Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects 20% of the American population. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the small intestine is sensitive to gluten. The pouching of diverticulitis is characterized by weak spots in the digestive lining. Gas and abdominal pain are a result of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease resulting in ulcers and bleeding. Ulcerative colitis is similar to Crohn’s disease, but isolated in the colon.
Does soft tissue fascial strain from birth trauma predispose patients to any of these six adult digestive orders? Possibly so……
All of these conditions have an unknown causative origin. That is a good sign in our world because medical researchers have ruled out the usual culprits. Currently, no one ever considers a tight fascial web as the cause of ANY disease, a plus in our corner. I see causative fascial strain in our seventeen infant conditions and some pediatric conditions, most notably asthma.
Virtually all of our reflux babies have fascial strain in their stomachs. Our gas and indigestion babies classically have fascial strain in their stomach, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder areas. Occasionally, we see a baby with pyloric stenosis where the fascia is especially tight at the junction of the stomach and small intestine. More commonly, the colicky babies have fascial strain in their intestinal areas causing pain, and the strained constipated infants have a significant reduction of peristalsis resulting in static stools.
Left untreated, do all of these babies completely outgrow these conditions? For example, do the reflux babies, who never fully “grew out of” reflux, later “grow into” the 20% afflicted adults? Possibly so……
I believe some babies with moderate fascial strain may resolve with growth to become asymptomatic later in life. I am contending that the others with more severe abdominal strain at birth may not and be potential candidates for these six conditions later in life…..all the more reason to work on infants to possibly prevent these conditions.
I would recommend Gillespie Approach craniosacral fascial therapy for a patient of any age with any of these six conditions. If their issue did start at birth, a number of appointments may be required to revisit that core layer of their onion to clear that birth trauma. It would be interesting to note the prevalence of these diseases once this work becomes the global standard of care at birth.
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