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Osteopathic Medicine: a complete system of healthcare with a philosophy that combines the needs of the patient with the current practice of medicine. Doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) practice a whole-person approach, which means they consider both the physical and mental needs of their patients.This "holistic" approach to healthcare was actually developed by an American MD. Dr. Andrew Taylor Still feared that 19th-century medicine was doing more harm than good. Disgusted at the ineffectiveness of fellow practitioners during the Civil War, he decided to focus on the body's ability to heal itself and began to stress preventive medicine. He also identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health, stressing that muscles, nerves, bones, and organs are all interrelated. In 1892, Dr. Still founded the American School of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Missouri.
(www.kidshealth.org/parent/system/doctor/osteopath.html)
Cranial rhythmic impulse: a palpable, rhythmic fluctuation believed to be synchronous with the primary respiratory mechanism. It is commonly assumed that this rhythmic motion is mechanically driven by variations in the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid system and that it can be felt synchronously all over the body.
(www.drfeely.com/Osteopathy/cranial_impulse.htm)
Cranial Sacral Therapy: a technique based on Cranial Osteopathy. Like Cranial Osteopathy, Cranial Sacral Therapy seeks to restore the natural rhythmic movement found between the bones of the skull. It does the same for the movements of the sacrum. The purpose of this is to aid the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid throughout the central nervous system. However, Cranial Sacral Therapists believe that the natural movements at the skull bones come from the membrane that lines our nervous system structures, namely the brain and spinal cord. For this reason, their focus is on those membranes, rather than directly on the bones and sutures. Unlike Cranial Osteopathy, Cranial Sacral Therapy is not taught in Osteopathic Colleges. This technique is often given by massage therapists and bodyworkers, who have engaged in further study and skill development.
(http://backandneck.about.com/od/osteopathyfaqs/f/cranialsacralth.htm)
Fulcrum: a craniosacral therapy technique developed by Kathleen Cliff, M.T. Traditional methodology had often utilized blocks/wedges under various points of the client's body, which was placed in numerous positions, manipulating bones trying to get them to move into place. Craniosacral Fulcrum Therapy entails fulcrums (usually towels and a large pillow) placed at strategic points under the client's body while they are lying on their back. Then soft tissue is gently massaged and manipulated, moving bones into proper alignment. The process usually takes two hours and the results can be profound.
(www.pnf.org/Manual_Therapy_C.pdf)
Dr. Andrew Taylor Still: the father of osteopathic medicine as well as the founder of the first college of osteopathic medicine. He was born in Jonesboro, Virginia (now known as Jonesville), on August 6, 1828. His father was both a Methodist minister and physician. Young Andrew Still decided at an early age to follow in his father's footsteps as a physician. As an apprentice physician to his father, he learned both from being at his father's side as well as from the course of study. He later served in the Civil War as a surgeon in the Union Army. It was not until the early 1870's that Dr. Still separated himself from his M.D. counterparts by his pervasive criticism of the misuse of drugs common to the day. Believing that medicine should offer the patient more, Dr. Still supported a philosophy of medicine different from the practice of his day and in their place he advocated the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment. Dr. Still founded a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine. The philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body's ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly, and keeping fit.
(www.aoa-net.org/AOAGeneral/stillbio.htm)
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