I know, I need to blog more often so that I don't have to cram multiple subjects into each post.  Nevertheless, I've done it again.  Much has happened since my last post:

• Retinal eye tear was laser-welded at St. Michael's Personality Plus Hospital.  All is fine with my eye, but encounters with the medical world are never fun.  Making matters worse, Personality-Plus ophthalmology assistant was a pleasure to deal with.  Ironically enough, she never once made eye contact with me.  Including the convenient moment AFTER my dilating eye drops when she asked me to read the small print two-page consent form.  Are you kidding me?  Perhaps giving me these pages thirty minutes ago would've made more sense when I was still able to see my hands in front of my face.  I digress.

• Application of CranioSacral Therapy techniques has been a revelation.  My patients are finding the techniques a relaxing complement to my usual approaches.  I'm not necessarily following the "beginner's approach 10-Step Protocol" I learned at Cranio Class, but application of several techniques I learned has proven to be an effective adjunct to my manual methods.  This brings me to my inspiration for today's blog post:  LAYERS

If we think of the body as a series of layers of biological tissue, we can gather a bit more insight as to all that can go right and wrong with the human frame.  Without getting too technical, think of the body as a series of layers, beginning with the outermost layer and then working inwards:

(i) Muscle

(ii) Deeper Muscles

(iii) Fascia (more on this in future blogs:  basically, fascia connects everything: muscles, organs, bones, etc)

(iv) Organs

(v) Bones/Joints

(vi) Nerves

(vii) Meningeal Membrane (covers the brain and spinal cord)

Those are our basic layers of the human frame, working from the outermost muscles down deep to the spinal cord and its covering.

When we treat the body, we tend to treat the layers we know most about.  Massage therapists do a fabulous job treating the various layers of muscle.  Some do a great job with the adhering fascia as well.  My chiropractic colleagues are specialists in dealing with the bones and joints of the spine and extremities.  In fact, I was taught that treating the spinal bones/joints is the key to healthy functioning nervous system, and in turn human frame.  I believed this when it was taught to me, I continued to believe it as I witnessed it's truth in practice, and I continue to believe it to be true.  However, there is more to the equation.  Why?  Because there are more layers listed above.  What about the positioning of the organs?  My Osteopathic colleagues are great at this layer of the body (I'm beginning to explore this layer of treatment, myself.  My colleagues are rubbing off on me).  And what about the oh-so-important meningeal membrane - the covering of the spinal cord and brain.  For all the attention I give the spine and spinal cord, perhaps we should start addressing the meningeal membrane.  My CranioSacral course did a brilliant job teaching the anatomy and physiology of the meninges.  The outermost layer of the meninges is referred to as the Dura Mater.  We'll refer to this as the "Dura" for now on.  The next few sentences will not do justice to explaining the importance of the dura.  It protects and anchors the brain and spinal cord.  It attaches to the skull, cervical vertebrae #1 & #2, and then again down at the sacrum (thus, Cranio-Sacral).  The dura has a rhythm.  The brain produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).  CSF occupies the space between the brain/cord and the dura. Everytime the brain spits out more CST, the pressure on the dura exerts itself onto the bones where it attaches.  Thus, one can feel the bones of the skull and sacrum move with the cranio-sacral rhythm.  Tapping into this rhythm with gentle hands can allow one to improve the amplitude and symmetry of the rhythm.  It is therapeutic and relaxing.  Takes a bit more time, but it is worth it in my early experienced opinion.  More on this in future blogs.

• The third bullet point item to speak of today before I sign off is my latest purchase and addition to my practice:  Gold-Tipped Acu-probe laser.  This accessory to my Theralase laser allows me to now treat the important addiction acupuncture point in the ear.  This means SMOKING CESSATION is coming to Satori Urban Wellness.  Just in time for New Year's Resolutions!  Ready to quit smoking?  Email or phone me for more information.  I'll blog more about this soon.

For now, enjoy pre-Christmas!

Before it's over, I wanted to blog a shout out to all my Jewish friends, family, patients, readers, and anyone else not included in that list who might like to hear: Happy Hanukkah! 

A holiday that morphed from the celebration of the festival of lights (i.e. the miracle oil that lasted 8 days during the time the Maccabees fought to defend the Jewish people - or something like that) into a gift giving version of Christmas.  Ha!  Nevertheless, a festive time of year and as good a time as any to wish people of all religions and non-religions good fortune, health, and happiness.

Sincerely,

Michael

...where to begin?  Let's start with the most relevant to most people:  SNOW!  Snow arrived, as scheduled, this morning.  This is relevant because we tend to do more of the following when snow arrives:

1. Slip & Fall
2. Shovel
3. Tense Up
4. Longer Time Spent Sitting in the Car

This is all bad for the back regardless how you do it.  The twisting and bending of shoveling is dangerous to our joint complexes of the low back.  So, remember the following:

1. Shovel small loads
2. Take breaks from shoveling to recover
3. Stretch and warm up prior to shoveling
4. Maintain your back curves while shoveling
5. Avoid bending and twisting when throwing the shovel to the side; Rather, push small amounts to the end of the walkway/driveway.

...other news:  If it you had a hard time booking an appointment with me last week it was because I was off learning some new and exciting skills.  Through the Upledger Institute, I studied level 1 CranioSacral Therapy.  What does this mean to you?  It means I can now integrate some new techniques into your treatment plan that will serve to increase your ability to recover, maintain, and improve your health. 

There is a ton of techniques in the world of manual therapy that can be integrated into a chiropractic treatment plan.  I am not doing my job if I am not continually learning more ways to help you.  Look for my next blog (soon) where I will explain CranioSacral Therapy and how it will be beneficial for you.  In this blog, I will explain what it is, how it works, where it comes from, and I will do so from MY perspective.

Till then ...