There are so many treatment methods available these days it’s difficult to know which one to choose. Many of the treatments available however, address only symptoms of pain or ill health instead of root causes; thus symptoms often recur sometime after treatment. For lasting results from treatment, an understanding of the cause through accurate diagnosis is critical.

One of the oldest systems of medicine in the world, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has been practiced for over 2000yrs. The fundamental principle of TCM is balance in all things. In my approach to medicine; Osteopathy & Applied Kinesiology (AK), this idea of balance is more easily understood by using what is termed the ‘Health Triad’.

The three sides of the triangle represent Bio-Chemical, Structural and Emotional aspects of our health. In every illness or pain we experience, there is an element of all three sides of the triangle. The percentage of each aspect varies from one illness to another, but always all three are involved. Each has an influence on the other two, and is influenced by the other two. To elaborate a little, a nutritional deficiency (bio-chemical) may cause poor ligament tissue quality, resulting in a low back ache (structural), which in turn makes you a little worried or even depressed (emotional) because it’s been there for 6 months and won’t go away.

So what is the diagnosis in this case; depression, muscle strain, mal-nourishment? In fact the diagnosis is all of these things, and more. Consulting your doctor with vague symptoms such as back ache or worry, is all too often met with a medical name for your condition and a prescription for pain killers or referral for counseling. Neither of which is likely to solve the problem long term.

Humans have been on the earth in their present form for approximately 200,000 years. Only very recently however, has there been access to modern pharmaceutical medicines. We may conclude from this fact that if we have a healthy diet, we do not need drugs at all. There is much in nature that we do not understand, but what we do know, because we are here, is that nature works exceptionally well, and we cannot do any better than to allow it to function properly. Physicians should therefore strive to restore ‘normal’ function, in line with our evolution, rather than providing medicines that interfere with it.

Allopathic medicine tends to think of illness in terms of disease processes. Patients love to come away from the doctor with a name for their condition, because mentally it gives them something to hold on to. Sadly, that does very little towards changing the condition. A hacking cough and chest pain, and a diagnosis of bronchitis is not actually very helpful. It’s merely another word for the same thing. There are many reasons why we suffer from bronchitis, knowing the reason is key to resolving the condition. Prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-biotics is only beneficial if a clear diagnosis of bacterial infection has been made, but of course, often it is not made. Time allowed for consultation, plus financial constraints often dictate diagnosis and treatment without clinical tests.

But a diagnosis is not merely naming a set of symptoms and signs with a word that sounds medical, such as rhinitis (runny nose), tendonitis (tendon inflammation) or cephalgia (headache). Diagnosis is identifying an underlying cause. 

With Osteopathy and AK, this approach is turned on its head. Rather than naming conditions, we identify where normal function is impaired and work to restore it. In treating the cause, we restore balance and normal bodily function and the bronchitis goes away naturally.

In 1948 the world health organization defined health in these terms:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

Einstein famously noted, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted”.  A different approach to diagnosis and treatment, unconstrained by the desire to scientifically prove everything, often highlights problematic areas that can be improved by restoring normal function. If you experience pain, there must be a reason for it. Very often the reasons are far removed from the actual site of pain. They are frequently so obscure that the non-medically trained would not even consider the connections, and often the causes are not gross enough to be measured with standard medical equipment. 

The AK diagnostic process looks at many factors that negatively influence our health, such as; infection, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, food intolerances and environmental toxicities. Osteopathy provides a highly specific physical treatment to deal with the structure. Emotional release techniques may be used also, thus allowing the practitioner to deal with all three sides of the Health Triad, for long lasting improvements. Treating only one side of the triad would be a symptom focused approach.

All aspects of a person’s lifestyle provide important clues to the causes of pain. With Osteopathy & AK we take time to examine a patient until the cause of pain is found. Only then is treatment given or recommendations made to correct it. Where medication is recommended, everything is tested against the individual for effectiveness and tolerance, thus eliminating the administration of remedies that don’t work. This is of course a huge benefit in places where drugs are sometimes in short supply.

The combination of Osteopathy & AK regularly produces good results when other methods have not worked well. This is simply because we know nature works, and if we work hard to restore it, the outcome can only be better health.

Osteopathy is a physical manipulative discipline which treats mainly muscular aches and pains as well as many common health complaints. The basic principle understands that ‘structure governs function’. i.e. normal bodily functions will be compromised if structural stresses are present, which they are in all of us.

When we speak of imbalances, we don’t just mean having one leg 1cm longer than the other (a common finding), we are thinking at the cellular level. If we consider the microscopic effects of a leg length discrepancy, and ask how that influences muscle tensions and therefore blood flow, lymphatic (waste) drainage and the conduction of neurological signals, then we can appreciate how all body systems may be negatively affected by them.

Looking at the health triad once again, everything influences everything else. Thus all our health issues may be created by, or worsen with poor posture, poor body use, poor diet and unhappy emotional states. By correcting these structural stresses many health issues can be reversed.

I practice correction is achieved through physical work on specific muscles and soft tissues to encourage the nervous system to release the patterns of imbalance. This process requires a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, and a very fine degree of palpation (therapeutic touch). Personally I use AK to compliment Osteopathy, because it looks at the Osteopathic principle the other way around; ‘Function governs Structure’. Organ dysfunctions create changes in our postures, resulting in imbalance.

AK is a complex physical diagnostic system that helps identify an individual’s health challenges. It can tell us not only which organs are in trouble, but also helps us find out why, and therefore guides the treatment plan.

Using these methods, an individual’s health challenges may be assessed rapidly and yet deeply, providing information about the causes of pain, and allowing recommendations for long term improvements.

David Wells, a highly experienced UK trained practitioner runs Osteopathy Clinic, Osteopathy & performs Applied Kinesiology at the KIST Medical College.

With Osteopathy and AK, this approach is turned on its head. Rather than naming conditions, we identify where normal function is impaired and work to restore it. In treating the cause, we restore balance and normal bodily function and the bronchitis goes away naturally.

In 1948 the world health organization defined health in these terms:

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

Einstein famously noted, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted”.  A different approach to diagnosis and treatment, unconstrained by the desire to scientifically prove everything, often highlights problematic areas that can be improved by restoring normal function. If you experience pain, there must be a reason for it. Very often the reasons are far removed from the actual site of pain. They are frequently so obscure that the non-medically trained would not even consider the connections, and often the causes are not gross enough to be measured with standard medical equipment. 

The AK diagnostic process looks at many factors that negatively influence our health, such as; infection, nutritional deficiencies, allergies, food intolerances and environmental toxicities. Osteopathy provides a highly specific physical treatment to deal with the structure. Emotional release techniques may be used also, thus allowing the practitioner to deal with all three sides of the Health Triad, for long lasting improvements. Treating only one side of the triad would be a symptom focused approach.

All aspects of a person’s lifestyle provide important clues to the causes of pain. With Osteopathy & AK we take time to examine a patient until the cause of pain is found. Only then is treatment given or recommendations made to correct it. Where medication is recommended, everything is tested against the individual for effectiveness and tolerance, thus eliminating the administration of remedies that don’t work. This is of course a huge benefit in places where drugs are sometimes in short supply.

The combination of Osteopathy & AK regularly produces good results when other methods have not worked well. This is simply because we know nature works, and if we work hard to restore it, the outcome can only be better health.

Osteopathy is a physical manipulative discipline which treats mainly muscular aches and pains as well as many common health complaints. The basic principle understands that ‘structure governs function’. i.e. normal bodily functions will be compromised if structural stresses are present, which they are in all of us.

When we speak of imbalances, we don’t just mean having one leg 1cm longer than the other (a common finding), we are thinking at the cellular level. If we consider the microscopic effects of a leg length discrepancy, and ask how that influences muscle tensions and therefore blood flow, lymphatic (waste) drainage and the conduction of neurological signals, then we can appreciate how all body systems may be negatively affected by them.

Looking at the health triad once again, everything influences everything else. Thus all our health issues may be created by, or worsen with poor posture, poor body use, poor diet and unhappy emotional states. By correcting these structural stresses many health issues can be reversed.

I practice correction is achieved through physical work on specific muscles and soft tissues to encourage the nervous system to release the patterns of imbalance. This process requires a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology, and a very fine degree of palpation (therapeutic touch). Personally I use AK to compliment Osteopathy, because it looks at the Osteopathic principle the other way around; ‘Function governs Structure’. Organ dysfunctions create changes in our postures, resulting in imbalance.

AK is a complex physical diagnostic system that helps identify an individual’s health challenges. It can tell us not only which organs are in trouble, but also helps us find out why, and therefore guides the treatment plan.

Using these methods, an individual’s health challenges may be assessed rapidly and yet deeply, providing information about the causes of pain, and allowing recommendations for long term improvements.

David Wells, a highly experienced UK trained practitioner runs Osteopathy Clinic, Osteopathy & performs Applied Kinesiology at the KIST Medical College.