Traditional Osteopathy is a manual diagnostic and therapeutic system based on the premise that the primary role of the therapist is to facilitate the body's inherent ability to self-regualte and self-heal. It was founded by an American physician Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in 1874 and has since established itself as an integral part of health care in the US, Europe and Canada.
Osteopathic philosophy maintains that the structure and function of the body are interconnected: problems in one organ affect other organ systems. Hence, Osteopaths assess and treat the body as a whole, recognizing even the smallest, localized deviations as obstacles to the healthy functioning of the entire body.
Relying on the quality and finesse of his or her palpation, an Osteopath identifies causes of pain and imbalance in the body by assessing the position, mobility and vitality of the tissues. When an Osteopath treats a patient, he or she is always maintaining a dialog with the tissues by asking them: "Where are you? Where do you need to be? What prevents you from going there?"
The goal then of the Osteopathic treatment, as Dr. Andrew Taylor Still has put it, is to: "Find it, fix it and leave it alone."
To this end, a traditional Osteopathic treatment combines the four main types of Osteopathic modalities:
Other therapies incorporate these techniques in their treatments. What makes Osteopathic therapy different is its underlying philosophy, which can be understood through the meaning of the word "Osteopathy".
Osteopathy comes from the ancient Greek words Osteon and Pathos. Osteon means Structure of Living Matter and Pathos means Deep Emotional Feeling That a Being Wishes to Express. Greeks believed that if Pathos is not being expressed then there is suffering.
Explained in this way, Osteopathy looks for and treats the structural imbalances in the body to facilitate the body’s inherent ability to repair itself and thus eliminate suffering. Therefore, an Osteopath is a guide who is leading his or her patients towards their imotional, spiritual and physical balance. |