What is Osteopathy?
Osteopathy deals not only with bones and joints, but rather the whole architecture of the body.
This includes:
• the connective tissues that hold the joints and bones together,
• the muscles that attach to the bones,
• the fascia (which is actually connective tissue) that lines the bones,
• plus everything in between, for instance the abdominal organs which are attached to the bones through connective tissue, to keep them suspended.
In addition, osteopathy also looks at cranial sacral therapy. Osteopathy is a huge field of manual medicine.
What does osteopathy treat? Who would typically see an osteopath/osteopathic manual practitioner?
Typically people who complain of headaches or jaw pain, lower back pain, neck pain would see an osteopath. Anyone who would typically see a physiotherapist, for pain relief could also consider seeing an osteopath. Individuals who may have some other health issues, like a digestive complaint or even menstrual problem, and have already consulted a medical doctor or naturopath and have not uncovered an organic cause of the problem could also consider seeing an osteopath. Some of these complaints could be due to a mal-positioning of ligaments that suspend some of the organs.
Colicky babies could also benefit from osteopathic treatments. This is because in the baby's journey through the birth canal, the head and neck get extended, and their head can get jammed back. This action can compress one of the main nerves that is key for digestion. This can cause the digestive discomfort that colicky babies seem to experience.
Dr. JJ has referred patients to Laura who have had health issues like uterine fibroids, back pain, TMJ (temporal mandibular joint) issues, bladder problems, memory problems, a whole variety of issues. Dr. JJ's approach is that as a naturopath, he takes care of the patients "insides" and he refers patients to Laura, as an osteopathic manual practitioner and physiotherapist and her colleagues, to treat the "outside" of the patient.
Laura said it is about re-balancing. People are the accumulation of the tramatic events in their lives, not only emotionally, but also physically.
What is Fascia?
Fascia can be described as the silver "skin" in red meat, or the thin slimly film on a raw chicken breast. People have that too, it's just thicker- that's what connective tissue is.
How can I find an Osteopath or Osteopathic Manual Practitioner?
You can get a referral to an osteopath/osteopathic manual practitioner from a medical doctor, chiropractor, or naturopathic doctor. You can also find one without a referral through the Canadian College of Osteopathy for those in Canada or the Ontario Association of Osteopaths for those living in Ontario, Canada. You can find links to these organizations through the Find a Practitioner link on the Vitamin Jun keys website.
What training do Osteopathic practitioners receive?
Osteopathic training varies. For instance at the Canadian College of Osteopathy requires 5 years of course work, plus 2 years to complete a thesis. Other schools have different requirements. People can consider seeing an osteopathic student who is in their 3rd or 4th year, as they have a lot of knowledge. After their 5th year, students write their thesis, before getting their letters.
Click here to watch the video on vitaminjunkeys.com
What's Dr. JJ taking today: Calcium
Calcium is very good for pre-menopausal women, who should take about 1,000 mg/day. Post-menopausal women should take about 1,500 mg/day. Calcium is best taken with magnesium and vitamin D, as your body needs these them to be present in order to use the calcium.