This month we take a look at complementary therapies to get the whole body right back into alignment.

Osteopathy

How did it start?

Most people consult an osteopath because they have back pain, but this therapy began, and is still used, for a much wider range of health problems.

It was developed in the USA in 1874 by Dr Andrew Taylor Still.  He believed that disorders of the bones and joints, particularly in the spine, could affect organs all over the body.

His system of massage and manipulation was aimed at putting the skeleton back into alignment. Within 20 years Dr Still had founded the American School of Osteopathy. The British School, founded by one of his pupils, John Martin Littlejohn, was opened in 1917.

Since then, it has been used in practices worldwide, to treat a complete range of symptoms.

How may it help?

Osteopaths work on the theory that the body can only operate efficiently if there’s an adequate nerve and blood supply to all organs. Bone and joint disorders can interfere with those vital supplies and cause a range of problems - not just back pain and aching limbs.

Using a variety of techniques - from gentle, almost stroking touches to deep muscular massage and manipulation of the joints - osteopaths aim to relieve nerve pressure, often the cause of pain. As the central nervous system works all over the body, patients find that other seemingly unrelated health problems which have been masked by acute pain often improve too.

Chiropractic

How did it start?

There are many similarities between this therapy and osteopathy. Both work on the principle that bad alignment of the spine causes pressure on the nerves, causing pain and problems in all parts of the body.

Chiropractic has also been around for more than a hundred years, and was started in America by Canadian David Palmer in the 1890s. It soon became popular throughout Europe and Australia.

How may it help?

Like osteopaths, chiropractors believe that they can release tension and strain throughout the body by manipulating the skeleton. The techniques do differ from osteopathy, and chiropractors tend to give a more vigorous massage. See local therapists by clicking here.

Alexander Technique

How did it start?

Around the turn of the last century, Australian actor Frederick Alexander started to get worried that his voice was failing. He studied himself in the mirror and noticed that, when he was performing, his posture changed and his body tensed up. That also made his vocal muscles contract.

Alexander then spent several years developing his postural techniques, which he introduced to Britain in 1904 and then to America. These techniques are now arduously followed by actors, singers and musicians throughout the world, but they’re also used to great effect by people who don’t have such public lives. The Alexander Technique is now widely regarded as one of the most effective forms of complementary and self-help medicine.

How may it help?

As Alexander discovered, bad posture can affect breathing, can cause back and neck problems with all the side effects that they produce, and can put pressure on many internal organs.

By learning how to sit, stand up, walk and lie down properly, practitioners believe you can alleviate a wide range of problems - particularly those associated with posture, such as backache. For details of how to get treatment worldwide, and for self help books, visit http://www.alexandertechnique.com.