PURE BALANCE OSTEOPATHY
CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY
Gently managing your symptoms
Do you suffer from headaches or migraines? Do you have tension in your temples? Does you dentist tell you that your jaw clicks? Do you have pain that limits you from being involved in the things you love, or keeps you away from work? Any kind of trauma to the head can disrupt the normal balance of the cranium. Even though the body has an innate ability to adapt to traumas, lasting restrictions, tensions or compensatory habits can lead to secondary issues. Osteopathy can be a powerful tool in addressing these issues.
Dysfunction or restriction in any of the cranium bones can contribute to:
headaches
migraines
sinus problems
TMD
brain health
balance
ear infections
digestive health
even moods ~ anxiety and depression
Osteopathy in the cranial field was discovered by Dr. Sutherland, D.O. while he was a student at the American School of Osteopathy in 1899. While examining the cranium, and considering Dr. Still's teaching that all components of anatomy have a purpose, he wondered the purpose of the many seemingly separate pieces of the skull. He later refers to this as a nagging thought of possible motion in those separate pieces that might allow for true function of bodily systems. While this seemed absurd, he spent the next 20 years trying to prove the impossibility of this. In his teachings 40 years later, he describes the unique motion of each of the cranial bones and their profound affect on the vitality of life.
Cranial osteopathy involves extremely gentle treatment of the cranial bones and cerebral spinal fluid to encourage normal motion, disrupt restrictions and release tensions, and also to improve the movement of the nutrients and waste products, lower sympathetic tone (reduce stress) and reduce inflammation. Studies have shown this treatment can facilitate recovery from brain injury and improve overall brain function and memory. These techniques assist the body back into it's normal biomechanical movement, allowing tensions to ease and function to improve.
BRAIN HEALTH
"The Great River of Life in the Body"
The father of Osteopathy referred to the highest element in the body, the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), as the great river of life. Flow of this fluid through the brain and spine is essential for health and vitality. Research has found that the daily turnover of this fluid is between 600 and 800 mL, and this volume is necessary to flush through the brain bringing nutrients to the tissues while carrying away waste products and toxins. However, a brain that has inflammation from past trauma, injury, degenerative disease or even aging, has a reduced volume - about 50% from normal aging and even up to 75% in people with Alzheimer's Disease. The lessened fluid can lead to the brain "drying up", leading to an accumulation of wastes and lack of nutrients, and ultimately an unhappy brain! Part of cranial osteopathy treatment works on helping the movement of the CSF, ultimately helping with brain health!