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BOOK REVIEW
by Carolyn Simon, ND
'The Fasciae: Anatomy, Dysfunction & Treatment'
by Serge Paoletti
Eastland Press: Seattle WA, USA
The fasciae of the human body are an essential, complex and diverse system of interconnecting tissues. I discovered in Serge Paoletti's book a similarly complex and essential reading experience.
As a craniosacral therapist I'm fascinated with the potency of fascial unwinding and its integral role in the body's healing processes. Here is a fund of information about every level of the body's interconnecting supportive framework, from embryology through to pathology.
Aimed at post graduate level, this work contains specific anatomical and physiological detail in a well organised layout. Such detail requires well drawn anatomical diagrams to enhance understanding. Peter Sommerfeld's colour illustrations give a great perspective, although they are occasionally difficult to recognise due to a lack of orientation in the labelling.
As well as providing inspiring and useful reference material, this is also an instructional textbook. There are very good guidelines and explanations for listening, palpation and mobility tests. The treatment section promotes the osteopathic view, again with useful diagrams.
One of the strengths of Paoletti's approach is his emphasis not only on the various roles of fascia, but also on it's relationships with other body tissues and systems. This gives a refreshingly non-reductionist approach, though still short of a holistic one. With no reference to the emotional, psychological or spiritual dimensions of life and the healing process, this book confines itself to presenting a physiological picture.
I picked up a couple of errors and hope there aren't too many more, because these pieces of misinformation could easily be quoted as fact. The book has an air of authority and is professionally presented. Overall, a book I recommend to body workers in any modality.
Getting to know the fasciae in their role of "autonomous decision maker" independent of the central nervous system is a fundamental aspect of working with the healing systems of the body, and this book enhances hands-on knowledge. Paoletti quotes L. Issartel, reminding the reader: "The fasciae unite and separate everything, separate and unite everything".
I am a craniosacral therapist, naturopath and medical herbalist working in private practice in Golden Bay, a remote rural area of New Zealand. I am also an advanced trainee in sociodrama, and have previously worked as group facilitator, tutor and support worker in a residential therapy programme for mental health clients.
My passion for craniosacral work is a centring influence in my life and central to my ability to perform well in other roles.
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Devil in the Milk
Illness, Health and Politics
A1 and A2 Milk
by Keith Woodford
Paperback, 237 pages, 150 x 235mm, NZ, 2007.
From the cover –
This groundbreaking book is the first to be published internationally that examines the link between one of the proteins in the milk we drink and a range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism and schizophrenia.
These health problems are linked to a tiny protein fragment that is formed when we digest A1 beta-casein, a milk protein produced by many cows in New Zealand, Australia and other western countries. Milk that contains A1 beta-casein is commonly known as A1 milk, whereas milk that does not is called A2.
Originally all milk was A2 until a mutation affecting some European cattle occurred some thousands of years ago. Herds in much of Asia, Africa and parts of southern Europe remain naturally high in A2 cows. A2 milk from selected cows is now marketed in much of Australia, and in parts of the USA and New Zealand.
In "Devil in the Milk" Keith Woodford, Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand, brings together the evidence published in more than 100 scientific papers. He examines the population studies that look at the link between the consumption of A1 milk and the incidence of heart disease and Type 1 diabetes; he explains the science that underpins the A1/A2 hypothesis; and examines the research undertaken with animals and humans. The evidence is compelling: we should be switching to A2 milk.
This is an amazing story, one that is not just about the health issues surrounding A1 milk, but also how scientific evidence can be moulded and withheld by vested interests, and how consumer choices are influenced by the interests of corporate business. "Devil in the Milk" is a book of enormous public importance.
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