Using Osteopathy to Support the Body’s Immune Response

It’s inevitable that all of us will experience some sickness during our lives. This can be inevitable and sometime necessary to develop immunity.

On a much deeper level, I believe that feeling unwell is part of our human experience and that illness is an invitation to change our relationship with ourselves for the better. Usually, when we feel unwell, we re-assess our lives, our relationships and priorities and begin to slow down and listen to our body a bit more.

Osteopathy can help to support the body immune response during an illness as well as during the recovery phase.

The path to ill health

Every input – including diet, mental attitude, stress or lack of rest, – determines the healthiness of your body. It’s a bit like preparing healthy soil for plants: to have vibrant growth, you must ensure you have the right amount of organic matter, the right pH balance, and the right amount of nutrients, water, light, and air.

All organisms in nature adapt to survive and thrive in their particular environment. This is a fundamental principle of evolutionary biology and it applies to humans as much as to any other organism. In simple terms, this means that if we are exposed to toxins, stress, trauma or poor diet (whether it’s for a short period of time or slowly over decades) our body can adapt by building up immune defences that make us more resilient.

However, when the body is exposed to a large amount of “stressors” (traumas, toxins, stress to name a few) that exceed the ability of the immune system to cope with it and adapt, a mismatch occurs and our health starts to suffer.

This process of “disequilibrium” can carry on for a very long time and can initially manifest in small signs and symptoms that we probably consider as “normal,” such as skin changes, indigestion, tensions and fatigue. As time goes by, the protracted “disequilibrium” will lead to more severe and noticeable symptoms, for example, acute lower back pain, exhaustion, chronic headache, and recurring joints pain, for example. People also start noticing mood changes including fear, increased anxiety and poor concentration.

Interferences in the healing process

Sometimes the ability of the body to heal or even initiate an appropriate immune response to return to a state of equilibrium, is impeded by so called “ fields of interference”.

They generally arise in locations where there has been an injury. The injury may be from sharp or blunt trauma, local infection or inflammation, or mechanical strain or injury.

They can occur in many locations, including: internal organs, teeth, autonomic ganglia, nerve entrapments, skin puncture sites, irritated ligaments and tendons, fractures, periosteal contusions etc.

The most common I come across in my clinical practice are post-surgical scars and dental problems.

Every injury or trauma, whether it’s chemical, mechanical, electrical or otherwise, leaves behind metabolites in the repair process which interfere with, and eventually block, the healing capacity of the body and the transmission of appropriate signals from the nervous system, necessary to activate certain immune response in the body. These interferences can be seen as blockages in the transmission of information to other parts of the body that desperately need them. Unless they are treated, they can constantly interfere with the ability of the body to heal on various levels.

The body’s memory

The bioelectric structure of the body is so sophisticated that it remembers the entire history of the injury; for example in the case of a car accident the body will remember everything about the impact or the moment it affected the body’s sensory awareness and all the circumstances surrounding it. It is not only a physical memory but also an emotional one.

Decades may pass before patients experience symptoms related to these Interference fields, but by this time the effects may be quite deep and far-reaching.

Case Study

“Marie” came to see me because she had been suffering with chronic bladder infections for the previous 2 years. More recently, she started to develop anxiety, chronic back pain that nothing seemed to relieve, plus episodes of a bloated and painful abdomen, headache and brain fog. On taking a medical history from her, it transpired that her health had not been the same since giving birth to her child 5 years ago, when she’d had a traumatic emergency C section followed by a pelvic infection that took months to heal.

I worked with her scar as well as other body parts that had been affected by the C section (including adhesions and infections which developed after the surgery). I made appropriate modifications to her diet and taught her meditation techniques to address the emotional memory of the C section which all helped Marie to regain her health and joy for living.

Osteopathy and Immunity

During an osteopathy session, Iassess the body to find out how healthy it is. Is your body able to respond efficiently to changes and find a balance? Are your organs working to their optimum capacity? Is there any trauma that is still affecting your body? Is there any scar tissue creating an abnormal tension and negatively impacting on your body’s ability to function well? I look for the underlying causes of your current symptoms in order to facilitate long lasting benefits that go beyond simply relieving symptoms.

A few days after your osteopathy appointment, the body makes its own adjustments, going through a re-balancing process. As a result, patients may report improvements in various aspects of their health, experiencing not only the easing of pain but possibly also more energy, better digestion, emotional well-being and increased immunity.

I spend time with my patients trying to build a complete picture of their health, getting to the root cause of their health issues but also finding out which other lifestyle factors should be modified so that they are in better control of their health. It is my conviction and professional approach that patient education is fundamental to good health. Knowledge about your health gives you personal empowerment and responsibility; you have a stronger reason to take action to improve your well-being.

Osteopathy takes a gentle and safe hands-on approach to alleviate pain and support general health by restoring function, inherent motion and mobility to various body structures. It encourages the body to use its own self-regulating and healing mechanisms more effectively.

I am passionate about helping you to feel better and empowering you with the tools and knowledge you can apply in your daily life so you’re more in control of your health and wellbeing.

If you are, like many of my patients, struggling with health issues and you want to get to the bottom of them and embrace a healthier lifestyle, do not hesitate to contact me. I am interested in hearing your story and how I can help you and guide you through a process of changes towards better health.

Feel free to tag your friend who might benefit from reading this article.

To your health,

Paola

Paola Pizzuto is a registered Osteopath in Edinburgh with a commitment and dedication to helping people achieve better health.

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