What is Fasciology™

The New Perception of Healthcare: It’s all about the fascia

Fasciology^TM is a science that is centered around the system of the body known as fascia. This is a unique field of medicine because, in the study of Fasciology^TM, the genesis anatomy and physiology are different. Instead of Learning the traditional model of individual body parts like muscles, bones, nerves, organs, and so on, a Fasciologist’s perspective, from day one, starts with the vital role of fascia. A Fasciologist’s fundamental understanding of human anatomy begins with knowledge and perspective that fascia is the first cell of life, the oocyte, and a human being develops within the framework of the fascia system.

Their approach to human health, performance, beauty, and anti-aging is fascia-centric. Because of this commencement, the field of Fasciology^TM approaches preventive and regenerative medicine from a completely different vantage point than traditional medical fields such as Physical Therapy, Orthopedics, Medical Massage, Neurology, etc.

Although Osteopaths, massage therapists, and other bodywork fields are emerging with the realization that fascia therapies are essential to incorporate into their disciplines, their foundational knowledge is skewed by the training of the traditional anatomy model. Their dissection training consists of removing the fascia and then removing and observing the “parts.” A Fasciologist would study the anatomy by dissecting the body layer by layer, focusing on the structure and ubiquitous nature of fascia. When a Fasciologist designs treatments, the focus is to restore the entire fascial system, not just the part of the body that may be presenting with pain.

Even with fascia becoming “trendy,” fascia treatments should not be added to a doctor or therapist with classical training’s arsenal in a silo. Massaging fascia in an isolated area or treating body parts to create symmetry is an incomplete model to a Fasciologist. For a Fasciologist, fascia treatments are the epi-center of the understanding, and treatments are fascia-centric. A Fasciologist approaches health believing that if the fascia is healthy, everything else is healthy. That fascia is the support system, and the parts are the functional system, and they can only be evaluated as a collective whole. Further dividing their approach down based on what type of fascia they are addressing. And even still, this is an incomplete understanding of fascia treatments. To learn more about the detailed science that frames a Fasciologist’s fundamental approach, read What is fascia? Parts 1, 2, and 3.

This concept is so profound that a recently discovered cell, named a fasciacyte, is now included in the cell proliferation process when previously it was thought that the fibroblast produces both the hydraulic acid and the collagen. But it’s actually the fasciacyte that produces the hydraulic acid. Furthermore, the fasciacyte is shown to initiate the proliferation process when the fascia is palpated “by shear, while the fibroblasts respond to load and stretch, indicating that these cells work as antagonists.” 1

This is significant to FasciaBlasting because the techniques apply shear, load, and stretch to the fascia, exciting the fasciacyte and the fibroblast. Fascia pioneers are literally re-writing medical history.

After almost losing her life to a flesh-eating bacteria, Ashley Black used the knowledge of fascia to heal herself. In 1999, when this incident occurred, Black traveled worldwide and had source documents about fascia translated into English to learn about it. Her quest for knowledge led her to realize that there is no core education program for Fasciology^TM. Practitioners of fascia treatments stumbled on pockets of fascia enthusiasts and scientists scattered around the globe. Knowing firsthand how important this approach to health is, Black wanted to ensure that fascia knowledge and treatments were preserved and brought to the public.

accurately. Since there is no Fascia University, Ashley founded the Fascia Advancement Academy and a charity for fascia research. She trademarked the term Fasciology^TM to reserve it for her education system. She now owns an accredited school where Fasciology^TM is taught as a core curriculum, and students can become certified in Preventive and Regenerative Fasciology^TM.

Homage To The Great Researches Of Fascia’s Past

Born Ahead Of Their Time

With all of this said, Ashley Black is not the first person to study fascia, i.e., creating the term Fasciology^TM; she is just one of the first to push fascia more mainstream and start a fascia-centric education system geared at the treatment.

In fact, Leonardo Da Vinci drew and documented fascia in the 15th century. He was notorious for digging up graves and using his artistry to document what he saw.

Many have studied fascia and pushed it to the level the world was ready for at the time. We go into some of these fascia pioneers and detail them in the book. And we want to ensure that our audience knows we are standing on the shoulders of the fascia giants that have gone before us.

One notable person that we have studied extensively is Dr AT Stills, the founder of Osteopathic medicine. We love Dr. Scheirling’s careful article entitled “America's Original Fascia Doctor,” which characterizes this great innovator. Two notable quotes describing his intuitive knowledge of fascia are:

“The soul of man, with all
the streams of pure living
water, seems to dwell in
the fascia of his body”

“I know of no part of the body that
equals the fascia as a hunting ground…..
All nerves go to and terminate in that
great system, the fascia.”

Another pioneer who took Fasciology^TM leaps and bounds into the future was Ida Rolff, a Ph.D. biochemist who created programs and techniques for treating fascia as early as the 1920s. There is still a Rolfing Institute, and certified practitioners, but sadly, her knowledge has remained in the shadows. Although well known amongst the fascia community, Wikipedia and mainstream medicine still refer to her brand of FasciologyTM as “pseudo-science,” and practitioners still haven’t gained mass appeal. However, she devoted her life to the field and had great insight into Fasciology^TM. One of my favorite quotes refers to her connection of the fascia system to our emotional states, where she says

“… no situation exists in a human which a psychologist would diagnose as a feeling of insecurity or inadequacy unless it is accompanied by a physical situation which bears witness to the fact that the gravitational support is inadequate.”

Fasciology^TM and the modern take on Fascia

A New Perception in Fascia Treatment

No Fasciologist can deny the massive contribution of Tom Meyers to the advancement of both the understanding of fascia layers, myofascial pain syndrome, and the treatment of fascia... Building on the work of Ida Rolf, Meyers, and Anatomy Trains. Meyer’s mapping of the fascia tissue was the genesis for Ashley Black’s understanding of the definition of fascia. Before this, fascia was considered separate instances, such as plantar fascia, thoracolumbar fascia, fibrous connective tissue, local adhesions, etc. He turned these perceptions upside down, saying instead that all fascia in the body was actually an interconnected system that deserved recognition! Meyer describes the long lines of structural fascia as “trains” and where the lines cross in the body as “stations.” He is actively teaching courses, and I highly recommend taking one. His work has led to many therapists from the healing arts, and he states on his website:

“ATSI (Anatomy Trains and Structural Integration) is but one specific application of the Anatomy Trains schema. We are happy to see the Anatomy Trains applied in all kinds of modalities – Pilates, Yoga, Cross-Fit, personal training, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, physical education, and performance enhancement.”

We also have to pay homage to the outside-of-the-box thinking of Chris and Anne Frederick, the inventors of Fascial Stretch Therapy, where Ashley Black was a member of the first graduating class. We are always most interested in Fasciologists who have invented ways to treat or impact the fascia somehow. Their coursework is world-class for stretching the fascia. It's in a class of its own because of the knowledge of fascia lines and their focus on the traction of the joints while stretching. They focus on education, and we highly recommend their courses, where healers are being produced worldwide.

More Fascia Scientists

Let’s take a deep dive into the research

We also have our list of pioneers that we like to keep an eye on their latest research. Hui Tao and his team at the Department of Anatomy, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China, and their publication in Science Direct entitled Correlations Between Fasciology^TM and Yin Yang Doctrine are topping the list.

We love them primarily because, like Ashley Black’s Fasciology^™, the YinYang Doctrine recognizes that Fasciology^TM turns the understanding of anatomy on its head. Anyone learning “the old way,” the only way in institutional education, is missing it altogether. In their peer-reviewed and published paper in Science Direct, this is their “drop the mic” description of the “new anatomy” and relates it to Yin and Yang.

“Fasciology^TM states that the human body can be divided into two systems: the supporting-storing system and the functional system. This article elaborates on the roles of the two systems and their mutual relationship. The two systems are used to analyze the yin, the yang, and their relationship. The two systems are promoted but also restricted in different contexts. The supporting-storing system is formed by undifferentiated connective tissue and provides undifferentiated cells and nutrients for differentiated cells of the functional system. Thus, the supporting-storing system could be classified as quiet, similar to yin. The functional system continuously maintains the various functional activities of the human body. Thus, the functional system could be classified as active, similar to yang. In interpreting the yin yang doctrine from the point of view of Fasciology^TM, yin can be compared with the supporting-storing system and yang can be compared with the functional system.” And Black has a theory that both systems are actually a fascia continuum, blending the supporting and functional systems.

We also love the work of Robert Schleip, who conducts impressive fascia research and writes publications. He also writes “plain language” blogs to help the layperson understand the importance of fascia.

Our favorite recent article where he highlights a “new cell” discovered called a fasciocyte. We have adopted this knowledge as part of our Fascia Advancement Academy, and we assume that FasciaBlasting stimulates the fasciocyte because we saw fascia remodeling. Stecco, the researcher, is quoted as saying:

“We have discovered a new cell inside the fascia, that we have called the Fasciocytes. It has a different behavior and is able to create the gliding surface of the different types of fascia.” – Carla Stecco, Professor of Anatomy

And last but not least, we love the meticulous and cited blogging of Dr. Schierling. If you’re a fascia nerd, I suggest pajamas, a glass of wine, and diving into his top 100 blogs.

Pioneering The Future of Fascia Education

Taking the medical field by storm

To get it perfectly clear, Ashley Black and the Fascia Advancement Academy did not invent FasciologyTM, but we are undoubtedly aiming to rope it all together and present the information through our academy as a "new education system." The ultimate goal is the adaptation of Fasciology^TM as a recognized degree and graduate degree as well as a medical license.

Don't hesitate to contact us here if you are conducting research or inventing treatments for fascia to be considered for inclusion in this article.

Authored by Ashley Black, Inventor of the FasciaBlaster

Ashley Black is a decorated inventor, thought leader, and entrepreneur. She is best known for her work in the field of Fasciology^TM. Fasciology^TM is the study of the system of the body called fascia. Fascia is publicly known as the connective tissue, or web, that holds our body together, but fascia is also the viscous system that surrounds and feeds every cell in our bodies. Her work is directly related to the regeneration of this system of the body and the astounding effects this process can have on beauty, sports performance, and medical conditions.

She is best known for inventing instrument-assisted fascia techniques and tools, commercially known as FasciaBlasters. The tools entered the marketplace in 2014 and have become a household product. Black was the first person to write a #1 National Best Selling book about fascia, and she was the first person to do a TED Talk on fascia. By 2017-2018, her innovations and perseverance were rewarded with the American Business Association Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. IAOPT also awarded her with the Inventor of the Year. She also hit Inc’s Fastest Growing Companies in America for the first time. This era was wrapped up with Ashley’s self-reported highest accomplishment: the peer-reviewed Medical Publication of Research proving that FasciaBlasters can regenerate fascia tissue, releasing fibrous connective tissue.

Since then, Ashley has received several awards, beginning with a second #1 National Best Selling Book about the struggles of females in business and authenticity in branding. She also received two global Stevie Awards from the International Business Association: Woman of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Consumer Goods.

In 2022, Ashley founded The Fascia Advancement Academy and the Fascia Advancement Charity to teach bodyworkers Fasciology^TM. She has hit Inc’s Fastest Growing Companies list for a second time, with over $150MM in revenue, profitable and growing. She boasts over 9 million social media followers and over 1 trillion unique media impressions for her work. She plans to expand into the beauty, sports, and medical professional markets and create a billion-dollar business in the next two years.