Liquid Osteopathy
Osteopathy has taken different roads in the US and in Europe. In the US Osteopaths (DOs) are trained and licensed to do all the same things as an MD, and may or may not practice manipulation. In Europe Osteopaths are trained and licensed to do manipulation only. This European focus on manipulation has led to great development of this science and art. Perhaps the greatest single advance has been French Osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral's work in the past 25 years.
To understand what he has done, I will describe an important feature of the structure of the human body. All ligaments, tendons, fascia and other forms of connective tissue are continuous, making up a three dimensional network comprising about 20% of the weight of the body. Collectively these tissues are the Organ of Support which maintains spatial relationships among everything else. Because of the continuous nature of these tissues no distortion can stay local, and any intervention changes things at a distance. In Rolfing® Structural Integration we have always recognized this fascial network and worked with it to realign the body.
What Jean-Pierre Barral has added is a detailed understanding of the role played by the connective tissue support system of the internal organs. We have long thought of musculoskeletal problems affecting the internal organs. Barral has vividly demonstrated a two-way street between the organs and the musculoskeletal system. The lane of this street leading from organ to muscle turns out to be the broader side of the road, carrying the major influence on the fascial network.
Gentle manipulation of the visceral support system can improve organ function. More importantly, strain can be taken out of the visceral support membranes as a highly effective way of treating musculoskeletal problems. As an example, ligaments supporting the lungs connect to the middle scalene muscles in the neck and to the sides of the lowest 1-3 vertebrae in the neck. By this route, restrictions in the lung support membranes (pleura) routinely create neck strain. We have very few sensory nerves in the pleura so we don't feel the strains in the chest: what grabs our attention is a chronic stiff neck.
Barral has developed highly effective and efficient means of reducing these internal strains. France has socialized health care, which means people do not pay out of pocket for most kinds of health care. Osteopathic care however, is not paid for by the French socialized health care system. Since people are not used to paying for health care this has driven the French Osteopaths to become highly efficient in their work. Visceral Manipulation (or Liquid Osteopathy as it has come to be called) has made a major contribution to this efficiency. French Osteopaths are able to resolve most biomechanical complaints in less than four, 20 to 30 minute visits.
I am not that efficient yet, but having taken all of the continuing education offered by Barral and his associates in this country allows me to get a lot more done in a single session than before. Not only do I get more done, the overall results are better because I can now deal with this highly important body area.
So you can become more familiar with Visceral Manipulation I am making a special offer during February. See the enclosed coupon.
Hands In my last newsletter I described Rolfing®'s power in reducing the symptoms of repetitive motion strains such as carpel tunnel syndrome. The results I have seen working in this area this year have been most gratifying. During March I will teach a weekend workshop at Cascade Institute on the prevention and treatment of Carpel Tunnel and related repetitive strain syndromes. I also have a 90 minute presentation with slides I would be happy to present to your group.
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