by Susannah Kent

Stress relief practices such as mediatation, tai chi, and yoga counter the harmful effects of stress.  Another method, the stillpoint technique, can help us reach a place of absolute calm where thoughts are stilled and the mind is truly quiet.

Robert Harris is a stress expert and one of Canada’s leading craniosacral therapists.  He explains, “By finding your stillpoint, you can sink into calmness naturally and quickly, enabling you to identify and sustain the ultimate Shavasana.”  This is the ability to completely detach yourself from all thoughts.

WHAT IS A STILLPOINT?

The term “stillpoint” has its roots in osteopathy and craniosacral therapy (CST). 
The latter is a gentle, non-invasive, hands-on therapy [practiced by Fred Samorodin, RPT]. CST theory and practise is based on the concept of the continuous subtle movements of the cranial bones, which are understood to be in constant motion in response to rhythmical cerebrospinal fluid fluctuations within the spinal cord and brain environment.

The gentle stillpoint technique is used to help shift the central nervous system from its usual state of alertness to one of calmness.  The natural rhythm that is always occuring within the craniosacral system eases into a therapeutic standstill.  Recipients report the experience as feeling of deep peace pervading the body.  This
sense of peace and tranquility indicate that the fight-or-flight responses of the sympathetic nervous system have stepped down.

Harris describes the stillpoint experience as “relaxation so deep that one not only feels their mind going guiet and staying quiet, but eventually there is the feeling of becoming liquid. In this liquidness we access the potential for great surrender and release of chronic tensions.”

HOW TO FIND YOUR STILLPOINT

A stillpoint can be achieved with relative ease by contracting two very particular spots at the back of the head.  Even the slightest pressure in this area can create slack or release within the connective tissues of the brain.  When this happens, there is a neurological recognition and response.  The tensile nature of these tissues eases off, and the nervous system goes into temporary suspension.

These two spots lie opposite the pupils of the eyes along a horizontal plane at the back of the cranium.  Along this plane there is an internal divide between the upper and lower brain, marked by an inwardly folded membrane called the tentorium cerebelli.

Trained craniosacral therapists such as Robert Harris [and Fred Samorodin] use  a gentle hands-on method to help patients achieve the kind of release described above.  However, throught years of working with clients, Harris came to the conclusion that it would be empowering for people to be able to access stillness for themselves, easily and quickly.

With this in mind, he developed a tool he calls Becalm Balls.  These soft rubber balls are designed to be adjustable, allowing individuals to lie on them comfortably in a position that gently cradles their head at the exact spots where the relaxation response becomes activated. [Fred Samorodin, does not carry this product, however recommends the CV-4 self-help device that one can assemble with toy rubber balls]

ENHANCE YOGA PRACTICE

If yoga or meditation is your chosen aproach to relaxation, and you are having difficulty find and maintaining a relaxation response, discovering your stillpoint may help.

During stillness, the mind is settled and less distracted; it has better focus and heightened sensory awareness.  Accompanying this is a relaxation of muscle tone and a release of soft tissue restrictions.

As a result, your yoga practice can become more directed. You can execute postures with greater ease and flexibilityu, and you can experience a deeper, longer, and more rewarding Shavasana.

Yoga instructor Alicia Grant describes what a stillpoint experience is like for her.  “Going into stillness at the end of my yoga practice is like lying back into the ocean…the oceanlike wave lulls me back to source, to a place, where I am just hanging, suspending.” she says.  “I return with less anxiety, more clarity and calmness.”

She also observes that inducing a stillpoint during her yoga practice has enabled her to “listen and accept those around her with greater ease and understanding.”  This is a crucial element for stress reduction, on or off the yoga mat.

It has been shown that spending time, even just a few minutes a day, in a state of stillness can have a profound effect on stress. Every time our stress cycle is interrupted it takes a little longer to re-establish itself, and the body gets better at restoring a health balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

We can’t eliminate stress completely from our lives, but fortunately, we can find some relief.  Connecting with your stillpoint will help you reach the ultimate relaxation, when and whenever you need it.

Alive: Canada’s Natural Health and Wellness Magazine. August 2011, pp 41-3.

Research has shown that there are essential, highly active organic molecules that can, even in extremely small quantities, vastly influence the body’s cellular actions and interactions. These signaling molecules choreograph and continuously orchestrate the symphony of cellular communication necessary for good health. Drinking  8 ounces of Evolv beverage containing  Archaea Active molecules help raise blood oxygen levels within minutes.

Life requires oxygen. Anything that increases oxygen concentration in living tissues increases the functional efficiency of those well-oxygenated cells.  Cells and tissues in an optimal state function exceptionally well while decreasing overall oxygen demand.

Archaea Active is made by utilizing ancient microbes that share similar biochemical and physiological functions to Man and animals and are virtually everywhere in the environment, and, yet, have not been shown to spread any disease! In “Probing a DNA Repair Enzyme” (Science Daily, Feb. 18, 2008), Archaea are described as microbes whose DNA repair systems are closely related to those of human cells.  Active fermentation using Archaea to act on a medium of alfalfa extract and whey protein stimulates these Archaea to produce a broad array of their basic metabolic communicating molecules.  While Evolv, the enhanced beverage contains very tiny concentrations of communicating molecules that are extremely bioactive in such metabolic processes such as controlling inflammation or slowing/blocking overactive bodily responses seen in some diseases.

Dr. David Greaves of the University of Oxford’s Sir William Dunn School of Pathology goes on to point out that these molecules are active at very low concentrations (nanomoles=trillionths).  They have a great deal of promise for use in new therapeutic drugs.  They work at reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines–signalling proteins that play an important role in the body’s response to infection and injury, but also implicated in excessive immunie system responses to inflammatory diseases. Archaea Active helps normalize cell metabolism to modulate physiological responses of the body for enhanced health, energy and well-being.

Fred Samorodin, physiotherapist frequently sees clients where their health concerns have an underlying inflammatory condition. It is worth balancing the potential improvement in energy and physiological balance such a beverage could have, versus the potential liver or kidney disturbances, antiinflammatory medications can have on the body!

To order, Evolv, enhanced water beverage or Evolv Gel  or for further information contact: Chantal P. at http://www.healthybeauty.myevolv.com

Shamona Harnett

With a foam block lodged under the front of his wheelchair to keep it from rolling, Regan Block leaned forward to stretch himself carefully.

For a fleeting second, he imagined that he might fall out of his chair.  He knew that in reality, however, that he was safe.

“I didn’t feel like I could hurt myself,” says the 43-year-old Winnipegger.  “[Instructors] were always there when I needed it.  You can’t go into yoga if you’re by yourself, on an island.”

For years, Block longed to try yoga but never thought that was feasible.  The St.James resident has been in a wheelchair for 22 years following a spinal-cord injury.

Recently, his yoga dream came to life when his massage therapist handed him a brochure promoting something called “adapted yoga”–a type of yoga designed for people with mobility issues, including those in wheelchairs.  Block was thrilled.

He’s tried about six classes so far and describes them as busy.  “It’s exhausting.  After a few minutes of stretching, going from one side to the other side and then holding it and looking ahead to see what the next pose is, it’s confusing to someone who’s never tried it,” says Block.

” But by the third or fourth class I was moving along pretty fast and could tell that things were changing for me.”

Among Block’s health improvements: the muscle spasms in his legs–a result of his spinal-cord injury–have lessened.  “They don’t jump as much,’ he says.  “I take less medication 

Block a rehabilitation cousellor who spends a lot of time working at a desk, says he also noticed that following classes he felt more relaxed and limber.

His class instructors assisted him constantly and even used a special cord to help him raise and bend his legs.  His digestion improved, he says, thanks to moving and stretching his torso–something he never did before.

Adapted yoga is the brainchild of Winnipeg occuipational therapist, Marnie Courage, who launcher the program in April 2010.  Courage, 36, owns Enabling Access (www.ea-solutions.ca), a business through which she rehabilitates Winnipegers using movement.

After taking some yoga classes herself for the first time, Courage realized that her clients–particularly the ones with mobility issues–could truly benefit form them as well.

“I did a bid of research and there wasn’t, really, anything out there that I could find in terms of a class for people who couldn’t get down to the floor,” says Courage.

She says that yoga not only improves flexibility, but also helps digestion, blood circulation, increases lymphatic-system flow and creates positive thinking.  She says people with limited mobility often have problems in these areas.

Courage hired a yoga instructor and the pair examined traditional yoga postural poses.

“We adapted each one for poeple suffering disabilities.  So I would say, “if someone was in a wheelchair, how could they get the benefits of this pose?”

Courage says her adapted yoga classes are perfect for people with multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and other conditions in which mobility is limited.

“A lot of poeple who are spinal injuries, even MS, have alot of trouble using their muscles to expand their lunmgs and get in as much oxygen as they need, says Courage, who teachers all her yoga participants the importance of breathing properly.

Don’t have a mobility issue? Courage syas her adpated yoga can even help people who aren’t as flexibile as they wish–those who need extra help in a pose and maintaining yoga positions.

“It’s nice to see a class where you can see a whole variety of different abilities”, says Courage, who plans to offer classes at assisted-living facilities around as well as in community centres.

Canwest News Service

Fred Samorodin is impressed with XanGo, a mangosteen health drink for antiinflammatory benefits.

abc news:  Sunday, January 17, 2010

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Profile

 - One of the things that’s very popular right now are these super juices. A lot of people are talking about acai berry, goji berry, but the one we’ve chosen to study is something called Mangosteen. The leading manufacturer is a company called XanGo, and we’ve worked with them to evaluate their product, which is a Mangosteen juice. It includes not only the fruit but also the rind of the fruit.
  And it’s that rind that contains some unique anti-inflammatory agents called xanthones.

Well in many animal studies and in some anecdotal human experiences we’ve seen pretty remarkable anti-inflammatory effects. So we’re actually conducting a large trial of about 220 patients, all of whom have atrial fibrillation and as they go to cardioversion, where they get a shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm, those people are then going to either drink the juice or a placebo juice and the idea being that recurrent atrial fibrillation is often driven by how much inflammation is in the body.

So if Mangosteen does what we think it will, reduces the inflammation, we anticipate we’ll see less atrial fibrillation recurring in those patients drinking the actual juice. We’re also looking at a number of markers for inflammation and antioxidant capabilities, so there’s a lot of interest, because if it’s positive, this’ll really be the first clinical trial to validate the use of this novel juice and there’s plenty of other applications that we’ll pursue in other research studies.

Dr. Brent Bauer, M.D.

Mayo Clinic–Rochester, Minnesota

This website does not take any responsibility for the opinions expressed. Always consult your physician or healthcare provider for any medical advice.

by Jill BarkerThe reasons to stop doing sit-ups continue to mount.

First, Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, declared the sit-up more harmful than helpful. And now a study out of Youngstown State University in Ohio says sit-ups don’t build strong abs.

The goal of the study was to find the most effective method to strengthen the rectus abdominus, the long flat muscle that runs between the sternum to the pubic bone and forms the much-coveted “six-pack.”

Despite the fact we have been doing sit-ups for years, there’s a shortage of definitive research stating the optimum training protocol necessary to maximize stength gains.

Some experts suggest that the abs, like any other muscle, benefit from an every-other-day training routine.  Others maintain that a daily diet of sit-ups yields the best results.

Then there’s the question of whether a traditional sit-up done without any added resistance (beyond body weight) provides the necessary training stimulus to strengthen the abs.

The Youngstown State University study, published in the October, 2009  edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, separated 71 men and women into three groups.  The control group did no sit-ups.  The other two groups performed three sets of 20 repetitions (30 seconds” rest between sets) of three distinct abs exercises for 11 weeks.  Group One performed the sit-ups three times a week on non-consecutive days and Group Two trained the abs six days per week.  The ab exercises increased in difficulty every four weeks and speed was regulated by a metronome.

The results surprised even the researchers.  None of the three groups of exercisers demonstrated any strength gains. Nor did they reduce their waist circumference or percentage of  body  fat.

“This finding suggests that training the abdominals with resistance levels short of fatigue is inadequate to produce strength gains, and may be consistent with findings suggesting that pushing a muscle to repetition failure is more effective in producing strength gains,” said the study’s authors, Jennifer Pinter, Ken Learman and Renee Rogers.

The authors did acknowledge that the exercise regime may have improved muscular endurance, but it was not measured in the study.

What does that mean for anyone who wants a stronger set of abs?

The message is clear:  Sit-ups aren’t going to get the job done.

Muscles need to be sufficiently fatigued before they can build strength.  That fatigue is notable only when the muscle has reached its repetition limit, at which point  your abs are so fatigued, you can’t perform even one more sit-up.

That being said, when it comes to well-conditioned abs, strength may not be your ultimate goal.  McGill suggests that building muscular endurance is more important than building muscular strength–at least initially.

Which means training the abs to work harder, longer is better than developing strength without endurance.  He also says repeated bending of the spine (similar to the action that occurs during a sit-up) increases the risk of back pain.

If you want a better-conditioned set of abs,  substitute curl-ups for stability exercises such as the plank, or try McGill’s modified curl-up.

Time in the gym is too precious to waste on exercises that fail to live up to their billings.

Canwest News Service

Breaking News: VancouverSun.com/ Monday, March 29, 2010

[The use of the Mastermoves Core Training Program "Masterdisc" to tone up the abdominal muscles follows the principle of exercising the "abs" to fatigue when following a comprehensive Core Training program. This is a major reason that Fred Samorodin, RPT recommends this program instead of ineffective sit-ups! http://mastermoves.com/fred.html ]

One of the major symptoms of patellofemoral pain syndrome (chondromalacia patellae)  is difficulty climbing or descending stairs, or walking down a hill (Malek & Malgine, 1981).   While stair-climbing may be difficult, due to pain, controlled retraining of the quadriceps muscle will help restore the full ability to climb and descend stairs, plus help stimulate the regeneration of normal cartilage on the patella (Palmoski, et al, 1980).  A training routine for increasing muscle endurance to the knee must be accomplished without provoking sharp pains, as this would negate any strengthening effect.   Traditionally knee muscle strengthening programs suggest using ankle weights to stress the quadriceps, the following program aims at using a more functional activity for increasing the endurance and, not necessarily the size or bulk of the muscles.  The following routine consists of doing isotonic concentric and eccentric step-up/step-down exercises for the knees. This activity also positively  stresses the hamstrings and buttock muscles.  Research by McKenzie, et al indicate that good foot alignment such as what foot orthotics provide, plus core stability training for the buttock muscles improves the effects of muscle endurance training programs.   Lower extremity kinematics of females with patellofemoral pain syndrome while stair stepping. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010 Oct;40(10):625-32.

To begin:

1. Get a 4 to 6 inch (10–15 cm) thick block of wood (or other firm material, such as a phone book).  A taller person will require a thicker block, while a shorter person should use a thinner block.  The knee should be at an angle of 30 degrees or less when one foot is on the block while the other heel touches the floor.
2. On the first day, do a continuous series of step-ups on both the normal and affected legs to determine the maximum number of step-ups you can accomplish per leg.  the Maximum number on the weaker leg will be called MAX.
3. The PLAN is to do this exercise routine on ALTERNATE days.
4. ENDURANCE = 60-80 % of MAX for any muscle tested.

The AIM of this particular program is to do three sets of 70% MAX per exercise session.  When starting program, completing three full sets of 70% may be difficult, therefore, do as many repetitions as are comfortable during any given set.

Because a muscle responds to strengthening based on the speed and the degree of joint bending/unbending, it is advisable to do each exercise set at a different speed (rate).

If there is increased discomfort upon completion of an exercise session, apply an ice pack over the knee, using a package of frozen peas, for no more than 10-15 minutes.

PROGESSION

1. Increase the routine to a daily session.
2. Increase the block height, eventually using a standard stair height.
3. Increase your 70% MAX, remembering that too many repetitions can lead to further overuse.

ADJUNCT EXERCISES

1. 5-10 minutes of stationary bicycling at a constant speed.
2. Rotational core training on pivoting disc using the Mastermoves Core Training Program (http://mastermoves.com/fred.html)
3. Swimming with a paddleboard.
4. Elliptical trainer in “Hill climbing” mode
5. Physio Ball core stability exercises for the hips and pelvis.
6. Variations on the yoga “plank” exercises for core training of the lower body.

Fred Samorodin, RPT

Fred Samorodin,RPT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ_RvGB3TFU

by barralinstitute.com

• Did you know that the attachments of the sigmoid colon and the caecum on the anterior sacroiliac joint could be the cause of your client’s sacroiliac joint dysfunction?
• Did you know that the ligaments that attach from the superior border of the lungs to the cervical spine and the first rib can tighten due to scar tissue from a lung infection, and this can cause brachial plexus issues?
• Did you know that Jean-Pierre Barral, DO, the developer of Visceral Manipulation, has found that 90% of all musculoskeletal disorders have a visceral component?

Visceral Manipulation blends into all types of manual therapy practices…The fisceral system relies on the interconnected synchronicity between the motions of all the organs and stgructures of the body,.  At optimal health, this harmoniuous relationship remains stable despite the body’s endless varieties of motion.  But when an organ cannot move in harmony with its surroundings due to abnormal tone, adhesions or displacement, it works against the body’s other organs, as well as muscular, membranous, fascial and osseous structures.  This disharmony creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body is forced to move around.  These fixed points create viscero-somatic interactions, which present as musculoskeletal or neuromuscular symptomology.

Clinical Study on the Effrects of VM for Low Back Spinal Dysfunction

Gail Wetzler, Registered Physical Therapist studied the effects of visceral manipulation on low back pain in 30 patients.  Some patients has previous manual therapy treatment, but did not include visceral manipulation.  Wetzler treated patients with VM (visceral manipulation) an average of 6-7 times.  Resutls were measured via a pain scale the patient completed, neurological testing, and standard movement and strength tests of the low back.  The results showed marked improvement in all but 2 of the cases across all tests.  The conclusion was “low back spinal dyusfunction may be more effectively and efficiently resolved with the addition of Visceral Manipulation into the treatment program.” Complete study can be found at www.barralinstitute.com

Note: [Fred Samorodin has had the opportunity to briefly study with Dr. Jacob Lieberman, D.O. and uses the insights gathered from Dr. Lieberman's work to work directly with freeing the larynx (voice box) with hands-on techniques that may help individuals find their "voice" physically and/or emotionally.  Such work may take time and can be helped by coordinating  a counsellor's or psychologist's work with Fred Samorodin's whole body treatments.]

Jacob Lieberman’s holistic larynx treatment has made him indispensable to the stars. Actor Michael Simkins reports
• Michael Simkins
• The Guardian, Thursday 13 June 2002 13.27 BST

“Until I encountered Jacob Lieberman I thought there was only one area of my body to which I was uneasy about allowing strangers access. In fact there are two.

Lieberman is a registered osteopath and psychotherapist with an interest in psychosomatic disorders. What makes him unusual is that he has made the manipulation of the larynx his field of study. In the world of acting and singing he is well known as a man with a very particular skill, treating a part of the throat which few hands, if any, ever touch.

Lieberman became fascinated by osteopathy while working as a management executive in his home country of Israel. Having developed a serious neck problem when painting his house, he was “clicked” back into place by a chiropractor.

“That click changed my life, literally and metaphorically,” he says. “I threw up everything, my job, my home, my car, and came to Britain to study osteopathy.” But the limitations of dealing purely with the physical body without reference to the psychosomatic aspects of the complaint soon became clear, and he enrolled on a course of psychotherapy at the Tavistock clinic in London.

Most people arriving for a meeting with Lieberman are taken aback, as I was, by the fact that much of his initial consultation consists of inquiry into the person’s lifestyle and history. It is more akin to a psychotherapy session than a manipulation; throughout his questioning his manner is considered, his tone studious, almost academic. “The larynx is inextricably linked to the psychological state of the person,” he says. “We all use phrases such as ‘a stiff upper lip’ or ‘a lump in the throat’ to describe physical manifestations of emotional states – thus, by dealing merely with the symptoms of voice loss without investigating its emotional cause is less likely to prove beneficial in the long run.”

In fact, Lieberman will not even attempt physical manipulation unless he has gained an understanding of the person’s emotional state beforehand. “Often the vocal folds themselves may give no physical indication of strain or overuse. Only by working with the body, but also studying the mind, is it possible to unlock the fundamental underlying problem.”

Lieberman admits that this is an area where there has been little or no application of physical therapy before. The larynx is a largely ignored, almost forgotten part of the body. It is a complex mechanism made of collections of cartilage (muscles, ligaments and joints) suspended in the throat; in young people it is springy and flexible, with age the texture becomes harder and more unyielding. In all cases it is a delicate area to manipulate.

“Its original function was as a shield to provide protection for the airways,” he explains. “Virtually any animal of prey which attacks another will go for the throat.” He points out that the use of vocal folds for highly organised speech came at a much later stage of evolution.

The moment Lieberman first places his hands on the voice box is a curious sensation and he is careful to alert patients to possible reaction. In my case, I was convulsed with a bout of unstoppable adolescent giggling, but I was aware, even while laughing, that it is no mere tickling sensation; I also experienced an intense physiological relief.

Lieberman remains unfazed by such responses: “One’s personal reaction is very informative. Some people laugh, many cry profusely, while others feel overwhelmingly tired and deflated. Some can’t even bear the sensation of a scarf around their throat.” After a few moments he asks me to swallow. What he refers to as “the quality of the swallowing” is, he believes, itself, determined by psychological states. “The action causes you to tighten muscles which creates a combined movement; the larynx moves slightly backwards and then upwards and forwards from its resting place, after which it relaxes again. At this point it is possible to push it sideways and move your fingers gently behind it.” It sounds worse than it feels, the pressure of his fingers is not uncomfortable.

Many of his clients work in the performing arts and their voices have broken down, often for no immediately identifiable reason. “I had a cold four months ago and now this,” they lament. For businessmen, actors and even professional singers, the voice has been artificially maintained on constant adrenaline, often for weeks on end. Often problems only occur when they have a break or a holiday and the excessive adrenaline is no longer required. Worse still, the fact of losing the voice provokes further stress, and Lieberman believes that at this point people quickly develop what he calls “survival techniques” which only compound the problems. “Deprived of confidence in the ability of your voice to manage, you fail to support it, or even to breathe properly. It becomes a vicious spiral.”
Lieberman also believes that the performers’ lifestyle is a strain: “Performing each evening and eating late at night leads to poor digestion and disrupted sleep patterns. When one is young, the rate of recovery is faster than the damage process, but as one gets older the situation is reversed.”
The pressure experienced by workers in call centres, dealing with complaints and anxieties by phone day after day, is another area in which he believes there is a strong connection between vocal and physical illness.

At the end of the manipulation I am advised to rise from the chair slowly. As I do so, the full effect of Lieberman’s expertise becomes apparent. I feel what seems like a pint of warm oil gliding down my throat. Something has been released, both physically and emotionally, which has been trapped there a very long time.”

jacob-lieberman.co.uk

The Connection

Physical Therapists trained and experienced in the use of osteopathic manual therapy understand the importance of orthodontic dentistry as a means of improving jaw and tooth alignment and as an important factor in people’s health. Many dentists recognize the importance of craniosacral or craniomandibular osteopathic treatment as an integral part of assisting the body in making an orthodontic correction and in maintaining good health throughout the process. Understanding these mutual benefits requires an understanding of the connection between osteopathic treatments and orthodontia.

The proper alignment of teeth is dependent on a correct anatomical relationship of the upper jaw (maxilla) with the lower jaw (mandible). Changing tooth alignment requires changing not only the relationship of the maxilla to the mandible but also in complex relationships of these bones to several other bones of the face and skull. Osteopathic research demonstrates that all places where skull bones meet have significant capabilities of motion in infancy and childhood, and usually maintain motion throughout life. Although very little motion is permitted at any one of these joints, that motion is essential to allowing a successful orthodontic correction. Craniosacral osteopathic treatment assists orthodontic correction by helping all the bones of the skull to adjust to the orthodontic changes created.

In Canada, where physical therapists trained in osteopathic methods are relatively rare, there is a large potential for greater cooperation between physical therapists, orthodontists and dentists who recognize the importance of normal cranial mobility as a factor in the success of orthodontic correction. Through osteopathic manual therapy, the therapist can help the individual to better tolerate the orthodontic changes and can alert the dentist to the possible need to adjust the orthodontic plan. It is not uncommon to find that when osteopathic treatment accompanies orthodontia, the desired results are obtained in half to two-thirds the time estimated by the dentists, and the correction is more likely to hold well over time!

Orthodontic considerations

It is typical for the normal mobility of the cranium to be compromised somewhat during orthodontic correction. The degree to which this happens depends on the types of appliances used and on the ability of the patient to tolerate the changes brought about by the appliance. Most orthodontic corrective appliances fall into one to two categories—fixed or functional. Fixed appliances, such as braces or head-gear, hold firm the relationship of some teeth to other teeth. Because teeth are imbedded in bone, this rigid relationship of teeth to each other results in rigidity in the motion of the maxilla and mandible and, through them, limits the normal motion of other bones of the skull. Functional appliances, such as adjustable plate expanders, permit the cranial bones to retain more of their motion pattern during orthodontic procedures. They are, therefore preferable whenever they are capable of making the needed correction.

The topic of tooth extractions is a controversial one! While there are times when avoiding extractions makes the orthodontic treatment plan unreasonably lengthy and complex, it is best to keep all the teeth whenever possible. Removing the canine teeth, which serve as stabilizers of the jaw, can have profound negative consequences to the cranial mechanism and to the general health of the individual!

Tongue muscle action is a powerful force in shaping the developing oral cavity. When the tongue is not functioning properly within the mouth, speech, and breathing are also affected. Conditions such as respiratory allergies or asthma, which prompt mouth breathing, foster the development of an oral cavity that is more likely to need orthodontic correction. Children who continue to such their thumbs or to use a pacifier after the age of about 30 months are more likely to have orthodontic problems requiring attention. Sometimes the dentist may recommend myofunctional physical therapy in order to help correct the position and action of the tongue, before attempting orthodontia.

Health Challenges during Orthodontia

A person’s posture and overall health can suffer both when jaw alignment is poor and when jaw and teeth are undergoing orthodontic correction. It is ideal when the only complication of correction is the experience of pain in the teeth for one or two days aftr obtaining or adjusting an appliance. Unfortunately, some people suffer persistent headaches as a direct result of the compromise in bone and membrane mobility of the cranium.

With many years of daily practice in osteopathically-based craniosacral therapy, Fred Samorodin, Registered Physical Therapist is able to assess and treat body conditions that can help optimize the benefits of orthodontic dentistry.