Osteopathy

Dr. Andrew Taylor Still

Why Osteopathy?

Speeds up restoration of your health by affecting the ROOT CAUSE of the problem
No side effects
If you are already in good shape, it helps you to maintain it and further boosts your body’s natural reserve and immune system
By focusing on the whole body and its influence on circulation of blood and nerve conduction, it helps with many conditions: musculoskeletal, fascial, nervous, digestive, reproductive, cardiovascular
Suitable for all ages – from babies and children, to adults and elderly
Gentle and very safe ‘hands on’ technique. Feels soothing and most comment that it feels as relaxing as massage therapy.
Fully covered by extended health benefits

How can osteopathy help me?

Very often dysfunctions of the body are caused by mechanical, whether traumatic or postural stresses which produce tension within the muscle and pull on fascias surrounding it. This impacts the movement of fluids of the body such as blood and lymph, as well as passage of nerve impulses, which is essential for maintaining homeostasis.

This lack of motion and impaired circulation creates diminished removal of waste products, which creates further congestion and impedes supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Consequently, the body starts reacting to it and various symptoms such as discomfort, stiffness, tightness and pain may emerge.

Osteopathic practitioner use their hands to discover those areas and uses his knowledge of anatomy and physiology to make decisions on how to assess and treat.

Some conditions osteopathy can help with:

Headaches, Migraines, tension headaches
Vertigo, dizziness, tinnitus
Tendinitis, bursitis, neck and back pain
Disk bulging or herniation
Concussion
TMJ pain
Digestive issues: acid reflux, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome
Menstrual cramps, dysmenorrhea, interstitial cystitis and pelvic floor pain
Nerve entrapment
Stress reduction, anxiety, mental health dysfunction
Chronic pain
Immune system deficits and disorders

How does Osteopathy work?

It is based on few principles:

Body has the ability to heal itself. By removing the cause of the malfunctioning, the body is able to takes over and heals itself, just like it heals by itself if you cut yourself. It does not need any medication, nor creams. So, unless it gets exposed to dirt, too much water or you keep pulling the parts apart preventing the ends to stay together. Hence, the osteopathic practitioner uses her manual skills to detect areas of congestion and dysfunction and then by applying osteopathic tools, based on the physiology of your body, it helps your body to restore its own healing capacity.
All body parts are connected and interrelated, hence they have an influence on each other. Often, the pain you might feel in one part of the body very often is caused by a problem somewhere else. For example, if you have sciatica problem, you may have the pain all the way down your leg, but the problem is actually created by the herniated disk compressing your sciatic nerve coming out of your low back. Or, people having heart attack frequently experience pain in their left shoulder, down the arm or even in their jaw.
Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated, which means that if you have pressure on one organ or any body part, its function will be impaired, sooner or later. Osteopathy searches for those areas and creates space for the organ to resume its natural motion and is able to receive adequate nutrients via unobstructed blood vessels and nerve impulse from unobstructed nerve which leads to restoration of its function. For example, if you have a problem, and you keep taking medication for it, but the organ which is supposed to receive the benefit is undernourished due to the pressure on the blood vessels and nerves, it will not be able to receive the full benefit, just because it can’t reach its destination.
The body is a unit, and the person represents a combination of body, mind and spirit. Osteoapthy takes into consideration all aspects of your presence.In optimal conditions, the body is able to take care of itself, to compensate for minor injuries and to self heal. In some instances, the injury is greater than the body’s ability to adapt or heal. The pain is usually a first sign, the only way your body can tell you that is no longer capable of compensating and needs your attention and correction.By using osteopathic principles we work on restoring its balance where body regains its inherent ability to heal itself.

There are currently two categories of Osteopathic practitioners in Canada:

Osteopathic physicians DO – covered by OHIP. They received their training in the United States. They are licensed physicians who also have osteopathic manual training along with their medical training. They work out of numerous osteopathic hospitals throughout USA and do prescribe medication and apply other medical procedures, including surgeries and obstetrics.
Osteopathic Manuel Practitioners – covered by EHB – Extended health benefits, who have extensive training in treating patients using manual techniques only, as the profession has initially founded, without using any adjuncts such as medication, surgery or any other medical procedures. They use hands to diagnose the problem as well to correct it. Mira received her Master in Practice of Osteopathic Manipulative Sciences, M.OMSc from Canadian Academy of Osteopathy.

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What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a non invasive, drug-free, ‘hands on’ approach of alternative medicine which searches for the causes of malfunctioning of the body. It is based on an in depth knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics and physiology. By correcting altered biomechanics of the body (frequently created as a protective pattern due to an injury or pathology or simply as a consequence of a cultural, sport or habitual reasons) osteopathy regulates the circulatory, lymphatic and nervous system, stimulates normal physiology to resume and restores health. The goal is to provide the patient overall good health and well being.

The name osteopathy is derived from Greek words οστέων - osteon: bone and πάθη - pathy: suffering.

“ Tie a string around your finger tight. What will follow? The finger will turn red and then it will turn black. In time it will die. No treatment, internal or external, material or mental can save your finger so long as the sting remains. The only thing necessary is the removal of the string. This in a crude way illustrates the principle which is the basis of Osteopathy.

This principle is that anything which interferes with blood currents or with nerve impulses must be overcome in order to secure health of the parts affected.” E.M. Downing, D.O

How using osteopathic principles differs from other treatments?
Osteopathy assesses and treats body as a whole, considers that all of its parts are interrelated and relies on body’s ability to heal itself.
There are four main principles of osteopathy:

The body is a unit, and the person represents a combination of body, mind and spirit.

The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing and health maintenance.

Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.

Rational treatment is based on an understanding of these principles: body unity, self-regulation, and the interrelationship of structure and function.

In optimal conditions, the body is able to take care of itself, to compensate for minor injuries and to self heal. In some instances, the injury is greater than the body’s ability to adapt or heal. The pain is usually a first sign, the only way your body can tell you that is no longer capable of compensating and needs your attention and correction.

By using osteopathic principles we strive towards restoring its balance where body again regains its inherent ability to heal itself.

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How can mobilizing of parts of my body help me?

Very often dysfunctions of the body are caused by mechanical, whether traumatic or postural stresses which produce tension within the muscle and pull on fascias surrounding it. This impacts the movement of fluids of the body such as blood and lymph, as well as passage of nerve impulses, which is essential for maintaining homeostasis.

This lack of motion and impaired circulation creates impaired removal of waste products, which creates further congestion and impedes supply of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Consequently, the body starts reacting to it and various symptoms such as discomfort, stiffness, tightness and pain may emerge.

Osteopathic principles guide the practitioner to make decisions on how to assess and treat.

How did Osteopathy begin?

n the spring of 1864, Andrew Taylor Still a medical doctor and surgeon from Kansas, watched helplessly as the best medications then available failed to save his three children from spinal meningitis. Frustrated, Dr. Still started studying human body and searching for an alternative healing practice. He eventually developed the new system where by manipulation of the parts of the body and spine the blood and flow of other liquids and impulses will improve health by allowing the body to heal itself. More...

Osteopathy was officially recognized in the United States under Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency as he had personally been successfully treated by Osteopathy. In the United States, osteopathy students are still still being thought the original methods based on palpation and manual therapeutic methods, but the practice of Osteopathy has evolved more toward the practice of medicine and surgery. Osteopathy graduates in the USA are granted medical degrees and are called Osteopathic physicians. More...

What is the difference between D.O. and Osteopathic Manual Therapists?
In Canada, there are currently two categories of Osteopathic practitioners:

Osteopathic practitioners who have extensive training in treating patients using manual techniques only. They do not use drugs, medication, surgery or other medical procedures.There are many osteopathic schools currently in Canada. Canadian Academy of Osteopthy teaches principles created by osteopathy founder Dr. Andrew Taylor Still and his student Dr. John Martin LittleJohn and further developed as Classical Osteopathy by John Wernham .

Osteopathic physicians DO – Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine who received their training in the United States. They are licensed physicians who also have osteopathic manual training along with their training in prescribing medication and applying other medical procedures.