Re: Question for Mike re: Alternative Techniques - REPLY

March 18, 2004

I've been reading all your posts with great interest. I've heard

of " non-Western " techniques like accupressure and accupuncture

before, and even Reike (spelling?), but prior to joining this group,

I've never heard of Polarity Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy or

Myofascial Release Therapy (did I miss any?). Could you please do a

brief-ish rundown of what each of these techniques are and what

types of problems they work best for.

------------------

I would be delighted. As for being a major undertaking, I think

that's what I have been on for the last 4-5 months. Don't feel bad

about not being familiar with most of the modalities I talk about.

The rest of the list was in the same boat until I jumped in the pool

and started splashing around. Truth of the matter is that I didn't

know anything about them either until I got into the massage program

three years ago.

I can't remember when you joined the list but it might be worth your

time to prowl around the previous posts starting last November and

just look for some of the various subjects. I have posted quite a

few things on various alternative treatments for different

conditions, such as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, TMJ, Carpal Tunnel,

etc. I will eventually get around to doing it myself and will

collect some of them in the files section – but that IS a major

undertaking.

Did you miss any? What you mentioned is that 10 percent of the ice-

berg that is above water. I try to limit my posts and comments to

those modalities in which I have at the very least had specific

training at the introductory level. There are many, many more that

I only know about but have not had training in. I sometimes post in

reply to a question on those but try to focus on the ones that I

know how to do and use myself.

One way to group the alternative approaches is to categorize them as

Western, Eastern or a Combination of the two. Another term you will

hear used is either Energy Medicine or Vibratory Medicine. In

addition, Eastern modalities can be broken into two main sub-

categories depending on their origin – Traditional Chinese or

Ayurvedic (Indian). There are many other sub-categories.

Throughout all of the above, however, there is one primary

distinction: does the modality recognize and work with the body's

energetic systems? A couple of weeks ago, I had two long posts

concerning the " psychic connection. " I went into extensive detail

in those regarding the energetic systems and some of the underlying

science on why these modalities work. If you joined the group after

those posts, it might be worth your time to pull them up. It will

give you a better grasp on where I am coming from with a lot of

this. It might also scare the hell out of you. But as Popeye the

Sailor used to say " You pays your money and you takes your

chances. " Or did I really just date myself with the Popeye comment?

Let's start with one basic premise. Most doctors, and quite a few

chiropractors and osteopaths as well, have limited or inadequate

training in soft-tissue issues. I am not being negative with this,

I am just stating the facts. In addition, the typical doctor

approach is to address most problems first with drugs and secondly

with surgery. Part of the reason is their training. That is how

they were taught. The second reason is financial. You can move

more patients through the mill faster if you prescribe meds than if

you treat with less invasive but more time consuming means. The

exact same rationale applies to chiros and osteos. Thrust

adjustments are faster, much faster, than soft-tissue mobilization

techniques. How many patients can you see in an hour? How many do

you want to see … and bill? More to the point, how many of them

really want to give their patients the tools so the patients can

treat themselves … and not have to see them at who knows how much

per hour? That is my cynicism slipping out.

And just a brief bit of anatomy and physiology before discussing

actual modalities. You have EDS and already know that it is by

definition a genetic defect in the collagen of the body's connective

tissue. I think I read on one of the recent posts that there are

about 30 specific types of collagen. More importantly for this

discussion, there is something called Fascia. The best way to

describe it is that that white filmy " stuff " you see between the

skin and the meat on a piece of chicken is fascia, or at least one

form of fascia. Fascia IS the connective tissue of the body. It is

one continuous sheet that literally wraps every muscle, bone, organ

and cell in the body. It can be opaque and almost watery over the

eyes or like gristle in the low back and every consistency in

between. It is what forms your ligaments and tendons. It is also

what gives you your structural integrity and allows you to stand

upright. Without it, you would literally just collapse in a jumbled

pile.

From an energetic perspective, there has been some research that

indicates that the body's energy channels (acupuncture meridians,

etc) are physically embedded in the fascia and that this combination

is a critical element in the body's information processing system.

From a western, physical perspective, it is important to know that

fascia can stick together and get bunched-up much like snagging a

thread on a sweater. As an example, with the fascia wrapping every

muscle, if the fascia wrapping two adjacent muscles starts to adhere

(or stick to each other), you are going to have a dysfunction. The

muscles will not be able to function properly. The same is true if

it bunches up. Energetically, the result is a blocked energy

channel, or stuck energy.

So the first modality to discuss is Myofascial Release. The main

developer of MFR is a PT named . There are others, but

he remains in the forefront. Two key scientific principles that

cause MFR to work are called the Thixotropic Effect and the

Piezoelectric Effect. Thixotropic refers to a substances ability to

change from a solid to a gel state when pressure is applied.

Piezoelectric refers to a crystalline structure generating an

electrical field when pressure or stretch are applied. The

underlying principle of MFR is that sustained pressure with a

stretch applied along the axis of restriction will cause the fascial

structure to soften and release. The fascia will change from a

solid to a gel allowing more freedom of movement. Short duration

pressure and stretch can effect a change but the change will not

last – the fascia will rebound to its previous restriction. To get

long-term change it is essential that the pressure and stretch be

maintained for not less than 90 seconds and preferably longer.

Another extremely important consideration with MFR is that the cause

of dysfunction can be someplace entirely removed from

the " symptom. "

The absolute best example I can give on this is my own daughter.

She had been told by four chiros, four osteos and two PTs for 15

years that she had a fused left hip. She also had markedly pronated

feet with extreme lateral rotation and fallen arches. In other

words, her toes were pointed outward at 45 degree angles, with the

outside edges of her feet pulled upward to the point where her

little toes would not touch the floor. Her treatment over 15 years

consisted of totally ineffective braces, a wheelchair, and foot and

ankle manipulation and stretches. Her problem turned out to be a

severe fascial restriction in her low back. Once I released that

restriction using MFR (my second term in massage school), her feet

shifted back to a normal position, along with movement in the hip.

The " fix " has held to this day. Needless to say, I am a BIG fan of

MFR work when indicated.

Someone trained in MFR can frequently notice restrictions just by

the way a person stands or the way their clothes hang on the body.

The actual assessment is generally done by very lightly running the

hands over the bare skin in all directions. The hands

should " glide " across the body. If a restriction is present they

won't, they will stick. The greater the restriction, the more the

sticking. For really good ones, the hands will just come to a dead

stop.

Basic MFR can be considered a Western based bodywork modality. Get

into it past the basics, however, and it clearly becomes at least a

blended modality, if not outright Eastern/Energetic. Without going

into more detail on that here, one of the reasons I say this is that

I have discovered in the last three months that I can get just as

good a fascial release using acupressure as I can using standard MFR

techniques. And that tells me that there is definitely an energetic

connection.

The second one you asked about is Cranialsacral Therapy. We were

all taught growing up that by the time we are in our late teens, the

cranial bones fuse together such that the skull becomes one solid

bone. And this is what is or at least has been taught in U.S.

medical schools (I am assuming that is still the case.) That is not

what it is taught in medical schools in Europe, nor in osteopathic

schools in this country. Cranialsacral Therapy is an offshoot of

Cranial Osteopathy. Cranial Osteopathy has been around since early

last century. CST was developed (and trademarked) by Dr.

Upledger. WThe primary premise is that the cranial bones do NOT

fuse together. Very slight movement along the suture lines is

possible. More importantly, the bones can become jammed or

misaligned along those sutures. And since the skull articulates

with the neck, which connects to the spine, which, etc., even slight

misalignments of the cranial bones can translate into problems on

the far end of the body. By the same token, problems elsewhere can

transfer up to the head because of the interconnections. In

addition, the cerebral spinal fluid travels up and down the spine

from the sacrum and circulates within the cranial cavity. The

pumping action caused by the rocking motion of the sphenoid bone

(the butterfly shaped bone behind the eyes) is responsible for the

pumping action of the thyroid gland and therefore has a direct

impact on all of the body's hormonal balances.

In addition, the pumping movement of the spinal fluid causes two

primary motions in the body. For the paired bones (arms, legs,

ribs, etc), there is a rhythmic out and back motion. For the single

bones (sternum, spine, etc), there is a rhythmic up and down, head

to foot, motion. These motions are extremely subtle but can be

detected by a trained practitioner, both physically and

energetically. Actual work is very gentle and non-invasive.

Generally, the pressure is about the weight of a nickel. In other

words, not much. It is very good for addressing subtle

misalignments that many times are missed by other modalities. It is

also very effective as an assessment tool to find energetic

blockages.

Like MFR, basic level CST is primarily a Western, manual modalilty.

At more advanced levels, it gets even more into energetic elements

than MFR. As a point of interest, both MFR as taught by

and CST as developed by Upledger in many respects do exactly

the same thing and use exactly the same hand positions and

techniques. The big difference is that the fasica is the prime

focus for , with the cranialsacral system being and add-on.

For Upledger, the cranialsacral system is primary with the fascial

structure being an add-on. There are too many applications for CST

to even begin to list them in this post. My personal view is that

it is one very powerful, very effective, and too often overlooked

modality.

A third modality is Lymphatic Drainage. There are a number

of " schools " or methods for doing lymphatic drainage. Most of my

training and the method I prefer is called Lymphatic Drainage

Therapy. It was developed by a French Osteopath named Bruno

Chikly. All of the methods recognized that the movement of the

lymph within the body can be stimulated and improved by manual

intervention. The main distinction among them as I see it is that

LDT recognizes that that movement is in a series of waves that a

practitioner can be trained to detect, again, either physically or

energetically. As with CST, the work is very gentle and for the

most part non-invasive, using pressure equivalent to the weight of a

nickel. I say for the most part because there is a small category

of it involving lymphatic breast care that is done hands-on and

undraped which is certainly more invasive to the recipient than some

of the other work. There are a number of things it is used for. It

is outstanding for reducing swelling and inflammation by helping

flush the system of cellular wastes and toxins. I can quite frankly

reduce the swelling in a sprained ankle faster with my hands using

LDT than you can with a bucket of ice. It is also very good for

things like sinus congestion. And then there is the bit about being

effective to soften the appearance of wrinkles and help with scar

tissue. As with the other two, I am a big fan of LDT and use it all

the time. My wife just loves lymphatic facial work (I did one on

her this afternoon for a head cold).

There are varying level of skill and training for lymph work. When

you get into such things as surgeries and chemotherapy, lymph work

can be extremely important. Done pre and post surgery, it allows the

surgeon to get a cleaner incision with less tissue damage and risk

of infection and speeds the healing. It can become critical when

surgical removal or chemical damage is done to lymph nodes, such as

in masectomies. The long-term risk in both cases is susceptibility

to developing lymphedema which can become life threatening.

Lymphatic work in these cases requires a very high level of training

and certification.

All three modalities at their basic levels are primarily Western

based, manual (physical) modalities. All three, however, at their

more advanced levels of training are also very much energetically

oriented. This includes being able to detect and work with the

waves and rhythms off-body energetically.

The other modalities you asked about are totally energetic. They

AFFECT the physical body, but they do it through the energetic

body. In brief, there most definitely is an energetic component to

the body. In Chinese and Japanese medicine, work is done through

the meridian system of 12 primary meridians and 8 extraordinary

meridians. Modalities include acupuncture, acupressure and shiatsu,

among others. Acunpuncture uses needles in specific acupoints.

Acupressure uses the same points but addresses them using finger

pressure. Shiatsu uses the same structure but focuses more on

working the entire meridian instead of individual points. I am a

HUGE fan of acupressure and have gotten just outstanding results

with it since I started doing it close to two years ago. There are

many, many types or " schools " of acupressure. My formal training is

in Jin Shin Do. There is also a variation called Acutonics which

uses special tuning forks at precise frequencies to work the various

points with sound vibrations. In addition, Traditional Chinese

medicine does something called Moxabustion, which is the burning of

special herbs under a glass bowl placed on various acupoints.

Acupressure and acupuncture are just the bodywork pieces of

Traditional Chinese medicine.

Polarity Therapy can be considered the bodywork piece of Ayurvedic

(Indian) medicine. It is also an energetic modality but with more

physical elements to it than acupressure. And while it does use

meridians and points, the primary focus is on the Chakra energy

system. The body has seven main Chakras: Pelvic Floor,

Sacrum, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye, and Crown. There

are also minor Chakras in the palms, the major joints like the elbow

and knees, and at a spot about 18 inches below the feet. Polarity

was developed (I believe in the 1920's and 1930's) by a Dr. Randolph

Stone. Stone was a Chiropractor, Osteopath and Naturopath who

traveled and studied extensively in India.

In addition to the energy channels, a key principle of Polarity is

that the different parts of the body have positive, negative and

neutral electrical charges. As an example, the thumb is neutral,

the first finger is negative, the middle finger is positive, the

ring finger is negative and the little finger is positive. Front

and back, head and foot, right side left side, all have opposite

charges. (I can't remember which is which off the top of my head

and don't feel like dragging my sorry hind-end across the room to

get the book) As with Chinese Medicine, a full study of Polarity

involves an understanding of nutrition and other factors. At the

basic bodywork level, the premise is that there are energetic

imbalances and the various Polarity releases help restore proper

balance.

But there are other things you can do as well. I find Polarity to

be particularly effective for general pain management. It is also

what I use when I need to put a rib back in place or adjust a

vertebrae. You read that correctly. I routinely do spinal

adjustments with Polarity. And it is NOT a thrust adjustment. It

is simply proper placement of my fingertips and then simply

maintaining a light pressure while the energy does the work. Bones

can and will move on their own with energy methods. I have also

used them to reduce fully dislocated shoulders and hips. The main

technique you will see posts about is called the X technique. I

also use it for arthritic joints, including my dog's knees.

I probably use Polarity and Acupressure about even-up these days.

In many respects, they are so similar in appearance at times that

you could not tell by looking which I was doing for a full release

pattern. For someone starting out, it is easier to get them going

with basic acupressure because you can get good results without

actually feeling the energy. It is easy to develop the ability, but

you do need to be able to feel it to effectively do Polarity because

all of the routines basically say " hold for a balance. "

The other modality you mentioned is Reiki. Reiki is pure energy and

is many times done not only off-body but from a distance. It also

has the most spiritual overtones of the three. It is far more

subtle than acupressure or polarity. I have mid to heavy training

in all three. I can easily feel energy when doing acupressure or

polarity but I can't when I am doing Reiki. Ironically, even though

it is the most subtle of the three, it is the one you are most apt

to see used in a hospital setting. It seems to have gotten

acceptance faster than the others. As far as I am concerned –

whatever it takes.

Something very similar is called Therapeutic Touch. And this is the

one that has received the greatest acceptance because it was

developed by a nurse and is now being taught in most if not all

nursing schools in the country. It can be done on or off-body and

can best be summed up as a modality using directed energy.

There are others. Touch for Health (combines Therapeutic Touch and

Acupressure elements), Visceral Manipulation, Chi Nei Tsang, Qi

Gong., etc. But this is getting lengthy and I have touched on the

ones you specifically asked about so will hold the others for a

subsequent post.

Feel free to hit me with questions at any time, via post or off-list.

March 18, 2004

>

So what do I do to learn how to do MFR for myself (although I love

my chiro - she isn't with me 24/7 and that's what I need)

I think it is so great that you are here to help us - what a wealth

of info you are!

--------------

The basic techniques for MFR are fairly straight forward and easy to

learn. And there are some decent books out on the subject - some by

and some by other authors. Two particularly good ones are

" Myofascial Release - A Comprehensive Evaluatory & Treatment

Approach " by and " The Myofascial Release Manual " by

Carol Manheim.

The hardest part of learning it is developing the touch to properly

engage the fascia. You are putting pressure down into the fascia

while simultaneously applying a horizontal stretch along the axis of

restriction. Too much pressure and you go past the fascia into the

muscle and don't get the release. You will generally start light,

like CST and LDT at about five grams (weight of a nickel). The

fascia may subsequently pull you in deeper to much heavier pressure,

but you start light. And you hold the stretch for at least 90

seconds. As the fascia releases, you follow it to the next barrier

or restriction and hold again.

The biggest problem in doing it on yourself is that you typically

will have the nasty restrictions in places you can't reach on

yourself. You may be super limber with EDS, but I bet your arms

aren't long enough to do a good cross-hand stretch across the middle

of your own back.

And that is one of the other niceties of acupressure because a good

acupressure release pattern also does MFR at the same time.

As for being a wealth of information, so you know, my personal

reference libarary at the house is now over 250 volumes on medical

reference and bodywork topics. This includes somewhere around 90 on

various energetic modalities, including close to two dozen on just

acupuncture and acupressure. No, I have by no means read them all.

Many of them were picked up strictly for reference. And if you read

my post to Lana about her LMT appointment, you already know that I

have about 1300 hours training in this stuff now. I will be close

to 1500 by the end of the year and expect to hit close to 2000

before I start slowing down in 2-3 years.

If you go to the EDS Today website, you will find a section in it of

some specific book recommendations I put together awhile back.

March 18, 2004