Fascia, Micro-Movements, and Hydration

Lessons from the Book "Quench" and Recovery Stories

I was reminded in my “facebook memories” this morning of a post about the book “Quench: Beat Fatigue, Drop Weight, and Heal Your Body Through the New Science of Optimum Hydration” which is based on combining the groundbreaking science of the “4th Phase of Water” by Prof. Gerald Pollack,

Red Light and Infrared Therapies for Physical Healing. Part 2: How it Works and Other Insights

with research of the fascia system.

Book Review: "Fascia: What it is and Why it Matters" 2nd Edition

As well as providing recipes for optimally hydrating smoothies and elixirs, another unique feature of the approach to hydration described in the book is the role of micro-movements: small, simple movements we can make a few times a day that will move water through our fascia, the connective tissue responsible for hydrating our bodies.

In a fascinating chapter of the book about the fascia [connective tissue], the authors discuss the pragmatic learning from a video of fascia in a living person [the reason fascia is still "new" to medical science is that the current paradigm is based on learning about anatomy from dead bodies, at which point the fascia is already dried out and does not exhibit any of the behaviour revealed in this video]. Here is the video:

This is jaw dropping stuff to see. I had envisaged that the whole space between the fascia fibers was filled with liquid [gel], but here we see drops of liquid move along the fibers. The real time moving, splitting and merging of the fibers was totally unexpected to me. The “Quench” book concludes that not only is drinking plenty needed for hydration, but movement, even just micro-movements, of the body is the other half of the process.

In relation to trauma, the book mentioned above says:

“In the normal healthy state, the fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration. It has the ability to stretch and move without restriction. When one experiences physical trauma, emotional trauma, scarring, or inflammation, however, the fascia loses its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted, and a source of tension to the rest of the body.”

“Anything from a major trauma, such as a car accident or surgery, to smaller infractions like poor posture or repetitive overuse can have cumulative effects on the body, and in particular the fascia system. The changes trauma causes in the fascia system influence the comfort and function of our body. When an injury or trauma occurs, it can impose restrictions on the fascia that affect our range of motion, flexibility, and stability and can cause a myriad of symptoms such as pain and headaches. Hydration should be the first step in repairing our fascia along with physical therapy.”

This reminder about micro-movements was timely for me, since my colleague

Lilian Sjøberg

of

The HOPE shortcut

recently released two interviews with folks who have recovered from movement issues, one with an MS diagnosis, the other with a Parkinson’s diagnosis. What both had in common, is that they first spent hours a day first just visualizing movement in parts of their body that were paralyzed, this then led on to them eventually actually being to be make micro-movements. Constantly doing this ultimately freed them from their paralysis.

So I too have been trying imagining make movements, and actually making micro-movements, to see if this helps when a dose of the Parkinson’s medications wear off, and I lose free access to movement. I am definitely finding this cumulatively helpful, and it can also help switch my movement back on, helping the next dose of medications to kick in.

Like many folks with chronic conditions, it is especially my neck which is stiff and and hard to mobilize, and here the book “Quench” provides a very useful "trick” in this regard: imagine drawing a figure of eight with the tip of the chin. I tried this and found it was much easier to move my head when thinking about it this way. Even when my neck is very rigid and stiff during an "off" period, I find although my chin barely moves, this trick does make micro-movements and I can feel the muscles of my neck/shoulder at least twitch (engage/disengage), so this helps to get mobilization started.

I've since found many variations on this theme which can help: imagine drawing the figure of eight with the nose instead, and then with the forehead/third eye point - that one makes me a bit dizzy which means my vestibular system is being engaged, which is a good thing usually. Or try drawing different shapes such as circles with chin, nose or third eye point.

If you have a stiff neck too, this is worth giving a go, to get your head and neck mobilization re-started. Let me know if this is helpful for you. Also, I highly recommend the hydration strategies in the book, as well as the book “The 4th Phase of Water” by Prof. Gerald Pollock.

For even more practical, fascia based tips on health and well-being, consider taking the course Lilian and I have created, based on everything we have learned, “Emotional Trauma, Fascia And Breathing”: