Positive Health Online

In simplistic form Multiple Sclerosis is, according to the traditional medical diagnosis, a chronic breakdown of the myelin sheath surrounding the spinal cord causing calcification of the nerve trunks, including those in the brain. Dreaming is often the first activity lost. Cranial Osteopathy is a whole-body system of treatment which works with the central Nervous system (CNS) and a rhythmic pulsation that it produces.

This strange disease affects one in every thousand people, commonly more women than men. I used the word strange because as every victim knows, no two people have exactly the same symptoms. The symptoms can vary from day to day or just as diversely from one year to another. They can also be very mild in that many people will not realise they have the disease, for many years attributing their clumsy tiredness or painful twinges to "having a dose of flue" or something similar. In the worst cases, rapid deterioration of eyesight, hearing, and motor responses, may cause the victim to become totally incapacitated and the disease is readily detected. Most sufferers complain of extreme fatigue.

In my own case, I was diagnosed in 1973. I had a bad pain in my lower back towards the hip joint, this caused me to walk dragging my left leg and stagger in a drunken manner. I was twenty five years old; being a mother of three young children including a baby who needed carrying about, I was convinced I must have "done something" to the sciatic nerve and thought that when I saw the doctor about the children's chesty coughs, I would mention my problem to her. I did not need to, she watched me walk into the surgery and mentally diagnosed me on the spot (telling me to go home and go to bed, she would be in to see me at the end of surgery).

I seem to recall I was cleaning out the chicken house when she called, I was still unconvinced I was ill, I just have a bit of a headache I thought, nothing worth going to bed for!

It was ironic that the next day I was incapable of getting out of bed, both legs had turned to lead, my headache was so bad that I thought it must be a bad attack of flu, which would "obviously" account for my giddiness and fuzzy eyesight. It was accepted practice in those days, to break the news to the husband so that he could judge whether his wife should bear the knowledge. It was therefore left for my dear husband to break the devastating news. I just wanted to die! I could think of no worse situation. I remained in this state for about six months, although I managed with great difficulty to get up each day, dress the children, and see the older two off to school before collapsing back onto the settee. I tried to shuffle about as often as I could, clinging onto solid objects – each step felt like I had climbed a mountain and each day was a consistent round of total exhaustion. Any outing outside the house had to be made by wheelchair. It was additionally discouraging when it seemed I would lose my sight as well.

During the period of my relapse I started to read all available literature about the disease, and tried various remedies including gluten free/ white sugar free/ dairy produce free, diets. The notion that a reaction to dairy produce might be a cause of MS resulted from the second world war when fish was in short supply. The MS rate rose in the population of former fish eaters who had to substitute the fish for more easily obtained dairy products.

I had noticed that an excess of white sugar, (a sweet binge) did seem to cause more pain. I put myself on a very frugal diet omitting all of the suspect foods.

At first I was partly convinced there was something in the theory as I did feel better, but this may have been due to general detoxification. Gradual reintroduction of the "suspect" foods, one per month, over a couple of years made no difference to the remission or my health. I decided they could not be the cause and returned to a normal diet again.

In 1974, I discovered I was pregnant again. The hospital staff were most unhelpful and even suggested I had an abortion. My own doctor reasoned that during pregnancy the body makes cortisone in copious quantities which at the time was a widely used drug for MS victims, and therefore it might not be harmful to me at all. This was proven, by the time I was four months pregnant I was in total remission and remained in this wonderful state for ten years. Obviously I am not recommending this as a treatment. I have had three major relapses since 1973 the last in 1990, when I thought it might be my undoing due to my age.

This time the attack left me feeling spongy from the neck down, practically unable to walk; I had slurred speech, and the old problem of failing eyesight returned. A new problem had also occurred, a weak bladder. I felt unhappy about visiting anywhere where there was not an easily accessible WC. At this stage I took multi-vitamin pills in copious quantities in an attempt to boost the nervous system, eyesight... anything!

Solution to the Problem?

Hearing of my miserable plight a friend suggested that I visit an osteopath who also was qualified in Cranial Sacral Therapy, as she felt that this gentle form of treatment would be beneficial. By now I was beginning to feel that complementary medicine might well be the answer, and after all, I had nothing to lose.

My first visit in January 1990 entailed Tim, the osteopath, and John, my husband, having to lift me onto the treatment bed. On the way home from that first treatment I was conscious that my otherwise numb feet were tingling with a pins and needles type sensation, this was the first time for several months that I had experienced any sensation or feeling at all.

By the second treatment a week later, my feet and legs had returned to feeling almost normal, I was able to walk with assistance from the car into the treatment room. By the third week I realised I was not getting so tired and could retire to bed around 11pm, something I had not done for ages.

By the 8th February my bladder was now behaving normally, and I felt well. By the 8th March I was more or less back to normal health. By the 19th April 1990, I declared my energy level and mobility fully restored.

I could do anything I felt inclined to, which included, gardening, and planning a walk in the Lakeland hills.

I now considered a monthly treatment essential to my well being and booked myself in for life.

Since 1990 I have had two threats of an attack, each time I have increased my treatment to a weekly session and the attack has been averted.

May a Cure be pending?

In 1996 two things happened. First a friend of mine was diagnosed as having MS. He had no sympathy for complementary medicine and had never tried it. However, after I had assured him that all he would have to do was lie on a couch whilst his head and spine were touched he agreed to give it a trial. The first week he was not sure if he had felt any effect at all, although his wife said that she had noticed he did not get so tired. He opted for a once a month visit still not utterly convinced anything was happening. After twelve months he knows it does.

Towards the end of the treatment month, his energy level (like mine) drops and it is difficult to get through the day. After treatment a normal life style can be resumed; as he is a manual worker this is extremely valuable. So now the two of us can verify Cranial treatment maintains stamina, and thus eliminates many of the associated MS problems.

The second thing that happened was that I developed breast cancer. I was reluctant to comply with the traditional medicine as excellent as it is in this field, because of my MS. The drugs used in Chemotherapy are extremely fierce and can cause horrific side effects other than the much publicised sickness. I finally submitted to the treatment as it had become a matter of urgency. However, before I went to the hospital to begin the Chemotherapy course, on the advice of a friend I visited a healer to provide me with protection from the effect of the drugs.

This was an alien world to me, but one that I can now thoroughly recommend. One of the methods she uses is visualisation using colour; this resulted in the organs of my body becoming prominent in my mind. I am sure everyone is different but in my case the colour orange resulted in my glands lighting up throughout my body like street lamps. I saw glands I did not know existed, and it was during this "vision" that a large gland in my brain became dominant. This gland "told me" that it was the cause of MS! I watched as it sprayed droplets of fluid from its finger end, whilst a large single drop dripped from its base. I later found out that this gland was the pineal gland and scrutiny of a medical diagram confirmed its shape corresponded exactly to my "vision" of it.

I mentioned this peculiar experience to another friend who remembered seeing recent medical research papers regarding MS and a connection with the malfunction of the pineal gland. It seems that various research institutions have come up with the same conclusion.

Since 1985 research teams have been trying to develop a magnetic device to stimulate the cortical neurons. It would appear a pain free coil conductor is limiting this advance in clinical technology. I understand that one is now on trial in this country.

Naturally this information was of considerable interest to Cranial Osteopath Tim, who after reading the research articles about the possible involvement of the pineal gland in the mechanism of MS, immediately included stimulation of my pineal gland. The result has been that my dreaming pattern has been re-established, and recall memory has improved considerably. I do not understand the connection but whilst the pineal gland is stimulated the heart responds actively.

Cranial Osteopathy is a whole-body system of treatment which works with the central Nervous system (CNS) and a rhythmic pulsation that it produces. Both diagnosis and treatment are achieved by working with this Cranial rhythm, as we call it. All parts of the body have this rhythm transmitted to them, and its presence is necessary for full health and function.

MS is a complex condition with largely unknown causes. It results in the development of plaques on the brain and spinal cord where the insulating membrane on the nerves degenerates leading to disruption of muscular and sensory activity. The plaques are irritant to the nervous system and cause an exacerbation of the already distressing symptoms.

Cranial Sacral Therapy with its ability to work with the nervous system is particularly appropriate for reducing the consequential irritation and improving overall vitality of the CNS.

It must be remembered that this is not a cure for MS, however, the potential to perhaps keep certain types of it in remission for very long periods remains a possibility.

My system undoubtedly was in shock from the Chemotherapy treatment/operation/ more chemotherapy treatment and finally radiation and some of the treatment side effects are still with me a year later. However, I am convinced had it not been for the Cranial treatment I would have experienced a major MS attack.

Any good Cranial Osteopath should be able to offer advice and treatment in a similar manner to that which Tim Dennis offers. Tim lives and works in Newbury where he practices both Cranial and Structural Osteopathy. He qualified from the European School of Osteopathy in 1989 and now lectures there in Radiology, Osteopathy and tutors in the college clinic.

An initial consultation followed by between 6 & 12 treatments at approximately weekly intervals will ascertain your likelihood of a favourable response to treatment. Thereafter it would probably be necessary to have treatment about once a month.

Maybe MS can at last be totally restrained, without drugs, or machines, just by an alternative way. Time will tell.

Address of: The General Council and Register of Osteopaths, 56, London Street, Reading, Berks. RG1 4SQ. Tel 0118-957-6585. Fax 0118-956-6246.