What is Osteopathy?
As the general population has a misinformed notion of what osteopathy is, or its definition, it’s best to talk about its principles and what us practitioners can do using these principles. The common thought is, “the study of bones”; or how to affect change to bones.
Osteopathy is the study of the human body’s anatomy and how to understand the body as a whole and how to help facilitate a better healthy lifestyle. Under the classical teachings of the founder of Osteopathy, Dr. Taylor Still, there are four basic principles. The first principle is that the body is a dynamic unit of function. In essence, your body is one unit; simply put, everything is connected. The second principle is that the body can self-heal and self-regulate naturally. Third principle is that structure and function are interrelated. Meaning, with proper alignment of the layers of the body and its structures will allow for the body to function as it was designed to. The last principle, as osteopathic practitioners we use the prior three principles to discern for a rational treatment approach.
Osteopaths are NOT considered healers, however are facilitators in improving the health and structure of the body. If the structure of the body is not aligned, due to age, posture or injury, problems can arise. However, if the body is put back into its proper structures with the hard/soft tissues combined, then the body will be able to take care of itself accordingly. Similarly, if a house is built without proper structured foundation, problems will occur such as electricity, plumbing, ventilation etc. The same ideology can be applied to the human body. Our duty is to find the problem, fix it, and leave it alone.
