Osteopath, chiropractor, reflexologist – breakthrough in medicine or divorce?

Traditional medicine is not always able to solve health problems. Taking medications has the other side of the coin, and it is not always possible to achieve the desired result. This encourages patients to seek help from osteopaths, chiropractors, reflexologists.

These specialists, with the appropriate knowledge and skills, are sometimes the only solution. But there are also risks here: diplomas and training certificates are not yet a sign that a doctor knows his job perfectly.

The content of the article:

What do an osteopath, chiropractor and reflexologist do and treat?

Specialists of the professions in question carry out treatment with non-traditional methods. Sometimes ordinary doctors for one pathology or another recommend that patients combine both methods of treatment.

In the work of an osteopath, chiropractor and reflexologist, there are common features:

1. The hands are the main tools in the course of treatment. Some people call the manipulation performed as massage, but this is not so. These methods of influencing the body involve pressing on the necessary zones in order to achieve an effect.
2. Higher medical education is a prerequisite. Many patients do not pay special attention to this moment, and in vain. All of these specialists will influence organs, muscles: ignorance of the anatomy of the body can provoke a lot of negative consequences in the near future. Today, some private clinics offer the services of an osteopath, a reflexologist, and a manual specialist. Before the visit, it will be useful to clarify the work experience of a particular doctor, get acquainted with reviews about him.
3. Diagnostics is required to start treatment. The specialist can request X-rays of the problem area, MRI, ultrasound results, blood / urine tests. Before the procedures, the patient is asked about his lifestyle, trauma, chronic diseases. If we are talking about a top-class reflectologist, no examination is required: he will be able to identify even those ailments that the patient did not know existed. For this, direct contact with the body (often legs) is enough for him. There are very few such professionals in Russia, but they do exist.

There are certain differences in the principles of treatment of an osteopath, chiropractor and reflexologist:

• Osteopathy provides for a mild effect on certain areas. The procedure is almost painless and can cover any area of ​​the body. The main goal of treatment is to eliminate the disease itself. For an osteopath, the whole picture is important, not pieces of a puzzle. Therefore, it is often necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination before starting the sessions.
• Manual therapy techniques are more rude, although, if the doctor is a professional, there should be no discomfort, and at the end of the session the patient will feel relief. This type of therapy is intended to eliminate the symptoms of the disease, but it does not cure the pathology itself. The main object that the manual operator is guided by is the musculoskeletal system.
• The work of a reflexologist is not limited only to the hands. He can use additional tools: needles, laser, wormwood cigars, magnet, stones, vacuum jars. The most common type of reflexology is acupressure on the feet and hands. By influencing the reflexogenic zones, you can relieve pain, reduce stress. The specified type of alternative medicine is also used as an auxiliary treatment that helps the patient to relax mentally and physically.

When should you go to a chiropractor?

The reasons for visiting a chiropractor may be the following disorders:

• Incorrect placement of individual components of the locomotor systemthat provokes muscle spasms. The muscles in this case perform a protective function, limiting the mobility of the joints. Similar phenomena are observed with osteochondrosis, herniated disc, with overload / lack of mobility of the spine. If there is a hernia, you should initially contact a neurologist, and only he prescribes a course of treatment and advises additional specialists. This can be an osteopath, chiropractor, vertebrologist, etc. Pregnant, young children need to undergo therapy with an osteopath: his techniques are more gentle.
• Strong joint mobility, in which ligaments and muscles are affected. This pathology can develop against the background of injuries, overloads of the spine and is accompanied by severe pain and discomfort. As a treatment, in addition to manual therapy, measures are taken to eliminate joint mobility.
• Violation of muscle balance, which externally manifests itself in the form of improper posture. Such diseases are most often susceptible to those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, ignoring any sports, or those who devote too much time to physical activity. Main complaints: tingling in the damaged area, pain, fatigue.

Do you need to see an osteopathic doctor – all indications for osteopathy

The list of ailments that the specialist in question is able to eliminate is quite diverse:

• Defects in the structure of joints (arthritis, arthrosis), spinethat prevent the patient from moving freely. An osteopath is often treated with intervertebral hernias, radiculitis, and scoliosis. This industry is also called structural osteopathy… But here an important point should be remembered: it will take more than one year to treat these pathologies, and visits to an osteopath alone will not be enough. The patient should reconsider his lifestyle: yoga, swimming, Pilates will be beneficial.
• Inflammatory processes of the upper and lower respiratory tract, as well as chronic otitis media.
• Disorders associated with the neuralgic, mental spheres: regular headaches, vegetative-vascular dystonia, migraines, memory impairment. Non-traditional treatment of the listed conditions is engaged in craniosacral osteopathy…
• Gynecological diseases: disruptions in the cycle, adaptation after childbirth, preparation for the birth of a child, infertility.
• Consequences of surgical intervention (adhesions).
• Bone damage due to injury.
• Malfunctions of internal organs: gastritis, pathology of the liver, pancreas, stomach ulcer, hemorrhoids.
• Male diseases: prostate adenoma, impotence, etc.
• Pathologies in babies, which at a later age cannot be eliminated / problematic (children’s osteopathy). These may be errors in the structure of the bones of the skull, which have arisen as a result of birth trauma; intracranial pressure, etc. An osteopathic doctor also helps to eliminate flat feet, torticollis. They turn to him if a child is diagnosed with mental and physical retardation.

How a reflexologist can help – a list of diseases and disorders for treatment by this specialist

The specialist in question will be useful if there are such violations:

• Malfunctions of the nervous system, sensory organs. If the patient has complaints of facial pains, migraines, ringing in the ears, with dysfunctions of the cranial nerves, therapy with the specialist in question will bear fruit.
• Mental disorders, which arose against the background of alcoholism, drug addiction, psychoses of various nature. There is an opinion that through reflexology it is possible to get rid of frigidity, to cure impotence.
• Pathologies associated with poor blood circulation: varicose veins, hypertension, hemorrhoids, early stages of atherosclerosis, etc.
• Malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract: gastritis, ulcer.
• Female and male diseases. Sometimes this technique can be used to relieve pain during labor activity, to recover after childbirth. There are cases when acupuncture helped to cope with infertility.
• Severe pain in the back, joints, muscles.
• Allergic reactions (including chronic conjunctivitis).

Basic rules for choosing a doctor – what to look for?

Since in Russia the considered methods of treatment are unconventional, it is impossible to find an osteopath, chiropractor, and especially a reflexologist in a state hospital.

In order not to fall into the hands of a fraudster who not only takes decent money, but can also cripple, some recommendations should be followed:

1. The specialists listed above conduct appointments in private clinics or in specialized centers.
2. The doctor must have 2 documents confirming his qualifications:

• Higher medical education diploma.
• Corresponding certificate.

On the other hand, the presence of such documents is not a guarantee that the doctor knows and is able to apply non-traditional methods of treatment in practice.

Reflexology came to us from China. Doctors of this particular country perfectly master the art of acupressure, can produce high-quality acupuncture, warming up with cans. Today, there are Eastern medicine centers in Russia, where doctors from China or those who have been trained there work.

3. You should make an appointment with a doctor who has experience and positive recommendations. You can ask your friends for reviews, or look on the forums. Do not forget that each organism is individual: sometimes a doctor can help one patient, but with the pathologies of another he will be powerless. If after the course of treatment there are no special improvements, you should look for another master.
4. Osteopathy, manual therapy and reflexology have many contraindications. Before visiting the specified specialists, you need to coordinate all the points with the treating doctor.

The Bologny.ru website provides reference information. Adequate diagnosis and treatment of the disease is possible only under the supervision of a qualified doctor!