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Menopause & Osteopathy

Osteopathy provides a whole body or holistic approach to health care, using manual techniques to balance the body's systems, resulting in overall well-being and good health, according to the website Medical News Today. Some menopausal women find relief from their symptoms via osteopathic treatment.

  1. Holistic Approach

    • Osteopathy differs from other medical disciplines in that the key principles are predicated on all parts of the body functioning in an integrated fashion. If one part of the body is restricted, the rest of the body must compensate, which can result in pain, inflammation, stiffness and other health issues. When a body is set free of restrictions in movement, greater mobility occurs, as does reduced stress.

    Features

    • Osteopathic treatments help to minimize pain. An osteopath manipulates joints, stretches soft tissues and applies deep tactile pressure. As women age, they are more likely to suffer from arthritis pain as well as sinus pain and pressure and headaches, due to the shift in their hormones caused by menopause.

    Exercise

    • Menopausal women and post-menopausal women face myriad health issues, many of which can be subdued or avoided if a woman routinely exercises, according to the American Osteopathic Association. Exercise keeps osteoporosis at bay by maintaining cartilage tissue and bones, and it reduces risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases because the respiratory rate and heart rate increase during exercise.

    Outcome

    • Exercise helps maintain good bowel function, reducing the likelihood of constipation, and helps muscles and joints stay strong. Exercise is good for warding off arthritis and helps in maintaining a healthy weight. Women in menopause are at risk for developing osteoporosis or porous bone disease. Eating right, taking calcium supplements and exercising can help prevent this condition, which results in bone fractures. Keeping joints strong and healthy reduces arthritis pain and allows retention of mobility and independence.

    Complementing Traditional Medicine

    • Using a holistic approach to medicine, an osteopath may advise a menopausal woman to take calcium supplements, limit her cholesterol and fat intake, and avoid smoking.

      Osteopaths often choose to complement the recommendations given by general practitioners regarding treatment; osteopaths, however, go a step further and can ease the pain from, for example, arthritis, by showing arthritis sufferers, which many menopausal women are, how to prevent injury, improve joint mobility, lessen joint and muscle stiffness and pain, and get blood flowing to the joints.

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