Services
Click on About Us to view information on Robert’s background with these modalities.
- Gentle chiropractic technique
- Chiropractic kinesiology
- Cranial-sacral technique
- Neuro-emotional technique
Gentle chiropractic technique
Chiropractic as a healing modality is based on the premise that our nervous system controls and coordinates the body systems and imbalance to the nervous system causes pain and discomfort through the misalignment of the spine.
Gentle chiropractic technique is used for the alignment of the spine, pelvis and skull. This normalises nerve flow between the brain, spinal cord and body systems and relieves the symptoms of common complaints such as headaches, neck and back pain.
Chiropractic kinesiology
Kinesiology is a muscle testing technique enabling the body to be read to gain information similar to the way a person uses a computer to access programs.
Robert uses chiropractic kinesiology to treat:
- Headaches, neck and back pain
- Cranial injury in children and adults
- Jaw problems
- Learning disabilities
- Sleep disorders
- Delayed development in children
Chiropractors using kinesiology can assist with problems that basic medical neurological/orthopedic testing have been unable to diagnose.
Cranial-sacral technique
Cranial bone treatment treats the whole nervous system (brain & body) by direct contact and gentle manipulation of a person's head and skull bones, and is effective for:
- Children who have had traumatic birth
- Children and adults with problems following accidents, trauma or blows to the body
Case histories - common children/infants conditions treated
For many babies their birth is a difficult process, making a difficult baby Which makes for a tired mum.
What parents need to know about their babies nervous system is that at birth it is still very undeveloped and nerve compression at the head, tailbone or spinal column can cause decreased nerve flow to organs such as the lungs and small intestine(which digests the milk/formula) and the sacrum (tail-bone) at the bottom of the spine has nerves in it that control the bowel and the leg nerves.
Since our pelvis carry's our weight later in life, the pressure on the babies buttocks area and low back during its delivery can cause that same nerve compression leading to a decreased ability to hold their weight upright later on and for a baby to learn to crawl using both legs, stand and later walk.
If there is nerve compression it becomes too much work for the baby to pull himself up and carry his weight in an upright posture and he will choose to continue to crawl or in some cases shuffle on one leg because of these lower limb nerve and bony problems.
Many times the normal forces delivered to a foetus baby in the delivery process compress sensitive neurological,cranial(skull) or skeletal structures, which left unattended can slow the child's developmental process later in life.
Research is showing that type of compression can lead to slowed learning and cognitive abilities which show up when the child attempts to learn to read and write in his or her primary years. For the new born it can show up in such traits as being unable to settle easily and even being unwilling to lay in a position such as on one side or on their back without complaining, crying or unable to fall asleep easily.
The children discussed below all had varying types of nerve compression which resulted in their inability to nurse, sleep and settle easily.
Case histories - children treatments - (Simple to Complex)
Each of the children described below had "normal" deliveries in a hospital setting, both the first and sometimes second or third birth for the mother and in general later had difficulty settling or developing into their next normal phase of sleep,eliminating or feeding.
Case history #1 - Hayden was a one year old boy who was unable to sleep through the night. After one treatment he was able to sleep through the night.
His treatment consisted of a chiropractic adjustment to his tailbone and his 3rd lumbar vertebrae using a pressure release toggle adjustment which is a non-forceful specific pressure of 5 grams to release a fixation in the area due to birth trauma.
Case history #2 - Emily was a 8 month old baby who presented with constipation and poor sleeping habits. With cranial massage and release of sacral (tailbone) pressure her bowels normalized, as did her sleeping and her Mum reported she was able to put her feet in her mouth which she had not been able to do before.
Case history #3 - Maddisen-May was 6 weeks old infant whose birth labour was 18 hours,with the cord wrapped around her neck and requiring her to have a suction birth. She had difficulty sleeping-only 2 hours at a time and crying constantly while awake.
She received 3 treatments of Cranial Sacral technique release (CV-4) which assists in activating cranial fluid movement and treatment to her sacral base and parietal bones of her skull to alleviate the pressure caused by the suction on her skull at birth.
Her colour improved as did her appetite. She doubled her sleep times in length and stopped crying during her waking hours.
Case history #4 - Beau presented as a 19 month old boy with Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Chronic Bronchitis since birth.
He was brought in to the clinic because he would not walk and crawled only. He received a pressure release toggle adjustment to his upper spine and sacrum and release of his pelvis fixation.
After treatment he could stand up and walk with assistance and continues to receive treatment and can now run and walk normally.
Case studies of children with special needs
Case history #1-"IN HER MUM'S WORDS" BILLEE'S STORY
"Our 16 month old daughter Billee has a very rare genetic brain disorder called Lissencephaly which means her brain is smoother than it should be.
Children with Lissencephaly usually suffer from seizures, have problems swallowing and are severely developmentally delayed.
We believe in giving Billee the best chance in life and every opportunity we can to develop and progress to her full potential.
Part of her programme is Cranial Sacral therapy which she regularly sees Robert Zapf for.
We feel that in Billee's case Cranial Sacral plays a part in helping to improve her awareness. She leaves Robert's room looking relaxed, calm and more alert."
Adult testimonials -cranial sacral technique
REBECCA-a 19 year old student athlete with the A.I.S
In December 2007 I had my gallbladder removed. In the months following the surgery I experienced extreme discomfort, including nausea, sharp stomach pains and an inability to eat correctly. The extent of the discomfort forced me to give up an amazing training scholarship with the AIS.
After numerous scans and countless trips to doctors, gastroenterologists, the doctors has concluded the only way to deal with the pain was to stop training completely, which for me was devastating emotionally considering I had moved away from home to pursue an Olympic dream.
In september 2008 I experienced more extreme pain around the area where my surgery had occurred and blood tests showed abnormalities in my liver function with an internal ultrasound showing up nothing.
It was at this time that someone suggested I go and see a Chiropractic Kinesiologist and so my treatment with Bob began. Over a period of 4 months Bob has turned my world around.
I am back training twice a day and I am able to eat a meal without the post meal discomfort.
I don't fully understand what it is that Bob does, but I know that when no one else had any answers and other doctors were telling me the only way to get better was to rest and not train, Bob gave me hope. More importantly, Bob has fixed my stomach and allowed me to do what I love most!
Neuro-emotional technique (NET)
NET assists people in becoming less reactive and more able to choose alternative responses. It can be helpful in treating
- People who want to change persistent personal issues e.g. relationship, finances, self esteem.
- Anxiety and depression
- Digestive disturbances
- Post traumatic stress
This chiropractic technique was developed by Dr. Scott Walker in the USA to assist patients who had re-occurring spinal problems that were reactivated by stress, emotional upsets or life challenges.
The technique uses kinesiology to determine which organs are holding negative emotional patterns and to neutralize their negative effects on the patient’s physical and mental health.
The treatment process can be completed in one visit, and the relief of symptoms is immediate.
NET is not a psychological therapy, nor is it designed as a counseling technique to replace other forms of therapy. It is best used as an adjunct or complement these specialties to assist patients to identify how their emotions affect their physical health and body function.
Emotions=thoughts felt physiologically in the body. When we feel an emotion, it is transmitted through nerve signals along pathways to nerve centres that operate automatically in our body. This automatic system is the Autonomic Nervous System, which controls of our organs and their functions.
In stressful situations, the signals sent from our brain can overload these automatic nerve systems to our organs, and cause a negative memory in our organs that get reactivated the next time we encounter a situation that our body perceives as threatening. This creates a negative emotional pattern or complex (N.E.C.) that recycles through our organs, causing chronic health problems and the resulting conditions. Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) uses the nervous system to reset the proper nerve signals to the organ to eliminate the short circuit.
RESEARCH LEADS TO NEW FINDINGS
Recent research from medical experts in the new field of medicine called Neuro-Gastro Enterology, is bringing to light how these negative emotional patterns become fixed in the body and seem to operate independently of our mind. This research indicates that the nerves of our gut and the surrounding organs have an extremely intricate and complex feedback system which mimics the way our brain works, and in a sense is the second brain of our body.
This gut feedback system operates on its own, without the brain’s permission. Many patients may have one or more negative emotional patterns running in their body and yet may never be aware of them.
Negative emotional patterns travel through the nerve pathways or plexuses that control every organ and gland in our body-causing a range of psycho-somatic responses such as “butterflies in the stomach” to “cold and clammy hands on our first date” or the dreaded visit to our least favorite relative.
More serious results are the gastro-intestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease, Colitis, Irritable Bowel and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.