To finally clear up for me what exactly osteopathy was all about I met up with Deborah Bayley, a fully qualified UK Osteopath, and after seeing her work on a friend’s rather twisted spine, and hearing her talk about her profession all was made (painlessly) clear.
What is it supposed to do?
Osteopathic principles combine with traditional diagnostic and therapeutic practices, this means that osteopathy can offer patients a balanced system of health care to both prevent and help cure disease. Practitioners develop a skill in recognising and correcting structural problems through manipulative therapy and other treatments. It’s a true system of preventative medicine that treats the whole person not just the disease.
What benefits does it claim?
In the space of one day, Deborah treated a pregnant lady, this involved ensuring that her baby was in the correct position for birth and that the abdominal and back muscles were relaxed as well as her lower back joints.
Then there was a (non invasive) cranial treatment to drain catarrh from the sinuses in the head and improve blood circulation.
A lady with indigestion due to one of her vertebra being misaligned which in turn affected the stomach nerves.
Next there was a regular weekly session with an MS patient which has over time achieved good results particularly with increased mobility and all important nerve flow circulation.
There was also a case of a chronic migraine sufferer, who responded well to neck manipulation and cranial osteopathy. Deborah also treats on a daily basis – frozen shoulders, lower back pain, knee injuries, foot problems and also arthritis pain.
What is it like?
Osteopaths use their hands both to investigate the underlying cause of pain and to carry out treatment using a variety of manipulative techniques. All this is done to try and correct faulty body structures by releasing tension and stress to make joints supple.
It’s gentle and not, as I first thought, painful. Although similar to chiropractic treatment, osteopathy works on the whole body whereas a chiropractor tends to concentrate only on the spine. First, when you visit Deborah she will take a detailed medical history, she has had five years’ training in osteopathy and medical sciences including anatomy, physiology, and pathology and her profession is fully recognised by the British Medical Association as a clinical discipline.
Deborah will, after talking to you about your lifestyle etc make an assessment of your body; she will test your reflexes, balance etc and will usually include a BP reading. Treatment will be either gentle traction technique, or a deep work out on the muscles or manipulation of the joints.
Is there any science behind it?
Yes solid medical science or else the BMA, which is the supreme governing body for all medical practitioners, would never have approved the treatments. It’s a form of medical treatment that has been fully accepted in the USA for some time, after Andrew Taylor, an army physician during the American civil war, established what he believed was a huge breakthrough in pain therapy before going on to create what we now know as osteopathy. If trying it out, make sure you are in the hands of a properly trained and experienced professional Osteopath with credentials such as a DOPG Dip Osteopathy or is a UK Registered Osteopath.
There are however some limitations to the form of treatments undertaken and osteopaths cannot treat those afflicted with osteoporosis, cancer, infectious diseases, or pain due to blocked blood vessels
Where and how much?
Price depends upon the time taken to treat each disorder but the average would be £20 per visit.
Deborah Bayley Tel: 99 322169. The Therapy Centre, 69 Eleftheriou Venizelou, Paphos. Or check the Yellow Pages for a practioner nearer you
