A balanced, healthy body

The principle of osteopathy is that ‘structure governs function‘, meaning the structure of the body determines how well the various body systems function. If you want a healthy body, with all its complex systems functioning smoothly, make sure your body structure is in balance – not imbalanced.

By Dr David Tio
Accountants and osteopaths share one common goal – to achieve balance. While accountants strive to balance debits and credits in order to produce a balance sheet, osteopaths are healthcare professionals who strive to balance the body’s musculo-skeletal structure in order to produce a balanced, healthy body.

Balance is an important concept in health. We talk about eating a balanced diet and leading a balanced lifestyle. We know that good health depends on the balance of chemicals and hormones. In Chinese health philosophy, there is the concept of balancing yin and yang. We even talk about balancing the left and right brains for greater well-being and effectiveness.

But is your body balanced? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Is one ear higher than the other? How about your shoulders? Or your hips? Look also at your shoes. Do they wear out unevenly on one side?

Or try this simple test: Lie down with your eyes closed, in a position that you feel is perfectly straight. Open your eyes and tilt your head up to look at your feet. Are they directly in front of you? Or slanted towards one side?

Here’s a more interesting test: Stand on two separate weighing scales! Do the two sides of your body ‘weigh‘ the same? If you don’t have two weighing scales, come to my clinic for a free assessment on the Spinal Analysis Machine. You may be shocked to discover that one side of your body might weigh a few kilograms heavier than the other. This is like than carrying a bowling ball with you all day long. No wonder you feel tired.

No wonder you develop aches and pain. And if such imbalances remain uncorrected for years and decades, they could develop into serious problems later in life.

Body imbalances can arise from poor posture and habits, such as always carrying heavy loads with one hand, or working on a computer that is not directly in front of you.

They can also arise from sports that make you use one side of the body more than the other – like bowling, golf or tennis. If you enjoy such sports, it is important to also do cross training exercises that use the two sides of the body evenly, like jogging or weight training.
Swimming the crawl makes you turn your head to one side, whereas the breast stroke and back stroke are more balanced. I recommend especially the back stroke, as it has the added advantage of keeping your spine straight throughout.

When you have an imbalance, the muscles on one side of the body will be more tense and tight than the other side. You need to restore your balance so that the muscles can relax naturally. Otherwise, massage and other forms of relaxation will only provide limited, short-term relief.

This is where professional osteopathic care can help. An osteopath is trained to restore the balance of the body through manipulation and other osteopathic techniques. Since osteopathy was founded by Dr Andrew Taylor Still some 150 years ago, osteopathic treatment has proven to be gentle, safe and effective.

Osteopaths also routinely work with other healthcare practitioners in a holistic, whole-person approach. For example, many people walk in an imbalanced way because of fl at foot or unequal leg lengths.
Slight differences in leg lengths are actually quite common. Or, they may have foot pain due to corns, callouses, in-grown toe nails and other problems.

Thus, osteopaths work closely with podiatrists / chiropodists to solve these foot problems as part of total health care.

Osteopaths are commonly sought for problems related to aches and pain – neck pain, frozen shoulder, lower back pain, tennis / golfers’ elbow, sciatica, knee and foot pain, and so on. However, osteopathy treatment can help a much wider range of problems, including migraine and headaches, respiratory problems, digestive disorders, developmental problems in children and even infectious diseases like the flu. About the writer:

David Tio studied accountancy after he left school, but failed all his examinations. He then established a successful career as a medical sales representative, but gave it up in his mid-20s to pursue his interest in natural health and alternative medicine. He studied yoga and nature cure in India and journeyed overland to England, where he undertook a four-year course in osteopathy. Osteopathic Treatment Centre www.osteopathy.com.sg
(Source: Global Partner Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (Singapore) July - September 2007)