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Palpating and Treating the Immune System Using
CranioSacral Therapy |
 The
immune system, which consists of a loose network of 10 to 50 billion cells
of various kinds, all acting together and communicating with each other
chemically and energetically, can often seem a bit esoteric. Tissue is easy
to palpate, and is easily affected by manual therapy. It is less obvious
that this is true of the immune system. The immune system, however, is
involved in every issue that we treat as manual therapists. If the client is
experiencing a symptom, there is some degree of inflammation, and the immune
system is involved.
This involvement may be primary, as in the case of an infection or an
autoimmune condition, or it may be secondary, in which case simply releasing
fascial restrictions may be enough to allow the inflammatory response to
completely abate. Most often, the situation is somewhere between these two
extremes, however, and simply releasing fascial restrictions does not
completely eliminate the inflammation. Thus it is critical that we as manual
therapists be able to address this important system of the body.
CranioSacral Therapy (CST), because of its ability to engage specific
tissues in the body with great precision, is an ideal modality with which to
address the immune system. Using CST it is possible to directly map
inflammation in the body, on a micro level. One can tell exactly which
tissues are inflamed, what aspects of the immune system are involved in that
inflammatory process, and to some extent to what the immune system is
reacting, all simply by palpating the movement of the immune system in
response to the craniosacral rhythm (CSR).
The CSR is the primary palpation tool used by craniosacral therapists. It
consists of a slow (5 to 10 second period) subtle external and internal
rotation of the body which occurs as a consequence of the body’s mechanism
for controlling cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) pressure. According to the
pressurestat model* developed by Dr. John Upledger and Ernest Retzlaff, CSF
production is intermittent, while CSF reabsorption is constant. During fluid
production the pressure in the cranium rises very slightly, which causes a
slight increased stimulation of the motor cortex. This increased stimulation
in turn causes a slight global increase in muscle tonus. When this happens,
the external rotators overpower the internal ones, causing a slight but
easily palpable external rotation of the body. This is the flexion phase of
the CSR. When the fluid production shuts off, the CSF pressure drops, the
muscles relax slightly, and the body internally rotates. This is the
extension phase. Generally speaking, if a particular tissue is moving well
in the CSR that implies the tissue is functioning well. If the tissue is not
moving well in the CSR, then that indicates that there is a problem.
One of the basic principles of CST is that, ideally, all parts of the body
should move freely in the CSR. This includes the immune system. When the
muscles pull the body into external rotation during CSR flexion, they
externally rotate the entire body and all its tissues, including the loose
network of immune cells. The therapist can choose to tune in to the movement
of the tissue as a whole, or choose to pay attention to the movement of any
of its various components. Therefore placing attention on the network of
immune cells allows the therapist to determine how those immune cells are
moving in response to the CSR, and thus how the immune system is functioning
at a particular location.
As an analogy, consider listening to a symphony orchestra. What one hears
depends upon what one chooses to pay attention to. Focusing on the sound of
the first violin brings that sound into the foreground slightly, while the
sound of the rest of the orchestra retreats into the background, allowing
the sound of the first violin to be easily distinguished from that of the
rest of the orchestra. Similarly, focusing on a particular tissue allows a
therapist to determine how that tissue is moving in response to the CSR.
Under normal circumstances, absent inflammation, the cells of the immune
system are not to be found in the interstitial spaces of the tissues of the
body, but are instead confined to certain specific pathways (under the skin
and mucous membranes, in the blood and the lymph, and in certain specialized
immune organs such as the bone marrow, the spleen, and the lymph nodes).
This is part of the body’s protection against autoimmune disease. If the
immune cells are not routinely exposed to certain of the body’s proteins it
is much less likely that the immune cells will adversely react to those
proteins.
In this situation, a therapist tuning in to how immune cells in some
location in the tissue are moving in response to the CSR will feel no
movement, since there are no immune cells in that tissue and thus nothing
there to move. The tissue itself may or may not be moving in the CSR (it may
or may not be restricted in its own right), but there will be no CSR
response from the immune system in that location.
If there is inflammation, however, immune cells release histamine which
opens up the capillary beds and allows immune cells to travel out into the
surrounding tissue. In this situation, there will be immune cells in the
interstitial space, and the therapist will feel those cells moving in
response to the CSR.
It is important to distinguish acute inflammation from chronic. Acute
inflammation is the body’s normal and appropriate response to trauma, and is
characterized by the body rebuilding itself. The inflammation is in the
process of resolving itself. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is not
a normal response, and is characterized by the body simultaneously
rebuilding itself and tearing itself apart. The body is caught in a loop and
the inflammation is unable to resolve.
In acute inflammation, since it is the body’s normal response, immune cells
in the tissue will generally be moving well in response to the CSR. The
tissue itself is often restricted, since there is inflammation, but the
immune cells will be moving well. In chronic inflammation, the immune cells
will not be moving well in the CSR. The tissue will generally be restricted,
and the movement of the immune cells will be restricted as well.
Tuning in to the movement, or lack thereof, of immune cells in response to
the CSR allows the CST therapist to directly map inflammation in the body,
on a micro level. With practice, for example, it is possible to palpate a
coronary artery and to distinguish the movement in the CSR of the muscular
wall of the artery from that of the endothelial lining, from that of the
blood inside the artery, and from that of any immune cells within the
lining. Normally there should be no immune cells in the endothelial lining,
so their presence there is an indication of inflammation.
Using CST it is possible to determine exactly which tissues of the body are
inflamed, whether that inflammation is chronic or acute, which aspects of
the immune system are involved in that inflammatory process, and to some
extent to what the immune system is reacting, all simply by palpating the
movement of the immune cells in response to the CSR. Following the subtle
micro-movements of the tissue and of the immune cells will then facilitate
the release of conflict within the body and allow the inflammatory condition
to gradually begin to resolve.
Chronic inflammation is the major driver of most of the “lifestyle” diseases
that are so common today. These diseases include heart disease, obesity,
diabetes, digestive disorders, arthritis, and many others. When these
diseases occur they do not do so “out of the blue.” Most such disease is
preceded by years of chronic inflammation which gradually devitalizes the
tissue eventually causing the disease to manifest. By treating underlying
low grade chronic inflammation, by whatever means, one can hope to reduce
the likelihood of such disease actually occurring. CranioSacral Therapy,
with its ability to map inflammation in the body and treat it with precision
and specificity, is an ideal vehicle with which to address such issues.
*John E. Upledger, DO, FAAO and Jon D. Vredevoogd, MFA, Craniosacral
Therapy, Eastland Press, Seattle, 1983, pp. 11 – 12.
For further information on research and classes in your area, please visit
Upledger.com.
Last revised: February 21, 2016
by Tim Hutton,PhD, LMP, CST-D
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Tim
Hutton, PhD, LMP, CST-D is a Licensed Massage Practitioner in
private practice at the Natural Health Clinic in Bellingham,
WA. He is a certified CranioSacral Therapist at the
Diplomate level (CST-D) and teaches a variety of courses in
CranioSacral Therapy for the Upledger Institute
International. He holds a PhD in Physics from Rice
University and previously worked as a research physicist at
MIT. His passion for CranioSacral Therapy arose from his own
health challenges. After receiving CranioSacral Therapy and
experiencing remarkable improvement in his own health, he
began to study the techniques and today he is the developer
and Ombudsman for Upledger's CranioSacral Therapy and the
Immune Response (CSIR)curriculum.
