Comments for Osteopaths Guide Blog

Comment on Vaccination – A Mandatory Requirement for School Entry? by Marie Hodge

Marie Hodge — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:58:09 +0000

It is terrible to think that parents would be forced to have their children vaccinated. I have a vaccine damaged child (now 21) and know many others. We have all been abandoned by the professionals and have had to fight to get help and education for our children often at the expense of our oun health and the relationship with the rest of the family.

Comment on Osteopathy – Back to Its Roots or Full Steam Ahead for NHS Integration? by MCM

MCM — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:45:19 +0000

Change is explicit in evolution. Osteopathy in the UK has barely changed since its arrival in the 1900’s. Education and understanding may be a little more sophisticated, in the context of development within the basic sciences but what once distinctively defined an osteopath does not do so now. What was once a medical heresy is now largely ‘accepted’; such acceptance based on the product of research in the basic medical sciences informing practice. The trouble is that osteopaths still bang much the same drum. Put an osteopath from 1890 in the same room as one from 2000 and they’d likely have a useful and informative discussion. The same could not be said for a doctor of medicine or a surgeon. These individuals, from the different ages would likely completely fail to understand each others language, concepts or practice.

Most other healthcare professions have evolved if only to adopt osteopathic thinking and skills. Osteopaths have now largely lost that which is distinctive. Any hope for the future survival of the profession lies in reacquiring distinctiveness, expanding practice rights, forming strategic alliances eg. with chiropractic and physiotherapy or perhaps even coalescing with these groups into a sophisticated profession of physical medicine. After all, it is likely there is little difference in the patient populations currently attending any particular group. A successful future of professional survival lies in meeting all challenges and turning them into evolutionary steps of increasing sophistication. It also demonstrates clearly that we’re here to stay and both welcome the opportunities to participate in change. Continuing the observed trend is more of the same ‘flat line’ no-change profession who will ultimately be unable to distinguish itself from the grave yard.

Comment on What is Osteopathy? by marjolainedey

marjolainedey — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:28:37 +0000

I enjoyed reading your interpretation. A great “in your own words” definition of osteopathy, however you do not explain how treatment takes affect, and what effects you as an osteopath can have on the body.
I always find the most difficult part to explain in “layman’s terms” is how little old me is going to manage to encourage change and sometimes reverse, processes and compensations that have been put in place for years.

Comment on Tinnitus (buzzing in the ear) and Osteopathy by marjolainedey

marjolainedey — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:23:27 +0000

Hey
I just discovered your blog. I am an osteopath, and my dissertation was on osteopathic treatment of tinnitus. As an undergraduate study, I did not have time to do a proper clinical study, so I decided to base it on a questionnaire (which you may have received 3 years ago, if the email address you gave to GOsC at the time was valid)

Results showed that only half the osteopaths who replied to the study (about 200) felt competent to treat tinnitus, and half of those got at least a slight improvement in tinnitus (whether intensity or improved quality of life) in a majority of patients.

As always, a number of different reasonings took place, and an even greater number of treatments occured to give similar results.

However let’s not forget that one of the most effective way of treating medicine in the NHS is with anti-depressants! Studies show that the intensity of the noise heard does not correlate with the resulting disability.
Other therapies who aim at balancing the person as a whole also get good results.

Hope this continues to get you thinking on the subject…

Comment on Vaccination – A Mandatory Requirement for School Entry? by Siegfried Mercelot

Siegfried Mercelot — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 07:47:30 +0000

The right to choose is essential. Bearing in mind that the parents have also the final responsibility.

Comment on Osteopathy – Back to Its Roots or Full Steam Ahead for NHS Integration? by Jonathan Hearsey

Jonathan Hearsey — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:40:40 +0000

The NHS has changed – you must understand this. Read the Department of Health’s Musculoskeletal Services Framework and you will realise that the NHS is not the beast that it once was.

Osteopathy MUST change, it MUST join the NHS – for the good of the profession, for the good of the NHS but – MORE IMPORTANTLY, for the good of the patient.

Keep up the good work – I strongly support the Osteopaths Guide.

Comment on The Promotional of Osteopathy in the UK by Author

Author — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:39:12 +0000

Interesting article. As a UK osteopath, we are trained separate from the medical schools. I believe this training allows the focus to be on osteopathic principles and understanding. I can’t get my head around osteopaths training through the medical schools. It’s two completely different models at work.

True osteopathy is the understanding that you are treating the cause not the symptoms. A problem doesn’t just appear, there is a chain of physiological events prior to the problem (unless it is a trauma). It is the unravelling of these events that a true osteopath is interested in. Supplying medication to “suppress” a symptom is as you mentioned in the article a complete contradiction of this principle.

Osteopathy is really a preventive medicine; however, our society doesn’t really fit with this. No-one goes for a check up on a regular basis; they wait until there’s a problem and then consult someone. When it gets to this stage then all forms of medicine have their place. Perhaps if more people went to their osteopath for a check up – these problems that require further intervention may never be needed (bold statement I know!). After all we service our cars more regularly than our bodies – what’s more important?

Comment on The Promotional of Osteopathy in the UK by phantomforever9

phantomforever9 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:50:44 +0000

Thanks for the information on osteopathy. We recently wrote an article on osteopathy at Brain Blogger. Osteopathy today- is it unique or has it conformed? Medicate to heal or allow the body to use its own natural healing ability? It’s an interesting debate. What do you think?. We would like to read your comments on our article. Thank you. Sincerely, Kelly