CFS/ME chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis is one of many medical conditions which are poorly understood and treated by established medical institutions. The Perrin methodologies developed in the 1980s have been alleviating the symptoms of CFS/ME in clinics across the world. But how? Let's talk about the mechanism of our delivery of the Perrin Technique in London.
As with most scientific thoughts, it started with a hypothesis that was tested via the scientific method. Dr Perrin based his work on the idea that the exhaustion seen in CFS patients was due to a downregulation of the nervous system and that the source of such a widespread downregulation must be the central nervous system. A common theme among sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome is that symptoms usually begin manifesting after a viral infection.
The immune response within the brain is quite different from the rest of the body due to the blood-brain barrier, which is a highly selective membrane which prevents the movement of materials from the bloodstream into the cerebral spinal fluid or CSF. If a virus has infiltrated the CSF, it could continue to reproduce in the central nervous system without a significant viral load being seen in the blood samples.
But if the CSF is always being refreshed, this refreshing could be accelerated and the viral load in the CSF could be reduced and therefore so could the symptoms of CFS. He suggested that if the lymphatic vessels around the brain and spine were stimulated by manual palpation, the rate of drainage of CSF could be increased thus forcing a faster CSF replacement rate.
The issues with these methods were that until 2017, there was no physiological evidence that the lymphatic vessels around the brain crossed the blood-brain barrier or had any role in draining CSF. Despite a test cohort of patients who were treated and reported a reduction in symptoms after manual lymphatic drainage, the issues raised by lack of observation were never full when away until 2017. This was when Dr Perrin was vindicated by the discovery of lymphatic vessels in the dura mater-the out layer or membrane of brain tissue.
Manual lymphatic drainage and how it is performed
The lymphatic system has no dedicated pump, as the cardiovascular system does with the heart. Vessels have a set of one-way valves but are completely passive; they rely on the contractions of surrounding muscles and other regular movements to squeeze the vessels and ensure proper flow. With manual lymphatic drainage, the lymph nodes are pushed along the vessels to increase the flow. In a healthy active person this would be unnecessary, but in extreme conditions even very healthy people can suffer the effects of low lymphatic drainage, such as soldiers standing to attention on ceremonial duties for many hours without sitting.
The Perrin Technique in London that we perform uses the palpation techniques from MLD (manual lymphatic drainage) and applies them to the lymph vessels directly around the central nervous system. The rapid increase in lymph node drainage clears the CSF and temporally relieves symptoms.
If you have any further questions about the Perrin Technique in London or wish to book an assessment, feel free to contact us by telephone or email.