Craniosacral Therapy
Including Cranial Osteopathy, Bio Cranial Therapy, and two chiropractic variants called Craniopathy and Sacro–Occipital Technique (SOT). This page was last updated on 29th August 2010. Related link |
JMN's Research Page on the Cranial Rhythmic Impulse (CRI)Research conclusions of James M. Norton, PhD, Professor, Dept. of Physiology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England (Cranial Links website) CranioSacral: It’s about more than the evidence..."One often overlooked, but I feel important area, is the actual training of the therapists. This is particularly important when the therapist is claiming to be able to treat serious medical conditions… somehow CST therapists claim to be able to effectively diagnose and treat many of the same medical conditions [as MDs]. Within the NHS treatment of these conditions can require the attention of doctors who have undergone specialist training to allow them to deal effectively with what are often complex medical conditions. You simply cannot spend a few days a year, learning unproven therapy techniques and claim to have the knowledge required to offer these treatments." SkepticBarista blog (29th August 2010) What is Craniosacral Therapy?“…having had a quick look at craniosacral therapy, what it is, what it claims to treat and the evidence to support those claims, has my opinion about it being quackery changed? Yes, it’s not just quackery, it’s potentially dangerous quackery that needs to be challenged” SkepticBarista blog (9th May 2010) Infant Dies After Craniosacral Therapy: Therapist Gets Off Scot–FreeUpdate on the link below about a formerly healthy, three-month-old girl, who died in the Netherlands after manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column (called “holding”) by a craniosacral therapist. The case was investigated by the Netherlands Health Care Inspectorate and the Public Prosecutors Office. The Inspectorate decided not to press charges against the craniosacral therapist when he promised never to apply this treatment again. The Dutch Public Prosecutors Office is still investigating the case and may yet decide to prosecute. Anaximperator Blog (17th January 2010) Infant Dies after Craniosacral Therapy"A formerly healthy, three-month-old girl died after manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column by a so called "craniosacral therapist." During continued and deep bending of the neck, the patient developed incontinence of faeces, atonia and respiratory arrest followed by aystolia. Based on findings at the physical examination of the body, an additional MRI examination and the autopsy, it is likely that the cause of death was a local neurovascular or a mechanic respiratory-induced problem. This is the second report of infant death after forced manipulation of the neck. As long as there is no scientific evidence for the efficacy and safety of forced manipulation of the neck and the vertebral column, we advise against this treatment for newborns and infants." English translation of a report in the Dutch Medical Journal (May 2009) [Micha Holla, Marloes M. IJland et al. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd, 2009] Craniosacral Therapy“In spite of the biological implausibility of craniosacral therapy, it has been studied. Not surprisingly, no study has concluded craniosacral therapy is efficacious for any disease or condition, or even that the proposed cranial system exists in the first place.” Campaign for Science Based Healthcare (2009) Cranial Osteopathy: its fate seems clear"This treatment regime lacks a biologically plausible mechanism, shows no diagnostic reliability, and offers little hope that any direct clinical effect will ever be shown… Until outcome studies show that these techniques produce a direct and positive clinical effect, they should be dropped from all academic curricula; insurance companies should stop paying for them; and patients should invest their time, money, and health elsewhere." Steve E. Hartman, Dept. of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England (Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 8th June 2006) Osteopathy in the Cranial FieldA review of H. H. King and E. M. Lay in Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine, 2nd Ed. Concludes that advocates of cranial osteopathy still proffer: (1) the same biologically untenable mechanism proposed by Sutherland 65 years ago, (2) no indication of diagnostic reliability, and (3) no properly controlled research showing efficacy. Analysis by Steve E. Hartman, PhD, and James M. Norton, PhD, The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, Vol. 8, No.2 (Fall/Winter 2004-05) [pdf] Cranial osteopathyWhat you need to know. Article by Ben Goldacare, Bad Science (23rd September 2004) Inter- and intraexaminer reliability in palpation of the 'primary respiratory mechanism' within the 'cranial concept'The results of this study did not support the hypotheses behind the Primary Respiratory Mechanism. The PRM-rates could not be palpated reliably and under certain conditions were influenced by the examiners' respiratory rates. Manual Therapy (February 2004) [pdf] Wired to the kitchen sink: studying weird claims for fun and profit'"I recently heard of craniosacral therapy. It is a method some osteopathic physicians use to restore health by adjusting the bones of the skull and sacrum. Anatomists can demonstrate that the skull bones are fused together in adulthood and cannot move. Other fallacies inherent in the therapy are too numerous to list: craniosacral therapy is totally implausible and has been thoroughly debunked elsewhere. So how could anyone in his right mind believe in it?" Four-page article by Harriet Hall, MD, Skeptical Inquirer (May-June 2003) Interexaminer Reliability and Cranial OsteopathyFindings suggest that the proposed mechanism for cranial osteopathy is invalid. The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine (Winter 2002) [pdf] Craniosacral Therapy is Not MedicineLetter written by Steve E. Hartman, PhD, and James M. Norton PhD, College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England. Published in Physical Therapy (November 2002) [pdf] Head cases: an examination of craniosacral therapy"Despite the dearth of evidence for the efficacy of CST (craniosacral therapy), CS therapists continue to promote its use for people of all ages and babies in particular. This is disingenuous. Patients are being taken for a ride by people who, while being scornful of scientific medicine, seduce patients into believing they need to have sessions of a worthless therapy for their wellbeing……It is time that health professionals, and the public, took a long, hard look at CST and exposed it for what it really is — medieval mysticism dressed up in quasi-scientific garb." Views of Brid Hehir, a Camden NHS Primary Care Trust user involvement manager. Spiked Online (12th February 2002) Intraexaminer and interexaminer reliability for palpation of the cranial rhythmic impulse at the head and sacrumConcludes that the results fail to support the construct validity of the "core-link" hypothesis as it is traditionally held by proponents of craniosacral therapy and osteopathy in the cranial field. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (March/April 2001) Some Notes on Cranial Manipulative Therapy"Several papers have been published on the alleged mechanisms of cranial manipulation, but fail to answer the important consumer health questions of safety and efficacy." William T. Jarvis, Ph.D., National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF 2001) Unconventional Dentistry"Dental claims and uses of CS (Craniosacral Therapy) defy science and logic." This article also questions the use of other CAM therapies in dentistry. Journal of the Canadian Dental Association (November 2000) [pdf] A systematic review of craniosacral therapy: biological plausibility, assessment reliability and clinical effectivenessThis systematic review and critical appraisal found insufficient evidence to support craniosacral therapy. British Columbia Office of Health Technology Assessment, University of British Columbia (December 1999) [pdf] Simultaneous palpation of the craniosacral rate at the head and feet: intrarater and interrater reliability and rate comparisonsResults did not support the theories that underlie craniosacral therapy or claims that craniosacral motion can be palpated reliably. Physical Therapy (1998) The reliability of specific sacro-occipital technique diagnostic testsConcludes that it appears unlikely that SOT tests can be reproduced to a sufficiently high degree to constitute useful clinical procedures. C. Leboeuf, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (Nov-Dec 1991) Sacro-Occipital TechniqueSamuel Homola, D.C., takes a critical look at Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) in Chapter 11 of his book 'Bonesetting, Chiropractic and Cultism'. (Chirobase) Craniosacral TherapySkeptic Wiki (The Encyclopaedia of Science and Critical Thinking) What's the harm in Craniosacral Therapy?Reports of people who have been harmed by Craniosacral Therapy. |