Try A Hands-On, Drugs-Free Approach To Healthcare: What Is Osteopathy?

Your body might be taking the brunt of modern life or you could be feeling ill, but it mightn’t always be the best option to reach for the prescription and stock up on treatment straightaway.

Osteopathy is a unique, holistic approach to healthcare. In osteopathy, it is not just the problem area that is focused on, manual techniques are used to balance all the systems of the body and to provide overall good health and wellbeing.

It was Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, an American doctor in the late 1800s, that established the practice of osteopathy. His aim was to use manual 'hands on' techniques to improve circulation and correct altered biomechanics, without the use of drugs. 

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a hands-on, drug-free system of medical diagnosis and treatment. The treatment is aimed not only at the relief of symptoms, but also towards helping the body to function better all around. Patients report an improvement in wellbeing, energy levels and sleep patterns. Most of the time, you might go for therapy with one symptom in mind and notice improvements in other areas of symptoms too.

How does it work?

Osteopaths use various hands-on techniques to treat and strengthen the musculoskeletal framework which includes the joints, muscles and spine. Its aim is to manipulate and improve nerve, blood and lymph supply to a damaged or sick part of the body. The body is helped to use its own natural healing ability to fix any problems. The need for medication is reduced or sometimes even eliminated…

What is it based on?

The philosophy is what makes osteopathy different from other medical disciplines. The key principles are based on the body working in an integrated manner. Osteopathy believes that id one part of the body is restricted, then the rest of the body must adapt for it. This is what leads to inflammation, pain and stiffness. When the body is free of movement restrictions, osteopathy treatment assists the body with pain minimisation, reduced stress and greater mobility, allowing the body the opportunity to heal itself.

What happens during the actual treatment?

Osteopaths have a highly skilled sense of touch. They use their hands to identify and treat areas of the body that are in pain, injured or prone to recurrent injuries.

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GloHealth members who have the Complementary Therapy Personalised Package can claim up to a totoal of €50 back each year (25x2 visits) for Osteopathy. For more information on this package, see GloHealth.ie.