BRAIN BASED THERAPY
What is brain based therapy?
We focus on the 3 major sections of the brain, the cerebellum, the cerebrum and the brainstem. To understand how this technique works you need to understand the physiology of the brainstem which is composed of three parts; upper, middle and lower. It is very simple but naturally the scientists and neurologists had to complicate matters by giving fancy names to these sections. The upper brainstem is called the mesencephalon, the middle and lower parts work together and are known as the ponto- medullary region.
Besides controlling many automatic processes, the brainstem has a profound effect on our sensitivity to pain and sleep/wake cycles. If the brainstem doesn’t function well, neither do these processes. We all know that the cerebellum controls balance and coordination but in addition, it sends messages up to the opposite cerebral hemisphere to keep the upper brainstem from over-firing. This is part of a feedback loop in which input goes from the cerebellum to the opposite cerebral hemisphere and the back down to the lower brainstem. What can go wrong? A lack of firing from the cerebrum down to the lower brainstem results in an inability to perform its duty which is to inhibit firing of the upper brainstem. When the upper brainstem fires out of control, a wide variety of symptoms can result.
How does this happen? Trauma, emotional, physical and chemical stress can disrupt the normal feedback loop. When the brainstem over-fires a wide range of symptoms may result. Migraine headaches can be a direct cause of blood vessel dilation due to an over-stimulated brainstem. Fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, high blood pressure and vertigo are other common symptoms associated with an overactive upper brainstem. Sleep disorders are also related to a high mesenphalic (upper brainstem) output. It has been established that in a normal sleep/wake cycle the mesenphalic reticular activating system should be firing at its highest rate at 3 p.m. and around 3 A.M. it should be firing at its slowest. However, this scenario becomes disrupted as a result of everyday stressors. The way in which this mechanism causes the chronic pain seen in fibromyalgia is simple; an overactive upper brainstem causes the adrenal medulla to release high levels catecholamines and norepinephrine into the blood. Pain receptors become stimulated resulting in intractable pain. For example, your shoulder may hurt one day and the next day the pain has moved to the knee.
WHAT THE BRAIN NEEDS
The brain requires fuel (02 and glucose) and activation to function optimally. Brain based therapy can provide both. An example of a way in which we would provide fuel would to administer concentrated oxygen (95%) while the patient rides a stationary bike. Techniques to activate the brain include gentle neurological cervical spine adjustments on one side only to target the under-firing cerebellum on that side. We might also activate that side with heat, vibration, balance exercises or IM. Remember that an under-firing right cerebellum will cause an under-stimulated left cerebrum and decreased input back down to the lower brainstem which now is unable to control the upper brainstem (mesencephelon) which now fires abnormally high. In other words an over-active mesencephalon causes many of the chronic conditions under discussion and the reason it over-fires is because the circuit that starts at the cerebellum and runs to the opposite cerebral hemisphere and then back down to the lower brainstem are under-firing.
Different types of stimulation effect different parts of the brain. We identify the under-firing parts of the brain, and then provide specific activation and fuel to that side and then retest.