In 1998, the copy editor of my first book taught me a valuable lesson. I had written in a number of chapters about how the work was effective for pediatric asthma and other diseases. She corrected me in that we very specifically treat children who have the diseases, not the diseases themselves.
A middle-aged woman recently presented to my office with Graves’ disease. The internet refreshed my memory of this condition that I studied 50 years ago in school. She had the characteristic bulging eyes, more significantly her right eye.
From the Harvard medical website: “Eye problems result from the swelling of tissues, muscles and fat in the socket behind the eye. This swelling causes exophthalmos, an abnormal protrusion of the eye, commonly associated with Graves’ disease.”
I first noticed fascial neck strain pulling into the eyes and causing vision issues in the late 1970s. Since histology tells us that every muscle cell is covered by a thin Saran Wrap-like layer of fascia and this web is interconnected from head to toe, this bulging symptom could be right up our alley.
In evaluation and therapy, I found fascial strain pulling from her trunk traversing through her shoulders and neck into her eyes. Her left eye was clearing nicely with therapy, but her right eye was more unyielding. Every body holds its own unique story.
For decades, she has had an annoying pain near her right shoulder blade. At one point during a session, she could feel extreme pressure in her right eye that relieved with the release of some fascial strain. At her most recent office visit, she related that her eyes were now almost normally even.
Since the craniosacral fascial system connects every structural cell in space and time, the tightness in her back, the pain in her right shoulder blade, and the eye protrusion of Graves’ disease may be the same traumatic effect. Trying to find the root cause of instead of managing a problem requires a different way of thinking.
Does the patient have a causative component that can heal with my help? My world is about the lifetime layers, remembered and forgotten, of physical and emotional traumas. I know from experience that birth trauma is probably the core for many people.
When a patient presents, I solely focus on how well the craniosacral fascial system is functioning. I want the brain expanding and contracting well, and the fascial web to be as free as possible. My singular therapeutic goal is to help every patient free up this system and let the body heal itself optimally.
With certain diseases of idiopathic or unknown origins, trauma and the resulting restriction of the craniosacral fascial system can be at play. I have found that to be true for children with pediatric asthma (fascial restriction of the respiratory system), and other common childhood and infant conditions. We show the world what is possible.
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