by Sue Gillespie (Grandma Sue)
My husband was wearing his water shoes in the pool one afternoon when he was swimming with our grandson, Jacob. “Papa,” Jacob said, “why are you wearing your sandals in the pool?” “These sandals are made for being in the water,”Papa explained,”They protect my feet when I swim.” 8 year old Jacob had just learned something new. He thoughtfully responded saying: “Wow, I never heard of that. I’ve gotta get out more!”
We’ve all ‘gotta get out more’ when it comes to our health. It’s easy to get stuck in Western medicine thinking – where there are basically two tools offered: drugs and surgery. But, there are many more options out there when it comes to your health and a new awareness is growing and being accepted by health practitioners and the public.
One option is Craniosacral Therapy which was born out of the osteopathic field of medicine. It is used to evaluate and treat problems involving the brain and spinal cord. Cranio refers to the cranium, or head. Sacral refers to the base of the spine and tailbone. A rhythmical motion is created in the craniosacral system by the rise and fall of cerebrospinal fluid pressure. This fluid filters from the bloodstream and enters the craniosacral system and then is reabsorbed into the bloodstream through the inner membranes of the brain. Restrictions can block or “choke” the normal motion in the craniosacral system and cause stress to the cranial mechanism and other organs in the body, which leads to poor health. Using gentle hand pressure, a cranial therapist monitors this wavelike motion and can find restrictions or dysfunctions in the system.
The craniosacral mechanism can be imbalanced. This often begin before birth and can effect the baby’s general health and cause stresses to the newborn’s craniosacral system. These stresses are normally considered untreatable and often go unnoticed. Newborns and infants can be treated very successfully and are extremely responsive to the gentle corrections of the therapist’s fingers. Conditions such as earaches, sinus congestion and irritability can benefit from therapy.
“When there is synchronous movement in the craniosacral system, the physiology of the central nervous system functions more efficiently and the nerve tissue is, in general, healthier.” Robert Norett, D.C.
When your central nervous system is not working efficiently, many chronic conditions and problems can show up and cause tremendous suffering, loss of energy and health problems, including chronic pain, headache, jaw pain, autism, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), chronic ear infections, constipation, anxiety, joint swelling and pain – to name a few. Conditions such as these and many more are very treatable using this therapy.
Instead of covering up the pain with medication, or cutting a part of the body out using surgery, craniosacral therapy works to uncover the cause of the pain and then works with the body to unblock restrictions throughout the cranialsacral system and in other structures and organs that hinder the bodies natural healing process. It aids your own body’s natural healing ability to work at its’ best – allowing you to heal...naturally.
Sue is a Craniosacral Therapist and Foot Reflexologist and is the author of Grandma Sue’s Bible Adventures in Rhyme.
Books available at: www.grandma-sue.com
