An amalgam of existing theories congruent with clinical experience.
Introduction
What is it exactly that these theories are trying to explain?
Medical science and mainstream physiology are not currently aware of the CR, or engaged with its implications, financial, suffering, better science,. The idea has a lineage, via early twentieth century osteopathy, that places it outside current conventional institutionalised health science norms. This historical and political accident has greatly retarded recognition of fundamental human physiology and pathology. What are the implications of this? If a problem is not recognised correctly, as some instruments are missing from the medical toolbox, then a rational effective treatment is impossible.
What phenomena are involved?
The entire body moves in certain ways in a subtle, slow way. If you were to place your hands on the feet or knees of someone you would feel each side rotate away from the midline
History
Different versions of manual cranial therapy in the marketplace often imply that the Cranial Rhythm and cranial therapy are newly discovered. The most popular approach fosters the untruth that it was developed in the 1980’s.
Passing reference must be made to an illustration, a woodcut linotype showing expansion and contraction of the brain, accompanying work by Rene Descartes.
The first evidence of a relevant theory belongs to Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). “During his anatomic studies from the late 1730’s to the mid-1740’s he described, in great detail, the structure, function, and motion of the brain”. 1 Fuller 2008 p 620
“Swedenborg recognized cranial bone motion as passive and secondary to the primary active motion of the brain. He stated that the structure of the individual bones of the head reflected the motion of the brain. He described these bones as moving in a cycle of expansion and contraction in harmony with the motion of the brain”. 2 ibid p626 Swedenborg The Brain 1743-44
It was Swedenborg who laid out four elements identical to those used by WG Sutherland (1873 -1954) 200 years later, who added a fifth element (sacral motion) to form the five components of his Primary Respiratory Mechanism model.
There is evidence that the translator of Swedenborg’s ‘The Cerebrum’, written in 1738-1740 but unpublished in English until 1938, the Rev. Alfred Acton, met Sutherland around the time his Primary Respiratory Mechanism model was presented in ‘The Cranial Bowl’, published in 1939. “Sutherland and Acton knew of each other and had met and compared ideas”. 3 ibid p 645
Osteopathy Despite this historical debt to Swedenborg, as revealed recently by Fuller, William Garner Sutherland D.O. is justifiably revered as the father of cranial therapy. Swedenborg was a pioneering theorist and philosopher but did not treat ailments. It was Sutherland however who originated practical concepts and techniques to assess and release kinetic restrictions to improve human function.
He instituted training of osteopath His five-element PRM model is still the dominant explanation of the cranial Rhythm, although many variations and alternatives have arisen.
Chiropractic Cottam, deJarnette
Upledger
Ferguson’s muscular theory of the Cranial Rhythm is little-known and not supported by other work. A cornerstone of the cranial concept is that the subtle yet definite motions of all parts of the surface of the body, that can be felt by the hands of a trained person
Kuchera lymphatic
Difficulties in researching the cranial rhythm
Personal clinical experiences
The fact of being able to palpate the Cranial Rhythm at the feet of a quadriplegic client, with pronounced muscle wasting and no voluntary control below the shoulders, while not definitive, lessens the persuasiveness of a muscle-based theory as proposed by Ferguson. Surely a profound disabling of the muscular system would have some effect on the motions I detected, if that system indeed originated the motion. My sense was that the subtle expansion/contraction motions I palpated were no different to a normal cranial rhythm. If I were blindfolded, there would be no reason to suspect that the moving feet that my hands rested on belonged to someone with quadriplegia. Colleagues report similar experiences.
Still Points
Twitches/spasms/
Release of restrictions eg leg pull technique
While clinicians will have their own experiences similar or different to my own, the point is that any CR theory must pass the test of practical experience, or at least the theory should not be contradicted strongly by empirical experience.
Having briefly sampled existing ideas, I now wish to add two ideas to the mix that have not been mentioned in the context of understanding the Cranial Rhythm before to my knowledge.
Biogenic Magnetite is xx biogenic xx Earbry letter
Biogenic magnetite is concentrated in an interesting part of the body. It’s location prompts questions as to its use/relevance. Xx% of magnetite is found in the cavities of the bodies of two cranial bones
Function of the third ventricle. The two big cavities, deep inside the brain on each side, are the two lateral ventricles. The fourth ventricle is a smaller hollow structure located at the base of the brain
All connected with a low from the big csf-producing direction of flow
Need for an objective measurement device