top of page

What is Osteopathic Medicine?

Osteopathic Medicine was founded by Andrew Taylor Still M.D. in 1874. Dr. Still was a surgeon. He was a pioneer who went searching for answers about how the body heals. He developed a hands-on healing modality, now osteopathy, and started the first school of osteopathic medicine.

 

Osteopathy is based on four fundamental principles:

 

1. The body is a unit in mind, body and spirit.

2. Structure and Function are interrelated.

3. The body has self-regulating, and self-healing capacity.

4. Rational treatment is based on the understanding of these principles.

 

Osteopathy is unique in that the goal of the practitioner is to find the Health not the disease. Osteopathy has been passed down from teacher to student for generations with hands over hands teaching. Osteopathic physicians are fully licensed physicians in the United States. They attend four years of medical school and then go on to do residency training in any specialty that they choose. Only a very small percentage choose to practice traditional osteopathic medicine. 

How does Dr. Hancock practice osteopathic medicine?

Dr. Hancock has an integrated approach to each patient. She has a gentle touch when practicing osteopathic manipulation. Generally, the patient will lay on their back and Dr. Hancock will apply gentle manual manipulation to the body while receiving feedback from the body and the patient to adjust when needed. Generally, people feel very relaxed and sometimes even sleep during a session of manipulation. No two sessions are the same. Dr. Hancock works to align the patient with their deepest level of Health to move through the challenges that they are currently facing. Often people think that Dr. Hancock only works with the musculoskeletal system, but she often is working with any issue that a family doctor might come across to give a wholistic and integrated treatment. She can feel imbalances in any system of the body. It is common for her to feel imbalances in the nervous system, immune system, endocrine/hormonal system, gastroenterology system, cardiovascular system, respiratory systems and emotional system.  Sometimes all that is need is a hands on osteopathic treatment and at other times Dr. Hancock will give recommendations on nutritional changes, supplements, proper rest, exercises, stretching, meditation, etc to get patients to their optimal health. 

Picture of the pacific coast. The Tide is an important part of Osteopathy.

Conditions that benefit from Osteopathy

Concussions

Spinal cord injuries

Traumatic Brain Injury

Memory decline

Migranes

Dysautonmia

POTS

Chronic Fatigue syndrome

Lyme Disease

Multiple sclerosis

Parkinsons Disease

Occipital neuralgia

TMJ

PTSD

Vertigo

Dizziness

Long COVID

Mold illness

SIBO/dysbiosis

​

Anxiety

Depression

Insomnia

Chronic stress

Emotional burnout

Post partum depression

Scoliosis

Spinal stenosis

Back pain

Neck pain

Sacral pain

Headaches

Pelvic pain

Joint pain

Shoulder pain

Ankle pain

Elbow pain

Knee pain

Hip pain

​

Foot pain

Plantar fascists

Rheumatoid arthritis

Pregnancy related back pain

Pregnancy related pelvic pain

Pregnancy related sacral pain

Post surgical recovery

Postpartum recovery

IBS

IBD

Constipation

Diarrhea

GERD

Bladder irritability

Hormone imbalances

Thyroid disease

​

Menstrual irregularities

PCOS

PMS

Dysmenorrhea

Infertility

Pediatric plagiocephally

Pediatric reflux

ADD

Autism

Club foot

Latching difficulty in infants

Pediatric sleep difficulties

Developmental delay

Learning disability

Recurrent Ear infections

Bronchitis/ Pneumonia

Sinus infections

Poor circulation

bottom of page