WHAT IS OSTEOPATHY

             

                 Osteopathy is a method of natural, manual care that was invented around the end of the 19th century, and that has kept evolving since then through the accumulated experiences of all practicing osteopaths, as well as the advances in modern scientific knowledge.  Even though it is constantly perfecting itself, it is based on a philosophy and basic principles that have remained unchanged since its creation:

 

•  The unity of the body (The body is seen as a whole, a set of interacting systems).

• The supreme role of the artery (Blood circulates, nourishes and cleanses all structures in the body).

• The structure / function relationship (Structure determines function, function governs structure. Thus, anatomy determines physiology and physiology governs the structure).

• Homeostasis (The body has the ability to heal itself and to maintain its state of health, provided circumstances remain favorable).

 

                 Unlike allopathic medicine, which divides and separates the body's structures and systems in different specialties, Osteopathy is founded on a holistic philosophy. It sees the body as a whole, a unit where all systems (musculoskeletal, blood, lymphatic, digestive, respiratory, etc.) are dependent and interdependent.

 

Osteopathy's goal is to reestablish proper mobility in all the body's structures, to harmonize communication and interdependence among all the systems, with the sole aim to help the body get back to its ability to self-heal, to revert by itself to its state of health.

 

               "Movement is life". Lack of movement generates poor communication between the body's systems and leads to stasis, poor blood circulation, disrupted nutrition, inefficient defense in the cells, leaving the overall landscape weak and prone to illness and degenerescence.

 

               Osteopathy isn't about curing the consequences of an illness, it seeks the cause that prevents the body from finding its ways back to its proper state of health.

 

 

HOW DOES OSTEOPATHY WORK

 

               According to the World Health Organization, "Health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

               So, to help the body find its way back to health, osteopathy offers a global vision of the individual, through the body's anatomy and physiology, of course, but also taking environment, diet and social context into consideration.

 

               An osteopath will seek the cause of a lack or fault in movement, either mechanical or physiologic, and will, through its global analysis:

 

• Offer a manual treatment, using various osteopathic techniques (structural, tissular, cranio-sacral, visceral)

 

• Advise an adjustment in outside parameters (work, exercise, diet, environment, habits, social ties…) 

 

NB: Contrary to popular belief, osteopaths don't just act on bones and joints. Through their various techniques, they can act on all the body's systems: visceral, veinous, nervous, etc.​

 

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WHAT HAPPENS DURING AN OSTEOPATHIC CONSULTATION

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               An osteopathic consultation lasts about an hour and goes through four stages:

 

1. The osteopath takes in the animal's anamnesis, which includes: its history, its life habits, its medical background and the reason for the consultation.​

 

2. A physical examination through sight and touch that allows the osteopath to gather information about the animal's state (general state of health, state of its coat or fur, weight, places that feel hot, indicating inflammation, or places that feel cold, indicating poor circulation and innervation, its posture in a static and dynamic situation).

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3. Testings to assess movement in the various structures and help identify osteopathic dysfunctions.

 

With all this information in hand, the osteopath is able to establish an osteopathic and differential diagnosis. It also enables him or her to identify, as the case may be, affectations that are not osteopathic in nature, which will be followed by a referral to another animal health professional, like a veterinarian.

 

NB : Osteopathy and veterinary medicine are based on different philosophies, but they must be combined and work hand in hand. An Osteopath will know when an animal should be referred to a veterinarian. And conversely, a veterinarian can refer an animal to an osteopath when allopathic medicine has reached its limit. Osteopathy can never be substituted to a veterinarian act.  The osteopath is able to consult regarding diet and recommend some food supplements, but will never give a prescription, and, in case of doubt, this dietary advice should always be checked with the animals regular veterinarian.

 

4. The Osteopathic treatment. The osteopath treats dysfunctions using a variety of techniques appropriate to the individual animal's situation and context. This treatment is followed by recommendations regarding rest, physical therapy and environmental adjustments.

 

NB: Each case, each individual is unique. Treatment will be different for every animal.

It can also be said that there is not one osteopathy but a constellation of osteopaths. The incredible diversity in osteopathic techniques, combined with the identity of each practitioner, means that each osteopath will treat different cases in different ways, while several osteopaths would also treat a single case differently. But in every case, the goal is to harmonize the patient's body, to help it revert to a state of homeostasis.

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OSTEOPATHY FOR ANIMALS

 

               Osteopathy is a practice that centers on life, based on movement and biology. All living beings function, broadly speaking,  according to the same principles.

 

               Like us humans, animals have a body, made of bones, muscles, a heart, a digestive system, skin, a brain, nerves and even emotions! Just like us, they can feel pain, stress, sadness and depression.

 

Animals also need osteopathy and osteopathy shouldn't just be used to cure limps. Body pains can be incredibly varied. Animals also have their aches and deserve to feel well.

 

Animals too can feel a dull chronic pain that can cause them to feel depressed and unhappy.

They can experience headaches, silently suffering, only expressing unease, accelerated breathing, fatigue, a change in behavior… These changes can sometimes unfortunately be misinterpreted as laziness, a consequence of aging or something that will probably take care of itself…

 

No! It is never normal when a horse tries to bite when saddled. These kind of signs should never be ignored!

And the fact that they've been behaving like that for a long time doesn't make it normal! 

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