JUNE / JULY 2013

Health & Wellness

PAGE 9

15 Minute Self Help Technique for Well-being, Headaches and More

palsy. See my website such things as blood pressure UnlimitedPotentials.com for and fevers). more information and for additional indications. Stillpoint Inducers can be bought or made (see pictures). The CSS has a rhythm that can The hand-made SPI is very easy: be palpated by a trained practi- you need 2 tennis balls and a tioner (similar to the heart rate sock. and breathing rate). The CSS has pauses in the rhythm during the To make your own SPI, take day. We call those pauses still- 2 tennis balls and push into a points. The stillpoints are sock. Tie the sock so the tennis likened to the body re-setting balls cannot separate from one itself to achieve a better balance. another. (See Picture) Recline on This is like when we have to re- a firm surface and place the SPI under your head so that the entire weight of your head (NOT the neck) rests on the 2 tennis balls. The placement is such that the tennis balls are placed so that each ball is just to the side of midline and about 1/3 the way up the back of your head near the top of the occipital (the base of your skull) bone (below the suture). There is a slight horizontal depression in the skull just above the attachment of the main neck muscles. If someone were to look from the side, the SPI would be level or slightly above the openings of the ears. That is it just lie on it for 15 minutes (or even a bit longer is OK too). Do not use the SPI if there is any situation in which even slight and transient increases in intracranial pressure are to be avoided (such as, but not limited to) impending cerebrovascular hemorrhage or aneurysm. Do not use the SPI in the acute stages of stroke or head injury. Do not use in children under the age of 8 years old. If you would like to purchase a commercially made SPI, send a check for $30 (includes $21.95 for SPI and tax, S&H) to Unlimited Potentials, 10 Lafayette St., Swansea, MA 02777.
This is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your physician, pharmacist, or health care provider before taking any home remedies or supplements or following any treatment suggested by anyone. Only your health care provider, personal physician, or pharmacist can provide you with advice on what is safe and effective for your unique needs or diagnose your particular medical history.

BY SUSAN COTTA, MSPT, CST OWNER UNLIMITED POTENTIALS

What if I told you that a simple technique that incorporates 15 minutes of lying down might be able to help your wellbeing, alleviate headaches, reduce a fever by up to four degrees, help with acute and chronic musculoskeletal dysfunctions, reduce the effects of stress and help support your immune system? I bet you might want to know more. Well here is the scoop A system in the body I work with quite frequently is the CranioSacral System (CSS). This system is organized around meningeal membranes. These membranes attach to the skull, several upper cervical vertebrae, the 2nd sacral vertebrae and eventually attach to the coccyx (the tailbone). These meninges cover your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and thus can exert an influence on it. So anything that influences these bones can influence our CSS, hence our central nervous system. There are a wide variety of symptoms which can be caused by tension in these bones or meninges, such as (but not limited to) headaches, back pain, GI problems, foggy thinking, scoliosis, symptoms of children on the autism spectrum and people with cerebral

start our computers if they have been acting up. We can induce these stillpoints in the body to encourage the body to a better balance or self-correction in about 15 minutes even if you cannot feel the rhythm! This simple, 15 minute treatment involves lying on a stillpoint inducer (SPI); typically the body will respond by going into stillness. This self-correction or balancing can have profound effects on the central nervous system, such as feeling calmer, decreased muscle tension, and a balancing of the autonomic nervous system (which could help to balance

Susan Cotta is a licensed physical therapist in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She teaches CranioSacral Therapy (CST) for the Upledger Institute and is the author of "I Can Show You I Care: Compassionate Touch for Children", a book about how children can change the world through touch. Sue is the owner of Unlimited Potentials, a holistic practice in Swansea, MA, which not only incorporates CST, but a variety of other modalities such as visceral manipulation, Maya abdominal massage and myofascial release to name a few. Call now to experience CST in a caring and gentle atmosphere. You can reach Sue at (508)982-1100 or by email at suecotta@verizon.net

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