The brain communicates with the body by sending messages through nerve cells in the form of nerve impulses. Nerves carry information that tell organs what activities to carry out next based on what is happening in the body. This information in the form of nerve impulse your life energy!

The brain is so important that it is the one and only tissue in the body is completely encased by bone. However the head is not one solid piece of bone, there are a number of bones that make up the skull. These bones come together in the form of joints called sutures that are capable of movement however this movement is very subtle.

Researchers at NASA “have learned that the bones in the human head move ever so slightly….....the movement is so small that it is not even detectable to the human eye. The movement is only a few micrometers – it takes 1,000 micrometers to make 1 millimeter.” * NASA has developed a type of ultrasound method to monitor intracranial pressure by measuring the subtle movements of the skull.” * Source, Is Your Head Flexible? Published by NASAexplores: October 20, 2004 www.NASAexplores.com

Joints that are capable of movement are also capable of misalignment. Misalignment puts tension and undue pressure on the soft tissues next to the bone. If we consider the soft tissues in the skull, first up would be the dura mater.

The dura is the tough protective membrane that encases your entire central nerve system. The dura is firmly attached to the skull bones and the tail bone and is one the toughest type of connective tissue we have in the body. The dura holds your cerebrospinal fluid so your brain and spinal cord have a nice cushion like and comfortable environment to live in; kind of like living inside a water balloon.

When the cranial bones misalign they place a huge stress on the dura. Imagine a square piece of fabric that was being pulled upon at opposite ends, what happens to the material after time? It begins to distort and respond to the pulling when it is sustained. Now imagine if you were to pull on the material of a water balloon, what would happen to that material? It would deform to the pressure being placed upon it and so would the water inside of it, this would also effect anything else inside of the balloon.

This is what is known as dural stress or contraction in the dura. When the dura has a pulling stress on it, it throws a pressure like stress into a system that is very pressure sensitive, your central nerve system.

Dr Seth Sharpless, conducted a study on spinal nerve roots and discovered that in terms of pressure on a nerve, it only takes the weight of a dime to irritate / pinch a nerve and disrupt its output by up to 60%. Nerves are VERY pressure sensitive and the sensory component or the part the nerve system that registers pain is only one small part of what the nerve system does. The nerve system controls everything in the body; it is like a computer command center, nerves go to all of our organs and tissues and tell them what to do, how much to do, and when to rest. Now the more pressure applied to a nerve, for example by a herniated disc, the more pain is experienced. When less pressure is applied to a nerve, for example by misaligned bones, it may not cause any pain at all, however nerves are VERY pressure sensitive and pressure disrupts the nerve signal and the infomation they carry.

Now getting back to the dura and the cranial vault; remember what happens when you squeeze a water balloon? The water moves to the other side, doesn’t it. Now imagine the subtle pressures from a contracted dura placing pressure into the cerebrospinal fluid and on the nerve tissue in the cranial vault – here there is less room to give since the brain is completely encased.

So when the skull bones misalign, they put a pulling stress on the dura, which in turn throws pressure into the cerebrospinal fluids which in turn puts pressure on the nerve tissue, the brain. Granted it all this is taking place at the level of the micrometer. However we know nerves are VERY pressure sensitive, it only takes the weight of a dime to disrupt nerve impulse up to 60%, but what if the pressure is less than that? Imagine a dimmer switch on a light. You can turn it all the way up or you can turn it down or you can have it anywhere in between. Since our brain controls everything in our entire body, imagine the wide spread effects this could potentially have on the body. How about just the brain itself, would the brain be able to function at its best? Not likely. Without healthy nerve tissue the organs and tissues of the body are at a loss to be healthy.

The birthing process places a huge stress on the cranial bones. During delivery the skull is subject to significant pressures and the shape of the skull becomes distorted. This is the first source of trauma we receive to the head. The delivery process can cause injury and misalignment to cranial bones. Some people sustain more injury during the delivery process than others. Some people also develop more health problems at an early age as well. Head injuries as a child learning to walk or during play and head injuries later in life due to a fall or a car accident can also lead to cranial misalignment. Have you ever banged your head a good one? Consider that, for that would be a head injury.

The aim of Bio Cranial Therapy is to reduce contraction in the dural system and take pressure off nerve tissue, by working with the cranial bones. When you take pressure off of nerves it allows them to function better, in essence to be healthy. A healthy nerve system is essential for healing and repair. A healthy nerve system is necessary to sustain a healthy body since the nerve system controls everything in the body. Rather than treating a disease, I work with the natural healing processes in the body to reduce as much contraction and pressure as possible to the nerve tissue and then let the body do what it was designed to do, heal itself naturally.

Please visit the testimonial page to hear how others have benefited from Bio Cranial.