"All that is not given is lost"
Definition
It is very difficult for me to define Osteopathy and its range of posssibilities in a few words but saying that Osteopathy is a holistic, manual, medical practice is a good start. However, it is also a science, a philosophy and an art of healing. The science relies on behavioral, physical, biochemical, biodynamic, neurological and biological knowledge. The philosophy encircles the fact that a person is a dynamic unit of function that possesses a series of interrelated self-regulating, self-defence and self-repair mechanisms. The art lies in the application of these concepts to diagnose loss of functional and structural integrity and to restore harmony and equilibrium by the appropriate touch. 'The touch' that allegedly helps the body to heal itself.
A little bit of history
Although it all started 110 years ago osteopathy is still little known to the general public. The founder of osteopathy, Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917), a Civil War surgeon in the Union army, lost three of his children to spinal meningitis. He then tried to find an alternative healing practice. He was the first western doctor to consider a person as a whole, and health as a functional balance of the structures making up the human body.
Osteopathic practice
An osteopath's best allies are his or her hands. By palpating the Accessory Vascular Wave (AVW), the osteopath is capable of evaluating restrictions or alterations to physiologic motion, changes in tissue texture, symptoms such as pain, burning, tingling, or numbness.... The osteopath may treat symptoms first in order to relieve pain but he or she will definitely attempt to find and treat the underlying causes of the problem. It is very important to understand that symptoms are the body's means to express itself. If we only treat symptoms we invite the body to find another way of expressing its uneasiness. Treating symptoms will definitely not cure a person's illness. An osteopath can use a variety of manual treatment approaches depending on the patient and the disorder to treat. Usually a well conducted treatment will lead to a somato emotional release, which can manifest itself in various ways, such as a deep sense of relaxation, tingling sensations, improved bloodflow, crying or laughing... .
A few words about Somato Emotional Release (SER)
An emotional experience can be retained physically rather than be dissipated by our body, leading to loss of flexibility in a connective tissue (fascia) and, or an organ, which will in turn lead to dysfunction and, or pathology. It is important to understand that we have inherited from our primitive forebears an amazing faculty to hold reactively programmed records of particular events. Those which our primitive brain has classified as important to our survival or our well-being. This is the reason why, when an experience similar to that recorded in earlier memory occurs, our initial reaction is triggered, although it could be a totally inappropriate reaction to the current situation. Most of our traumas are either entirely emotional or have a significant emotional reaction related to them. When human tissue goes through a release process, there is a distinctive change in the AVW. It stops for a significant amount of time and marks the beginning of a SER. This gives the practitioner an objective physical means of monitoring, and therefore guiding, the process. Sometimes we need to clear what we call an energy cyst. A physical trauma constitutes an energy input to our organism. Energy cysts appear if the emotional component is significantly negative at the time of said trauma. The body retains the energy input and places it in the tissues or organs corresponding to the body's symbolism associated to the trauma. Just as any other cyst, there will be adrain on the body's resources to maintain the energy cyst 'alive'! An energy cyst can cost you 20 to 30 percent of your energy. The AVW is the ultimate means to help a practitioner detect and release an energy cyst. When we truly experience emotion, our limbic system (our mammalian brain) is operating. The limbic system expresses itself in metaphors, pictures and symbols rather than logical constructs. It is also connected to our autonomic nervous system and metabolism. It is what we dream with. Our limbic system is the direct voice of our body, unimpeded by analysis, diagnosis or conditioning. That is the reason why SER brings resolution to longstanding and resistant problems, rather than approaches that involve our analytical brain.
Applicability
One hesitates to enumerate a list of diseases and ailments that can be helped by osteopathy as this would limit the potential of osteopathy. Osteopaths are capable of treating a wide range of disorders. Most people think of trying osteopathy for problems such as musculoskeletal pains but this is only a small part of this discipline's possibilities. Osteopathy can help with somatic pains such as neck problems and back problems, sciatica, headaches, traumatic injuries, fibromyalgia, zona, depression..., with respiratory illnesses such as asthma, allergies, bronchitis, pleurisy..., with pediatric problems such as colics, spitting up, sucking difficulties, delayed development, birth trauma, cerebral palsy, learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, chronic ear infections, recurrent sore throats, frequent colds, sinisitis, vertigo..., with systemic problems such as gastrointestinal disturbances, digestive disorders, neurologic disorders, genitourinary problems, chronic infectious diseases, whiplash, head trauma, seizures, post concussion syndrome... as well as pregnancy problems such as back pain, groin pain, digestive upset and edema. Indeed, it becomes difficult to think of any condition for which osteopathy is counterindicated. It is obvious that osteopathy cannot cure a chronic condition such as arthritis (no known medecine can) but it can help improve many of its painful effects. Cancer is another condition where osteopathy can make life more comfortable for those suffering of it.