5 Holistic Benefits of Osteopathy

As you probably know, this is a holistic health and fitness site. I’m always interested to hear from other holistic wellness practitioners and to have them share their wisdom and experience of using various modalities. Osteopathy is one of those wonderful holistic philosophies that addresses and treats the body as a whole. In this article, Eliza Cochrane from Body Tonic Clinic outlines five holistic benefits of osteopathy to help you better understand what this therapy is all about. Elly xx

The benefits of osteopathy have long been well documented, but there is no shortage of misconceptions and myths surrounding the practice. This may be because, in order to really appreciate the benefits of osteopathy, a certain amount of esoteric knowledge is required. That, and osteopathy is often confused with similar therapies, such as physiotherapy or chiropractic.

But while other physical therapies are often designed to treat a particular injury to the body, or to provide rehabilitation and enable healing after a particular trauma or physical change (e.g. pregnancy, or strenuous sporting activity), the benefits of osteopathy are felt throughout the whole body.

Osteopathy provides valuable long-term rehabilitative treatment, which can help to promote healing and prevent injury. So, for those of you who may be unsure about a course of osteopathic treatment, here’s a breakdown of the principal holistic benefits.

1. Osteopathic manipulative treatment is a holistic treatment

A common question that is often asked is, “What can an osteopath treat?” The answer is: pretty much almost everything. Osteopathic medicine is what is known as a “holistic” treatment in the medical literature. This means it not only considers the physical aspects of the body but also the mental and social factors that may be contributing to a particular health problem as well.

Osteopathic physicians believe that a problem with one system or part of the body affects the entirety of the body and its ability to heal itself. So any treatment that is delivered is measured accordingly, to take into account and work the entire body. As a result, the benefits of osteopathy are often felt not only throughout the musculoskeletal system of the body but mentally as well.

2. The benefits of osteopathy on the immune system

One of the major holistic benefits of osteopathy is the overall positive effects it has on the immune system. Osteopathic treatment works from the belief that the structure and function of the body are interconnected. It, therefore, holds that osteopathy can help boost immunity. There are several ways it can do this:

• Osteopathic manual therapy can help to improve thoracic mobility and increase lymphatic drainage. Techniques such as this can help to, among other things, boost the lymphatic system, which in turn helps to better regulate the body’s organ functions and its overall immunity.
• Osteopathic therapy can help with our mental health and plays a part in promoting a feeling of overall well being. For instance, regular massage treatments can help to better regulate what is known as the sympathetic nervous system, which essentially controls the body’s “fight/flight” reflexes. If our body is placed under stress, then the sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. This leads to adrenal stress, which in turn can have a negative effect on the other organs of the body.
• Overall, osteopathy can help to rebalance the body’s nervous system and restore motion and mobility to the joints. This, in turn, helps to boost the body’s overall immunity.

3. The benefits of cranial osteopathy

Some studies have shown that osteopathy can help with sleep disorders and insomnia-related health complaints. We’ve previously discussed how osteopathy can help with the sympathetic nervous system (which controls respiratory and cardiac activity and fight or flight mechanisms).

One splinter branch of traditional osteopathy, known as cranial osteopathy, works the whole body. There is also an added emphasis on the skull, neck, and upper spine. Cranial osteopathy, unsurprisingly, abets cranial osteopaths as they try to locate any sources of pain or discomfort from the upper spine upwards. Cranial osteopathy is a deliberately refined treatment designed to help the body’s central nervous system.

What are the benefits of cranial osteopathy?

Both cranial osteopathy and traditional osteopathy can help recipients sleep better. This is because osteopathy works the craniosacral system of the body – an area that includes the bones of the face, skull, mouth, larynx, and the lower part of the spinal cord. The following osteopathic treatments can help relieve tensions, aches, and pains that can lead to sleep deprivation. They may be used in both traditional and cranial osteopathy methods:

• Soft tissue manipulation – Helps to improve circulation of the body’s lymph system, as well as being used as an evaluative tool to deactivate trigger points, promote relaxation, and correct muscle imbalances.
• Osteopathic articular techniques – Gentle massaging of the surface around two joints. A less severe treatment than joint manipulation, it’s designed to reduce muscle spasms and ease neurological problems which could be causing tensions which may be leading to a sleep disorder.

4. The health benefits of osteopathy treatment for pain relief

For people who may be suffering from chronic aches or pains, such as lower back pain, osteopathy’s holistic approach can help. Some of the benefits we have mentioned above are some of the reasons why osteopathy can help with:

• Removing the cause of underlying acute or chronic pain (through its non-invasive manual treatments)
• Treatment of poor spinal posturing (poor posture), which may, in turn, be causing chronic aches and pains
• Tension-related headaches, neck pain, and chronic migraine headache relief
• Osteopathy can be used as part of a holistic rehab process to recover from sports injuries
• Studies have even shown that osteopathy can help alleviate sufferers from the symptoms of asthma and even irritable bowel syndrome
• Osteopathy can help those who suffer from arthritis. Although arthritis is a degenerative process for which there is no known cure, osteopaths can treat the muscle to an optimal standard. This ensures that any movement of the muscle and any load placed on it is distributed as evenly as possible.

5. The benefits of osteopathy treatment during pregnancy

Pregnancy is just one of several major structural changes that can happen to the human body, the negative symptoms of which osteopathic treatment can help mitigate. Osteopathy’s holistic approach offers effective physical therapy both during pregnancy and in the immediate aftermath. Osteopathy uses its holistic techniques to help the body adapt to the stresses and strains that can be caused by pregnancy. Osteopathy is often applied to pregnant women and can be used alongside your pregnancy exercise routine. Osteopathy during pregnancy typically helps with:

• The alleviation of pelvic pain, back, neck, and shoulder pain
• A sharp reduction in reports of heartburn, nausea, and vomiting
• Maintaining optimal breathing patterns
• Regulation of the body’s digestive system

After pregnancy, osteopathic treatment can also play a role in helping the body return to normal. Including:

• Helping to restore pelvic alignment and posture
• Assisting with any aches or pains that may arise from poor breast-feeding posture, lifting and carrying, or repetitive strain
• Helping to alleviate back pain
• Aiding recovery in the aftermath of C-sections
• Osteopathy’s holistic benefits mean it can it help with bladder or incontinence problems in the aftermath of pregnancy

What is the difference between osteopathy and chiropractic? (Osteopathy vs chiropractic)

Although this is technically a digression from the purpose of this article, it is one that we believe is worth mentioning, especially because of the (understandable) confusion that those unfamiliar with the different practices have.

An easy way to remember the differences is to think like this:

• Osteopathy = muscle
• Chiropractic = bones

Osteopaths consider the entire body and seek structural integration by manipulating the muscles. Soft tissue therapy, for example, as mentioned above, is virtually unique to osteopathy. Chiropractors, on the other hand, are not as holistic in their approach as osteopaths. They primarily focus on the spine and the skeleton at large.

There are many differences between the two, but in the broadest and simplest sense, the two treatments utilize different techniques, work different parts of the body, and have different ambitions.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy reading about other holistic modalities, such as IV vitamin therapy and naturopathy. You can also read about these holistic approaches to spine health and ergonomic tips for better spine health.