 Our health depends largely on the good relationship between the different parts and systems of the body and the osteopath helps to reach that balance. Osteopathy considers especially mechanical problems of the body in relation to the welfare of the individual, and works on the mobility of different anatomical structures to restore the optimal function amongst them and the body in general.
Osteopathy examines the individual as a whole and seeks always the cause of disorder or dysfunction through a global approach and not only symptomatic. The person is considered as a whole in its physical, chemical and emotional aspects where the structure (anatomy) and function (physiology) are totally interdependent.
If we consider that the health of the organism and therefore its good functioning depends on the different structures and their freedom of movement, the dysfunctions that affect our body change the whole biomechanics and affect the natural function of the organs.
Osteopathy places special emphasis on favouring a good flow of fluids throughout the body. The decrease of fluid movement implies a reduction in the defence capabilities of the tissues, making the body more vulnerable to suffer from dysfunctions or increased difficulty for the tissues to recover. This concept includes arterial and venous circulation, lymphatics, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial and nervous.
The osteopathic practice, in its application on the skeleton, muscle, connective tissue embraces structural, visceral, neurological, endocrine and immune dysfunctions. Its aim will be to try to restore the overall mechanical balance of the individual (homeostasis), placing it properly with its anatomic and physiologic environment and respecting the general principles of medicine.
Once the osteopathic lesion is identified and treated, the body can develop its inherent power to return to a healthy balance.
The founder of osteopathy was Dr. Andrew Tylor Still (1828-1917) an American physician and surgeon. The depth of his religious beliefs and the death of his wife and two children because of an epidemic of meningitis caused the search for a method of healing beyond the strictly medical and known at that time.
In 1874 he had the brilliant intuition that would lately determine his entire career and the development of osteopathy. Observing a skeleton he had the idea that one of the keys to a proper functioning of an organ was that this organ had a mechanical balanced relations and these were also in harmony with each other.
It was then when AT Still made the axiom "the structure governs the function", a cornerstone of osteopathy principles.
These principles were implemented very effectively and Still's reputation quickly spread by the U.S.. Still founded the American School of Osteopathy in 1892. In 1917 a pupil of Dr. Still, JM Littlejohn returned to England and founded the British School of Osteopathy and from there it spread throughout Europe, especially in England and France.
Osteopathy has been developing in Europe, expanding its scope of action and taking increasingly force. It is worth pointing out the contribution of WG Sutherland applying the osteopathic model to the skull and face dysfunctions and putting them in relation with the rest of the body, settling the groundwork for what is known today as Cranial Osteopathy or Cranial Sacral Therapy.
In Europe, Osteopathy only enjoys full recognition in the United Kingdom where since the year 1993 (the Osteopahts Act). It was finally recognized as a profession with independent university training. Different countries such as France, Belgium, Norway or Ireland are following their own processes of recognition.
In Spain, the amount of osteopaths is increasing and is basically made up of people who have studied osteopathy from physiotherapy or Medicine. Contacts have been maintained with the corresponding authorities in order to get the regularization although these have not been successful yet.
In 1997 the European Parliament passed the law on normalization of non-conventional medicine (including osteopathy), in which it is recommended to all countries its regulation, as it is established by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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