User:Guinyviere2000/Zero Balancing

Zero Balancing is a non-diagnostic touch therapy system with roots in osteopathy and acupuncture that was developed by Fritz Frederick Smith, M.D. in the early 1970s. Practiced by a variety of health professionals in conventional and alternative medical settings, Zero Balancing practitioners claim to distinguish between a body’s "energetic system" and its musculoskeletal system and attempt to give equal attention to both. Practitioners apply fulcrums (manual pressure with their fingers) into places of held tension, primarily focusing on key joints of the skeleton that conduct and balance forces of gravity, posture and movement. The stated mission of Zero Balancing is "to provide a holistic body/mind therapy that amplifies a person’s experience of health and vitality". It is taught to healthcare professionals as an adjunct skill to their primary specialty, though many come to practice it as a manual therapy in its own right. .

History
Zero Balancing was developed in the early 1970s by Fritz Frederick Smith, M.D. Dr. Smith trained and licensed as an Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon in 1955 and received an M.D. in 1961 in the state of California. During the late 1960s, Dr. Smith studied with several teachers at The Esalen Institute in Northern California, among them Ida Rolf, founder of Rolfing-Structural Integration® and J. R. Worsley, founder of the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in London, England. He also studied with Swami Muktananda, the founder of Siddha Yoga. Dr. Smith traveled to London to study with J. R. Worsley, becoming the first American to earn the Diploma of Acupuncture at the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in 1972. He went on to receive bachelor's and master’s degrees and then became a fellow in the College several years later.

In his clinical practice, Dr. Smith began to integrate concepts of traditional chinese medicine understanding of energy flow and movement with his western medical training. This led him to develop the manual touch therapy system of Zero Balancing. The name came about when someone receiving his work described the experience, “I feel so well balanced, like I’m zero, zero balanced.”

Health professionals offering Zero Balancing include: medical doctors, nurses, osteopaths, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychotherapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors and massage therapists. Practitioners may be found in private practice, health and wellness centers, and hospitals.

Dr. Smith has been practicing and teaching Zero Balancing internationally for over 35 years. He’s the author of many articles and two books, Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure and Alchemy of Touch: Moving Towards Mastery Through the Lens of Zero Balancing.

Zero Balancing Session
A typical Zero Balancing session begins with a discussion of a client’s state of health and goals for their treatment. Goals may range from reducing tension or discomfort in a particular area to general stress reduction.

All sessions are done through clothing and start with a brief seated evaluation. The therapist, assessing for range and quality of motion, evaluates both girdles of the body: the shoulder girdle encompassing the humerus (arm), scapulae and upper ribs, and the pelvic girdle through the sacroiliac joints. As the client lies on their back on the treatment table, the therapist follows a protocol assessing the client’s body for held tension in the lower and upper ribcage, sacroiliac joints, hips, tarsal bones of the feet, scapulae, and cervical vertebrae of the neck. The therapist will place gentle finger pressure or traction (called fulcrums ) into these same areas thereby supporting the body and allowing it to release held tension. A typical session lasts from 30 to 45 minutes.

Clients receiving Zero Balancing sessions describe feeling reduced pain/discomfort, a deep state that is similar to meditation, and relief from the negative effects of stress. A recent study was done at a Restore & RenewWellness Clinic at a U.S. Department of Defense hospital, evaluating the benefits of CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) therapy on hospital staff. Zero Balancing was among 2 other modalities patients could choose from. Patients reported feeling, "more relaxed, less stress, more energy, less pain and experienced increased compassion with patients, better sleep, improved mood, and more ease in relations with co-workers."

Working Principles
Stemming from osteopathy, the anatomical focus of Zero Balancing is the human skeleton and its bony articulations (joints). Bone is the densest of body tissues. It supports, encloses and protects vital organs. The human skeleton is the armature of the body allowing human beings to stand upright. “When our bones are correctly aligned, we can actually experience a paradoxical feeling of lift as we stand up and allow ourselves to drop into the force of gravity.”

Foundation and Semi-Foundation Joints
Zero Balancers place their attention on key joints of the skeleton categorized as “foundation” and “semi-foundation joints”. Examples are: the sacroiliac joint of the pelvis, the tarsal bones of the foot, the carpal bones of the wrist, and the inter-vertebral joints along the spine. Some characteristics of foundation and semi-foundation joints are: they have a small range of motion (therefore a small change in function will have significant impact), no voluntary motion (thus an inability to resolve imbalances directly), and they are involved in the transmission of mechanical forces rather than locomotion (for example, the bones of your feet absorb the impact of your full body weight every time you take a step). Foundation and semi-foundation joints are affected by external pressures or events but possess a limited ability to free any resultant restriction due to their small range of movement. Instead the body adjusts around the restriction, leading to a potentially widespread pattern of compromise.

Protocol
The Zero Balancing “protocol” involves a process of evaluating a joint, assessing for range and quality of ligamentous movement, applying “fulcrums” to “balance” the joint’s function, and then re-evaluating the joint to determine whether any change has occurred. The term “fulcrum” has been coined to describe how tension is released in these foundational joints. “The simplest fulcrum can be thought of as a balance point, as with a seesaw.” The practitioner lifts one or two fingers into an area of the body holding tension, varies the amount of pressure to initiate movement and then holds the pressure static for three to five seconds. Upon re-evaluation, if the range or quality of movement in the joint has changed, the therapist moves on. There are different types of “fulcrums” designed to work with different parts of the skeleton: simple lifting fulcrums into the body of a rib, multi-layered fulcrums involving twisting with traction as when working with the hip joint, or curved traction into the tarsal bones of the ankle. A Zero Balancing session works with the skeleton comprehensively. If a client has a specific complaint, the area will be addressed within the context of a whole body protocol. Zero Balancing is non-diagnostic, thus practitioners claim to bring the “whole person” into a state of “balance” rather than treating specific problems. “Health is viewed as optimal function rather than lack of symptoms.”

Practitioner Certification
The Zero Balancing Health Association (ZBHA) administers a continuing education program for the licensed healthcare professional that culminates with a certification in Zero Balancing. Following approximately 175 hours of continuing education (100 class hours, 75 practical hours), one-on-one mentoring and successful performance evaluations, graduates become part of a national referral database. They are entitled to recognition as a Certified Zero Balancer, with rights and privileges granted by the ZBHA and the Zero Balancing Foundation (ZBF). There are currently more than 700 practitioners worldwide, with another 500 actively engaged in the certification process.

Zero Balancing Organizations
Zero Balancing organizations exist in North America and internationally. The Zero Balancing Health Association (ZBHA) located in Baltimore, MD, is a membership organization serving the Zero Balancing community of North America. The Zero Balancing Foundation (ZBF) was created in 2005 in order to communicate the standards of practice of Zero Balancing internationally. It oversees Zero Balancing research and education, including the approval of new courses, certification requirements, and teacher training programs. The ZBF works and consults with the established Zero Balancing associations in North America, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Mexico, New Zealand and Australia regarding their educational and research programs. The ZBF is currently working to develop associations in France, Germany, Italy and Japan.