Hyperactivity And
Learning Disorders
Benefit From Brain Therapy
© 2005 Dr. Barry R. Gillespie
In many children hyperactivity and learning disorders
can go hand in hand.
For hyperactive children the medical model prescribes Ritalin
to calm the child. The same child may have focus, concentration,
or other problems at school inhibiting his work. The purpose
of this article is to describe how Brain Therapy (craniosacral
therapy integrated with fascial and TMJ-dental therapies)
can significantly benefit these children.
Hyperactive Children
Benefit From Brain Therapy
I will always remember the first hyperactive child I treated
in 1980.
I could hear from my dental operatory antique furniture
banging in the reception room on his first visit. I knew he
had arrived! When I evaluated him, he was very fidgety in
the dental chair.
The moment his brain opened up in therapy, he seemed much
more relaxed.
When his mom returned the following week for his second visit,
she remarked that his grandmother immediately noticed his
personality had changed. He was much calmer in his demeanor.
As a periodontist totally focused in the oral field, I was
captivated by this life-altering event.
From my experience I have found that the constant
clinical factor in a hyperactive child is an abnormal amount
of cranial pressure on the brain. Unfortunately, hardly
any medical professional looks at this factor. Not only
can the brain run a very short cycle, but also you may not
even be able to feel any motion in some children.
On your first therapy visit you have to become very quiet
when you start the occipital release procedure. Since the
meninges can be so tight, the occiput tends to shift in micro
movements. It may take two or three visits to even have the
brain open to a twenty second cycle.
It is important to check the fascia and muscles that attach
into the craniosacral mechanism for additional, restrictive
action.
These children often have a difficult delivery.
In a perfect world every newborn should have craniosacral,
fascial, and muscle therapy.
Later they can also have many head banging episodes, which
will continue to restrict the motion of the brain. Clinically,
they can be the most difficult children to work with because
they never stay still!
With some toddlers you have to develop the skill of feeling
the motion of the brain as they twist around (the wiggle factor).
Hyperactive children can jump off the table at any moment
and then shoot out of the treatment room. I make a deal with
these children during the first visit. Stay still for three
minutes, and then we can take a break. They usually calm down
later in the treatment visit as their brain opens.
Diet And Hyperactivity
Diet may also be an issue. In the 1970s the Feingold diet
for hyperactive children received a lot of attention. When
these children eliminated all foods with chemicals and preservatives,
they showed improvement.
But in my opinion the big factor for these children is the
abnormal cranial pressure. For some unknown reason this puts
their central nervous system on edge and sets them up to react
abnormally to unnatural foods and other chemicals. They seem
wired until that pressure releases in therapy, and then diet
becomes less of an issue.
Someday the research will tell us the physiological answers.
Learning Disorders And
The Benefit Of Brain Therapy
A child with learning disorders can follow the same pattern
as the hyperactive child. In many cases a very tight brain
can result in a triad of headaches, hyperactivity, and learning
disorders.
When I first treated these children at the beginning of my
career, many had to repeat first and second grade. I thought
how could anyone fail first or second grade? The answer was
that the brain was compressed so tightly that is could not
work properly.
The child may have had the normal amount of one hundred billion
neurons, but they sure were not all firing correctly!
Fortunately, the medical model does not give drugs for this
condition. Many children are put in special classes to help
them learn in a better environment.
It is my contention that a great many of these
children suffered head trauma during their lifetime causing
their school problem. In the future the first medical evaluation
procedure for this child (or any child) should be to check
his brain cycle and the quality of brain motion.
I read and hear about so many parents who put their babies
on the fast track to Harvard and successful careers. They
will spend $12,000 per year for grade school without hesitation!
If they really want to give their child the best opportunity
to do well in school and life, I would tell them to first
check how well her brain is moving and working. The better
the amplitude of brain motion, the freer the flow of cerebrospinal
fluid, and the looser the movement of the spinal cord are
all great pieces to the healthy life puzzle.
As touch therapists, we may think that children with hyperactivity
and learning disorders may not fall under our capabilities.
But if we look at these conditions as a disturbance of the
craniosacral dental fascial system, abnormal brain pressure
becomes our primary concern.
If you really want to make a difference in a child’s
life, this is an excellent place to start.
How would you feel if a parent told you that her child
was taken off of Ritalin or that her child went from a C/D
student to an A/B student with therapy in less than one
month? Focus on the brain cycle. When you help the brain
reach a 60-second cycle with Brain Therapy, it is a beautiful
thing!
For
more articles about the role of Brain Therapy in correcting
chronic conditions in children and adults .
. .
For
more information about the "Brain Therapy for Children
and Adults" seminar for health professionals
. . .
