might occur, leading to irritation and lack of normal motion of central nervous system tissue, imbalance and restricted mobility of the spinal column, or adverse strain on the peripheral nervous system. </div> <bR> <div> Spinal cord neurons receiving chronic pain signals from the periphery also can undergo long-term change due to the activation of microglial cells (central nervous system immune cells), because abnormally increased sensitivity (sensitization) of the nerve cells might occur. This can maintain a state of overwhelming activity of the pain pathways, thus causing constant pain sensation.</div> <bR> <div> Normally, there is a balance of inhibitory and excitatory stimulation where the pain cell synapses (communicates) with the spinal cord neuron. However, decrease of inhibition at the synapse might occur. When this takes place, the neuron will tend to stay in a state of stimulation. This is another cause of excessive sensitivity and activity of pain pathway and chronic pain sensation.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >4</FONT></div> <bR> <div> The spinal cord neurons and glial cells normally produce neurotrophic (vitalizing) elements that are transported to the innervated tissue. A distortion in this supply might occur, leading to tissue devitalization and irritation.<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >5</FONT>  This can lead to a further decrease of normal tissue mobility, which can increase irritation and chronic-pain signals. The nociceptor cells also produce elements secreted by the nerve cell endings (terminal ends) when they’re stimulated. These elements create inflammation and heightened sensation of the endings which, in turn, cause the terminal ends to overreact to stimulus and increase the area they receive stimulus from.</div> <bR> <div> This might further create abnormal activity of the pain pathway, which can cause a loop of pain signal dysfunction from the periphery throughout the spinal cord, the autonomic nervous system and the brain. “A very small stimulus which might otherwise be censored out may cause an inappropriately large and indiscriminately wide-ranged neuronal response.”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >6</FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Can you recall a time you experienced a paper cut or were pricked by a thorn? Remember how sensitive your finger was to touch or perhaps to the slightest movement? The pain receptors in the area became easily stimulated, even with slight pressure. Yet, in a few days, the sensitivity decreased. </div> <bR> <div> With chronic pain, the sensitivity does not decrease. Entire areas of the body might stay in a state of overwhelming sensitivity and pain. Nervous system tissue reacting in this way is referred to as being “facilitated,” which means the pain cells and pain pathways are overly reactive. Excessively reactive pain cells will tend to lose their ability to modulate input. It’s as though a magnifying glass is amplifying a vast and abnormal amount of sensory information into the area. This can then cause abnormal changes in the structure and function of the tissue innervated by the area of the affected spinal cord neurons, thus maintaining the sensation of chronic pain.</div> <div> The facilitated sensory input might even cascade into other regions of the spinal cord and brain. The overflow of signals can irritate brain regions, leading to the ongoing perception of pain and the symptoms that often accompany chronic pain. Disturbance of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetics) often will lead to widespread bodily dysfunction. The sympathetic turmoil also contributes to chronic pain. “The sympathetics control the caliber of most of the vessels of the body. When the sympathetics are hyperirritable in a given area, in a given segment or in a peripheral distribution, there is a tendency for either exaggerated vasoconstriction or vasodilation. This contributes to chaos and the perpetuation of pathology. When you control the blood supply to a given area, you control its life; you control its capacity for recovery, its capacity to survive and maintain its integrity as a tissue.”<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" >7</FONT></div> <bR> <div> The vascular stress caused by sympathetic nervous system imbalance can lead to more tissue aggravation and pain signaling. Also, “the sympathetic nervous system is an important participant in the maintenance of splinting.”8 Splinting is one way the body tries to avoid feeling pain – by rigidly contracting the muscles so minimal movement will occur. In these many ways, the unbridled responsive region(s) of the central and autonomic nervous systems might maintain the feeling of pain. This process also can produce a vast adverse affect on tissues such as nervous system cells, vascular structures, skeletal muscles, smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, glands, connective tissue, fascia, osseous tissue, skin and viscera.</div> <bR> <div> What does all this mean to the bodywork practitioner? Simply put, normal tissue mobility is essential for this healing process, which is critical in addressing chronic pain. Enhanced mobility can help normalize vascular flow, decrease metabolic waste buildup, aid normal neural structure and function, de-facilitate affected spinal cord and brain areas, decrease adaptive body patterns that might be maintaining chronic-pain signals, and normalize autonomic nervous system function, thus decreasing abnormal strain on the associated somatic and visceral structures.</div> <bR> <div> All this can help the body decrease the enormous strain chronic pain places on it, and help free the body from related suffering. In this highly individualized way, CranioSacral therapy might enhance the body’s ability to naturally correct the imbalance and dysfunction that might be contributing to painful patterns. CranioSacral therapy can assist the body in changing abnormal tissue-strain patterns residing in the depths of the brain and spinal cord, throughout the musculoskeletal system, and in the body as a whole. CST also can be used in combination with massage and other manual therapies as an effective treatment for chronic pain conditions.</div> <bR> <div> <I>References:</I></div> <bR> <div> Sternberg, S. “Chronic Pain: The Enemy Within.” <I>USA Today,</I> May 9, 2005. </div> <div> Purves, D., et al. <I>Neuroscience</I>. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland Massachusetts, 2001. </div> <div> Lidbeck, J. “Central Hyperexcitability in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Conceptual Breakthrough with Multiple Clinical Implications,” Pain Management Clinic, Helsingborg, Sweden, Winter 2002. </div> <div> Torsney, C., and MacDermott, A.B. “A Painful Factor.” <I>Nature,</I> Vol. 438, December 2005. </div> <div> McCleskey, E.W. “New Player in Pain.” <I>Nature,</I> Vol. 424, August 2003. </div> <div> Upledger, J.E. “The Facilitated Segment.” <I>Massage Therapy Journal,</I> Summer 1989. </div> <div> Peterson, B. “The Collected Papers of Irvin M. Korr.” American Academy of Osteopathy, 1995. </div> <div> Peterson, B. “The Collected Papers of Irvin M. Korr.” American Academy of Osteopathy, 1995. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="depression_research"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Depression Research  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Massage & Music Therapy</B></div> <div> <B>Massage and music therapy helps depressed teenagers</B></div> <bR> <div> Massage and music therapy can alter brain patterns and offer therapeutic help for patients suffering from anxiety and depression. There are a number of clinical research studies showing the benefits of both of these therapies, and this prompted researchers at Florida Atlantic University, USA to investigate exactly how and why these therapies work so well.</div> <bR> <div> The researchers monitored brain activity in depressed teenagers. It is known that EEG asymmetry, specifically greater relative right frontal activation, is associated with negative emotions and depression, and examination of depressed adults invariably shows this phenomenon. The researchers therefore decided to assess the effects of massage therapy and music therapy on frontal EEG asymmetry in thirty depressed teenagers, all showing greater relative right frontal EEG activation and symptoms of depression.</div> <bR> <div> Fourteen of the teenagers were given massage therapy or and sixteen were given music therapy. EEG levels were recorded for three-minute periods before, during, and after each therapy session.</div> <bR> <div> The results revealed that the frontal EEG asymmetry was significantly improved both during and after the massage and music sessions. The study demonstrates that both massage therapy and music therapy have positive effects on brain activity in depressed teenagers and indicate that these therapies should be more closely reviewed for inclusion in conventional treatment programmes.</div> <bR> <div> Source: Adolescence 1999 Fall;34(135):529-34 . Massage and music therapies attenuate frontal EEG asymmetry in depressed adolescents. Jones NA, Field T</div> <div> <U>© The Internet Health Library 2000</U></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>R</B><B> E S E A R C H</B> </div> <div> <B> <A NAME="massage_eases_alcohol_withdrawal"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Massage Eases Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome</B></div> <bR> <div> In subjects undergoing alcohol detoxification, massage therapy decreased the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, reduced pulse rate and encouraged greater engagement in the treatment process, according to recent research.</div> <div> “Massage Therapy Improves the Management of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome” was conducted by staff of Royal Brisbane Hospital Alcohol and Drug Services, Queensland University of Technology School of Psychology and Counseling, and the University of Queensland, Australia.</div> <bR> <div> Twenty-five subjects were assigned to the massage group, and 25 were assigned to a control group. All 50 participants had been admitted to an alcohol and drug detoxification unit. Forty-one were males and nine were females, with an average age of 43.8 years. </div> <bR> <div> Subjects in the massage group received a 15-minute, bedside back, shoulder, neck and head massage, fully clothed, once a day for four days. Subjects in the control group rested for 15 minutes per day for four days. Patients were discharged at the end of the fourth day or on the fifth day, after detoxification. </div> <div> Outcome measures were pulse rate, respiration rate, Alcohol Withdrawal Scale scores, and subjects’ responses to a questionnaire assessing the treatment process.</div> <bR> <div> Results of the study showed that, as the treatment ensued, both groups had reduced scores on the Alcohol Withdrawal Scale. However, the reduction of scores in the massage group was significantly greater than those of the control group. </div> <bR> <div> Pulse rate was significantly reduced in the massage group as compared to that of the control group, and respiratory function was greater in the massage group at the end of the four-day intervention.</div> <div> “On a day-to-day basis, the strongest impact of massage on [Alcohol Withdrawal Scale] scores and pulse rate was postmassage day 1,” state the study’s authors. “The initial period of detoxification is physically demanding and increasing patient comfort at this time is important.”</div> <bR> <div> The study also showed that people in the massage group responded to the questionnaire at a significantly higher rate than those in the control group. Eighty-six percent of subjects who reported that their meals were enjoyable were in the massage group, and 100 percent of those who reported feeling safe were in the massage group.</div> <div> “The subjective experience of patients reflected those receiving massage therapy feeling more engaged in the treatment process,” state the study’s authors. “The qualitative data indicate that most of the individuals who reported feeling supported, safe and having an improved appetite were in the massage group.</div> <bR> <div> “In conclusion, this study suggests that there may be a place for massage therapy in the alcohol detoxification process.” </div> <bR> <div> <I>Source: Royal Brisbane Hospital Alcohol and Drug Services, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Queensland University of Technology School of Psychology and Counseling, in Carseldine, Queensland, Australia; and University of Queensland Department of Psychiatry, Southern Clinical Division, School of Medicine, at Princess Alexandra Hospital, in Wooloongabba, Queensland, Australia. Authors: Margaret Reader, R.N.; Ross Young, Ph.D.; and Jason P. Connor, Ph.D. Originally published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, April 2005, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 311-313</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>R</B><B> E S E A R C H</B> </div> <div> <B> <A NAME="reiki_reduces_heart_rate___bp"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Reiki Reduces Heart Rate, Diastolic Blood Pressure</B></div> <bR> <div> Heart rate and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly in people who received 30 minutes of reiki, as compared to a placebo intervention or 30 minutes of rest, according to a recent study. </div> <bR> <div> “Autonomic Nervous System Changes During Reiki Treatment: A Preliminary Study” was conducted by staff of the Institute of Neurological Sciences, South Glasgow University Hospital NHS Trust, in Glasgow, United Kingdom.</div> <bR> <div> Forty-five healthy subjects, ages 23-59, were randomly assigned to one of three groups: rest/control, reiki or placebo. Reiki, a Japanese healing art, is based on the concept of energy flowing through the practitioner into the recipient.</div> <bR> <div> Researchers evaluated the effect of reiki on several measures of autonomic nervous system function, such as heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac vagal tone, cardiac sensitivity to baroreflex (reflexes activated by pressure changes in the heart’s blood vessels), and respiratory rate. All outcome measures were recorded continuously using the NeuroScope system. </div> <bR> <div> Baseline data were recorded for all groups during a 15-minute rest period. This was followed by the intervention. In the reiki group, subjects received 30 minutes of reiki, which consisted of the practitioner placing his or her hands over the participant’s body, over the clothes, without touching the subject.</div> <bR> <div> In the placebo group, a person with no knowledge of reiki imitated the hand movements of the reiki practitioner for 30 minutes. In the rest/control group, subjects rested for the half-hour intervention period.</div> <bR> <div> This was followed by a 10-minute rest period for subjects in all groups. Data were recorded throughout the entire study. </div> <bR> <div> Results of the research showed that subjects in both the reiki and placebo groups experienced a significant reduction in heart rate, increase in cardiac vagal tone, increase in cardiac sensitivity to baroreflex, and reduction in respiratory rate.</div> <bR> <div> “The increase in [cardiac vagal tone] signifies an increase in parasympathetic activity and is reflected by the decrease in [heart rate],” state the study’s authors. </div> <bR> <div> However, only in the reiki group was diastolic blood pressure significantly reduced. Heart rate was also lower in the reiki group as compared to both the rest and placebo groups.</div> <bR> <div> “No changes were found in the control group after the baseline period, indicating that the autonomic activity stabilized during the initial rest period,” state the study’s authors. “It is therefore unlikely that the significant changes in both placebo and reiki groups are due to simply lying down and resting.”</div> <bR> <div> As the results of the study indicate that reiki has some effect on the autonomic nervous system, the authors suggest a further, larger study on the biological effects of reiki.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Source: Institute of Neurological Sciences, South Glasgow University Hospital NHS Trust, Glasgow, United Kingdom. Authors: Nicola Mackay; Stig Hansen, Ph.D.; and Oona McFarlane. Originally published in </I>The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine<I>, 2004, Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 1077-1081.</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="the_aging_nose"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>T</B><B>he Aging Nose</B></div> <div> As your nose ages there are changes both in the structure and in the mucosa. The mucosa is strongly supported by your hormones and these change as you age. The changes are often more dramatic in women than in men, but occur in both sexes. The pregnant female will have incredible, nasal mucosal swelling and this is recognized by congestion and secretion. By the same token, as the nose ages and as these same hormones decrease, the mucosa shrinks and all of a sudden the secretions become thick and difficult to manage. This is usually perceived as a tenacious postnasal drip. People will often snort continuously and may complain of snorting, coughing and even hoarseness. Infection does not play a role in this illness. </div> <div> http://www-surgery.ucsd.edu/ent/DAVIDSON/NASHAND/nasal.htm</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="cst___conjoined_twins"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>CranioSacral Therapy Improves Health of Conjoined Twins</B></div> <bR> <div> In June 2001, twin boys, Ahmed and Mohamed, conjoined at the crown of the head were born in Egypt. The surgery needed to separate them has been called “one of the most challenging decisions I've ever had to make” by the lead surgeon and founder of the Dallas-based World Craniofacial Foundation, which sponsored the twins' trip to the United States.</div> <bR> <div> In August, CranioSacral Therapy pioneer Dr. John E. Upledger was invited to evaluate the twins. “I had never worked on or even seen conjoined twins before,” Dr. Upledger said. “I had no idea what I was going to feel until I put my hands on them.”</div> <bR> <div> “Ahmed and Mohamed shared brain matter and extensive blood vessels, some of which snake like a maze between the two. Yet, the boys are happy and well-adjusted. They laugh, play, interact with those around them, and are perfectly at ease in the spotlight.</div> <bR> <div> “The twins' condition prior to their first CranioSacral Therapy session was not encouraging. Dr Upledger said the first step that was needed was to look at all the physiological systems and decide from the feel of things whether the systems were being controlled by the larger twin. We could tell because there were two signature energy patterns. So, if we found both those signature energy patterns in one heart, we knew that wasn't going to be a good thing. Fortunately, evaluation showed that not to be the case.”</div> <bR> <div> For an hour and a half each day over the next three days, Dr. Upledger and a team of CranioSacral Therapists  worked with the twins. “The boys showed marked improvement. Prior to therapy Ahmed was weaker and more passive. And Mohamed was trying to get up on his hands and knees and initiate rolling, but he couldn't. By the end of their first session the twins were smiling and playing with each other and much more animated.” About three days later Mohamed started eating solid food and having small bowel movements.”</div> <bR> <div> “The next step was for the boys to receive a week of intensive therapy with a team of therapists. “The goals were to bring about as much independent functioning of their body systems as possible and, most ambitiously, to encourage the boys' bodies to begin a subtle separation where the vessels are shared.”</div> <bR> <div> From September, “the twins received daily therapy that involved at least three therapists working on them at any given time for approximately 5 hours a day.”</div> <bR> <div> “In addition to the skull work, the team concentrated on getting each of the boy's systems functioning independently. … We worked first on their livers to make them independent from each other, then on their spleens, their hearts, then their lungs. Then we went to their brains and spinal cords and craniosacral systems. I think they did very well.”</div> <bR> <div> Before CranioSacral Therapy, “These little guys weren't babbling. They weren't eating. They couldn't play with their feet. They couldn't pull themselves into a crawling position. Since CST there have been dramatic changes. … The progress made over the course of the week astonished everyone. Dr. Mamdouh Abou el-Hassan, the twins' physician from Cairo, commented, “I'm a physician of medical practice. We are not usually convinced of this kind of therapy, but when you see improvement with your own eyes, you can't deny it.”</div> <bR> <div> Treatment continued three times a week for up to an hour and a half. “Within just two weeks after the intensive program, the twins were standing with the aid of a therapy ball. .. Both have become really vigorous in activity and social interaction.”</div> <bR> <div> “… CranioSacral Therapy has improved the quality of life for Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim. These two playful toddlers are having a great time exploring their world with all its new sights, sounds, tastes and feelings. They just don't know that it's therapy.”</div> <bR> <div> At the time of publication, the twins' father had just granted surgeons permission to proceed with separation surgery. Dr Upledger was invited to observe the surgery itself.”                                                      <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#9999FF" FACE="Verdana" ><I>UpClose, November 2002</I></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>