CranioSacral Therapy is a full-body hands-on treatment which frees up soft tissue, membranes and realigns the structural component of the body, including the hips, spine, neck and cranium. The therapy involves gentle tractioning and unwinding to assist the body to re-align to its optimal position.  Spinal and meningeal membranes are free, improving function of spinal and cranial nerves; soft tissue is released and the skeletal structure gently re-aligned. It is a very safe modality and this makes it ideal for all age-groups – from newborn babies to aged clients.  Bodies in general have had enough stress and pain already, so respond well to a treatment that is not invasive with physical force. Many dysfunctions respond to CranioSacral Therapy.  The list below is by no means exhaustive:  * Headaches, migraines*  Head injuries* Balance problems, vertigo*  Back and neck problems, muscular-skeletal misalignment*  Soft tissue disorders, fibromyalgia* TMJ issues*  Low energy, chronic fatigue*  Panic attacks, depression*  Newborn problems and discomfort*  Pregnancy discomfort SomatoEmotional Release™ In addition to the structural realigning and soft tissue release, there is an adjunct to CranioSacral Therapy called SomatoEmotional Release ™, which clients may choose to have in their treatment. This addresses the body/mind – the totality of who we are.  It is holistic healing of the body, and  is a technique which addresses the emotional health of the client, in conjunction with the hands-on treatment.  It works to assist the client to heal emotional pain. Because underlying most physical symptoms there is emotional pain, this is a key area to address.  Many clients find stress levels are much reduced following a treatment, or a series of treatment. SomatoEmotional Release is often the key to the client’s healing. I have done extensive training in SomatoEmotional Release and find it a very rewarding area to work with clients. CranioSacral for Babies and Children CranioSacral therapy is of enormous benefit for newborn babies.  Many newborn ailments such as colic, problems related to feeding, trauma from a difficult birth, stress, not sleeping etc. respond well to a treatment.  Birth is not a gentle process, and some very gentle re-aligning after birth and de-stressing is beneficial for the baby – and the mother!  Babies are normally much calmer after a session, and many uncomfortable symptoms clear. Mothers also benefit from a session during pregnancy, and also after a pregnancy birth. Infants and children of all ages respond well to CranioSacral Therapy. General You don’t have to be unwell or injured to get benefit from a CranioSacral session!  A realigning of the body and a loosening up of the tissue is always beneficial, and leaves the recipient feeling much better, less stressed, and frequently sleeping better.  Having a session on a regular basis is a good preventative measure and keeps your body operating at a more optimum level. Qualifications My training has been through the Upledger Institute, Florida, U.S.A, an educational institution established in 1985 by Dr John Upledger DO.  Dr Upledger was an osteopathic physician, a highly respected research scientist, and author. I have completed CranioSacral Therapy I and II, SomatoEmotional Release I and II, Advanced CranioSacral Therapy, and CranioSacral for Pediatrics.  I am a Certified CranioSacral Therapist, and have been practising for over 20 years. Session Prices One hour – $90.         30 minutes   $50 A great deal more in-depth information about CranioSacral Therapy and the Upledger Institute can be found on  https://www.upledger.com This is an excellent website with a great deal of information. https://www.theweekendsun.co.nz/features/1668-a-holistic-approach.html Have a read of the following article by Andrea Winzer …… COULD CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY HELP TREAT DEMENTIA & ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE? July 4, 2020 Andrea Winzer, MSc, LMT, BCTMB Massage Practice Articles Technique Articles 7 minute read Some call Alzheimer’s disease the greatest tragedy of the 21st century. Tremendous research efforts have been dedicated to learning more about the causes and possible treatment approaches for this debilitating and devastating brain disease. According to the American Brain Foundation, brain diseases affect the lives of one in six people, bringing the total number of people suffering from neurological disorders to one billion worldwide. Brain disease has many different forms, ranging from concussion to stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, migraines, brain tumors, brain trauma or ALS, just to name a few. A Deadly Disease The most devastating and widespread brain disease, however, is dementia and its most common cause, Alzheimer’s disease. Based on data published by the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2020 more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. and kills more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. While the deaths caused by heart disease have decreased by 7.8% between the year 2000 and 2018, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have increased by 146% during the same time span. The growing numbers of people affected by this type of brain disease put a serious strain on the medical system as well as on families, resulting in high costs and enormous personal sacrifices required to take care of dementia patients in private and public care facilities. In 2020, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia will cost the U.S. $305 billion USD. It is estimated that by 2050 these numbers will rise to $1.1 trillion USD. The National Institute on Aging defines dementia as “the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — and behavioral abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.” While dementia can have different origins, such as vascular or frontotemporal disorders, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia among the senior population and can be described as a progressive, degenerative brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and ultimately leads to complete dependency of a person for basic activities of daily living. The disease was first discovered in 1906 by Alois Alzheimer, MD, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist, who treated a patient for an unusual mental illness that involved memory loss, language problems, mood swings, and loss of bodily functions, as well as unpredictable behavior, including aggressive outbursts. During a post-mortem autopsy of that patient, he discovered unusual clumps (now known as amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles) in her brain tissues, pathological changes that are, together with the loss of connections between neurons in the brain, still the telltale signs of Alzheimer’s disease. But even though the causes of this disease are not fully understood and many questions remain yet unanswered, new discoveries in the field of neuroscience and increasing evidence on the effectiveness of treatment modalities, such as CranioSacral Therapy, bring renewed hope to millions of people suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Great River of Life The proper function of our brains is largely dependent on the effective and efficient exchange of nutrients and toxins between the tissues. The physiological system that is responsible for carrying out this role is called the CranioSacral System, a semi-hydraulic system that envelopes the brain and spinal cord and helps create, absorb and regulate the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, a clear, colorless liquid that serves as a shock absorber for the central nervous system, but also circulates nutrients and chemicals filtered from the blood and removes waste products from the brain. Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, the father of Osteopathy, calls the cerebrospinal fluid “The Great River of Life in the Body” and describes it as the highest known element in the human body which abundant flow must be guaranteed in order for our bodies to stay healthy and fully functional. The CranioSacral System was first described by osteopath John E. Upledger, DOO, OMM (1932–2012), who, based on his research at the University of Michigan, also developed CranioSacral Therapy, a gentle, non-invasive manual therapy that works with the CranioSacral Rhythm, the ebb and flow of the cerebrospinal fluid in the body, to detect and release restrictions in the body. In a healthy adult, the daily turnover of cerebrospinal fluid lies between 600 and 800 ml. Upledger discovered that as we age, the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid decreases by as much as 50%, in part due to the aging process as well as inflammatory processes in the brain, head trauma or injury, accumulation of heavy metals, or other conditions. Michael Morgan, LMT, CST-D, instructor at the Upledger Institute, took Upledger’s research a step further and discovered that in people with senile dementia, the flow of cerebrospinal fluid was actually decreased by 75% in comparison to a healthy adult. (Read “Craniosacral Therapy is Being Explored as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease,” By Michael Morgan.) In his book, “Prevent Alzheimer’s in Just 10 Minutes a Day,” he explains that the decrease in the volume of cerebrospinal fluid actually leads to brains drying up during the aging process which results in an accumulation of toxins and restrictions in the brain, including the above-mentioned amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that are considered trademark signs of Alzheimer’s disease. A reduced flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain therefore greatly diminishes the ability of our brains to function in healthy and effective ways. (For more information about Morgan’s work, visit preventingalzheimers.com.) The Glymphatic System’s Role In 2012, a team of neuroscientists at the University of Rochester discovered a cleansing system that rapidly drains waste products from the brain. (See kurzweilai.net/scientists-discover-previously-unknown-cleansing-system-in-brain.) They named this newfound system the “glymphatic system” due to its similarity to the lymphatic system but including the name reference to the so-called glial cells, non-neuronal brain cells that play a key part in managing the waste removal and regulation of the brain tissues. Using a two-photon microscope, the researchers could demonstrate the existence of a pathway in the brain through which cerebrospinal fluid is efficiently circulated through every part of the brain. This new discovery disproved an old theory that stated the cerebrospinal fluid would only trickle slowly and steadily through the brain tissues. The newly found glymphatic system has been shown to push large volumes of cerebrospinal fluid through the brain along specific pathways, clearing out extracellular solutes and ultimately eliminating waste products through the circulatory system. Some of these waste products are called amyloid ß, a type of protein that is continuously produced and secreted from brain cells. (See “Scientists discover previously unknown cleansing system in the brain,” kurzweilai.net/scientists-discover-previously-unknown-cleansing-system-in-brain.) In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, the pathways where these proteins are cleaned out are failing due to injury, inflammation or infection in the brain. As a consequence, buildups of amyloid ß clog up the space in between the brain cells, which eventually leads to the suffocation and death of neurons and the creation of dementia symptoms. Taking these findings into account, the researchers conclude that an increase in the activity of the glymphatic system might help prevent amyloid depositions from building up or cleaning out already existing buildups in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. CST as a Promising Treatment Even though the discovery of the glymphatic system happened fairly recently, the concept of a strong motion of cerebrospinal fluid through the central nervous system had already been described in the 1980s by Dr. Upledger. He developed the so-called Pressure-Stat Model by describing a system of production and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid under pressure within the meninges, the dural membranes encasing the brain and spinal cord. Based on extensive research in a multidisciplinary team at Michigan State University, Upledger developed CranioSacral Techniques that focus on enhancing and restoring fluid movement within the brain and spinal cord to facilitate adequate flushing of accumulated waste products and, therefore, a detoxification not only in the brain but ultimately the whole body system. According to Morgan, there are five ways in which CranioSacral Therapy can benefit patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Based on his research and work with the senior population, he has found that CranioSacral Therapy works by: 1. Increasing the movement of cerebrospinal fluid, which supports the removal of waste products and helps improve brain function 2. Lowering sympathetic tone to encourage relaxation and reduction of stress levels so the body is better … Continue reading CranioSacral Therapy