To me, the most fascinating components of the human body are ones that have been least researched and discussed. Mainstream medicine has historically focused on individual cells and organ systems but has largely ignored the incredibly complex Extracellular Matrix (ECM) and fascial tissues, which really are the basis of the holistic connectivity and communication present within the body.
Renowned herbalist, Matthew Wood, provides thoughtful insight into the ECM and fascia in his recent book Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix: The Science of Healing at the Cellular Level.¹ In understanding these structures, there’s no way to ignore the innate holistic intelligence of the human body and the necessity of integrative treatment.
The Influence of Cell Theory on Allopathic Medicine
It’s important to understand the context around why these bigger-picture components of the body have historically been dismissed by mainstream medicine. It started with the research of cell theory in the mid-nineteenth century, developed by Rudolf Virchow.² Cell theory is the principle that cells are the ultimate and central unit of life. This became the bedrock that allopathic medicine today stands upon.
Cell theory filters our perception to see medicine through the lens of the smallest particle. This makes sense when you think about the allopathic focus on treating disease with a pharmaceutical drug that acts on an individual group of cell receptor sites. This method of treatment is focused on targeting the function of cells while ignoring the larger impact on the body’s equilibrium. With cell theory, individual cells are viewed as central to the overall health and function of the organism, rather than taking the broader view of the larger holistic intelligence at play. However, cell theory is turned on its head when you take a deeper look at the function of the larger connective components of the body – especially the Extracellular Matrix.
What is the Extracellular Matrix?
Between the body’s cells exists an incredible network known as the Extracellular Matrix (ECM), which makes up nearly one-third of the body. The ECM is a non-cellular substance that acts like the body’s orchestrator, communicating and helping to regulate every cell and organ in the body.
The ECM is a complex, dynamic, and highly-organized network of macromolecules, growth factors and bioactive molecules.³ Because it’s a noncellular substance existing outside of the cells, you can see how it could be dismissed when looking through the lens of cell theory.
Many people think that the nucleus, as the “brain” of the cell, is responsible for regulating its behavior, but that’s not actually the case. The cell’s behavior is actually primarily driven by the cell membrane’s interaction with the environment outside of itself, or the ECM. This is most clearly demonstrated in a study showing that when a nucleus from a cancerous cell is placed into a healthy cell, the cell remains healthy. However, when the nucleus from a healthy cell is placed into a cancerous cell, the cell replicates as a cancerous cell.⁴
The ECM’s communication with the cells was termed the Ground Regulatory System (GRS) by Alfred Pischinger. Polymers and fibers within the ECM contain an electrical charge, which provides communication to the cell membranes. The ECM also communicates through growth factors, fibroblasts, and macrophages. The purpose of the GRS is to provide direction to cellular behavior with the goal of maintaining the homeostasis of the human body.
A prime example of the fascinating role of the ECM lies in the observation of wound healing. If you think about it, wound healing is an incredibly complex process where so many different types of cells have to interact in order to replace a damaged tissue with a healthy one. The ECM plays a role in every stage of wound healing, providing the communication and coordination of wound repair activity.⁵ It would only make sense that the cells are being driven directly by the state of the ECM rather than each individual cell. The ECM is the sailor who speaks four different languages and can help coordinate this whole process between different language speakers in every port that the ship lands.
The Important Role of Fascia
It’s believed that the ECM is the primal organ system of the multicellular organism. From this system, a highly organized network of connective tissue was formed, known as the fascia. Similar to the ECM, the fascia has widely been ignored by medical research until recent years.
Fascia is made up of incredibly strong microfibrils which provide structure within the body, compartmentalizing nearly every tendon, ligament, organ, bone, and nerve. Fascial tubules contain light and carry an organic electrical charge. The fascia interacts closely with the ECM and acts as a communicator to the tissues of the body.
The ECM and fascia have close bidirectional communication with the nerves and endocrine system, providing scientific context for what has widely been referred to as the “mind-body connection”. This communication may also provide explanation behind the concept of memory being stored in the tissues, as fascia can be twisted and deformed into unhealthy patterns through not only disease and injuries, but also through the nervous system disruption caused by emotional trauma. Acupuncture and myofascial release are both treatments that act on this “body memory” by helping to return the fascial tissue into healthy forms and patterns.
For an incredible visual exploration of the human fascia, check out the Youtube video: Strolling Under the Skin.
The Holistic Nature of the Human Body
If you think about cell theory and the allopathic model of medicine, it makes sense why this has become mainstream in our highly individualized Western world. As Matthew Wood states, “It is a projection of human individualism onto a biological level in which there is no individualism whatsoever.” Everywhere you look in nature, organisms are intricately connected to and dependent upon the environment. The cells of the body are no different.
While we’ve barely scratched the surface of the complexities of the ECM and fascia, it’s impossible to take a look at these systems without gaining a sense that the body is far more holistically connected, self-regulating, and innately intelligent than we’ve been led to believe by Western paradigms. In developing a stronger understanding of the ECM and fascia, we’ll be able to develop more therapies and treatments that are supportive of the body’s self-healing properties.