Health Listings

Osteopathy and chiropractic listings

The practice of osteopathy began in the United States in 1874. The term "osteopathy" was coined by Andrew Taylor Still who lived in Kansas at the time of the American Civil War, and it was here he developed the practice of osteopathy. He coined the name on the basis that "the bone, osteon, was the starting point from which [he] was to ascertain the cause of pathological conditions". Within osteopathy are other areas of sub specialism such as cranial osteopathy and visceral osteopathy. Cranial osteopathy was developed from the observations of Dr William Sutherland that the plates of the cranium permit microscopic movements and that there is a 'force' or rhythm that is operating in moving the plates of the skull. Cranial osteopathy is said to be based on a primary respiratory mechanism, a rhythm that can be felt with a very finely developed sense of touch. Visceral osteopathy states that the visceral systems (the internal organs) rely on synchronised interconnection between the motion of all the organs and structures of the body - taking in other words a holistic perspective. For more information see Wikipedia's osteopathy page.

Chiropractic was founded by D.D. Palmer in the 1890s, and his son B.J. Palmer helped to expand it in the early 20th century. Traditionally, chiropractic assumes that a vertebral subluxation or spinal joint dysfunction interferes with the body's function and its innate intelligence. Nowadays those who take a pure and traditional approach are in a minority, and those who consider themselves "mixers" are more open to mainstream and alternative medical techniques such as exercise, massage, nutritional supplements, and acupuncture. For more information see Wikipedia's chiropractic page.