Cranial osteopathy is a form of osteopathic therapy. The technique involves gently applying pressure along the head and spine to release pressure. It's based on the idea that manipulating the bones and tissues of your skull can help improve improve a variety of health issues.

"Osteopathy" - from the Greek terms 'osteon', meaning 'bone'; and 'pathos', from the term 'suffering'. His observation was simple: that the position and motion of the boney elements  could be used to diagnose the underlying functional state of the individual, and that the use of manipulation to correct the position and motion of these boney elements provided a change in the body's function and ability to clear infection, reduce inflammation and, in general, "heal", provided a unique solution to each patient's set of unique problems.

 

What is Osteopathic Medicine, and how is it different from MD Medicine?

In the United States, there are two schools of Medicine that grant the full, unrestricted licensure for the practice of medicine: One is Allopathic Medicine (MD), and the other is Osteopathic (DO).  The two schools differ in their orientation to the patient; 

Allopathic Medicine has historically been oriented to the disease and a chemical model to limit the effects or symptoms of disease. 

Osteopathy has historically been oriented towards the health of the patient, and towards an anatomic model that when freed in its function, naturally brings about Health. Osteopathy, even in its earlier practice, recognized those lifestyle practices that also improved  the expressed function of the body, to optimize its expression of Health.

Both Medical and Osteopathic Degree programs have the same Core Basic Science programs (Anatomy, Embryology, Physiology, etc), and the same Core Clinical Science programs (Neurology, Cardiology, Endocrinology, Psychiatry, etc). Osteopathic Medical studies have an additional Course that runs through the entire educational program: Osteopathic Principles and Practice, which is an education in and practice of Osteopathic Philosophy and Osteopathic Manipulation.

 

What is Cranial Manipulation?

Cranial manipulation was discovered by William Garner Sutherland DO, who noted that the nervous system, the cranium, as well as the whole body, possesses an intrinsic rhythmic motion in health. Restrictions in motion were noted to have an effect on local or systemic conditions, and restoring normal motion of the cranium and Central Nervous System could improve a wide range of health conditions.

Specialist and Medical Providers

Such a doctor can look and define if something is wrong with the spinal cord and/or skull, which also could be contributing cause to autism. We also did an MRI of our son's skull and spine to make sure we are not missing anything.

As an example - our doctor here is James E Gaydos, DO