Foundations of Osteopathy

Philosophy:

Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, the founder of Osteopathy stated that it is “first and foremost, is a philosophy…while embracing all verifiable scientific facts, challenges the ultimate authority of science, declaring its materialist suppositions unsatisfactory when applied to the living being. 

A philosophy defines a study or system and its natural underpinnings that cannot be understood through materialistic measures.

The whole edifice of osteopathy rests upon an observable, spiritual, truth unexplained by any known scientific law: organic nature strives inexorably to express health. 

“...he revered the human body. And thus he was able to give to the world that message of love and harmony, that system of unity and strength, that philosophy of hope and health known as Osteopathy.” Nettie Haight on A.T. Still

Natural Law:

Definition: In philosophy, a system of right or justice held to be common to all humans and derived from nature rather than from the rules of society.

To Still, God and nature were inseparable.Practically none before him had ever learned to work with nature and never against her in the art of healing. Osteopathy was developed with the understanding that:

• health was the natural state of body and mind

• nature constantly strives to express health

• all the remedies needed to cure disease exist naturally within the body 

• disease is the physiological effect of anatomical disorder

“When every part of the machine is correctly adjusted and in perfect harmony, health will hold dominion over the human organism by laws as natural and immutable as the laws of gravity.” A.T. Still

Principles:

Definitions:

• a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption

• a rule or code of conduct

• the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device

The primary principle lies in the inherent relationship between anatomy and physiology, or structure and function. The operation of a machine depends on all of its parts functioning cohesively. When dysfunction arises, the job of the mechanic is to fix the problem by tracing from the fault, or symptom to the source. Osteopathy applies similar principles to assessing and treating the human body. We know the natural driving forces within the body always strive to express health, therefore as practitioners we must identify and remove the obstruction(s) to allow health to flourish. 

There are principles that govern the physical application of treatment. These codes of conduct can be applied to all structures of the body; they are dependent on the patient’s vitality, and anatomical posture. Principles dictate where and how to apply force in order to achieve necessary corrective change. 

Treatment:

Treatment embodies the philosophy, natural law and principles of Osteopathy. It consists of these foundational undertones manifested as physical application. To be truly holistic, the practitioner must consider the state of the patient’s mind, body, and lived experiences that equate to their vitality and constitution. Treatment is then applied through a negotiation between the practitioner and the patient’s tissues in an effort to allow the innate health within to flourish. Techniques and manipulations are but component parts of the whole experience. Treatment should take the form of a conversation or a dance - not to be imposed on the patient but willingly accepted. When applied correctly a flow-state is found and established and knowledge, talent and execution are melded together into an artform - and results for the patient are optimized.