Why Care About Cranial Nerves?

Were you aware that you have 12 cranial nerves that control bodily functions like sight, taste, digestion, heart rate, shoulder movement and more? For optimal health, you want these nerve pathways to be unrestricted.

Craniosacral Therapy is a light touch approach to helping remove restrictions, like fascia or muscle tension, to allow the signals from these nerves to travel more freely. Many of my clients report feeling more energized, alert, less bloated, with better range of motion in areas where they experienced tightness or pain, after a Craniosacral treatment.

Let’s take a look at Cranial Nerve X (10).  This is the Vagus nerve which is the longest cranial nerve, running from your brain to your large intestine.  It has received a lot of press on YouTube over the last few years.  Reason being is that this nerve innervates the majority (75% of your parasympathetic nervous system’s nerve fibers) of your abdominal organs and digestion as well as heart rate and your immune system.  Now that’s an impactful nerve! It has branches on both the right and left sides of your body, and if restricted can cause many health issues. 

Since it passes through your neck, chest, heart, lungs and abdomen, there are many segments on this pathway which can be restricted, causing symptoms like abdominal pain, acid reflux, changes in heart rate or blood pressure, hoarseness, loss of appetite or nausea.  Craniosacral Therapy can help to relieve these restrictions through specific hand placements along the spine, neck and head - your central nervous system channel. 

During a treatment, you remain fully clothed, laying on your back, and able to share feedback on sensations you are feeling, or able to simply relax and honor the natural healing power of your body as it settles on the table. 

One simple way to activate the Vagus nerve is through deep, slow belly breathing.  Breathing in for a count of 4, holding for a count of 7 and breathing out for a count of 8 is a recommended technique (Dr. Andrew Weil) for activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Check out his link here:  https://youtu.be/p8fjYPC-k2k

Wishing you many blessings and good health!