Proteodynamic Work

Proteodynamic Work did not begin as a theoretical project. It developed from fifteen years of hands-on clinical practice with patients whose recovery had stalled despite appropriate care. The patterns described in these monographs were observed repeatedly in treatment rooms, refined through outcome, and later articulated in dialogue with research in fascia, lymphatic physiology, proteostasis, and repair biology. What follows is the structured presentation of that clinical work.

This bundle includes two monographs that describe the same framework at different levels of language accessibility.

Theory and Translation

Proteodynamic Work outlines a systems-level model of tissue dysfunction developed through fifteen years of clinical observation and ongoing synthesis with research in fascia, lymphatics, proteostasis, and repair biology.

It addresses patterns seen in patients whose healing does not progress despite appropriate medical care.

The bundle includes:

• Proteodynamic Work: A Clinical Framework
• When Healing Stalls

One text is written for clinicians. The other is written for patients. The conceptual structure is consistent across both.

Why These Two Volumes Are Bundled

The pairing is intentional, but not only for the reason it might appear.

The obvious reading is that one text is for practitioners and one is for patients: same framework, different language. That is true. But it understates what the patient volume actually does.

When Healing Stalls is not just an explanation of proteodynamic theory in plain language. It gives patients a structural vocabulary for understanding how bodies fail to recover. How systems interact, why sequence matters, why restriction spreads, why treatment that addresses one system while ignoring others produces temporary results. That vocabulary was developed through a proteodynamic lens, but it is not limited to proteodynamic care.

A patient who understands these principles can walk into any clinical encounter with a physical therapist, a rheumatologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a pain specialist, and ask more precise questions. They can evaluate whether the practitioner in front of them is thinking in systems or treating an isolated symptom. They can recognize when a proposed treatment is missing a step. They can advocate for sequencing, for drainage, for nervous system state, without needing to name the framework by name.

This is the less obvious function of the bundle. It is not only a translation of one framework for two audiences. It is a tool for navigating healthcare more broadly, for any persistent or complex presentation, with any provider.

Practitioners who understand this will recognize its value immediately. Patients who need it most are often the ones who have seen the most providers without resolution.

Overview of the Framework

The model examines the interaction of three systems:

• Lymphatic drainage
• Fascial connective tissue
• Nervous system state

When drainage slows and protein clearance becomes impaired, material accumulates within connective tissue. Over time this alters glide, compresses vessels, and changes local immune signaling. Restriction spreads along fascial pathways and compensation develops across regions.

The result can resemble degeneration, isolated injury, or primary immune dysfunction, even when structural imaging appears normal.

The framework proposes that many chronic presentations reflect impaired clearance and altered tissue architecture rather than isolated damage.

Proteodynamic Work: A Clinical Framework

This monograph is written for practitioners.

It outlines:

• The theory of pathological protein accumulation
• Layer-based assessment principles
• System interaction and treatment sequencing
• The relationship between lymphatic impairment, fascial restriction, and nervous system tone
• Observed immune responses to persistent tissue abnormality
• Clinical case patterns
• Research references in fascia, lymphatic physiology, fibrosis, and repair biology

This document presents theoretical structure and clinical reasoning. It does not include hands-on technique instruction or procedural protocols.

When Healing Stalls

This companion text is written for individuals living with persistent symptoms.

It explains:

• Why swelling and heaviness can persist after injury
• Why stretching or strengthening alone may not change restriction
• Why symptoms migrate
• Why stress and poor sleep alter tissue behavior
• Why treatment sequencing matters
• How to evaluate whether a practitioner understands tissue-based care

It is written in plain language without assuming medical background. It does not teach self-treatment.

Intended Audience

This bundle may be relevant to:

• Manual therapists
• Acupuncturists
• Physical therapists
• Clinicians working with postoperative recovery or lymphatic congestion
• Patients seeking structural understanding before entering care

It assumes the reader is interested in coherent anatomical reasoning.

What Is Not Included

• Technique instruction
• Treatment protocols
• Self-treatment guidance
• Certification or credentialing
• Video or demonstration materials

Application of the framework requires direct clinical training.

Relationship to Medical Care

The framework does not replace medical evaluation. It addresses tissue-level dynamics that are often not visible on imaging and not routinely assessed in conventional practice.

It is intended to complement appropriate medical care, not substitute for it.

Format

PDF and EPUB
145 pages, clinical framework
157 pages, plain language edition

About the Author

Sarah Lew Donnelly, L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and manual therapist specializing in postoperative and lymphatic care.

The proteodynamic framework reflects fifteen years of focused clinical practice integrating Traditional East Asian Medicine, manual therapy, and contemporary research in fascia and lymphatic physiology.

Origin of the Framework

These monographs are the distillation of fifteen years of clinical practice. The framework emerged from repeated patterns observed in patients whose recovery had stalled: consistent tissue findings, predictable sequencing errors, and reproducible changes when drainage and order were addressed first.

Over time, those observations were organized into a coherent model and articulated in dialogue with research in fascia, lymphatic physiology, and repair biology. The structure presented here reflects how assessment and treatment decisions are made in practice.

Relationship to Clinical Practice

These texts clarify the theoretical structure underlying the work offered at The Better Place. They are not a substitute for treatment.

They allow practitioners and patients to evaluate alignment before engaging in clinical care.