Can anyone recommend a cranial osteopath in Berkshire/Hampshire

[MrsOB]

Hi,

My 8 week old daughter has really bad reflux and someone suggested taking her to a cranial osteopath.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of this and if you have any recommendations?

Thanks for your help!
C x

Cranial osteopathy (perhaps better known as craniosacral therapy) has no biological plausibility for any condition and when tested shows no effectiveness beyond placebo.

You'd be better off with more standard options detailed here and here.

Hope she gets better soon.

That's nonsense, believe me it can have good effects, my go told me I was wasting my time and money, its seen as "laying on of the hands" and that they are charlatans, but I can vouch for it working

My dd is 10 weeks old and I was literally at the end of my tether with her colic and silent reflux, constant crying and need to be held 24/7

I took her to the European school of osteopathy in Kent last week, they have a clinic for mums and babies where your treated by a 4th year student under supervision

Long story short we had a traumatic birth, she had suffered the effects of this, they answered questions about our birth merely from touching baby, I was astounded

Anyway, this week I have a different baby, I can leave her to play on her mat, she is crying a hell of a lot less and she is breastfeeding a lot better, I was a bit upset by the crying she did while being treated, but basically her entire core was compacted at north causing her discomfort and eating issues

We are having a course of treatment anyway, it may not work for all but I am a convert, good luck x

@ladylobster

I don't find it hard to believe that you, as an individual, are convinced by its effectiveness.

But an individual it's impossible to take into account all the confounders which might skew our perception.

Which is why we have to use scientific trials to assess therapies.

And, when we look at cranial osteopathy/craniosacral therapy in this way it turns out not to be effective.

P.S. I don't think they are charlatans.
I think they believe it works.
And, the best evidence available would indicate they are mistaken.

This guy was fab in treating my DS's back problem 2 years ago. We were recommended his Partner but Partner said Julian was best with kids.

Note - we did not go for Cranial Osteopathy, but I would recommend this guy for his treatment & manner with kids & their distraught Mums.

He was the one that got us the Ortho referral we needed as he insisted there was an underlying problem and really needed a scan etc, and wrote to our GP to strengthen our case, and wrote to the hospital consultant about his views. However, he did amazing jobs in relaxing DS's spasms whenever we did visit.

Eastleigh Osteopathic Clinic.
Really helped both my DSs.

Osteopathy has a decent evidence base for back and shoulder problems.

It's just a shame so many (such as the ones Milliways link to) are also involved in unsupported and implausible practices.

Dbennett - who rattled your cage

The op asked for suggestions or experiences on osteopathy, neither of which you have given

I didn't even pay, so I don't buy the attitude that its nonsense

@ladylobster

I don't know if you're looking for a response to your latest post but if you are I'm a little confused by the last sentence of it.

But, if you don't want a response then I guess it's not important that I didn't understand.

Sorry to jump in with a query of my own that's not a direct response to MrsOB (really sorry, in fact!). Hopefully this might contribute anyway ...

@DBennett, I'm fascinated to hear that there have been controlled trials that have evaluated the effectiveness of craniosacral/cranial osteopathy against 'placebo' (so far as I can infer from your comments) or against other interventions. Can you point us in the direction of the relevant work (e.g. references)?? If there is firm evidence on this, it would be good to know what it is, as many parents may look towards cranial osteopaths when faced with problems like reflux (particularly if they're used to feeling rather fobbed off by their GP ).

It's also worth noting that individual scientific trials can - sometimes - be misleading when viewed in isolation, since different trials focusing on the same treatment can produce variable results. So it would also be really useful to know whether or not a consensus exists on this point in the relevant literature.

Thanks very much!

@jonryder

One of the best open-source summaries is here.

It covers a range of topics including biological plausibility and whether current evidence shows effectiveness beyond placebo.

It's just one example of many but this is quite broad and open to all to read without a paywall.

I hope it is of interest.

Thanks very much, DBennett, that's perfect. It's good to see that there are systematic reviews of relevant trials out there (and open access, at that). I'm pleasantly surprised!

Thanks again

Open access is often the hard part, you're right.

Glad to help.

After taking my first baby to a local cranial osteopath at 6 weeks old and with horrible colic, I'm convinced it works. I don't know what she does, but a previously crying baby is suddenly able to get rid of her trapped wind and is happy again. I used the same lady during pregnancy for me, and then took my second baby to see her. She is well worth going to see, and handily for the OP she is in Newbury, so handy for you! Her name is Sophie Parkes and she is on Hambridge Lane. She has a special interest in pregnancy and babies. FWIW her ex-husband is also a CO and works from a doctor's surgery, the doctors there are happy that CO works!