To think osteopathy is "woo woo" therapy?

[candycoatedwaterdrops]

Apparently, this makes me UR and that it's not comparable to homeopathy. So, MNers what do you think?

You do sound very lucky. NHS physio's around here only do exercises, treatments are usually only 20minutes including paper work and often limited to 6 sessions. Which would be enough if problem as acute (recent) but not after a 3 month wait.

Out of interest what have you read to make you sceptical??

I have had chronic lower back pain for many years and have found osteopathy to be the most effective treatment overall to manage my condition, improve my flexibility and reduce pain.

Better and longer lasting than drugs, far more effective (and much more pleasant) than being treated by a physiotherapist (they are not nicknamed physioterrorists for nothing! Bless them).

I also saw an osteopath for a one-off "frozen shoulder" type injury and it was sorted completely with a few treatments (3 or 4 I think).

I admire their training, (i think its a 4 year degree course, certainly their knowledge of anatomy and physiology is excellent), dedication and skill. I have also found without exception that they are very professional but also very pleasant people to deal with, no hints of woo or exaggeration in their claims, very "down to earth".

I have no experience or knowledge re cranial osteopathy bar one friend who took her baby after a difficult birth and claims his feeding and sleeping improved dramatically after the treatments.

Great for joint issues, or at least mine is.

I would love to here your obviously really well formed views on acupuncture. You seem so very knowledgable on this whole subject.

I'm sure you know far more than NICE or those silly people who undertake Cochrane reviews who have found acupuncture to be have clinically significant results for a wide range of conditions.

I know I'll just ignore them and listen to you as you lump together a medical system that has been used for over 4000 years, with some quackery like homeopathy.

Took my 3.5 week dd to CO after 3 days of mental colic crying for half the day. Totally changed her immediately & she's been a complete dream baby since, nearly 6 months now. Don't care if it's woo-colic that goes away by 3 months is fine for someone to say it's only 3 months, but I'd have had a breakdown if I had to hear her cry like that for 3 months so v v happy with CO!

But can't cranial osteopathy help drain fluid build up from children's ears? Or is that just more woo and lies?

Cranial osteopathy - 100% homeopathic style bollocks about realigning natural rhythms with no evidence behind it.

Ds had horrendous colic when he was 5 weeks up until he was 3 months. We tried everything, gripe water, different positions etc and nothing worked, he would be screaming most of the day up until around 1am when he would eventually pass out from exhaughstion. Someone on a mums site mentioned it and we took him. After the first session there was no difference but after the second and by the time he went for the 3rd he was 100 times better.
That is enough evidence for me

Lots of people would say exactly the same about homeopathy, amber teething jewellery and crystal healing.

Cant link as putting dd to bed but if you look at the evidence tab for osteopathy on the nhs website (link earlier) it starts with a para on placebo & is hardly compelling endorsement but i am a big cynic. Big cynic on big pharma too fwiw.

Cranial osteopathy - 100% homeopathic style bollocks about realigning natural rhythms with no evidence behind it.
Again someone talking bollocks.
Homepathy has been clinically proven NOT to work.
cranial osteopathy is sill being tested, some preliminary trials have been shown to find significant improvements for colic, but these are no where near sufficient to be proof that it works.

Therefore you can't say it's a load of rubbish, it might be but it might not be.

Very much in favour of osteopathy - a local osteopath sorted out my lower back after labour, it was painful for weeks and yet 20 minutes later no more pain. I was an exam subject at the London School of Osteopathy for their final year students with a hip problem that a regular physio had done nothing for, again one session later I could walk / run without pain.

The osteopath we use took just as long to train and study as a GP, at university too!

You know GPs study for about 10 years don't you?

I have a deformed spine.

Physio exercises help relieve some of the pain and help me build up compensatory muscles. Physio manipulates the vertebrae and ligaments to provide pain relief in areas which I simply cannot.

While I understand that the multiple anecdotes on here about efficacy do not equate to a clinical double blind trial, I don't think it cane be compared to homeopathy. For example, I reckon an untrained person doing osteo moves could cause serious damage - an untrained homeopath dispensing water would do no damage

I would love to here your obviously really well formed views on acupuncture. You seem so very knowledgable on this whole subject.

Christ on a hairy bike! I am giving my OPINION on a chat forum, not lecturing at Cambridge on medicine. I asked if IABU and was prepared to be told I am. No need to be so arsey and up yourself!

YABU but if that is what you think nothing anyone can do to change your mind.

IME not at all comparable to homeopathy imu.

If all they do is massage that's fine, but osteopathy is supposed to be able to cure actual diseases. That makes it woo.

Anecdotes about how someone had treatment and they got better are not proof any more than the similar anecdotes which 'prove' that homeopathy works.

lilyaldrin and parietal

you couldn't be more wrong.

I meet a lot of seemingly normal mothers who take their children to the cranial osteopath for regular checkups much like I do the dentist. I just keep my opinions to myself.

I also met someone who wants to open a homeopathy clinic in Fulham because she thinks there's not enough of them.

I had some great treatment from a homeopath for pregnancy-related headaches. Still sceptical about the actual homeopathy but she was an excellent counsellor (bereavement-related issues).

Toffee Please read the thread, I am happy to be educated. I am not so arrogant that I won't change my mind.

DziezkoDisco if you agree there's no evidence that it works what does that make practitioners who sell the treatment?

Do they begin by saying "look this may be bullshit but it's worth a try" ?

Yes sashh, I know.
Without knowing exact details, she studied longer than normal to allow her to specialise in children and then longer for teaching.

I'm not sure she did 10 years though, to be fair, but she did more than seven.

I thought osteopaths and chiropractors were almost the sme thing? I always go to a chiropractor for back injuries and it always gets sorted. I'm not at all woo.

Are you thinking of cranial OP?

Quangle Yes, probably re: confusion! Always been worried about chiros with the cracking they do!

Fixed by osteopath, not fixed by 4 separate physios. Depends on the individual really.