What do osteopaths treat?

What do osteopaths treat?


Osteopaths are generally known to treat musculoskeletal pain conditions such as:

Ottawa Osteopath

• headaches
• neck pain
• back pain
• hip pain
• knee pain
• ankle and foot pain
• General muscle pain such as Fibromyalgia
• Joint problems caused by osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

As well as musculoskeltal pain osteopaths also can help with physiological conditions such as:

• Digestive issues such as Coeliac Disease, Crohns, heartburn, indigestion, IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome), Ulcerative colitis.
• Menstruation and menopausal symptoms.
• Respiratory conditions such as asthma, recurrent sinus and throat infections.
• Skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema.

Osteopaths also use a technique called Cranial Osteopathy, which is similar to craniosacral therapy, that is excellent for babies and children. Conditions that can be helped include:

• Croup
• Digestive issues
• Feeding problems
• Hyperactivity
• Trauma from long birth/labour

These are just a few of the many conditions osteopaths treat. 

What is Osteopathy?

What is Osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a 100 year old healing system which was developed by Andrew Still in the USA in the early 20th century. Students of Andrew Still took Osteopathy to the United Kingdom where it grew slowly in popularity and developed a small but loyal following. It was only towards the end of the 20th Century that Osteopathy was formally recognized in both the USA and the UK. In both countries the term osteopath is a protected title under law. Osteopathy in Canada is a growing profession but still not widely known by the population. There are only 800 osteopathically trained practitioners working in Canada, the majority of those in Ontario and Quebec.

Osteopathy is a whole body approach to diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal pain conditions. Osteopathic manual practitioners as the majority of osteopaths are known in Canada diagnose and treat using their hands. Using a highly developed sense of palpation they are able to feel areas of dysfunction in the body's muscles and joints. These areas are seen as blockages to your body's innate ability to heal itself (your immune system). Osteopathic manual practitioners are taught to gentle remove these blockages by manipulation of the fascia, muscles joints and spine. It is important to note that the whole philosophy of Osteopathy is to help the body help itself. This means you get a much deeper and longer lasting healing to the body.

To find out more about Osteopathy in Ontario you can go to the Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners of Ontario website. If you have any queries or questions regarding this article please leave it in the comments below.

What is an Osteopath?

What is an Osteopath?

In Ontario, where I practice, the only people who are legally allowed to call themselves an "Osteopath" are members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario as per the Medicine Act of 1991. To become a member of the College you must have completed a Doctor of Osteopathy or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. At present this degree is only available in USA and not Canada. Hence, only a handful of US educated practitioners who are members of the CPSO can legally call themselves an Osteopath or Osteopathic Physician.

The majority of practitioners practicing Osteopathy in Ontario are called Osteopathic Manual Practitioners and are members of the Ontario Association of Osteopathic Manual Practitioners (OAO). The membership of the OAO is made up of Canadian and Foreign trained in Osteopathy. I am a United Kingdom trained and have a Degree in Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic Manual Practitioners that are trained in Ontario will have the designation DOMP or DOMTP after their name, which signifies that they have a Diploma of Osteopathy. In the UK, as in Ontario, the title Osteopath is a protected in law by the 1991 Osteopaths Act. The regulating body for Osteopaths in the UK is the General Osteopathic Council (GOC). Only registered members, of which I am, can use the title, Osteopath in the UK. As a member of both the OAO and GOC, it is mandatory that you complete a minimum amount of continuing education to maintain a strict code of practice. The OAO, unlike the GOC, is not a regulatory body but it's  membership are working towards this goal with the Government of Ontario and Canada.

When looking for a therapist practicing Osteopathy in Ontario it is important to check their qualifications and to what professional associations they belong.

If you have any questions regarding the above blog or general queries about osteopathy please leave them in the comments below.

What do Osteopaths do?

"What do Osteopaths do?"

As an Ottawa Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, this is a frequent question for me. Here are a few facts that might help answer that question:

Osteopaths are trained to diagnose and treat pain originating from your musculoskeletal system. They treat primarily with their hands using gentle manipulations, mobilisations of your joints, muscles and spine. One of the main principles taught osteopaths is that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. So when an osteopath is treating you they are helping your body to help itself. They are expert at identifying physical causes of pain including muscle strains, ligament sprains, joint issues and spinal misalignments.


When assessing your pain issues your osteopath will take into account not only where the pain is located but also your overall health and how that is interacting with your presenting problem. Osteopaths are often trained in diet and nutrition and understand the close link between the health of your musculoskeletal system and the food you eat. They have a truly holistic approach to health.

All Osteopaths are trained in pathology which is the study of disease. They learn this because sometimes physical pain can originate from a disease process which is happening in the body. This knowledge means that they can identify conditions that are not appropriate for osteopathic treatment and in such a case they will refer you to your physician.

Osteopaths also trained to identify and treat non-disease physiological problems which have  a structural origin. For example, stomach or tummy problems can often be caused by restrictions in the spine that can be easily resolved by osteopathic treatment.

Osteopaths are trained in pharmacology, which is the science medication, they have a good understanding of the effects and side effects of drugs this is extremely important as if clients are taking certain medication this can contraindicate them from particular types of osteopathic treatment.

These are just a few of the things what do osteopaths do?

Whats the difference between an Osteopath and a Chiropractor?

This is probably the commonest question I have to answer when ever I mention that my job is an osteopath. It's a tricky question to answer since I have never been to see a chiropractor either personally or professionally. The knowledge I have gathered about the subject is through some reading but mostly from many of my clients who have received chiropractic care.  Despite this I shall put some of my own light on the matter.

When I left osteopathic college back in 1997 I had been taught how to diagnose musculoskelatal pain and how to differentiate that from other conditions that mimic the same symptoms. Chiropractors essentially learn this as well.

When you first visit either a chiropractor or osteopath both will sit down with you and ask you questions about the problem you need help with, your past medical history, your family's medical history, medications you might take and so on. This is called a case history. These questions help us determine whether this is a musculoskeletal problem or if there is any underlying disease or pathology causing your symptoms.

At this point, both chiropractors and osteopaths carry out a physical examination. This is used to help further define the nature of the musculoskeletal cause of your problem or the underlying pathology. Many chiropractors at this point have the tendancy to take xrays of the effected area. This is prudent if you suspect some disease of the joints or bones but many chiropractors use it to determine misalignment  of the spine. Xrays are a necessary evil if you suspect pathology but the dangerous effects of xrays is well documented.

Once the examination is complete both chiropractors and osteopaths will give you a summary of their findings, what diagnosis they have come to, whether they think the treatment they offer will help and a treatment plan. With treatment plans there seems to be a difference in policy between chiropractors and osteopaths. Chiropractors appear to be much more rigid in their treatment plans which seem to be dense and long. For example, a recent client said she had been seeing a chiropractor, 3 times a week for the 1 year and then 2 times a week for the second. Osteopaths, in my experience, will often suggest a couple of treatments per week for the first 2 may be 3 week and then treatments are progressively spread out.

Both chiropractors and osteopaths are taught how to manually manipulate the spine and other joints in the body. Both do this with the aim of increasing the range of motion in restricted joints. From my clients experiences adjustments by chiropractors seem to be more aggressive in nature and some have expressed apprehension when talking about the subject. There also seems to be a tendency chiropractors use adjustment as their exclusive method of treatment. Osteopaths in general are taught a number of different physical treatment approaches including massage, stretching and exercise therapy.

Chiropractors place a strong emphasis on the health of the spine and it's effects on the muscles and the rest of the body.  Osteopaths have a different slant on how they view health in that they believe in the body's innate ability to cure itself. The health of the spine is an important part of that but is only one part of the body. Osteopaths look at the health of the whole body and specifically what is stopping the your body's immune system from helping it self. Osteopaths appear to have a much more holistic approach. They tend to look beyond the spine and look at underlying factors that may be contributing to your body's imbalance. One common factor is what you put in your mouth. This, enviromental factors, lifestyle and stress have a huge effect on the body's ability to fix itself.

So that is some of my light on the difference between chiropractors and osteopaths. I'm sure many will have opinions and my discussion is far from exhaustive but comments will be eagerly accepted.

The pain of Aspartame and it's new cousin.

When the NutraSweet Company first began petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve aspartame as a food additive back in the early 1970s, it had every intention of conniving its way to success by whatever means possible. Today, after successfully getting aspartame approved and widely accepted around the world with flawed studies and behind-the-scenes manipulation, NutraSweet has once again done the same thing with a new chemical sweetener known as neotame, which is currently approved for use in food without even having to be labeled.

Neotame was approved by the FDA back in 2002 without so much as a single conclusive, independent study proving its safety for human consumption. And yet the agency gave its full blessing not only to neotame's approval for use in food, but also for its unlabeled use -- as far as we know, not a single food product currently sold in the U.S. indicates that it contains neotame.

Two years before the FDA approved neotame, the Monsanto Co. sold the NutraSweet Co. to J.W. Childs Equity Partners II, L.P., a private equity firm that also own the Sunny Delight Beverage Co. and Mattress Firm, among other companies. At the time of this purchase, NutraSweet issued a press release bragging about how neotame would drastically change the sweetener industry, even though it had not yet been approved for use.

Commenting on the company's plans for neotame, Nick E. Rosa, a former senior vice president at Monsanto who was given the position of president and CEO of NutraSweet at the time the company transferred ownership to J.W. Childs, had this to say:

"The NutraSweet Company revolutionized the sweetener industry in 1981 with the introduction of aspartame, and we intend to do it again with neotame when we receive approval from various regulatory agencies around the world."

Just as predicted, NutraSweet strong-armed FDA approval for neotame in the U.S. in 2002, and quickly expanded approval to at least 69 other countries in the following decade. But the company presumably still has a lot of work to do if it hopes to bring neotame to the same level as aspartame, which is sold in more than 100 countries and used in more than 5,000 consumers products used by 250 million people worldwide.

As detrimental as aspartame is to health, neotame is potentially far worse. Like aspartame, it is linked to severe neurotoxic and immunotoxic damage because it metabolizes into toxic formaldehyde and other toxic substances. And because it is unlabeled, the general public is unable to self-regulate consumption levels.



Natural News.com


Comments:

In my work treating people for chronic pain problems one of the main causes of this is toxic overload of peoples bodies. One of the top four in the list of toxins that effect people in this way is artificial sweeteners, especially Aspartame. Many people with chronic pain drink soft drinks and chew gum daily basis. Neotame will undoubtedly bring the same harmful outcome.

Dominick Hussey Osteopath

Back pain relief: Do it yourself?

Lower back pain is one of the commonest conditions I see in my practice. As an Osteopath working in Ottawa I am normally the end of a long line of physical therapists that back pain sufferers consult. Osteopathy is very much a mixture of many of those therapies as we a re trained to use many of the techniques used by chiropractors, physiotherapists and RMT's. Therefore it is unlikely that I am going to get any further with relieving peoples back pain. So what's the answer? The answer is often within the person themselves. What are they doing to their bodies that makes them hurt much. The first thing I look at is what they are putting in their mouths. Much of today's processed or even fresh foods are full of health time bombs. My top five food lower back pain time bombs are: * Caffiene * Artificial Sweeteners * Antibiotics * Fluoride * Gluten By getting lower back pain sufferers to avoid some or all of these I have seen amazing transformations in their pain levels and general wellbeing. Try it you might be pleasantly surprised.