By David Jarrin, DDS, LMT, MyoTech Dental & Integrative Health Center
The human body is designed to be healthy and to function efficiently for a lifetime. It also has the power to self-repair and heal. It is when we do things that cause the body to be out of balance that nature has trouble coping, and we develop symptoms that tell us that something is wrong. The usual approach is to prescribe medication to ease the symptoms or use surgery to repair or remove the problem.
Unfortunately, this method often fails to address the underlying source of the problem and temporary relief is often the possible result.
Your body is made up of many interrelated components — bones, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and thin wisps of connective tissues called fascia, as well as the internal organs (the viscera). Fascia is the connective tissue that spreads throughout the body in three-dimensions, from head to feet without interruption. Your fascias envelope all of your organs, your spine, ribs, and your head. Your organs are in perpetual motion. When you breathe, walk, and stretch, your organs move in your chest and abdomen. For example, when you take a breath, your kidneys move one inch, and with deep inhalation, they move four inches. In a day, they move over one half-mile back and forth. That’s around 19,000 miles in a lifetime!
This movement of organs is transmitted through the fascia to other structures of the body. When you are healthy, all the structures move with fluidity. This movement is important as it influences activities throughout the body, from the tiniest cellular pulsations to the rhythmic motions of the heart, blood flow, and breathing. Optimum health relies on this harmonious relationship.
Organs lose mobility due to physical trauma, surgery, lifestyle, infection, pollution, diet, posture, and pregnancy. Stress at times can also cause the loss of organ mobility, but usually it is what amplifies an existing imbalance. When an organ is restricted and fixed to another structure, the body is forced to compensate. This creates abnormal points of tension and chronic irritation, giving way to functional and structural problems throughout the body. Remember that the fascias are capable of creating symptoms far from the source of the problem. When the problem is in the abdomen, a method of releasing the fascias is necessary.
Visceral Manipulation (VM) is a gentle manual therapy, done with the hands (usually on the abdomen) that aids your body’s ability to release restrictions and unhealthy compensations that cause pain or dysfunction. VM therapy re-establishes the body’s availability to adapt and restore itself to health.
Why would a dentist become a visceral manipulation therapist? The answer is quite simple. Everything in our body is attached, and if there is an imbalance in one place, there will be compensation somewhere else. It is not unusual for the head and mouth to be the victim. Failing to address the fascias may be the underlying cause for tooth damage, head and neck pain, and very often problems with the temporomandibluar joint (TMJ). Mainly, it’s because I care. In a quest for a solution to a family member’s supposedly untreatable, ongoing health issue, I found this noninvasive, health-restoring avenue that I have seen change lives.
For further information or to schedule an appointment, please call 309-764-0008.