About Osteopathy
Osteopathy emphasizes understanding of the body as an engineer would understand complex machinery. Osteopaths are taught to take into account biomechanics, gravitational stress, the inter-relationships of the parts of the nervous system that control position, movement, motor systems, and areas that control the internal organs and autonomic nervous system. Hence, osteopathic medicine offers additional strategies to understand health, tendency to disease, injury, and avoidance of medication that most M.D.'s simply do not know about.
An Osteopath is educated in palpation and structural analysis, similar to that taught to chiropractors, but more medically complete. Osteopaths must know traditional medicine, pharmacology, surgery, and hospital based medicine, but also are expected to achieve some mastery of all recognized techniques of OMT and to be able to integrate them into medical care. Osteopaths can use medication as necessary, and weigh that use of medication with how the patients body is accepting and responding to it.
Achieving optimal health
Optimal health is defined as the state of the organism in which there is maximal work capacity in the processes that give the system adaptability and minimal dysfunction from disorder coming from its current and expected stressor load. Holonomics places the assessment of body structure and motions as the number one cost-effective way to ascertain the order state of the human body. The information derived from these diagnostic methods is instant, reliable, and can be used to assist identification of the cause of physical symptoms and ailments in ways that can be clinically useful both in out-patient care and in the hospital.
When a unique problem arises, requiring the input of another specialist, we will make appropriate referrals and work with that specialist in developing the most appropriate treatment plan. This is not a primary care practice and you will need a family doctor while under Dr. Holland's care. He is board certified in general practice, but this office is about Integrative Medicine, restoration of health, not family practice.
How does OMT work?
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) utilizes a variety of manipulation techniques designed to reverse the physiologic disturbances and changes so the body can work properly again. In Osteopathic Medicine, the natural state is health, and OMT seeks to help the tissue return to it.
Examinations begin with an assessment of posture, spine and balance, then manual palpation on the back and extremities. The physician will then check your joints for restricted or distorted motions. Tissue distortions often are causes of pain or symptoms that the patient feels in their body.
Using OMT, the DO will then apply manipulation to the affected areas to treat structural abnormalities and rebalance tissues. Based upon the complexity or severity of the problem, treatment of a condition may require more than one or several treatments.
How our bodies distort as we age involves structural changes and compensations that gradually limit our choices and eventually compromise our health. Osteopathic treatment and learning about our bodies can make us live longer, healthier, more productive lives. It's all about choice.