Re-establish homeostasis and bring back lightness and balance to your health
Osteopathic Practitioners spend time taking your detailed medical history and performing a physical examination so they are confident any technique performed is absolutely safe. Osteopathic Practitioners have specific training to pick up 'red flags' of more serious conditions and will refer to your medical practitioner if they suspect anything serious or if you have a condition they cannot deal with. Sometimes it may be beneficial to co-treat with your medical practitioner or other health care provider. Osteopathy is a whole person approach to health care and doesn’t focus on the symptoms but the primary cause of the problem. This approach can be helpful in the management or resolution of many complaints. If you’re not sure osteopathy is right for you ask Sarah.
In BC Osteopathy is not covered by MSP, it is however, covered by many extended benefits providers, check with your individual plan to see if it includes Osteopathy.
Why Osteopathy?
History of Osteopathy
Osteopathy was founded by Andrew Taylor Still, a physician in the US in the late 1800’s during an outbreak of meningitis. He was a great student of anatomy and used manual techniques he had devised to improve the functional health of his patients. He had much success and he started a medical school where he taught his methods and philosophy to others.
Osteopathy Today
Osteopathic education in the states continues to be part of the medical system and Osteopaths are also physicians. Outside the US osteopathy is mostly taught as a manual therapy only and in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the UK it is a 4-5 year full time University program. Here in Canada osteopathic education is still quite new with the first school being established in 1981 in Montreal. There is a school now in Vancouver, which has a 5 year part time program for people who have already received an education in a health science.
Osteopathy for Newborns
In the normal process of birth the newborn is subjected to large amounts of force as the uterus contracts and the baby travels down the birth canal. The newborn is able to deal with these forces as the soft bones of the skull mould and overlap to adapt to the space available during the birthing process. Once the baby starts to breathe, cry and suckle they decompress and their head will start to reshape, this can take a few days.
After a very difficult or traumatic birth there can be strain within the membranes of the skull or other parts of the body which the child is not able to resolve themselves.
This can lead to symptoms such as difficulty feeding, reflux, colic, plagiocephaly, torticollis, congestion and trouble sleeping. Osteopathic treatment will help the child to deal with the unresolved strain and remove the stress from their developing system.
Osteopathy for Children
Many osteopathic techniques are very gentle and appropriate for newborns and children of all ages. They work with the complex homeostatic mechanisms of the child to allow normal growth and development to occur.
Children are not just ‘little adults,’ they are constantly changing and adapting as they grow and treatment can be very helpful for them if they are showing signs of difficulty during these times, are getting increased coughs, colds or infections or after a big fall or injury.
Our Practitioners
Contact Info
Phone
Address
Suite 510 - 2184 West Broadway
Vancouver B.C
Getting Here
The office is on the 5th floor of the Regent Medical Building with entrances on Broadway or from the parking area. Parking is available at the rear of the building and accessible from Yew St. It is $2 per hour. There is also metered street parking along Broadway and Yew and west 10th has 1 hr parking available between Arbutus and Yew. Public transport options involve the 99 and 9 along Broadway and from Downtown the 16 and 14.