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Holistic Health Source

ALF (Advanced LightwireFunctionals), Cranial

Osteopathy, and OverallHealth

by Ljuba Lemke, DMD, PhD, ND

Medicine as an art rather than ascience

Medicine - with orthodontics as aspecial branch - in its nature is not ascience but an art that uses a complexscientific system.

No two patients are the same andfactors well beyond what can be capturedin double-blind studies greatly affect theoutcome of treatment, one of the mostimportant factors possibly being thepersonal encounter between patient andhis or her practitioner.

If we as dentists opt to ignore thesignificance of ‘subtle energy fields’ - ashave been proven in quantum physics -our understanding of treatment responseand health will always be lacking.

Hans Brugeman pointed out: ‘Theratio of photons (particles of energy) toparticles of matter is a constant of natureat 9.746 x 108 to 1. This ratio means thata science which solely looks at matter isonly covering one-billionth of all thephenomena in the cosmos.’ 1

Different approaches to orthodonticsSince the beginnings of medicine a

lot of different treatment philosophieshave been taught resulting in a wide

variety of treatment approaches. Most ofthem can be classified either as a ‘Methodof Substitution’ or a ‘Method ofStimulation’.

A prime example for substitution ishuman engineering: the ‘fix-it’ mentalityprevails. In orthodontics it means that anexternal observer collects data that can bemeasured and repeatedly verified, deductsa treatment plan and executes it on thepatient using whatever means required,including surgery.

Opposed to that is ‘stimulation’which triggers the patient’s self-regulatorymechanisms, which are self-healing innature2. Osteopathic concepts andhomeopathy emphasize this principle.

The human being, consisting of somuch more than ‘measurable data’, is an‘open system’ with subtle-energyinteractions going on not only within butalso with the world around us. Mentalattitude and emotions have as much to dowith health and treatment response asphysical parameters do (see also Bruce H.Lipton The Biology of Belief).

The drawback of working with‘stimulation’ is that this approach makestreatment much more complex and lesspredictable. The gain is that we seechanges in our patients that go far beyondthat which meets the eye.

An example for ‘stimulation’ inorthodontics is the use of AdvancedLightwire Functionals (ALF) as introducedby Dr. Darick Nordstrom of Hollister, CA:

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ALF appliance:

The ALF appliance was inspired byCrozat and Kernot Universal Lightwireappliances. With an Elgiloy yellow bodywire of 0.025” or 0.028” thickness (about0.6 to 0.7 mm) the ALF has a high degreeof flexibility. It uses the teeth as handlesto affect the alignment of cranial bonesand change craniosacral motion … forbetter or for worse - it all depends on thedentist’s skills when making adjustments.

Though the various ALF designslook simple it takes time and dedication tomaster the art of ‘tweaking’ the appliancejust right to achieve the desired outcome,for example making an adjustment usingpliers as opposed to finger pressure willresult in different effects. Kinesiologyand/or cranial palpation are essential toolsto verify whether adequate forces arebeing delivered.

ALF and cranial strainsA number of excellent articles about

cranial strains and malocclusion havebeen written by Gavin A. James andDennis Strokon (published in various IJOjournals). The authors explain basic strainpatterns and the use of ALF appliances tocorrect them.

Most of our patients do not fallclearly into just one category of strain

patterns. Since cranial movement can berestricted between any of the bones eachcase presents with its own individuality.

ALF therapy cannot successfully bemastered in a cookbook approach. Dr.Nordstrom always emphasizes in hisseminars the difference between a cookand a chef: the cook follows recipeswhereas the chef understands principlesand applies them.

During the course of their ALFtreatment our patients will get maximumbenefits if they also receive osteopathicadjustments that can help with ascendingproblems and integration of changestriggered by activation of the ALF.

ALF, cranial motion and healthOne goa l o f an idea l

orthopedic/orthodontic treatment is toestablish the patient’s full potential ofocclusal transverse, sagittal and verticaldevelopment. If we chose not to ‘muscle’the teeth towards their new position butinstead release strains and tension we seethe body reaching out for its fullpotential. The closer we get to this goalthe more health improvements we see inour patients some of which we canunderstand easily, for example:• establishing an unobstructed nasal

airway improves body posture byallowing the mandible to come forwardand clears up chronic sinus infectionsand allergies

• correcting TMJ dysfunction results infull range of mandibular motion

• cosmetic improvements of the smileincrease the patient’s self-esteem

Our dental training does not provideus with an understanding of the widerhealth implications that originate fromgood, symmetrical cranial motion. On thecontrary: mainstream teaching denies anysuch motion insisting that the cranialsutures are ossified in adults. It is up toeach individual dentist to pursue further

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studies on his or her own to ascertain theveracity of previous assumptions.

Even without an understanding ofthe dynamic aspects of the cranium wecan appreciate the significance of thecranial base: all nerves, blood and lymphvessels enter and exit the brain throughforamina in the skull base.

Skull base with foramina, view from coronal:

A distortion here, as seen in manycranial strains, can create tension andstretching of anatomical structures thatpass through the foramina. The possibleconsequences are diminished blood supplyto the brain, venous congestion in thebrain, and/or chronic irritation of any ofthe 12 cranial nerves.

If we are willing to look evenfurther beyond the boundaries of Westernmainstream medicine we will find thatacupuncture physiology offers furtherexplanations of how ALF treatmentcontributes to improving overall health.While discussing the fundamentals ofacupuncture is beyond the scope of thisarticle I want to point out an interestingconnection: the premaxilla with theincisors has energetic connections withthe kidney meridian3. Freeing up the

premaxilla is a treatment goal early on inALF therapy and goes along withs e e m i n g l y u n r e l a t e d h e a l t himprovements.

The kidneys have an anatomicaldistinctiveness that sets them apart fromother internal organs: they are notattached to the peritoneum. That givesthem an inherent mobility that shows as adrop of up to two inches depending onwhether a person lies down or stands up.

If the ‘kidney energy’ and theconnective tissue are weak the physiologiclimits can be exceeded and the patientdevelops ‘nephroptosis’, which is ahypermobility of the kidneys, resulting ina drop of more than the height of twovertebrae. The German internist andpathologist Kurt Beisch established thesignificance of this condition in 19824

pointing out that about 60% of his patientpopulation suffered from it and womenwere affected more often than men. Theimplications of a floating kidney are far-reaching5:1. UTI infections: Contrary to the kidney

the ureter is attached to theperitoneum. A sagging kidney causes akink in the ureter obstructing urinaryflow and resulting in an increase inresidual urine content in the kidneysand possibly hypertension.

2. Adrenal fatigue: The adrenal orsuprarenal glands are two small,flattened bodies that sit on top of thekidneys. Arterial blood supply comesfrom the three suprarenal arteries:superior, middle and inferior. In about80 % of the population the main bloodsupply comes from the inferiorsuprarenal artery which directlybranches off the renal artery6. As thekidneys sags excessively they stretchthe renal artery decreasing itsdiameter. Picture a ‘macaroni’ turninginto a ‘spaghetti’. The diminished bloodcirculation affects the kidneys but even

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more so the adrenal glands: severehypoxemia, possibly for hours (as longas the person is standing), interfereswith hormone and neurotransmitterproduction.

3. Irritation of the Autonomous NervousSystem (ANS): The ANS acts tomaintain normal internal functions andconsists of three parts: thesympathetic nervous system whichcontrols the ‘fight and flight’ response,the parasympathetic nervous systemallowing us to ‘rest and digest’, and theenteric nervous system, our ‘gut-brain’that causes diarrhea when we arefrightened or stomach cramps beforean important exam. A network ofsympathetic nerve fibers covers theentire arterial circuit where it constrictssmooth muscle activity diminishingblood flow to the abdominal viscera.7

Stretching the renal artery beyond itsphysiologic limits feeds back afferentirritation signals to the solar or celiacp l exus where sympathe t i c ,parasympathetic and sensory visceralfibers intertwine. Depending on theindividual’s constitutional weaknessany internal organ can becomesymptomatic caused by a hypermobilekidney.

ConclusionIt can therefore be said that ALF

treatment offers tremendous opportunitiesto improve overall health. The more weknow about the stomatognathic systemand its whole-body connections the moreobvious is the need to master thechallenge of adjusting the ALFappropriately.

1 Paraphrase from Bruegeman, H.: Bioresonance and multi-resonance

therapy - new, forward-looking forms of therapy with ultrafine body

energies and environmental signals, Ed. Haug Publishers Brussel,

English Edition, 1993.

2 Lee, R. P.: Interface – mechanisms of spirit in osteopathy, Stillness

Press, Portland, OR; 2005, p. 3.

3 Bechtloff, F.: Elektroakupunktur nach Voll – Eine Darstellung in

Bereichen, ML Verlag, Uelzen, Germany; 1986, pp 21 and 23.

4 De Gier, J: Hyperaktive Kinder – Hyperaktive Niere (hyperactive

children – hyperactive kidney), Panta 3, Jan. 1992.

5 Beisch, K: Personal lecture notes, Luebeck, Germany; Oct. 1986

6 Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, online edition, www.

education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/subjects/subject/154#35, April

2009.

7 Hartwig, W C: Fundamental Anatomy, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins;

2007, pp 206 - 209