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BIODYNAMIC
OSTEOPATHY
By one of the definitions (Philippe Druelle,
DO) osteopathy is a complete natural medicine
and science with precise palpatory acts.
Osteopathic medicine began in the United
States in 1874. The term "osteopathy"
was coined by Andrew Taylor Still, an army
doctor during the American Civil War. The
linguistic aspect of the term osteopathy
may be misleading implying that bones are
the focus of osteopathy, and most of the
American public is under an impression that
the word osteopath denotes a bone setter.
In modern times the practice of osteopathy
is based on the deep knowledge of anatomy,
embryology, physiology and other fundamental
sciences. The principles of osteopathy are
very similar to the tenets of ancient Eastern
philosophies. They are based: a) on the
holistic perception of the entire organism:
body, emotions, mind and spirit; b) on the
postulation that structure and function
of the organism and its parts are interrelated;
c) on the assertion that health is expressed
in the organism by the unrestricted movement
of tissues, fluids and information; d) on
the innate ability of the organism to heal
itself. The goal of an osteopathic treatment
is to restore the inherent motion where
such motion is impaired.
Traditional osteopathy employs various
manual treatment techniques. Most common
of them are manipulations of the muscular-skeletal
and visceral systems. These modalities proved
to be effective in the treatment of humans
and of mammals in general. The osteopaths
rely on their own senses both for treatment
and diagnostics. Osteopaths in Europe, Canada
and Australia successfully treat a wide
variety of dysfunctions ranging from skin
condition to psychological disorders. The
abbreviation “D.O.” or “DO” means Doctor
of Osteopathy or Diploma in Osteopathy,
depending on the legal rules and regulations
of a particular country.
Ironically, traditional osteopathy enjoys
popularity outside of the US, while in its
home country there are only a few of practitioners
who adhere to the original principles of
osteopathy and practice exclusively manual
medicine. Some of them achieved amazing
clinical results and are highly regarded
all over the World as educators and promoters
of osteopathy. The majority of the osteopathic
physicians in the United States are the
licensed allopathic medical practitioners
who are to some degree familiar with the
osteopathic fundamentals. While most American
osteopaths practice a mainstream allopathic
medicine, some opt to use experimental drugs
and procedures.
Biodynamic osteopathy is a branch of the
mainstream cranial osteopathy, both are
based on work of W. G. Sutherland, DO. Dr.
Sutherland discovered subtle movements in
the fluids and tissues of his patients.
He called this phenomena the primary respiratory
mechanism. Dr. Sutherland believed that
the primary respiratory mechanism was governed
by a transcendental power which he called
the Breath of Life. While in every osteopathic
modality the clinician applies a force (however
subtle) to correct a lesion, biodynamic
osteopathy uses corrections generated by
the Breath of Life without the influence
of the external forces applied by the therapist.
Despite the undeniable clinical success,
the effectiveness of cranial and biodynamic
osteopathy has not been yet statistically
established. The method is very powerful,
and it is not advisable using it without
a deep understanding of all processes involved
and a mentor’s guidance. The exquisite skills
and the long and rigorous training required
for a DO to become an adept in biodynamic
osteopathy puts a cap on its availability
to the general public. The training in biodynamic
osteopathy is provided exclusively for osteopaths
by an American physician James Jealous,
DO.
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