Tag Archive for functional health

Cranial Base Compression in a First Time Client

February 13, 2021 No comments

Cranial Base Compression — a functional approach to leg pain

Compare cranial base compression with functional resting head position.
Cranial Base Compression affects
whole body posture!

A first-time neuromuscular therapy client came in for an initial visit this past week. Part of her issue stemmed from cranial base compression. It was an interesting presentation, and I thought it might be cool to share. I won’t share identifying information; none of the pictures you see here is my client.

Her current main concern is discomfort in her legs. She has had past neck and head issues, but they aren’t bothering her right now. She is quite aware of what’s going on in her body, has some training in a health-related field, and wants to get better.

We started with a postural assessment. “Oh good!” she said. “Nobody has done that yet.”

There were two clear patterns impacting her situation, and she could feel them when I brought them to her attention. Right now, I’m just going to talk about one. Her knee joints were hyperextended — the knee joints were behind her center of gravity line. That’s a problem. It’s an indicator of something “off,” a risk factor for future joint dysfunction, and part of her symptom picture.

A functional approach to resolving pain

Looking down at our devices can contribute to a head forward position.
How much time do you spend
with your head in this position?

Our bodies are very smart. If one major body part is *behind* the center of gravity, you can be pretty sure there is a compensating part somewhere up the chain, most likely *in front of* the center of gravity.

In my client’s case, her head and neck were forward. This is pretty common, especially for people who spend time on phones, computers, and such. Which is nearly all of us these days. Maybe even you?

Compression in the lowest part of the back of the head can be part of the puzzle in this type of situation. It was for my new client. Where our head meets our neck. We refer to that as cranial base compression. It can also contribute to other issues, by the way: headaches, neck pain, back pain, dizziness, and so on. Depends on what else is going on for that person.

Let’s look at some pictures. See how this person’s chin is oriented “up” toward the ceiling and there’s lots of space between her neck and the floor?

Compressed cranial base position
Compressed cranial base position

And in the second picture, the person’s chin / head is more level. Her neck is much closer to the floor without a big gap. This orientation is our goal.

Functional cranial base position
Functional Cranial Base Position

Cranial base compression and neck range of motion

When we first started the session, my client was unable to perform the motion of moving her neck back towards the flat surface she was lying on. She understood what I was asking her to do, she just couldn’t create the motion. I was confident she’d be able to get it back. As we worked and the compression began to decrease, she regained the ability to move her neck in that dimension. She was pretty excited!

So we continued to some other areas and ultimately finished up the session. How did this impact her main goal of more comfortable legs? Well, when she stood up after we were finished, I asked her to sense any differences in how she felt in terms of stability and balance.

She smiled & said, “My knees feel like they don’t extend back so much!” This was our goal! 🙂

The main thing we did in her session to impact that was address cranial base compression. Her head was less forward, and therefore her knees didn’t need to offset that balance as much. That will take stress off her leg muscles and knee / hip / ankle joints.

Assess. Find the reason. Help the body maintain balance.

See where I’m going with this? If we had not addressed that cranial base compression, any progress we made by working on her lower body / legs would have been short-lived, because we would have ignored the reason behind the muscle imbalance. This is an example of functional health care. One of our main goals is to restore proper function to the body, in as many domains as possible, so that its own wisdom will kick in and help the person maintain any changes we make.

There’s a bit more to to the story here, and so we will continue addressing some other factors in the coming weeks.

As a certified neuromuscular therapist since 1994, this is how I think. It applies to way more body variations than just compression of the cranial base. It’s the same type of thinking that goes into my functional health consulting work. Assess, and then address the reasons why the body is out of sorts — don’t just chase symptoms.

This particular situation is fairly easy to illustrate so you can see it. I hope you found the example helpful!

I am currently accepting new Neuromuscular Therapy clients. If you’re able to come for in-person appointments in my area (north central North Dakota) and would like to explore how this type of work might help you in your personal situation, feel free to email me: wellnessimages@gmail.com .

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The “Functional Process” of Functional Health

April 27, 2020 No comments

“We investigate functional process. The systems that affect efficiency of your cells, tissues, and organ systems. How is stress affecting your body? Are you able to break down your food and use the nutrients? Does your particular mix of gut bacteria favor an efficient metabolism or a clear mind? How well does your body deliver nutrients to the cells and remove metabolic waste? How are you being affected by environmental toxins? Do we see any evidence that your immune system is challenged? And so on.” This is how I answer when people ask what a functional health practitioner does.

Functional process underlies our symptoms.
Seeking stability in functional process

Visible symptoms

We’ll often use the image of an iceberg to describe how function relates to symptoms. On the surface, we notice problems: trouble sleeping, low energy, crummy mood, foggy thinking, sore back. The symptoms are often what gets our attention. But the symptoms are not the main problem.

How well does your body manage stress?

The issue is underneath. Below the surface — in the functional process. This is completely individualized. Two people can have a similar symptom — say, trouble sleeping through the night — for very different reasons. One may have sluggish circulation that causes their oxygen levels to drop; another may have trouble balancing their blood sugar. Someone else may have a disordered metabolic response to stress. A sleeping pill may knock them out for the night (their sleep will be non-restorative), but it won’t solve any one of the underlying issues. Which, if left unresolved, will lead to further trouble.

As another example, what role does your digestive system play in supporting your state of health? Are you able to break food down well to get the nutrients you need? Do you have the best mix of bacteria to keep your gut lining intact, maintain robust metabolism, protect you from anything unintended (toxins, opportunistic bacteria or other “bugs”) that comes in on your food, and keep inflammation levels down? Your circulatory system and immune system both depend on robust gut function in order to work well. Your brain and your gut communicate back and forth with one another — all day long. Gut health impacts both mood and cognition, and your brain’s alert or calming response impacts gut health.

There’s really no body system that is incidental to the health of the whole. Where would you be without bones? Muscles? Lungs?

Just like with the iceberg, though, we often don’t know what’s going on beneath the surface. We can’t feel our circulation. The reason for our acid reflux, skin rash, low energy, or other issues remains a mystery. We may even think we’re “ok” and yet be careening unaware toward trouble. It’s easier to turn things around before they get bad.

Where do we start?

So how do we take stock of where we are? This is where we’re so fortunate! There are state-of-the art functional lab tests to reliably assess functional processes such as digestive health, hormone balance, nutrient sufficiency, and the effect of environmental toxins on a person’s state of health.

From taking these assessments into consideration alongside the individual’s personal story, we can uncover specific areas where we’ll likely have the greatest impact. As those insights appear, we work out an individualized plan to begin taking manageable steps toward the goal of greater resilience.

As Dr. Jeffrey Bland says, “Function can move both forward and backward. The vector of change in function through time is, in part, determined by the unique interaction of an individual’s genome with their environment, diet, and lifestyle. “

Finding resilience

Moving Into Wholeness
Feel the path beneath your feet…

We start with small steps. Targeted nutrients, eating style, sleep, lifestyle habits, circulation support. And eventually, when we gaze back at the road we’ve walked, we find that we’ve landed in a calmer, more resilient place.

More info here: Functional Nutrition Consultation

Reference:

Bland J. Defining Function in the Functional Medicine Model. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2017;16(1):22–25.

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Whole Foods Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwich

January 2, 2019 No comments
Whole Foods Lunch: Egg Salad
Egg Salad on a Rice Cake (plus extras)

Did you ever have one of those days? You’re committed to serving a whole foods lunch. Of course you’re going to eat your veggies! Wheat is in your dietary doghouse. And yet sometimes a person just has the vibe for an egg salad sandwich. What to do?

How to increase veggies and eat your egg salad sandwich too!

Sometimes when people take the first steps to move into a more healthful eating style, their intentions are great! But they just don’t know what to eat. If you’re someone who’s been eating a sandwich for lunch for decades, what are you supposed to do? Well, you could just buy a loaf of gluten-free bread and make your sandwich on that.

Let’s be candid. That may do in a pinch, but on its own, it’s really not a very healthful meal. In fact, there’s been some interesting research showing that people who commence a gluten-free diet, unless they select the right alternative foods, can actually decrease populations of healthy gut bacteria (1, 2). If you think that’s detrimental to increased healthfulness over the long term, you’re right!

The solution you’re looking for is to change the composition of your plate. More plant foods will provide the fiber and nutrients you need to support those beneficial bacteria, create a healthy gut environment, and support general health.

Make vegetables the star attraction of your lunch plate!

Egg salad add-ins
Egg salad add-ins: small beets, a clove of garlic, pickled radish, and turmeric

First things first. The egg salad. Here’s a little rule of thumb I try to live by. Add vegetables everyplace you can. Even into your egg salad. I was following my “what’s in the fridge” rule of thumb when I started rustling around for ingredients. What did we have on hand? Small beets (golden and red) left from the fall garden harvest, a clove garlic, and some brine-pickled (fermented) radishes. If there had been a carrot handy, a chunk of that could have gone in as well.

I just chopped the veggies up fine in my handy chopper. So easy! And added a bit of turmeric for its anti-inflammatory benefits. Then added the chopped hard-cooked eggs (4 this time) and mixed it together with a spoonful of organic mayo. Feel free to use an alternate product. So already, we’ve got small quantities of four different vegetables right in the egg salad! Small quantities do count. Especially if you make enough to serve again.

But wait. Aren’t we making a sandwich?

Sure, sometimes I’ll do a green salad for lunch. But it’s January right now, and I live in the north. We’re out of season. I’m always on the look-out for something to stack sandwich fixings on top of. I’ve used slices of cold baked potato and recently planned-over latkes. But in a pinch, I generally keep a bag of rice cakes on hand. They work perfectly, and I don’t mind eating them occasionally. So today, that’s what’s on the plate.

Then you’ll want some toppers. Depending on what you have on hand, you could use avocado slices, sliced tomato, shredded greens, baby greens, veggie slaw, pickled beet slices, beet relish, or do as I did today and grab the jar of homemade pickled red onions. They’re delicious and oh-so-colorful.

I added another 5 veggies to the count with today’s toppers: three baby greens from a bagged greens mix, red onion, and raspberry (a formerly secret ingredient in my pickled onion recipe).

Do you spy a side salad?

Depending on your appetite and what you have on hand, you could serve two of the topped rice cakes and call it good. I’ve done that for sure. But for this meal, there was a special treat. I’d just made a batch of this Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Maple Mustard Dressing, to which I’d added some chopped red cabbage. It’s quickly become a favorite around here! So I served up a scoop of that yummy deliciousness as a side salad.

That adds broccoli, red cabbage, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, and cranberries (5 plant items) to the plate. The salad has red onion in it as well, but we’ve already counted that once. Fair is fair.

The final plant count

In place of an old school egg salad sandwich, we’ve created an abundant plant-focused plate of goodness that features 15 different plants, counting the rice in the rice cake. Add a piece of fruit and count 16. Not bad!

Whole Foods Lunch: Egg Salad Sandwich
Egg Salad with added veggies step by step.

References:

  1. DePalma, et al (2009). Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects. British Journal of Nutrition. 2009 Oct; 102(8):1154-60 .
  2. Jackson (2010). Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult human subjects – comment by Jackson. British Journal of Nutrition 2010; 104: 773.

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Wellness Images offers functional nutrition testing and consultation. If you’d like to optimize your gut health, check out our program offerings. Contact me for a free 15-20 minute conversation to see if we’re a good fit to work together.

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Potato-broccoli salad – 18 plant foods!

October 19, 2018 No comments

Potato-broccoli salad – 18 plant foods!

This is the potato that inspired my salad:

It went in to bake on a Wednesday evening after I’d cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. I wasn’t sure exactly what would happen next, but my plan was to invent a salad that allowed me to consume the potato cold and therefore take advantage of its resistant starch.

I’m eating for microbiome health. Championing plant food diversity. Of course I’d also like my food to taste good, look good, and keep me satisfied from one meal to the next.

I’m playing around with different ways to increase the number and variety of plant foods I consume within any given week. One strategy, since I cook for one, is to make a dish with many ingredients and make enough quantity to have leftovers for a few days.

But I’m also cooking for you. You with a family to serve. A family who probably doesn’t want to eat the same supper four nights in a row. A family with different taste and texture preferences. So I’m also playing around with dishes that have fewer ingredients, that may be finished up in one sitting, that can be combined in different ways.

And let’s get real. It’s mid-week. My weekend food prep items were running low. I needed something to tide me over without running to the store. Something that could be prepped ahead of time and served quickly, since I work right up to mealtime on weekdays.

Enter the potato. Now known as future potato-broccoli salad.

Potato broccoli salad resistant starch

Soon to become a potato-broccoli salad side dish.

On Thursday after supper, I opened the fridge. What did I have on hand? Some broccoli and a couple of carrots from the supermarket. Small onions and dill seed from the garden. Beets from the farmer’s market. Plus salad greens, eggs, and some pantry items.

First things first. Let’s honor our star, the potato (previously cooked). It was respectfully chunked and placed into a glass mixing bowl. Then I chunked and lightly steamed the carrots and broccoli, minced the onion, and added dill seed, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt. (4 plant foods, not counting dill) Mixed everything up. Potato salad done!

Resistant starch

Potato broccoli salad resistant starch

Ta da! Potato broccoli salad from items on hand on a Thursday night. 🙂

Let’s have a word about cooked and then cooled potatoes. Since we’re eating for microbiome health, it’s useful to talk briefly about resistant starch. Basically, cooked and then cooled potatoes contain a particular type of starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine, and is instead broken down in the colon. There are some good things about this. They feed the microbiome. Basically they form a substrate that supports certain beneficial bacteria that produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyrate — which supports healthy gut tissue.

And since they’re metabolized slowly, they provide a longer-term energy source without raising blood sugar to the same extent as starches that the body consumes in the small intestine. Isn’t that great?

More variety, please. What about those beets?

At this point, I’m aiming to consume 40+ distinct plant foods in any given week. The potato-broccoli salad was cool, but not enough. And I had beets on hand. Beets are rich in polyphenols, those bright colors that also do your gut a world of good.

I quickly recalled a recipe for beet tapenade from one of the specialty cookbooks I picked up a number of years ago: Pestos, Tapenades & Spreads. Its main ingredients are beets, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt. (2 plant foods) It’s very easy to prepare, and so I did. Between the beets themselves and the balsamic vinegar, this flavor is a bit sweet. It’s a nice contrast with the potato salad, and so colorful!

Legumes, any one?

Legumes provide additional benefits as a bacterial growth substrate, and I’ve been including them, when possible, every day. The easier-digesting ones, like garbanzo beans, great northern, black beans, maybe a few pintos. Well-cooked, please! I usually prepare mine from dried, and so before turning in for the night, I put equal portions of garbanzo beans and great northern into a pan to soak. (2 plant foods) The next morning, it was really easy to turn the burner on low so they could cook as I went about my weekday morning routine. (If you’re prone to getting distracted, please set a timer!)

Potato-broccoli salad is served!

plant food diversity, eat the rainbow, prebiotics

18 plant foods salad, inspired by one lowly potato.

You can do this part differently. Here’s where I found myself. In the fridge, I had the potato-broccoli salad, beet tapenade, the cooked garbanzo / great northern combo, some salad greens (spring greens mix – 9 plant foods), and hard cooked eggs. I piled greens into a bowl and then added a bit of everything on top. Sprinkled with sunflower seeds for crunch and additional variety (1 plant food). And ta da — lunch! It was colorful and hit the spot for sure. (18 plant foods in total)

For different diners, it would be easy enough to use the two side salads as an accompaniment for a piece of cooked salmon, a chicken breast, or maybe a burger. It could be your main meal for the day, and ready to go in a jiffy. You might even get a high five for creativity, flavor, or presentation.

Take home guidance on the potato-broccoli salad inspiration.

Here’s the thing I hope you’ll take home from my little kitchen adventure. If you don’t have these exact ingredients in your kitchen at any given moment, then use what you have. In place of the broccoli, I could have used cauliflower, green beans, or Brussels sprouts. We could add something or leave something out. Put a little garlic into the dressing. It could really be nearly any combination. For mid-week inspiration, just look in the fridge and use what you have.

 

References:

Effects of Potato Fiber and Potato‐Resistant Starch on Biomarkers of Colonic Health in Rats Fed Diets Containing Red Meat

Resistant Starch – A Review

 

Functional Nutrition Consultation:

Get your groove back & bring harmony into your life.
Consider one of our health-building functional nutrition programs.

 

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Migraine Headaches — Structural Factors, Functional Health

May 15, 2018 No comments

Migraine headaches — functional health

In the functional health world, we have many approaches to addressing chronic, debilitating headaches. Even migraine headaches. There are so many factors that can contribute!

  • Hormone imbalance
  • Nutrient imbalance
  • Build-up of chemical toxins, biotoxins, heavy metals
  • Sludgy liver function
  • Gut dysbiosis
  • Food sensitivities
  • Mood issues
  • Insomnia
  • And so on…

Most of us, headaches or no, will feel better after clearing those factors. But what if you’ve done it all? You’re eating clean, your liver function is seamless, and your gut microbiome is the envy of all you meet.

And yet you still have headaches. Bad headaches. Lots of them.

Let’s not forget mechanics.

It’s true. Mechanical factors can play heavily into a serious headache pattern. No amount of clean eating is likely to unseat them. You need a different approach.

Migraine Headaches, Functional Health

Could cranial misalignment be a factor in your headaches?

 

Check out this graphic for just a few possible ways that cranial / cervical alignment may be impacting your migraine headaches.

  • Look at the royal blue arrow, #43. That’s the internal jugular vein, depicted on the left only as it is not visible on the right. For this person, venous return of blood from the head must have been compromised.
  • Now look at the red arrows, the mandible or lower jaw.
  • And then the light green arrows, the transverse processes of the atlas (C1 vertebra).
  • Notice how the relationship of these structures is very different on the right and left sides of the body. Oops!
  • Look at the yellow arrows, the medial pterygoid muscle, which contributes to closing the jaw.
  • Look closely at the muscle position on the right side of the picture. See how it’s compressed between the two bones? Did this person have a TMJ issue? Yes.
  • Look at #24. It’s the spine of the C1 vertebra. Notice it’s off center.
  • Finally, check out the difference in the tissue health of the two obliquus capitis inferior muscles (light blue arrows). See how the one on the left is more fibrous than the one on the right, due to chronic tension pattern. Neck pain? Sure. Trigger points (to the head)? Likely.

Cranial Alignment is Key

Connective tissue influenced position of bones

Tension patterns in the cranial fascia and membranes (connective tissue) may influence position of the bones.

The photo above illustrates a cranial alignment issue. It can be addressed. It’s soft tissue work — working with the cranial fascia and membranes, along with mobilization of the cranial sutures (joints). This is the original work of Paul St John. Once the cranial alignment has stabilized, the cervical spine can come into balance.

The magic is not in the license a person works under, but in how they see the body.

How does cranial misalignment arise?

Skull model showing presence of cranial sutures

Cranial sutures, the joining places of the different cranial bones, can be visualized in this model.

A common question people ask upon recognizing that their body alignment is imbalanced is, “How did I get this way?” In the head, this confusion is compounded by the outdated belief that the cranial joints (sutures) don’t move.¹⋅² In clinical practice, it’s possible to both feel and see the malleability of the cranium, and to feel effects of the changes.

So how does the cranium become misaligned? We can’t always say for sure, but a careful history may include experiences like these:

  • Any kind of slip / fall where the head hits a hard object
  • Sports injury involving the head
  • Person was delivered with assistance of foreceps or vacuum extraction (or, practically speaking, by any other means)
  • Neck injury, especially involving sudden deceleration
  • Shoulder injury
  • Abdominal tension pattern
  • Pelvic misalignment for any reason, including injury or anatomical leg length difference
  • Any other significant stress or trauma

After reading the above list, you may suspect that cranial misalignment is common. It is. Sometimes it results in headaches, including migraine headaches. Not always, though, which is fortunate. There are other ways in which cranial alignment can impact health. We may explore some of them in a future post.

For further information

For more information on balancing body structure or functional nutrition consultation, please visit the linked section of this website. Thanks!

 

¹ The Controversy of Cranial Bone Motion Joseph S. Rogers, MS, PT, Philip L. Witt, PhD, PT. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy 1997 26:2, 95-103 

² An investigation of cranial motion through a review of biomechanically based skull deformation literature. Seimetz, Christina N. et al. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine 2012  15:4 , 152 – 165

 

 

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