When people think of the body's communication systems, they think of nerve impulses and chemical pathways, not energy waves, oscillations, and vibrations. Somehow, when used by physicists, the word "energy" is understood as science (as in E=MC2), but when used about life force, it can become something esoteric and mysterious.
This has been partly due to the lack of empirical evidence available on the subject. Until recently, cellular research has focused on the liquid portion of the cell. Scientists have used techniques to separate the fluid matter from cells, throwing out the solid matter as unimportant. As it turns out, this solid matter is made up of some of the same insoluble structural proteins as fascia (elastin and collagen with some actin, myosin, and keratin) (see Fascia: The Big Picture).
As the connective tissue, the solid matter's importance is just now beginning to be recognized. These insoluble structural proteins form the internal structure and framework of every cell (cytoskeleton), and some of these vital proteins extend across the cellular membrane to anchor the cell to the extracellular matrix/connective tissues.
Isn't it fascinating that the cell's cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, and the connective tissues (collectively referred to by James Oschman as The Living Matrix) are all made of the same substances, are all anchored together in one continuous fabric, and have all been consistently ignored as unimportant by almost every discipline that studies the body?
As the importance and continuity of these structural components have come to light, research has begun to demonstrate that the nervous, hormonal, and chemical systems only account for a portion of the communications occurring in the body. The Living Matrix (you could also call it the Connective Tissue Fabric) is the ONLY system that connects to every cell in the body. It is an all-pervasive communication network that conducts energy and information at speeds so fast it makes nerve impulses look like they are running on dialup. Energy and information, including physical and emotional trauma, can also be processed and stored within the matrix.
Healing occurs at a cellular level. If the flow of energy in the living matrix is disrupted, it can cause breakdowns, decreasing the system's ability to communicate and coordinate immune defenses and repair processes. Whether an injury is a gaping wound or a paper cut, the repair process is completed by the connective tissues and individual cells. The connective tissue fabric summons the cells needed for healing by sending various potential signals through the matrix, and the needed cells begin migrating to the injured tissues. Much of this cell migration occurs as cells break existing connections and make new ones along with the connective tissue fabric - in essence, the cells use the living matrix's structural scaffolding to crawl to the injury.
In my opinion, understanding how cells of the connective tissue fabric store energy, process trauma, and communicate with each other through vibrations, oscillations, and waves (among other things) can have a tremendous impact on the quality of care health practitioners offer clients.
BIOTONE is exhibiting at the American Massage Conference in Atlanta this week, where, on Friday at 3:45 pm, I will be teaching a short 1 hour CE course titled The Fascial Matrix. I hope to see you there, and be sure to stop by the BIOTONE booth # 21 to see new products and get exclusive deals!