Osteopathy for Pregnancy, Delivery,
the normal life cycle, pregnancy causes a woman’s body to undergo immense phys- ical, chemical, hormonal and emotional changes over a relatively short period of time.
B Last summer, I was pregnant with
my first baby, and, being an Osteopathic physician who practices integrative med- icine; I was interested in caring for my pregnancy with a variety of treatments that were complimentary to my routine prenatal care. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) practiced by Osteo- pathic physicians is one modality that I found especially useful. I initially sought OMM to maintain a healthy pregnancy, but as my pregnancy progressed, it be- came very useful for the heartburn, back pain, and pelvic pain that I developed. A woman's body is constantly chang-
ing during pregnancy. The body must get used to carrying up to 20 pounds of baby, fluid, and placenta in addition to any extra weight it gains. The effects of hor- mones softening the ligaments, the posi- tion of the growing baby, postural chang- es and increases in weight can put new demands and pressure on the organs, joints, ligaments, muscles, and, really, all tissues of the body. OMM can help to al- leviate these stresses.
eing pregnant is a unique and powerful life experience. Although it is a natural process and part of
and the Newborn What is an
Osteopathic Physician? An Osteopathic physician is a fully
licensed physician whose education combines the conventional methods of medical diagnosis and treatment as well as Osteopathic manipula- tive medicine (OMM). In the Unit- ed States, there are two types of doctors who are fully licensed as physicians and surgeons: M.D.s and D.O.s. D.O.s are Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic physicians un- dergo the same rigorous medical training as M.D.s including medical school and residency, and practice alongside them in offices and hospitals across the country in all specialties. In ad- dition to their conventional medi- cal training, Osteopathic physi- cians receive additional training in hands-on diagnosis and treat- ment modalities of the whole body as well as Osteopathic philosophy.
Osteopathic Philosophy The science and philosophy of Os-
teopathy make it a unique healing art. Osteopathic philosophy holds that each person is a unit of body, mind and spirit; structure and function are interrelated; and the body has self-healing proper- ties. By further exploring these three primary tenets of Osteopathic medi- cine and discussing OMM, one is able
to better understand how this healing science may be applied to maintain- ing a healthy pregnancy and alleviating discomforts that pregnancy may bring. Structure and function are interre-
lated. Osteopathy is a system of medicine that recognizes the dynamic relation- ship of structure and function in health and disease. The body’s physical struc- ture provides the framework for the rest of the body to function optimally. When the physical structure is strained or under constant stress, this can lead to prob- lems in seemingly unrelated areas of the body. A body that is functioning op- timally has a better chance of adapting to the structural changes of pregnancy. Each person is a dynamic unit of
body, mind and spirit. No single ele- ment functions separately from the other. Rather than focusing on a specific disease process, Osteopathic physicians treat the whole person: body, mind and spirit. This is particularly important during the treat- ment of a woman during her pregnancy. Conventional medical treatments
tend to focus on the physical aspects of disease; however, the Osteopathic ap- proach seeks to promote health and
12 September 2010
www.naturalnutmeg.com
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