Craniosacral Therapy and Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases result when your immune system is overactive, causing it to attack and damage your body’s own tissues.  Typically, your immune system creates antibodies that are designed to protect you again harmful and foreign substances in the body.  But with autoimmune disorders, your immune system can’t tell the difference between harmful invaders and healthy cells.

There are over 100 different autoimmune diseases, which affect over 24 million people in the United States.  Medical studies have still not identified the specific causes or triggers of many of these autoimmune conditions, and treatment is typically focused on reducing immune system activity.

The good news is that there are minimally-invasive, holistic therapies like Craniosacral Therapy that have a wide range of health benefits for autoimmune conditions.  In Craniosacral Therapy, the practitioner hones in on the craniosacral rhythm of the body to assess where they feel dysregulation in the body and applies techniques to release tension, adhesions, and traumas affecting the tissues.

For instance, a therapist may tune into how immune cells in some location in the tissue are moving in response to the craniosacral rhythm.  If there was physical or emotional traumas that got stored deep in the body prior to, or during the onset of the autoimmune condition, CST can play a role in helping release those restrictions, so there is increased vitality.  The ultimate benefit of CST is that it down regulates the nervous system, which helps the body to better cope with the effects of autoimmune diseases.

In chronic inflammation, the immune cells will not be moving well in the craniosacral rhythm. 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 craniosacral rhythm allows the CST therapist to directly map inflammation in the body, on a micro level.

In addition, by working with the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, spine, dura mater, and other key “signaling” areas of the body, communication between various parts of the body may improve, which may increase homeostasis and overall immunity. Because CST employs very light force, typically about 5 grams, there are very few contraindications unless you have had an acute stroke, severe concussion with consequent swelling of the brain, unstable cerebral aneurysm, epidural leaks from lumbar puncture and open cavity head wound.

To learn more about this fascinating modality and its impact on inflammation, download this article written by Tim Hutton, Ph.D., L.M.P., C.S.T.-D., titled, “Craniosacral Therapy, an Ideal Modality for Treating Inflammation” – https://rb.gy/k5ygt8 

Craniosacral Therapy is by no means a cure for any disease or autoimmune disorder, but it can provide relief to symptoms, and help the body to communicate more effectively with all its moving parts.