Research, Articles & Case Studies

Researchers have identified a link between traumatic brain injury and intestinal changes. A new study reports the intestinal changes may contribute to increased risk of developing infections and could worsen brain damage in TBI patients.

This article provides an in-depth review of the neural anatomy and physiology of the peritoneum. It explores the complex interplay between the autonomic, somatic, and enteric nervous systems in peritoneal innervation. The authors discuss the historical discoveries of peritoneal nerves, the pathways of visceral and parietal peritoneal innervation, and the role of neurotransmitters in pain perception. The study also delves into the significance of neural networks in peritoneal adhesions, visceral pain mechanisms, and neurogenic inflammation associated with conditions such as endometriosis. The review integrates textbook knowledge with modern research to enhance understanding of how the peritoneum contributes to sensory perception, pain responses, and gastrointestinal function.  

Manual therapy approaches, including Visceral Manipulation, Neural Manipulation, and Myofascial Release, can effectively address dysfunctions related to peritoneal innervation. By understanding the neural and fascial relationships of the peritoneum, practitioners can help alleviate chronic pain, improve autonomic regulation, and restore optimal mobility in visceral and musculoskeletal systems.  

Burn Loeffke is a retired military officer. He talks about some of his stories in the military, how he got hydocephalus and how CranioSacral Therapy helped him and how it can help others. 

This article was published in a NICU journal in Italy, about the CST research! 

The Association for Neonatology in Reggio Calabria feels that Craniosacral Therapy is a precious tool especially on premature babies and newborns as well as all ages. The Reggio Calabria TIN is positioning itself in a position of Leader in world research.  Craniosacral therapy has been practiced for some years in all the most renowned TIN and neonatal pathologies in Italy and in the world. Upledger CST is practiced at their facility. Upledger CST has two levels of pediatric specialization and various levels of obstetric and meningeal specialization

The paravascular pathway, also known as the “glymphatic” pathway, is a recently described system for waste clearance in the brain. According to this model, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) enters the paravascular spaces surrounding penetrating arteries of the brain, mixes with interstitial fluid (ISF) and solutes in the parenchyma, and exits along paravascular spaces of draining veins. Studies have shown that metabolic waste products and solutes, including proteins involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyloid-beta, may be cleared by this pathway. Consequently, a growing body of research has begun to explore the association between glymphatic dysfunction and various disease states. However, significant controversy exists in the literature regarding both the direction of waste clearance as well as the anatomical space in which the waste-fluid mixture is contained. Some studies have found no evidence of interstitial solute clearance along the paravascular space of veins. Rather, they demonstrate a perivascular pathway in which waste is cleared from the brain along an anatomically distinct perivascular space in a direction opposite to that of paravascular flow. Although possible explanations have been offered, none have been able to fully reconcile the discrepancies in the literature, and many questions remain. Given the therapeutic potential that a comprehensive understanding of brain waste clearance pathways might offer, further research and clarification is highly warranted.

Editor’s Note: Psychiatrist and chronic pain specialist, Eric Leskowitz, MD, retired  recently after 20 years as a member of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical  School. He continues to lead the Integrative Medicine Task Force at the Harvard affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and maintains an avid interest in the  potential of integrative practices in sports‐related contexts. His first column for JACM, in  the May 2017 issue, ‘‘The Zone: A Measurable (and Contagious) Exemplar of Mind‐Body  Integration,’’ examined emerging evidence on athletes seeking that special level of ‘‘in  the zone’’ performance through integrative strategies. In  this, Dr. Leskowitz turns to what may be viewed as the other end of contact sports  performance: concussion and brain injury. The focus is on football, though the  applications may extend to the military. Again, the evidence is only emerging, and begs  more thorough exploration.    —John Weeks, Editor‐in‐Chief, JACM 

This article is about Vanderbilt researchers who report elderly people whose hearts pump less blood have reduced blood flow in the temporal lobe. Previous studies report the temporal lobe is a critical brain area for the development of Alzheimer's disease.