Birth trauma can change a life.
A thirty-eight-year old man presented with an unusual situation. His parents told him his birth was traumatic where the left side of his body was “smashed.” They said that his face was most notably affected.
He told me that the left side of his face now had weak muscles, and his left eye opening was narrower than his right. His eyebrows were at different levels. He has always had a left hip tilt that needed periodic chiropractic adjustment.
He also experienced an unusual phenomenon—whenever he read something, his nose discharged mucus. His doctors were completely dumbfounded with that symptomatology.
He was born at 32 weeks. He had neck issues as a child and fell out of a tree at eleven years of age. When he was 25, his left eye muscles looked different than his right eye muscles. He also developed chronic sinusitis.
Amazingly, he presented with a 120-second brain cycle, but his maxillary and sinus bones were stuck. He had a fascial pelvic twist, creating constant lower-body imbalance.
There was an unusual finding during my examination. One eye and that side of his sinus area were part of one fascial strain, and the other eye and that side of his sinus area were part of a different fascial strain.
From past experience, I knew that his eyes had trouble working together—they were not happy in reading convergence. A possible explanation was that both strains were competing against each other when his eyes tried to converge and read, which also created a runny nose.
Even after 38 years, the fascial web can still hold birth strain. I am confident that when the strain in his body has released, he will be able to live a more comfortable life.
The work at birth is so critical for all newborns. Gillespie Approach Training is a must for all neonatal providers.
The Patient Emails
“Immediately upon leaving your office, my left eyebrow was relaxed and symmetrical with my right. I haven’t seen my face symmetrical since I was a teenager. So that was remarkable!
Since then, it has tensed up very slightly, and I can almost see my face fighting itself to relax. It’s very interesting. My sinuses have also remained open for the most part.
I’ve had several instances of my sinuses getting randomly inflamed. But they now relax within five to ten minutes, which is also remarkable.
I think there was a major plateau of progress made with the first appointment. But I can feel the strain of these parts trying to move back into their longtime stuck position.
This second appointment helped me to build more awareness of the fascia in my body and where it feels twisted or tensed. I’m learning there are a lot of physical sensations and experiences that have gone unresolved because I haven’t had awareness of the fascial web.
The only way I can describe it would be like a fish coming to understand what it feels like to be wet (and how its wetness influences its body). What I thought was a chiropractic or muscular issue is actually a fascial issue. So those modalities have only been able to take me so far.
I can feel several problem areas working themselves out as my fascia releases from the bottom up. My first appointment seemed to release my waist and hip area. This second appointment was similar, but with more focus on my neck.
I definitely can feel some resolution in my neck after that appointment. I’ve had a tic in my neck my whole life and it’s been reduced about 50% since this last appointment. I think my next appointment will continue that process. I am grateful.”
Dr. Barry Gillespie Speaks
Many layers of strain need to be released over a series of visits. But for the patient to experience this on the first two visits means we are on the right track for authentic healing.
The fascial web can create so many diverse conditions. After 48 years with this work, I continually find it fascinating. Once we get to a strain-free state, it is just a matter of how much the body can heal itself after 38 years of restriction.
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