Osteopathy Unplugged

One of our listeners, an Osteopath from France asked us to comment on how Dr Becker approaches, “being guided by the mechanism.” Rollin Becker, DO presented a case history where he outlined his Osteopathic Treatment approaches. We will deconstruct this case history and interpret the complexities of Dr. Becker’s work.  ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are availabl...

The apparently simple act of offering a handshake has profound Osteopathic significance. The handshake is the start of an Osteopathic treatment. Steve presents his unique way of beginning the diagnostic and therapeutic process by the use of the common greeting and farewell—the ritual of the handshake. The handshake is so much more than just a greeting or farewell gesture. ~~~ We’ve created several...

In this episode, Bonnie will be offering guided experiences for you to cultivate awareness of your breath. These exercises will lead you to develop a more deeply felt experience of self-defacilitation with prolonged exhalation , as well as sensing the effects of prolonged inhalation on your attention. ~~~  We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available anywhere you g...

In this episode we explore a classic Zen Buddhist legend to help elucidate the topic of paying attention during an Osteopathic Treatment. Beginning with awareness of our own of breath, especially prolonged exhalation and prolonged inhalation, we can discover how to regulate our own nervous systems in order to better help our patients. ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free...

This episode explores the focal Osteopathic Theory of the Facilitated Segment and we are expanding this influential Osteopathic concept with a new theory of Global Facilitation. Global Facilitation and Hyperfacilitation affect the whole body and mind and drive a persistent fight-or-flight response. We propose ways to clinically address these states with Osteopathic Manipulation. ~~~  We’ve created...

This is a deeper dive into Episode 34, where we explored the many and nuanced meanings of this quote from Robert Fulford, DO, “Patients were a lot easier to treat before World War II.” Thanks to our listeners who responded with so many great questions and comments, we have created a whole episode in response. ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available anywher...

All non-osteopathic complementary therapies must be well timed, so that the awareness of what is effective is evident. In an Osteopathic treatment context, it’s crucial when we introduce a non-Osteopathic element. This episode isn’t about the specifics of supplements. It is about optimizing the timing of all other treatments to support the learning process of both the Osteopath and the patient. ~~...

What if you're having a bad day, for any reason, like illness, injury, or emotional upset, and you still need to see patients? In this episode we explore many scenarios and talk about options for making creative and responsible choices. ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available anywhere you get your podcasts. The complete collection is only available at  htt...

How have cultural and historical shifts over the 133-year lifetime of Osteopathy changed the clinical practice of our profession? We all recognize that the Osteopathic practice has evolved since 1892—but our patients have changed as well. Robert Fulford, DO once said, “Patients were a lot easier to treat before World War II.” We will explore how more recent cultural events and social upheavals hav...

Osteopathy has the extraordinary power to address clinical situations in a novel way and create seemingly miraculous outcomes. As DOs, we think of these remarkable treatment responses as everyday occurrences. But patients often want and believe an Osteopathic Treatment to be miraculous. True healing has its own pace and tempo. Therapeutic responses are the prerogative of the patient—not the Osteop...

Do we give the patient what they want or do we give the patient what they need? The answer to this question is in this episode. We explore the interpersonal value of always touching the body part involved in the patient’s chief concern. And because we are Osteopaths, we need to determine if this pain is cause or effect. Fundamentally, the connection that happens between two people when the area of...

How we care for ourselves, or how we ignore our wellbeing, influences the way we care for others. How can we encourage and teach our patients to care for themselves if we don’t do that for ourselves? How do we model self-care to the young Osteopathic students that we teach? In this episode, we take a dive into exploring the possibilities of why and how as Osteopath we might want to seriously consi...

Is “release,” a valid and helpful term in Osteopathy? Or is the whole idea of release an oversimplified illusion?   ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available anywhere you get your podcasts. The complete collection is only available at  https://www.patreon.com/OsteopathyUnplugged Please sign up for our mailing list news about our podcast by entering your emai...

In this episode we explore The Four Tenets of Osteopathic Medicine and ask if they are truly distinctive to Osteopathy, or are merely good foundational principles for anyone in healthcare. AT Still had nothing to with these tenets. They were created by a committee of the AOA in 1953. This is one of the FREE Foundational Episodes, along with Episodes 1-6 and 12.  The complete collection is only ava...

In this episode we explore more questions and comments that arose from Episodes 26 and 27, and use clinical examples to further clarify the concept of The Four Anatomies of Osteopathic Perception. ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available anywhere you get your podcasts. The complete collection is only available at  https://www.patreon.com/OsteopathyUnplugged...

In this episode we explore questions and comments that arose from Episode 26, regarding the concept of The Four Anatomies of Osteopathic Perception. ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available anywhere you get your podcasts. The complete collection is only available at  https://www.patreon.com/OsteopathyUnplugged Please sign up for our mailing list news about...

This episode presents a new concept that Bonnie adapted from her Continuum practice, The Four Anatomies of Osteopathic Perception: personal, cultural, biological and cosmic . Developing awareness of these viewpoints can enrich Osteopathic perception as well as clinical diagnosis and treatment.

This episode is part of our Origin Story series. This is an important case history that documents how Still worked clinically in the early days (1880s) while he was developing the healthcare system he later named Osteopathy. We deconstruct this case history to explore what we think might have happened clinically and Osteopathically. ~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free a...

This episode is the 8 th part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy. We explore the term, “Engine Wiping,” which was coined by Dr Still to describe any treatment that only addresses symptoms, and not cause. We reintroduce this historic phrase and bring it back into the modern Osteopathic lexicon. ~~~~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are available any...

This episode is the 7 th part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy. Nobody doubts the essential merits of sleep, but what about this type of napping by patients during an Osteopathic Treatment? In this episode, we will deconstruct the common practice of Treatment Associated Napping and reveal what it is and what it isn’t. ~~~~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are...

This episode is the 6 th part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy. In this episode we discuss what happens when someone we’re treating Osteopathically is getting too many other types of treatments concurrently. We need to educate our patients about the best way to include Osteopathy in the greater context of all the other things they are doing to care for themselves. Join us as we...

This episode is the 5 th part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy. In this series, we explore the details of an office visit that aren’t related to anatomy, biomechanics, or directly to Osteopathic manipulation. Join us as we explore the many nuances of, “How Long Does it Take for an Osteopathic Treatment to Start Working?” ~~~~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which...

This episode is the 4th part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy. In this series, we explore the details of an office visit that aren’t related to anatomy, biomechanics, or directly to Osteopathic manipulation. Join us as we explore the many nuances of “How To End Or Not End An Osteopathic Treatment.”  ~~~~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are avail...

This episode is third part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy, where we explore issues relating to the pragmatism of what we do as Osteopaths. In this episode we explore whether it’s ok or not ok for the patient and the Osteopath to talk during an Osteopathic treatment. Join us and explore . . . “ To Talk Or Not To Talk: That Is The Question ” ~~~~~~ We’ve created several foundati...

This episode is second part of our series devoted to the Practice of Osteopathy, where we explore issues relating to the pragmatism of what we do as Osteopaths. In this episode we explore where to start or not to start an Osteopathic treatment. Join us and explore . . . “Where To Start Or Not Start An Osteopathic Treatment” ~~~~~~ We’ve created several foundational episodes, which are free and are...