CST treatment for ADHD, questions

[Michelle R]

I've done a search and read all the information that relates to my question, but have some more questions. First, I just became a member here, I am finishing up my schooling in massage therapy and have not started a practice yet.

my question relates to my child who is a 9 yr old diagnosed with ADHD. I am looking for an alternative to medication for her and have heard that CST has been helpful. Is there any specific research about this? or actually, has anyone here worked with children with ADHD and have any personal success stories they could share?

secondly; I've obtained a list of practitioners of CST in my area and want to start contacting them to find someone to work with my daughter. Does anyone have any suggestions of questions I might ask a practitioner so I can make an educated choice? Is training by Upledger the one that would work with children with ADHD? It seems like there is a certain level of training needed to work with children rather than adults? What would that be?

I hope this post is in the right place!
Thanks

 

[Lizzy]

ellie - welcome to MassagePlanetL and congratulations on your new career!

i am in a similar boat as you, as i am seeking out CST to help with a few of my son's issues, one of them being ADHD. he has his first tx tomorrow.

i don't have much to offer by way of answers to your questions, because as i said, this is new to me as well. but i will definitely share our experience as we go along this path, and hope that you continue to do so as well.

good luck!
~amanda

 

[0sm0di0r]

oh, yes

please let me know. How old is your son and how did you come to the decision to go this route? if you don't mind my asking...

my dd has been on meds for the past 2 years. Just this summer we decided to give her a break, but its time to see what we can do that doesn't involve meds, (although I have to admit the meds helped tremendously with school)

 

[Lizzy]

There are quite a members who practice CST extensively. As this is a new post (thread) and it's the 4th of July weekend, the comments may be slow in coming. But I'm sure you'll receive a lot of information. Good luck with both of you.

 

[judy.gideon]

please let me know. How old is your son and how did you come to the decision to go this route? if you don't mind my asking...

my dd has been on meds for the past 2 years. Just this summer we decided to give her a break, but its time to see what we can do that doesn't involve meds, (although I have to admit the meds helped tremendously with school)

he is 8, was diagnosed when he turned 7. he's been on meds for about 1.5 years. we went the strict dietary route, to no avail. i put off the meds as long as i could, with counseling, supplements, everything i could think of. but when he is around a lot of noise, he loses control and can be aggressive. that combined with the intense hyperactivity made for a no-other-choice situation.

i started exploring CST when we realized that my son had lost his sense of smell. i found that people are using CST for tx of ADHD as well and so i figured, hey let's heal two birds with one tx!

as for my son, the meds have helped tremendously as well. and since he's such a finicky eater, i do supplement to try to keep him as healthy as possible - he wants to get off of them, but he'll be the first one to tell you that he doesn't like how he feels when he doesn't take it.

so i don't know, i'm looking for guidance from my peers, my mentors, and from above as well. i know we'll find the right combination eventually. i just hope it's sooner than later!
amanda

 

[Travelin Pete]

Neurosomatic Education is the way of the FUTURE!

Neurosomatic Education is a technique designed by Paul St. John and has evolved from NeuroMuscular Therapy. It is the most advanced technique in my opinion and especially in the clinical aspect of massage. It addresses the misalignment of the cranial bones for ADD and ADHD. However, it does so more scientifically because the therapist measures the cranial bones before and after to find the bones that are out and make sure they are back in by the end of the treatment. I'm getting amazing results with all kinds of symptoms in 1 to 5 visit. That's ussually all I need to fully correct the problem this would include ADD and ADHD.

Contact me if you want to know more.
Bryan

 

[Hyacinth]

Neurosomatic Education is the way of the FUTURE!

However, it does so more scientifically because the therapist measures the cranial bones before and after to find the bones that are out and make sure they are back in by the end of the treatment.

Could you describe a little bit about how this modality works the cranial bones "more scientifically" than others?

 

[eeknogeek]

makingchange -

I'll urge you to beg or borrow a copy of "Your Inner Physician and You" and beginning CranioSacral texts by Upledger. There's a lot of information in them w/ regard to his research w/ cst and autistim and other challenging conditions. That might help you make some decisions in that regard.

 

[Pompal 09.]

makingchange -

I'll urge you to beg or borrow a copy of "Your Inner Physician and You" and beginning CranioSacral texts by Upledger. There's a lot of information in them w/ regard to his research w/ cst and autistim and other challenging conditions. That might help you make some decisions in that regard.

i'll find it - thanks!

 

[link]

You're most welcome, just hope they can help you out.

 

[Avondrow]

I also highly recommend the newest CranioSacral Book:

CranioSacral Therapy: What It Is, How It Works

It's only $10.17 right now, so not a bad investment to learn more about CST and a great book to lend to clients who want to know more.

 

[Belie]

CST treatment for ADHD, questions

secondly; I've obtained a list of practitioners of CST in my area and want to start contacting them to find someone to work with my daughter. Does anyone have any suggestions of questions I might ask a practitioner so I can make an educated choice? Is training by Upledger the one that would work with children with ADHD? It seems like there is a certain level of training needed to work with children rather than adults? What would that be

If the therapist has Upledger CSt training, I recommend you find someone who has completed at least CSTII. If you have someone in your area who has taken the CranioSacral Therapy Pediatrics class, I would recommend him/her to talk to first.

Just like any therapist you are 'checking out', find out about what trainings he/she has taken, how long he/she has been practicing CST, does he/she work a lot with children, does he/she offer a free consultation to come in and talk to you about CST and his/her work?

I'm up front and honest to say that while I have advanced training, I have not worked a lot with children. There are three advanced trained CST practitioners in my area (one is a Upledger Instructor) who have much more training with children than I have. Not just more specialized CST training, but more training with sensory integration and child development so I find they understand children better than I do. I do work with some children and I wouldn't mind working with more, but their experience and knowledge is a bit better. If someone wants to see me, great! If not, I'm happy to refer to a colleague. It works well for all of us.

 

[Scenester]

Thank you everyone for your input and well wishes.

Bryan,
I read some information from the Soma Institute for Neuromuscular Integration. It sounded interesting but it seems there are very few who are trained and no one in my state.

Brain,
thank you for your thoughts. your post is helpful. The list of practitioners I found through upledger Institure had circles colored in that indicated the level of training. I suspected that had to do with how many training sessions the person had undergone. So, I will start with the one with the most and hope I find someone who has pediatric training.

and I'll try to check out that book you suggested.

Amanda,
I wish you luck and let me know how the first session went when you get a chance, would you?

thanks again everyone

 

[juli]

Ellie,

If you'd like I can take a look at the list of therapists in your area and give you a little guidance. The bubbles and class codes can be a bit confusing.

If you'd like help, private message me with your zip code and I'll see who is in your area and who has had what trainings.

 

[Pompal 09.]

ellie - the session went great. he had awesome periods of relaxation along with periods of laughter and ticklish-ness, followed by about ten hours of emotional release which wasn't so great. the session was friday morning, today is monday and we have had a WONDERFUL day with my son! just a regular, nothing special planned day and everything has been wonderful!

we go back in two weeks and i am being aware of my schedule for the day or so after the tx to try to make his surroundings as easy as possible.

 

[Janapix14]

ellie - the session went great. he had awesome periods of relaxation along with periods of laughter and ticklish-ness, followed by about ten hours of emotional release which wasn't so great. the session was friday morning, today is monday and we have had a WONDERFUL day with my son! just a regular, nothing special planned day and everything has been wonderful!

we go back in two weeks and i am being aware of my schedule for the day or so after the tx to try to make his surroundings as easy as possible.

That sounds wonderful! sounds like the major change is with behavior/mood? oh and a question. Is he taking meds while you are going through the sessions or is he off them for now?

 

[Bungalow Bill]

That sounds wonderful! sounds like the major change is with behavior/mood? oh and a question. Is he taking meds while you are going through the sessions or is he off them for now?

no, he's still taking the meds. we've tried getting him off of them before and it was disastrous at the time. yes, the change has been with behavior and mood, but this has been just one day. and just one tx. i'll keep you posted!

~amanda

 

[mogs]

Good going! It's wonderful news for both of you.

 

[the chubbster]

The power of bodywork and good posture!!!!!

Good posture can have so many benifits. That includes having the cranial bones in alignment. The side effects of good posture are only positive. I've seen things like acid reflux and many other digestive problems go away by improving posture. In this case ADD or ADHD. I'm sure your seeing results because the pressure in the cerebral spinal fluid is normalized and is able to feed this all important organ the brain, not to mention the central nervous system.
I wish you all great success in helping others change their lives. That's really what we have the power to do if we harness it and it's great if it doesn't go to your head. I keep in mind that the God given body is doing most of the work we are just facilitators and creating an environment in which the body can heal.
Bryan

 

[dingding]

Neurosomatic Education is the way of the FUTURE!

However, it does so more scientifically because the therapist measures the cranial bones before and after to find the bones that are out and make sure they are back in by the end of the treatment.

Could you describe a little bit about how this modality works the cranial bones "more scientifically" than others?

Bryan,
If you are still around, I'm still curious about this.