Since the Gillespie Approach is not compatible with conventional orthodontics, a touchy clinical situation may arise.
A young teen presented with ADHD, dyslexia, and neck pain. He had two concussions as a child and five months of ocular therapy.
At infancy, he had the umbilical cord wrapped twice and colic. On my examination, he had a zero-second brain cycle and a trunk twist into his neck and head.
Since he also just started orthodontics, I did not know if the braces or the former traumas caused his tight head. When I tried to help his body release, the braces were inhibiting any freeing action.
The dilemma: For me to effectively work with him, the braces had to come off, and he needed to switch to another orthodontist. But the parents had just paid thousands of dollars to cover the next two-plus years of orthodontics.
The parents decided to continue with the orthodontist until completion. I made no judgment toward the family around that decision. Mom contacted me for a re-evaluation appointment 2½ years later.
He had nice straight teeth, but his muscles had since become very tight, inhibiting his general movement. They were so bound down that I told them to see a massage therapist for deep-tissue work before I began my therapy.
He did well after three visits with the therapist as his brain cycle opened to 40 seconds, just from the muscles freeing up. My first therapy visit resulted in a 130-second brain cycle.
The story did not end there. He needed to indefinitely wear a maxillary retainer every night to keep his teeth in place. Unfortunately, this appliance took his brain cycle to zero seconds—ouch.
They both understood that this would probably undue all my and the massage therapist’s work. Since they felt that it was more important for him to function well than having perfectly straight teeth, he planned to discontinue wearing the restrictive maxillary appliance.
On the medical end for his ADHD, dyslexia, and neck pain, he had been to the best pediatric doctors in Philadelphia. Even after learning all the muscles in medical school, no one ever touched him for assessment—seemingly a lost art.
It would have been easy for any provider to recommend massage therapy to the family to free up his muscle tissues. The current system is all about drugs, surgery, and technology—not about healing.
When a child with complex problems presents, you need to think your way through the case. Gillespie Approach Training is a must for healthcare providers.
