What is Osteopathy?

The term “Osteopathy” was coined on June 22nd, 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still.  It’s origin is derived from Greek roots:  osteon, which means bone, and pathos which means pathology. 

Osteopathy is based on the principle that the body has the capacity to make its own remedies against certain diseases and other toxic conditions, as long as the body is in a normal structural state and in favourable environmental health conditions.  Osteopathic medicine emphasizes the importance of the medical aspects of the body and uses manipulative methods to detect and correct structural, visceral and cranial physiological problems

1 - Unity of the functions of the human body

The human body works as a WHOLE.  It forms a complete UNITY of its biological, emotional, and spiritual parts.

The human body either works well as a whole or badly as a whole.

Any disturbance that occurs in a defined region of the body can appear in any other region of the body.

Any accident that occurs in a defined region of the body (foot, lumbar vertebra, thorax, cervical, head) will have repercussions within the rest of the body

2 - Auto-defense, auto-regulation and autocure

The body possesses on its own means to overcome the disease as long as the “structure-function” relation is respected.

The body possesses its own defence mechanisms and its own alarm system.

It is the relative immunity inherent within the human body that has the capacity to create the substances necessary to preserve the well-being and the neutralization of the disease.

3 - Interdependance between structure-fonction and fonction-structure

The function depends on the structure: any disturbance of an articulation, for example, will echo on its functioning (limiting movement, causeing pain, etc).

The structure depends on the function: for example, any prolonged immobilization of an articulation will stiffen the articulation and tissues.