Looking for a holistic health system that's gentler than chiropractic adjustment, more effective than massage, and that is said to support the immune system and restore the total body to health? Then osteopathic medicine might be the perfect fit. Osteopathy works with simple structural manipulations that restore balance and help the body to heal itself.
What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy is a form of holistic treatment that focuses on the role of the musculoskeletal system in the total health of the body. The treatment is built upon a belief that tiny corrections and tiny imbalances in the positions of the vertebrae, muscles, joints, and cranium can cause or cure larger imbalances, pain and disease in the body. Osteopathy is often used to treat back pain, joint pain, arthritis, tension, digestive complaints, lymphatic problems, pregnancy issues, and even stress and emotional disorders.
Osteopathy is based on the work of medical doctor Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917), who lost his wife and three children to spinal meningitis and, in the process, lost faith in the medical institution. He studied with Native healers and later developed the system that would become osteopathy. He believed that the spine is integral to health and that manipulations and adjustments to the spine could be used to heal most ills.
Today, osteopathy schools usually offer a doctorate program, conferring a DO or Doctor of Osteopathy on those qualified to practice. An osteopath will use palpation and gentle movements of the cranium, spine, muscles, and viscera or connective tissue to improve balance and restore health.
Osteopathic Treatment: What to Expect
Every osteopath works a little differently, and treatment depends on the needs of the individual patient, but most osteopathic treatment involves:
- Lying on a massage table, fully clothed, while an osteopath performs minute, almost unnoticeable adjustments to the skull, neck, and back
- Sitting upright in a chair or massage table while subtle visceral adjustments are done to the legs and back
- Relaxing, soothing gentle massage-like treatment
There is a definite relationship between osteopathy, chiropractic, and craniosacral treatment, although there are differences as well:
- Osteopathic medicine is much more subtle and gentle in its approach than most chiropractic adjustments.
- Osteopathy encompasses a number of treatments, including craniosacral massage, but combines other practices as well.
Many patients feel energized, spacey, or tired after an osteopathy treatment – this is completely normal and will fade as the body absorbs and readjusts to the new structural balance. Osteopathy often delivers results for even severe pain or disease in as little as four or five sessions.
How to Find an Osteopath
The best way to find a good osteopath is by asking for referrals from friends, doctors, or other health experts. Health food and supplement stores will often have advertising material from osteopaths and other holistic health practitioners, but the best way to locate a really good osteopathic doctor is by finding somebody who experienced great results with osteopathy – and finding out who she or he saw.
Resources
- Canadian College of Osteopathy, "The Elements of Traditional Osteopathy," OsteopathieCollege.com, 2009.
- Carroll, Robert T., "Osteopathy," The Skeptic's Dictionary, skepdic.com, 2009.
- Ontario Association of Osteopaths, "What is Osteopathy?" OsteopathyOntario.com, 2009.
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
Join the Conversation