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Function

The Musculoskeletal System Never Acts As An Isolated System

By Health, OsteopathyNo Comments

I remember hearing a cardiologist once say that the cardiovascular system has nothing to do with the musculoskeletal system. I have also heard as much from other specialties during my medical training. This idea of separating systems has become so ingrained in our mentalities, that patients often ask if their problem is caused by a muscle, joint, nerve, tendon, etc. The problem with this mentality is that we are acting as if things actually do act in isolation from each other. In reality, they do not.   We separate systems in order to simplify the complexity of the human body….

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How To Assess The Impact Of A Tongue Tie On Patients: Osteopathic Considerations

By Health, Osteopathic Techniques, Osteopathy17 Comments

Why The Tongue Is So Important   The tongue is the only muscle, or really group of muscles, in the body that has one freely moveable end. Not only is it attached to most fascial planes directly or indirectly, but it also has attachments on the hyoid bone, mandible, temporal bones, and other structures in the head. Structurally it can affect the digestive tract and respiratory tract. It has innervation from five cranial nerves – the  trigeminal, facial, glossopharyngeal, vagus, and hypoglossus nerve. The tongue is complex and its involvement in swallowing and speaking are some of the most important…

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The Rule of the Artery: Osteopathic Reflection

By Health, Osteopathy, Physical HealthOne Comment

The rule of the artery is supreme.” Andrew Taylor Still, D.O.   This quote is often mistaken as being the primary principle that osteopathy is based on. Dr. Still, the founder of osteopathy wrote about the importance of other structures and having the whole body in working order. Having said this, he did understand how vital unobstructed blood flow is to overall health. Having unobstructed blood flow generally means all the tissues are in proper working order. Does Blood Flow Matter? Blood flow is highly important for the overall health of the body. The tissues that get the best blood…

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What Happens When Your Back Goes Out?

By Health, Medicine, OsteopathyNo Comments

Imagine you are about to pick up something really heavy. You take a deep breath in and hold it, bend down, grasp the object, and bare down. You grunt as you try to lift the object. Suddenly you feel this sharp excruciating pain in your lower back and even down to your hip that takes your breath away. The pain is so severe that you cannot straighten up. Walking and moving are excruciatingly painful. In the mirror, you look so twisted that you feel like a pretzel. What happened? What happened in this case was that would by trying to…

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3 Assumptions Doctors Make About Health

By Health, Osteopathy, Physical HealthNo Comments

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word health is defined as, “the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially :  freedom from physical disease or pain.” In short, this is saying that health is simply the “absence of disease or pain.” Sounds good right? This definition of “health” is what drives the medical field today. Think about it. The traditional medical approach takes whatever symptoms people have and the medicine given is generally aimed at suppressing the symptoms or simply remove them. Because as long as those symptoms are not present, then one is “healthy.” If you have inflammation, you…

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5 Ways Your Shoes Are Deforming Your Feet

By Gait, Osteopathic Techniques, Osteopathy, Physical HealthOne Comment

An Osteopathic Physician’s Perspective Shoes are not designed to mold to the shape of our feet. Instead our feet are forced to mold the shape of your shoes. Over time, our feet lose their pliability. The interesting thing is that when pliability is lost, it becomes more painful to walk without shoes. Some people interpret this as evidence that walking barefoot is not good for them. Any time the distance between attachments of muscles is changed, weakness takes place. As humans, we abuse our feet a lot. Society has determined that high-heels and the unnatural gait they produce are “sexy.”…

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The Benefits of Colon Hydrotherapy: 3 Health Advantages Related To Your Gut!

By Health, Nutrition, Physical HealthNo Comments

Guest Post By Joyce Rockwood, CCH As a colon hydrotherapist since 1997, the most common question I get asked is “What are the benefits of colon hydrotherapy?” Truth be told, the list of benefits trails as long as any line at a Bruno Mars concert! So while the following three are just the tip of the iceberg, I believe they’ll be enough to help you understand why an increasing number of people are incorporating this ancient holistic practice to their lifestyle on a regular basis. Colon Hydrotherapy 101: What’s Up Down Below? Colon Hydrotherapy assists your body in eliminating excess…

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The Interrelationship Of Structure And Function: A Progression Through The First Osteopathic Principle

By Health, Osteopathy, Physical HealthNo Comments

When one first glances at osteopathic principles, there may not seem to be much depth to them. Philosophically there is nothing special about the principles. Actually many who are not osteopathic practitioners agree with osteopathic principles. What separates an osteopathic physician from others who agree with osteopathic principles is the application of the principles. Just like it is important for a runner to understand philosophically the principles of proper running, the philosophical understanding does not help if those principles are not put into place during running. Those who do not apply these principles are like the runner who understands proper…

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Is Your Neck Pain Affecting Your Life?

By Osteopathy, Physical Health2 Comments

Do you carry stress in your shoulders? When you squeeze the fleshy area between your neck and your shoulder, do you find achy, “crunchy” knots? Do you get tension headaches, have tenderness at the base of your skull, neck, between your shoulder blades, and down to the middle of your back? Do you find yourself constantly searching for a corner to press up against or massaging your neck? If you answered ‘yes,’ you may be suffering from an extremely tight trapezius muscle. How often are people suffering with tension in their necks and shoulders trying to get at least temporary relief…

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Osteopathy and Sinus Congestion

By Osteopathy, Physical Health4 Comments

Most patients seek out osteopaths for musculoskeletal aches and pains. One thing that many people do not usually think about going to their osteopathic physician for is sinus infections, sinusitis or sinus congestion. Osteopathy was originally used to treat infectious diseases in the 1800’s. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) can, however, be very beneficial in resolving sinus infections, especially chronic sinus infections. My first personal experience with this was several years ago when I had traveled to take a seminar in Albuquerque. I had started to feel sick prior to traveling to Albuquerque. Once I had arrived, I was feeling very congested…

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