To All Re Cranialsacral Therapy

[Guest guest]

A bit of history/background for you on the subject. Cranialsacral

Therapy is a modality that was developed by Dr. Upledger while

doing clinical research in Minnesota many years ago. Upledger is an

Osteopath.

CST is actually an offshoot or refinement of Cranial Ostopathy,

which was developed, I believe back in the 1920's by a Dr.

Sutherland. I am tired from ten hours in airports and planes,

breaking metal detectors, getting frisked by security agents and

eating stale airplane sandwiches or I would get up and look up the

details in one of my books.

At any rate, the historical distrust, scorn, whatever, leveled

against CST over the years by the conventional side of the medical

profession was from two key areas. The first was because it was an

Osteopathic procedure and they viewed any thing involved with

osteopathy or chiropractic as junk medicine and rejected it out of

hand. The second was that medical schools in the United States

teach that the cranial bones fuse into one solid bone by the late

teens. The sutures are just to allow for expansion and growth until

the body reaches its mature size.

Once that occurs, the sutures ossify or fuse together and no

movement is possible. Please note that I said medical schools in

the United States. Medical schools in Europe and elsewhere teach

that the cranial bones do NOT fuse together. But since WE know

everything, anything taught elsewhere is obviously wrong.

Well, there has been more than ample research in the last few years

to conclusively prove that the American model is pure fertilizer.

The bones do NOT fuse. They DO allow slight movement. And they CAN

and DO get jammed and misaligned.

Cranial Osteopathy uses very delicate, very light pressure to adjust

and realign the cranial bones. And since the cranial bone at the

back of the head (the occiput) articulates with the joint at the

neck, misalignments can transmit down the entire length of the

spine - or vice versa. A fall on the tailbone can translate up the

spine as well and affect cranial alignments.

Cranialsacral Therapy is a form of Cranial Osteopathy. Upledger

took his basic osteopathic training and, based on his research,

developed CST. He advanced cranial osteopathy to an entirely new

level. Specifically, he identified that the slight movements of the

cranial bones produce a pumping action that help circulate the

cerebral spinal fluid up and down the spine and through the head.

He also identified that this pumping action produces a rhythm that

can be detected by a trained practitioner. The evenness and vitality

of that rhythm can be " read " or interpreted and used in assessing

problem areas in the body. And a very large part of the battle he

has had to fight for acceptance is that the " rhythm " is energetic.

If you are a U.S. doctor, trained to believe that the cranial bones

fuse together and physically can not move, you are going to look

with a very leary eye at someone who says otherwise. How much more

leary are you then going to be when you are told that in addition to

moving that they generate a wave? A wave that is " energetic? " A

wave that a trained practitioner can feel with their hands not even

touching the body?

A lot has changed in the last few years. To begin with, osteopaths

are more widely accepted now as a " legitmate " medical modality

(although not in all states, and as that one post that BONNIE sent,

still viewed with scorn by a large portion of the conventional

side). But the bottom line is that CST has been getting documented

results and its value is becoming more widely accepted.

Unfortunately, that acceptance is still the exception and not the

norm.

I am delighted to hear that there are some doctors out there who are

openly saying that there is documented proof of its effectiveness in

certain areas. I pesonally feel it is an outstanding modality with

great potential.

Again, I need to stress that even though CST is considered an

osteopathic technique and was developed by an Osteopath, it is NOT

the same thing as Cranial Osteopathy. If any of you are interested

in trying it and want help finding a qualified practitioner, let me

know and I can assist.