Andrew Taylor Still was the founder of Osteopathic Medicine. He believed in treating diseases by manipulating bones rather than using drugs. Unpopular as he may have been, his philosophy was to influence future colleagues.

In the 1900s, an osteopathic student from the American School of Osteopathy named William G. Sutherland began advancing upon Still’s philosophy. He considered the possibility of movement amongst the cranial bones in the skull. Through experimentation on himself and others, he found he was able to palpate subtle rhythmic motions of the cranium and then later, a synchronous movement between cranium and sacrum (base of the spine). He continued to develop a working model of this new found aspect of the human body and found that the constant rhythmic motion through the central nervous system (CNS) and its associated structures were essential to health. In fact, the expanding and contracting movements of this system so similar to breathing led him to call it primary respiration.

In 1937, after many years of testing his theory, Sutherland presented his discovery of “primary respiration” and a technique for influencing it called craniosacral therapy to the medical community. Although it was rejected by the majority of his colleagues, a minority of his fellow osteopaths accepted it and carried the powerful, yet gentle, therapy to the present day.

Craniosacral therapy is based upon the concept of freeing any restrictions placed upon this primary respiratory mechanism; changes in the mobility of this normally freely moving system from birth trauma, later physical trauma, and even psychological trauma can lead to disease later in life. The craniosacral system has an intimate, interconnected relationship to the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, vascular system, lymphatic system, and the respiratory system. This is why craniosacral therapy has a wide range of uses from chronic back pain to reducing fever.

If you suffer from conditions such as TMJ, headaches, back pain, depression, anxiety, ringing in your ears, chronic stress or are recovering from physical or emotional trauma, craniosacral therapy may be an effective gentle intervention for you.

This therapy is not recommended in the following conditions: acute intracranial hemorrhage, intracranial aneurysm, recent skull fracture or head trauma, or herniation of the medulla oblongata.

Contact Dr. Miller to find out if this therapy will be an effective treatment for you (415) 785-3347.