Craniosacral Therapy
By Jackie Christensen, BS, HHP, NC, MH
Faculty Member of GCNM
Craniosacral therapy is the adjustment of bones in the skull, base of the spine and tailbone to alleviate a variety of conditions and improve body functions. The craniosacral system is comprised of the brain, spinal cord and spinal fluid. "Cranio" pertains to the head and "sacral" to the sacrum, a triangular bone at the base of the spine and at the rear of the pelvic cavity. Within the head there is a fluctuation of cerebral spinal fluid, which is called the craniosacral rhythm. As cerebrospinal fluid increases within the system, it causes a foreseeable movement of the cranial bones. The pressure decreases as cerebrospinal fluid is absorbed back into the bloodstream and the bones return to their original position. A craniosacral therapist works with the client by monitoring the craniosacral rhythm within the system to determine if thereis any dysfunction. The craniosacral therapist is trained to use his or her hands to feel the movement of the fluid within the system. Abnormal movements can lead to poor health within the endocrine system and central nervous system. The goal of craniosacral therapy is to enhance functioning within these systems.
Dr. William Garner developed the first osteopathic approach, called the Sutural Approach in the early 20th century, with this technique the practitioner applies pressure to the sutures (where the bones fuse together) to increase mobility of the cranial bones. This allows the bones to resume a healthy relationship with one another. To date there is still a scientific debate as to whether the bones are fused together or not. In the late 1970’s, John Upledger developed the Meningeal Approach and CranioSacral Therapy (CST). This approach maneuvers the underlying membranes, releasing tension in the sutures. The practitioner monitors the craniosacral rhythm and makes subtle hand adjustments by gripping and lengthening the meningeal membranes to release any restrictions. The Reflex Approach was another method developed by George Goodheart, D.C. This approach relieves stress by stimulating the nerve endings in the scalp and between the cranial sutures. As the nervous system functions optimally, restrictions are released.
It is believed that poor pre-natal nutrition can result in underdevelopment of facial and skull bones, which cause an imbalance in the craniosacral system. A stressful delivery or incorrect use of forceps can also distort the developing cranial tissues. When working with infants, craniosacral therapists commonly find compression at the base of the skull due to the birthing process. Craniosacral therapists commonly address pediatric issues, such as developmental problems, ear infections, and colic. It has shown to be a successful therapy for infants and newborns because at this stage their cranial bones are predominately cartilage and the membranes grow and change quickly. In adults, craniosacral therapy can be used to benefit health conditions such as allergies, arthritis, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual syndrome, seizures, and visual problems. The craniosacral therapist can evaluate conditions involving the brain and spinal cord. By properly restoring optimal function to the craniosacral system, it allows the nervous system to operate most favorably.
Sources:
Goldburg, Burton. Alternative Medicine: the Definitive Guide. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2002. Print.
Book Review
Awesome Treats and Helpful Pet Tips:
Common Sense Pet Tips
By Kathleen Polifka
This book is a delightful read for animal lovers, full of sweet, adorable photos of cats and dogs full of personality, trust and love, along with natural health tips on how to nurture and protect them as we would our children. The author shares her knowledge and love of animals with her readers, and chose to write her book to educate us on the dangers of trusting the pet food industry. By sharing her natural pet care knowledge here as a tribute to her beloved pet, she hopes to save others from the pain, heartache, tears, and grief over the suffering and loss of their pets. Her book covers everything from making natural health pet treats to training and communicating with dogs and cats, their common health conditions and how to treat them, and provides lists of the many common plants that are toxic to them.
The book is dedicated to her dog Jordan, a rescued pet that suffered terribly and needlessly at the hands of a cruel owner until adopted by Kathleen and her family, and who lived with pain daily throughout his short life. In the end Jordan died not of his injuries, but from eating tainted commercially manufactured pet food. He is remembered for his joy of life, his will to live, his bravery at not letting pain rule his wee life, and according to the author he never gave up on us humans despite his terrible treatment in his early years.
The author’s experience includes previous ownership of a State certified Holistic Pet Bakery in which they worked to provide low fat, all natural, wheat-free and hyper-allergenic pet treats. All the recipes you will find in her book include uncut pure rye flour, farm raised animal meats, organic and natural products, “plus a lot of love”. She highly recommends that if you purchase pet treats from anyone, whether an individual or bakery, be sure that they are licensed by the Department of Agriculture in your state. Every state in the USA requires all persons making or selling pet treats to be licensed by the Department of Agriculture in the state where the treats are sold. From her experience, she also cautions that many recipes for pet treats include unhealthy ingredients such as white flour, wheat flour, baby food, oils, store bought broths full of sodium, and ingredients that you do not want to feed your pets!
Kathleen Polifka, in her own way through writing this book does her best to help us protect our pets from the harsh abuses of the pet food industry. We humans have choice, can read labels and decide to not believe the misleading marketing ploys, but our pets can’t, they rely on us and trust us humans to protect them by making healthy and wise choices in their diet and health care as we would for ourselves. Kathleen’s book is an inspiring and uplifting manual that reminds us of our duty to our animal companions.
The book begins with an introduction to healthy and natural pet treats. Chapter 1 and 2 are all about making pet meals and treats using wheat free flours, and provides recipes for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners using meats, chicken, sweet potatoes and more. The dessert treats sound good enough to eat, with recipes for non-protein treats, snacks, doggie holiday cookies, thumbprint fudge treats, peanut butter cups, carob fudge, and the author includes healthy treats for our horse friends as well.
Chapters 3 to 7 are about natural pet care, covering the topics of apple cider vinegar, making flea shampoos, remedies for bad breath, pet toxins, yogurt, yogurt myths and yogurt recipes, and coconut oil. Chapter 8 is about dog communication. Chapter 9 is on calculating dog years and gives a more accurate method than what we have been taught. Chapter 10 covers ear infections and gives a recipe for prevention and healing. Chapter 11 teaches us how to rate dog foods.
Chapter 12 covers taking your pet on an outing, protecting the pet’s eyesight, sunburn, heatstroke, and dehydration. Chapter 13 is helpful tips about pets that chew. We may all have had that issue…my very large German Sheppard once attempted to eat the coffee table when he was a “toddler”! Chapter 14 is about rawhide and other chews and their hidden dangers. Chapter 15 gives us solutions for when, inevitably, our pet encounters a skunk and is sprayed. Chapter 16 gives information on the use of essential oils and essential oil recipes.
Chapter 17 discusses the use of Aspirin, Advil, Ascription, Enteric Coated Aspirin and Tylenol. Chapter 18 covers the side effects of vaccinations, a very controversial subject for us humans as well. Chapter 19 is about dog and cat’s temperature. Chapter 20 is about paw care, which is extremely important to their health and comfort. Chapter 21 discusses thyroid disease, yes, pets get it too!
For the cat lovers, Chapter 22 is all about cats, what is toxic to them, how to calculate their age and their communications and language.
If you love your pets and want them to enjoy good health this is a great book to purchase. It will save your pet from poor health, ensure their vitality and longevity, and save you a lot of money on veterinary bills.
Reviewed By Moira Khouri NC, MH, HHP, CCP
Faculty Member of GCNM
Graduate Profile & Interview
Vincent Carroll NC
I am 52 years of age and currently working in Afghanistan for the last three years. I plan to finish up here over the next year or so and I am looking to get involved in something a bit less demanding and also better for my health. I have always been involved and interested in fitness, health, and outdoor activities, I watch what I eat, but I want to be more aware of food and nutrition, particularly in a more holistic approach as I believe most of us have our healing inside us or very close to hand through a friend or family member, we need to become aware and learn how to utilize this. Since graduating from the Nutritional Consultant course I have also enrolled in the Master Herbalist and Holistic Health Practitioner courses.
I really think most of our health and wellness problems are within our grasp and we just need to be educated to see it. I think people need to see how marketing and manipulating our lives through the food, dairy, drinks, pharmaceutical and medical industries etc have affected our lives from the day we are born, and not always with our interests at heart.
I think people should be made aware through school and health education and also they can be made to see that it is their life and health and they should be in control of it.
I have always enjoyed teaching and training others, I would like to pursue this area more and maybe develop this into a business, ultimately I would like to see this type of approach to diet / nutrition / health education being implemented in the hospitals and clinics and with a follow up program in holistic diet / nutrition after care, I think recovering patients could see some very interesting and positive results.
NC Graduate Profile Questions
Q. What drew you to study with GCNM?
I was looking to do some study in health and nutrition and after check online, GCNM seemed to be offering what I was looking for and at a very good price, the web information was very user friendly and informative.
Q. What expectations did you have for the NC Course?
I was expecting a high standard and this I believe I got.
Q. Did the courses meet those expectations?
Yes, very much so, I was wondering if and when I got the materials that they would be what I expected, and I was very impressed with my information and materials.
Q. What have your experiences with distance study been like?
This is the first distance learning course I have done, I really enjoyed the course and found it very user friendly and the layout of the course was exactly what I wanted.
Q. What have your experiences with the GCNM staff been like?
I have really only dealt with staff on some emails and this I found excellent and always the response was very good and most of the time the response was quicker than advertised.
Q. What was your experience with the subjects covered in the NC courses?
I found all the subjects very good and informative, easy to understand and follow, the only difficulty I had was sourcing the legal aspect of the course from my own country.
Q. What was your experience with the materials provided and information presented in the courses?
Excellent, I very much enjoyed the information and the materials and the layout of the course plan was user friendly. The CD / Video was very good and certainly an eye opener. The books were easy to read and understand.
Q. What do you plan on doing with the knowledge gained by the course?
I am very interested in health and nutrition and in particular weight loss and I would really like to be involved with diet / health / exercise / and just generally healthy living for life.
Q. Do you plan to continue on with any of the MH, HHP courses and the BSHH, MSHH and PhD Degree programs?
I have already signed up for the MH / HHP and also a Juice Therapy course from the UK I hope to continue and complete all of these in a year and then I am certainly interested in further studies.
Q. Any further comments you would like to add here?
I was a bit apprehensive about getting on to the forum as I had never interacted online with something like this and I wasn’t sure I had the knowledge to participate, but once I started I found it to be great, really very informative and easy. I found the replies and interaction great and it really helped to boost confidence with the NC course overall. The response and replies from course tutors was very quick and helpful.
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