Osteopathy or Osteopathic Medicine is not only a method and system of medical care, it is a philosophy. It was established in the USA in the 1870’s by Dr Andrew Taylor Still and was based on certain key principles:

• that the organism functions as an integrated whole (mind, body, spirit)
• that the coherent function of the ‘structure’ of the body (its tissues and skeletal structures) is reflected in the healthy physiology of the organism.
• that health and vitality are generated within each individual, and our job as clinicians is to remove impediments to these by recalibrating and reintegrating the subtle motion patterns in all tissues.

These motion patterns may be conspicuous, as in the evident movements of joints, spine and the musculoskeletal system generally, or extremely subtle, as in the myofascial and craniosacral systems.  All of these are important in their influence on circulation (arterial, venous, lymphatic, cerebrospinal) and the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous systems and their effects on sustaining healthy function of all the body’s organs and vital mechanisms.

Such functions can be altered, disturbed or distorted by trauma, stress, toxicity, unhealthy nutrition and life patterns, occupational and emotional pressures. All of these can pose threats to the healthy coherent function that is characteristic of health, repair and immunity. Many illnesses are a consequence of dysfunction in these areas, often creating a predisposition to  ill health, degeneration and disease.  Thus, osteopathic healthcare often helps support the patient’s constitution, performing a prophylactic  (preventative) role alongside its palliative and therapeutic benefits.