What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a gentle, non invasive, drug free manual therapy that focuses on removing restrictions and restoring movement and function to the entire body in order to restore the body’s natural balance and healing ability. It was developed in 1874 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still.  

Osteopathy is based on four main principles. (A.O.A)

1. The first being that the human body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind and spirit. This means that if one system or area of the body is in disfunction then this will have a definite impact on other areas of the body.

2. The second principle is that the body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and health maintenance. The body has an inherent capacity to maintain its own health and an innate ability to heal itself. 

3.  The third osteopathic principle is that structure and function are reciprocally interrelated. This means that if the structure or anatomy of the body is compromised through overuse injuries or chronic problems etc., the function or physiology will adversely be affected in terms of pain, stiffness, instability etc. 

4. The fourth osteopathic principle is that the rational for treatment is based upon the integration of the first three principles for the total care of the patient. The treatment is based on the principles of the body unit, self regulatory and self healing mechanisms, the somatic component of disease, the interrelationship of structure and function, and the appropriate use of manipulative treatment. 

Is it right for you?

Osteopathic manual practitioners can utilize their fine-tuned palpation skills to assess and treat many common ailments throughout infancy into adulthood. There are a number of different osteopathic manipulative approaches that can be taken to help you heal. These include:

1. Articulatory Technique

2. Balanced Ligamentous Technique (BLT)

3. Facilitated Positional Release (FPR)

4. Muscle Energy Techniques

5. Counter Strain Techniques

6. Still Techniques

7. Myofascial Release

8. Cranial Osteopathy

9. Visceral Manipulation 

My personal story

I discovered osteopathy 8 years ago when my oldest son was having trouble with the puffers he was given for his mild asthma. The puffers were not helping him as they should and seemed to be making things worse. I was looking for a more natural way to treat the asthma which lead me to see a manual osteopath. My son has allergy induced asthma which flairs up every spring and fall. We did several treatments with an amazing osteopath and it helped my son a lot. He still needed to use his puffer the odd time but his flair ups were significantly shortened due to the osteopathic treatments. From that moment on I knew that I wanted to be an osteopath. I wanted to be able to help people heal in a natural drug free way!