Cranial Osteopathy

[Stitch]

As Rolfe and I have described it: homeopathic head massage.

I have also called it pure loony tunes. Which is further emphasized when you read up on one of the proponents, John Upledger:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/cranial.html which quoted him...

Also, I usually use the BC Health's analysis... their health system actually checks out therapies before agreeing to pay for them:
http://www.chspr.ubc.ca/bcohta/pdf/bco99-01J_cranio.pdf

I used that report when I was involved in a listserv for my son's disability. One member kept arguing with me that I had a closed mind. I was about to just tell her that at least I didn't let my brain fall out, but I just told I was presenting the paper for her and others to read, and if she did NOT like to results then she should bring it up with the writers of the report.

I can't seem to access that second report, if anybody has a copy can you host it somewhere for me to grab? Thanks

 

[Blue Wode]

If you Google for “cranial links” you’ll get James N. Norton’s research page on Science, Medicine and the Cranial Rhythm (look for the faculty.une.edu URL).

Once on the site, scroll down to ‘Other Relevant Publications’ near the end of the page and look for the British Columbia Office of Health Technology Assessment (BCOTHA) report entitled “A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal of The Scientific Evidence on Craniosacral Therapy”. It’s James Norton’s own pdf of the review and it seems to be working.

 

[Rolfe]

I've just come back from the hairdresser's. I told the girl who washed my hair about cranial osteopathy. She fell down laughing. But looked a bit pensive when I remarked that a session with the cranial osteopath is a lot more expensive than a hairdo....

Rolfe.

 

[Stitch]

One of the advocates has stated that the hospital they attended recommend that all new born infants should undergo CO as a matter of course. I'm really quite stunned. He has told me which hospital is concerned but cannot recall the doctor making the recommendation. I have sent an e-mail asking them to confirm that they do recommend CO and if they do on what clinical basis.

 

[Physiotherapist]

Cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy are not the same though. There are differences.

 

[Blue Wode]

That’s very interesting, Physiotherapist.

Does that mean that cranial osteopathy has some validity? What are the differences between it and craniosacral therapy?

According to Stephen Barrett at Quackwatch cranial osteopathy is just another term used to describe craniosacral therapy:

“Most practitioners [of craniosacral therapy] are osteopaths, massage therapists, chiropractors, dentists, or physical therapists. The other terms used to describe what they do include cranial osteopathy, cranial therapy, bio cranial therapy, and two chiropractic variants called craniopathy and sacro occipital technique (SOT).”

 

[Physiotherapist]

As far as I know, the only people who are allowed to call themselves cranial osteopaths are osteopaths who are registered with the General Osteopathic Council and have then gone onto undertake postgraduate courses in cranial work. This is the situation in the UK, but I am not sure about the States. DO's over there have the same priviledges as MD's.

Everyone else who wishes to train and is not a registered osteopath will undertake a course in craniosacral therapy. However, I think the whole style of practice is generally different in cranial osteopathy compared with craniosacral therapy.

I have a mate who is a cranial osteopath and these are the facts as he has told them to me.

 

[Blue Wode]

But is there any scientific evidence for cranial osteopathy?

If not, then wouldn’t that call into question the effectiveness of the General Osteopathic Council - i.e. how can osteopaths be trained and competent in a treatment [cranial osteopathy] if it hasn’t been proven to work? Or doesn’t it matter?

 

[Physiotherapist]

I really don't know whether there is any evidence for CO and yes, I suppose it would call into question the GOC. I am afraid that I have never had the opportunity to talk with him at any length with regard to this.

 

[jj]

One member kept arguing with me that I had a closed mind.

Well, I suppose she could argue that your mind is closed to raging, utter quackery...

But why is that a bad thing? After all, like you said, having an open mind doesn't mean that you let it fall out...

 

[Rolfe]

As far as I know, the only people who are allowed to call themselves cranial osteopaths are osteopaths who are registered with the General Osteopathic Council and have then gone onto undertake postgraduate courses in cranial work.

The one who homoeopathically touched my head was one of these. I'd actually gone to her for some legit work on a stiff neck, on the recommendation of my massage therapist (her flat-mate). The neck work was sensible and appeared to be effective. Then she started wittering on the most appalling load of rubbish about moving skull plates and rhythms in the CSF and cavities in the skull where no cavities are, all of which she claimed to have learned in the course of a BSc in this nonsense at Birkbeck or somewhere like that (not sure about the uni, but there was a BSc in there somewhere).

It was still nonsense quackery.

Rolfe.

 

[Blue Wode]

Seems that cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy are the same thing. These good debunking articles should put an end to the confusion:

Some Notes on Cranial Manipulative Therapy
“Cranial osteopathy -- also known as craniosacral therapy…..”
http://www.ncahf.org/articles/c-d/cranial.html

Craniosacral Therapy Is Not Medicine
“…one of the manipulation procedures (craniosacral therapy/cranial osteopathy) used by…”
http://faculty.une.edu/com/jnorton/letterPT.pdf

Osteopathy in the Cranial Field
“Cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy are variants of a treatment.….”
http://faculty.une.edu/com/jnorton/PDFfilesCranial/SRAMArticle2005.pdf

Craniosacral Therapy – Skeptic’s Dictionary
“Craniosacral therapy (a.k.a. craniopathy and cranial osteopathy)…..”
http://skepdic.com/craniosacral.html

Head Cases
By Brid Hehir, Spiked Health
http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/00000002D402.htm

 

[Physiotherapist]

Apparently Upledger is coming over to England in April and will be speaking at a trauma workshop run by University of Westminster. He will also be doing a clinical symposium on Saturday 29th April.

My cranial osteopath pal is planning to attend both, as he has done some Upledger training.

He also assures me that cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy are definitely not the same thing.

 

[Blue Wode]

Thank you for that update.

It would be interesting to know your friend’s views on the current lack of scientific evidence on cranial osteopathy and why he thinks the differences between it and craniosacral therapy have any relevance.

BTW, the University of Westminster isn’t renowned for its dedication to science:

http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-5899-coursecode=D09PUHMY

 

[Belz...]

There's a good article debunking craniosacral therapy (aka cranial osteopathy) which was written by a British midwife called Brid Hehir. It was published by the journal of the Royal College of Midwives and also by Spiked Health. You can find it by doing a Google search for Brid Hehir + craniosacral therapy.

Didn't Mark Twain debunk that pseudoscience like... over a century ago ?

 

[epepke]

I prefer the term "cranio-sacral therapy," myself.

At least you can tell by the name that it has something to do with having one's head up one's ass.

 

[Physiotherapist]

I spoke to him yesterday and he said that Upledger himself conducted research trials in craniosacral therapy, but that is 20 years old at least now.

He says that there is more up to date research available in a book called Cranial Manipulation Theory and Practice by Leon Chaitow. He also told me that the University of Westminster has conducted two trials in craniosacral therapy, the results of which are due to be released shortly.

He told me that cranial osteopaths very rarely work anywhere other than the head, whereas this is not the same for craniosacral therapy.

 

[Blue Wode]

He says that there is more up to date research available in a book called Cranial Manipulation Theory and Practice by Leon Chaitow.

Do you know if this "more up to date research" appears on PubMed? All the current studies on PubMed seem to reach negative conclusions.

 

[Physiotherapist]

Unfortunately, I don't think that it does. You may have to buy and read the book for this.

However, he does have a website that you could look at www.leonchaitow.com

You might be able to e-mail him via this and ask him some questions about it.

 

[Physiotherapist]

Bump.