Links to further information on Osteopathy and Cranial Osteopathy:
The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC) is one of the 13 UK health and social
care regulators. The regulators are set up to protect the public so that
whenever you see a health or social care professional, you can be sure they
meet the required standards.
The regulators are committed to public and patient involvement in developing our
regulatory processes. Click here to find out about the work each regulator does
and how to contact them.
The Council
Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales
The General Council comprises:
• 8 Lay Members appointed by the Privy Council
• 3 Members appointed by the Education Committee
• 1 Member appointed by the Secretary of State for Education & Skills
• 12 Osteopathic Members elected by the profession
The SCC is an independent post graduate teaching organisation that was founded
in 1993.We have a commitment to promoting and teaching the principles of
osteopathy as conceived by A.T. Still, and developed by W.G. Sutherland.
With this work increasingly in demand from both within the osteopathic
profession and from the public, it is important to be able to recognise
practitioners who are skilled in using Osteopathy in the Cranial Field.
To fulfil this need, the SCC has developed a pathway of learning leading to a
post graduate qualification in Osteopathy in the Cranial Field.
The Society is the largest UK organisation for cranial osteopaths, with over 300
members in the UK and overseas.
The BSO is the largest and oldest school of osteopathy in the UK; founded in
1917 it is respected throughout the world for providing high-quality,
innovative and modern osteopathic education.
At the OCC Clinics in London and Manchester babies and children are treated for
such diverse conditions as asthma, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, eczema,
epilepsy and sleeplessness, as well as more common childhood ailments like glue
ear and colic.
Their team of 'flying osteopaths' treats babies at the neo-natal care unit of a
London hospital, and they also care for pregnant women and their unborn
children. Each year they provide over 30,000 treatments.
They are also committed to raising awareness amongst both the general public and
health care professionals as to the benefits of osteopathy to children, and to
the post-graduate training of osteopaths in paediatric osteopathy.
The Osteopathic Centre for Children is a charity that was set up by Patricia
Ferrall and Stuart Korth in January 1991, with a Saturday morning clinic at the
Royal Homeopathic Hospital, Queens Square, London WC1, around the corner from
the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, where the OCC rented a
room. The original clinic was staffed by volunteer osteopaths.
The OCC receives no statuary funding, and all funds are raised through
charitable donations, including those made by parents who bring their children
to the clinics. At present, the charity is providing around 30,000 treatments a
year in its clinics in London and Manchester, while also providing a paediatric
osteopathy service to the neonatal intensive care unit at Barnet General
Hospital, in London.
The European School of Osteopathy is an osteopathic teaching institution
approved by the General Osteopathic Council to provide training for student
osteopaths who, on successful completion of the course, are eligible to apply
for registration with the General Osteopathic Council. The School is dedicated
to the provision of both undergraduate and postgraduate osteopathic training,
emphasising all essential elements of good practice, sound management and
quality care.
The British Osteopathic Association, through its Executive and its elected
Council, represents the views of members to the General Osteopathic Council,
the Department of Health, local and national government agencies and other
professional bodies. They use mailings, annual convention and a monthly
magazine, Osteopathy Today, to obtain members
’ opinions on osteopathic and business issues. They believe that their
stand-alone independence is vital in carrying out their representational role
and they conduct their business on the basis of openness and transparency.
Osteopathy was founded by Andrew Taylor Still M.D. (1828 - 1917) in reaction to
what he perceived as inadequate medical treatment of his day. Specifically, he
believed that other conventionally trained physicians over-prescribed to
patients harsh and often toxic medications. He invented the name "osteopathy"
by blending two Greek roots osteon- for bone and -pathos for suffering in order
to communiciate his theory that disease and physiologic dysfunction were
etiologically grounded in a disordered musculoskeletal system. Thus, by
diagnosing and treating the musculoskeletal system, he believed that physicians
could treat a variety of diseases and spare patients the negative side-effects
of drugs. He intended his new system of medicine to be a reformation of the
existing 19th century medical practices he knew and imagined that someday
"rational medical therapy" would consist of manipulation of the musculoskeletal
system, surgery, and very sparingly used drugs (for example, antiseptics,
ointments, or laxatives).
Osteopathy is a theory of disease and method of cure founded on the assumption
that deformation of some part of the skeleton and consequent interference with
the adjacent nerves and blood-vessels are the cause of most diseases. (Oxford
English Dictionary).
Osteopathic medicine is dedicated to treating and healing the entire patient as
a whole, rather than focusing on one system or body part. An osteopath will
often use a treatment method called manipulation - a hands-on approach to
assure that the body is moving freely. This free motion ensures that all of
your body's natural healing systems are free to work unhindered.
Osteopaths hold to the principle that a patient's history of illness and
physical trauma are written into the body's structure. The osteopath's highly
developed sense of touch allows the physician to palpate (feel) the patient's
"living anatomy" (the flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and
structural make-up).
The osteopath's job is to "set" the body to heal itself. To do so, the Osteopath
gently applies a precise amount of force to promote healthy movement of
tissues, eliminate abnormal movements, and release compressed bones and joints.
In addition, the areas being treated require proper positioning to assist the
body's ability to regain normal tissue function. This process is called
osteopathic manual medicine (OMM) or osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).
Over the years, the gap between "conventional" medicine and osteopathic medicine
has narrowed, as M.D.s have embraced many of the premises of osteopathic
medicine (such as recognizing the impact of stress on the immune system or
posture on various body systems). In addition, D.O.s have incorporated the
diagnostic and treatment techniques common to conventional medicine.
Doctors of osteopathic medicine may be found in nearly any health care setting,
from community clinics and private practices to academic medical centers.
