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Osteopathy Articles |
Osteopathic medicine (known as osteopathy in the past) is a branch of medicine which views the human body holistically, and emphasizes the prevention and treatment of illness and injury through the use of manual and physical therapies, along with traditional medical practices such as drugs and surgery.
The traditional osteopathic approach emphasizes the significance of the neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) system to one's general health and well-being, and the role of NMS dysfunction in the etiology of many diseases. A key goal of osteopathic medicine is the maintenance of healthy body mechanics using a holistic approach that also includes traditional western medicine.
These are the eight major principles of osteopathy and are widely accepted throughout the osteopathic community. They are taken from the curriculum of the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine.
(1) The body is a unit.
(2) Structure and function are reciprocally inter-related.
(3) The body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms.
(4) The body has the inherent capacity to defend and repair itself.
(5) When the normal adaptability is disrupted, or when environmental changes overcome the body’s capacity for self maintenance, disease may ensue.
(6) The movement of body fluids is essential to the maintenance of health.
(7) The nerves play a crucial part in controlling the fluids of the body.
(8) There are somatic components to disease that are not only manifestations of disease, but also are factors that contribute to maintenance of the disease state.
These principles are not held by osteopaths to be empirical laws, nor contradictions to orthodox medical principles; they are thought to be the underpinnings of the osteopathic perspective on health and disease.