Research, Articles & Case Studies

Introduction: Research in body based complementary ther­apies such as Craniosacral Therapy (CST) is often focused on physical outcome measures. This study therefore investigated patients' experiences of CST to reveal additional outcome domains for further clinical trials. 

The glymphatic pathway expedites clearance of waste, including soluble amyloid(A) from the brain. Transport through this pathway is controlled bythe brain’s arousal level because, during sleep or anesthesia,the brain’sinterstitial space volume expands (compared with wakefulness), resulting in faster waste removal. Humans, as well as animals, exhibit different body postures during sleep, which may also affect waste removal. Therefore, not only the level of consciousness, but also body posture, might affect CSF–interstitial fluid (ISF) exchange efficiency. We used dynamic-contrast-enhanced MRI and kinetic modeling to quantify CSF-ISF exchange rates in anesthetized rodents’ brains in supine, prone, or lateral positions. To validate the MRI data and to assess specifically the influence of body posture on clearance of A, we used fluorescence microscopy and radioactive tracers, respectively. The analysis showed that glymphatic transport was most efficient in the lateral position compared with the supine or prone positions. In the prone position, in which the rat’s head was inthe most upright position (mimicking posture duringthe awake state),transport was characterized by “retention” ofthetracer, slower clearance, and more CSF efflux along larger caliber cervical vessels. The optical imaging and radiotracer studies confirmed that glymphatic transport and A clearance were superior in the lateral and supine positions. We propose that the most popular sleep posture (lateral) has evolved to optimize waste removal during sleep and that posture must be considered in diagnostic imaging procedures developed in the future to assess CSF-ISF transport in humans.

This is an Author manuscript pertaining to the discovery of structural and functional features of central nervous system lymphatics. This article explains the findings after an experiment with mice. 

Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) are usually difficult to treat, and new concepts are needed to improve patients’ outcome.

Only recently they reported a promising therapeutic approach in patients with long-standing FM according to the ACR 1990 criteria and limited C1–C2 range of motion based on the flexion–rotation test. After stratification of patients primarily on pre-medication and age, the patients completed a 12-week multimodal program with education, cognitive behavior therapy and exercise. In addition to the multimodal program, patients in the experimental group also received upper cervical manipulative therapy. 

A 41 year old female was referred to Visceral Manipulation for sever constipation rectal pain and levator ani spasm. She had an 8 year history of constipation following Cholecystectomy and a 4 year of rectal pain following a hemmorrhoidectomy. The decreased visceral mobility may be contributing to her abdominal bloating and pain and can be treated with visceral and nerve manipulation techniques.

Treatment goals were the following:

1. Improved ability to relax the external anal sphincter

during bearing down

2. Decreased pain with bowel movement

3. Decreased abdominal bloating and related pain with

urination

The research has presented strong evidence that Parkinson’s disease begins in the gastrointestinal tract and spreads via the vagus nerve to the brain. Many patients have also suffered from gastrointestinal symptoms before the Parkinson’s diagnosis is made. “Now that we have found an association between the vagus nerve and the development of Parkinson’s disease, it is important to carry out research into the factors that may trigger this neurological degeneration, so that we can prevent the development of the disease. To be able to do this will naturally be a major breakthrough,” says Elisabeth Svensson.