If you take a look at the United Stated Geological Society’s website, which shows planet wide earthquake activity, you will realize that good old terra firma is a lot less firma than one might initially think. The same goes for the cranium. Most earthquakes only reach an intensity of 1 on the richter scale. And so it is with the bones in your head.

The sutures between the plates in your cranium allow for tiny movements. By themselves they aren’t quite so mobile, but when you consider what is connected to these plates one can only conclude that they are in constant motion, minuscule though it may be.

Inside that amazing wrapper is your brain; but that’s not all. There’s hormone producing glands, control systems for hunger, temperature, growth, healing, bone density, and a myriad of others. All of this is intimately connected to that; especially the all important master gland; the pituitary.

When you consider the position of this little gland, it is no wonder it is called the master gland. It sits in the sella turcica (turkish saddle). Hm… Yes folks, this pea of a gland sits in the saddle, running the whole show. But what has this got to do with the bones in your melon?

Think about this. Surrounding the outside of your skull is a wrapping called fascia. It’s a connective tissue that holds everything together, especially muscles. Lets say you turn a corner and bash you head into an open cabinet door. Hurts like a… right? This can knock your cranial plates out of alignment, putting pressure on these control systems, causing all kinds of chaos. The fascia then tightens and locks down the area to protect it from further damage. It’s almost as if it remembers all on its’ own that there has been an injury. And this can be the case, even from childbirth.

A few issues that can result from cranial misalignment due to trauma and/or fascial restriction are:

• Migraine Headaches
• Chronic Neck and Back Pain
• Symptoms Related to Menopause
• Motor-Coordination Impairments
• Colic
• Central Nervous System Disorders
• Orthopedic Problems
• Infantile Disorders
• Learning Disabilities
• Chronic Fatigue
• Emotional Difficulties
• Stress and Tension-Related Problems
• Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ)

Okay, more than a few. But with the help of a trained professional, many of these dysfunctions and or symptoms can be reduced or eliminated.

Another aspect of cranial misalignment to consider is the movement of cerebrospinal fluid. With practice and patience a practitioner can discern an, ever so slight, expansion and contraction of the cranial bones. It is much like breathing, only the air is spinal fluid, and the lungs are the space between the bones and the central nervous system (brain and spinal nerves). The flow of this fluid is essential to good neurological health, and contributes greatly to physical as well as emotional health.

As the father of a child who has difficulty staying on task at school, I can attest to the benefits of craniosacral therapy. School the following day was not so much of a burden, and it seemed easier to pay attention. So, if you’re having trouble staying focused or experiencing one or more of the symptoms listed above, you might want to come in and have us release the fascia and get that brain bucket of yours back in good working order.

Wishing you good health, George

As the traditional meaning of the word doctor is essentially “teacher”, therapeutic bodywork is not just a means to provide relief from pain in the moment, but a process of awakening a growing awareness of what is happening in one’s own body. For example, the iliopsoas is one of the deepest structural core muscles in the human body. When it’s tight, nothing stacks up properly in vertical alignment, the result generally being a chronically sore lower back or hips, or both. To have this released is a beautiful thing. To understand what a tight psoas feels like from the inside out is empowering. My role as a soft-tissue therapist is simply providing a guided tour of where “flow” isn’t happening, and gently giving the body permission to let go of a pattern that is no longer necessary. What an honor to be a part of this process.

As an institution of learning - we are about a firm base of knowledge from which to launch a career as a healer. It is our desire to see you succeed. And success is possible with a broad range of abilities. That is what makes us different. We believe that the knowledge of the healing arts starts with an intimate understanding of the body; not just muscle, bone, and organ, but a deep understanding of what holds it all together, and allows it to do the wonderful things that the human form can do. There are subtle energies, lines of force, natural symmetry and chains of motion that you may not hear about or learn in other environs. The difference is that as a student you will receive instruction about the human form that you just won’t get anywhere else.

As a clinic of integrative therapy - Three Oaks is more than massage. Yes, we are great at relieving stress. Yes, we can take you to a place of relaxation that few experience in everyday life, but we are more than that. We are about healing. The word “heal” is derived from the word “whole.” Yes, you are all one piece, but at times it doesn’t feel that way. When lines of force are blocked, chains of motion and natural symmetry become disturbed, creating pain. Muscles can become locked in an endless cycle of stimulation. Relief begins with this type of understanding of the body. Our mission is to discover the root of the problem and retrain your body to act as it naturally should.

Enough biting power to take a finger off!

Pound for pound, the strongest muscle in your body is the masseter. These muscles, which are responsible for chewing, can exert nearly one hundred-fifty pounds of pressure. That’s enough to bite off a finger. So when these muscles get tight it feels like your head is in a vice.

The masseters can be massaged to relieve the tension, and take some of the stress off your teeth and skull. The temporalis is also involved. This muscle attaches the jaw bone to three out of the four flat bones that make up your skull. When the temporalis is tight it can compress these plates together causing more pressure on the head. All that pressure can cause massive headaches, and eventually cause loose teeth and other problems at the tempero-mandibular joint (the joints where your jaw meets your skull  skull or TMJ).

There are a couple of others that make your jaw move forward, back, and side to side called the medial and lateral pterygoids. These muscles assist the masseter with chewing. Unfortunately, you can’t touch these muscles without sticking your finger in your mouth, and if you did, you’d have to know where to touch.

This is when it pays to go see a trained professional who can get to these muscles and release the trigger points. The reason pterygoids are so integral to the relief of TMJ problems is that they are connected to the sphenoid bone in your skull. The spheniod connects the front of your skull to the back of your skull. It’s also important to know that the pituitary gland rests on this bone. So not only does your head hurt, but hyper-tense muscles in your jaw can compound the bad mood it puts you in with a possible imbalance in hormonal flow.

Carrying your stress around in your jaw muscles can create all kinds of problems. TMJ misalignment, headaches, teeth grinding, loose teeth and eventually tooth damage can occur if you don’t do something about it. So even with much gnashing of teeth, you should come in and see our trained staff to release the pressure

A couple of months went by. Sarah brought our son in to see Kimbal and his partner, Susan shortly afterward. My son improved in school and Sarah made an appointment for herself . Sarah came home from the session, looking relaxed, and feeling great. She made me an appointment for me.

I went. It was phenomenal. Breathing out of both sides of your nose is a strange and wondrous thing when you haven’t done it in a couple of decades. As I was leaving the clinic in a somewhat euphoric and blissful state, Kimbal mentioned that he taught Aikido. I’d always want to get back to some kind of martial arts. The last time I practiced martial arts of any kind, I was nine. I remember kicking a bag.

I went. There’s a lot to Aikido, and there really is nothing to it. You’ll have to attend to understand what I mean. One exercise we do is a hand warm up. It’s like a massage for your hands, with an extra twist at the end and clap on each palm. I makes your palms softer so you can feel the connection better with an opponent. I had the honor of giving Kimbal, the Sensai a hand warm up. He said I should come to the academy and that I “had the juice”.

I went. This was back when Three Oaks Academy held class at the Komyozan Dojo. Now were at 211 W. State St. We had a woman come in who was recovering from shoulder surgery, and a car accident. The airbag and collision had basically bruised about 50% of her body. We (the other students and I) used what’s known as lymphatic drainage. We watched in amazement as her tight yellow and purple skin shrank and changed to a more supple tallow and blueish color. I was amazed at the difference; not only in her skin, but how she felt.

That same evening, my family and I went to a Fourth of July party. It just so happened that the hostess’s father had run over his own leg with his delivery truck. He was stiped. The truck had run right over his calf. He was purple at the ankle, then yellow on the calf, then purple at the knee. I performed lymphatic drainage on him, and again the same miraculous change occurred.

Up to this point I wasn’t to sure about giving massages, or doing therapeutic bodywork. I thought, do I really want to be touching complete strangers? After the woman in the Dojo, and the Dad at the party, I realized that I do have “the juice”, and that I can truly help heal people.

Class, working on people and helping them with their various problems has been more exhilarating and fulfilling than I could have possibly imagined. Anatomy and physiology are awe inspiring, and captivating. Around every corner of it is another surprise.

The internship has been wonerful. Shadowing Kimbal and Susan, helping with clients’ problems is great fun. I feel like the wizard’s apprentice sometimes. My favorite part is figuring out the pattern that is causing pain in a person’s body. If you look closely at someone, you can see slight differences from side to side, front to back and in the rotation of hips, shoulders, limbs, scull and spine. Figuring out what’s causing the trouble is like a grand puzzle. Putting it back in balance is the challenge. I’ve seen some amazing recoveries.

Of all the different things I’ve done (and there have been quite a few), therapeutic bodywork has become my new favorite.  Kimbal and Susan are excellent instructors. I hope you’ll join us for a class, or come in for some bodywork. Either way you’ll be thankful you did. Your body will thank you too.

George Condit
Intern
Three Oaks Academy & Integrative Therapy Clinic

Every atom in the universe seeks to maintain balance. Water seeks its own level, houses settle in to the earth over the years, and electrical current seeks to ground itself so electrons can dissipate the energy that moves them through a wire. Our bodies are no different. When we run, our bodies seek to gather more oxygen for tired muscles. When we don’t get enough water, we become thirsty, and so on. This battle for balance is a constant dance of action and reaction, like a note struck on a guitar string. The string vibrates, producing the music, and eventually falls silent, achieving balance.

But what happens when we go beyond the point of our body being able to achieve balance? Our bodies will find a new pattern, adapting to the stress, or it will not; like the broken guitar string. The key to balance is habit. Weather your habit is to sit in front of computer all day at work, or to play tennis three times a week the result is the same; your body becomes habitualized to that activity. Soon your muscles, tendons and ligaments are part of your body’s pattern of existence. It will seek its own balance, and that may not be comfortable, and can be painful.

You’ve heard people say that without your health, you’ve got nothing. Well, that’s not necessarily true. You may just be out of tune, but by working with an integrative therapist you’ll be humming right along.