Can osteopathy help heal the gut?

Neck, back and shoulder pain. Sports injuries. Muscle and ligament pain. Repetitive strain injury. These are a handful of reasons why you might seek the healing hands of an osteopath.

So, when our experienced naturopaths deem it necessary to recommend osteopathy to help alleviate gut issues, you’ll be forgiven for raising an eyebrow.

Take Julie, for example. Having suffered with constipation for years, Julie consulted an IMI naturopath who, after analysing her condition, prescribed nourishing supplements. But Julie’s slower-than-expected response to these highly effective supplements prompted a need for further investigation. Our naturopath recommended an osteopathic assessment.

One of our osteopaths reviewed Julie’s detailed medical history, asked a series of questions, and palpated her abdomen to identify a reaction to pain or density in her organs. This allowed him to get closer to the culprit.

And that’s when the source of Julie’s angst revealed itself.

“Years earlier, she’d been in a car accident that had affected her cervical spine. I released her neck and vagus nerve, which controls digestive organs, and within one month of osteopathic and naturopathic care Julie’s constipation challenges disappeared,” our osteopath recounts.

Through careful analysis and a series of manipulations and mobilisations, there are a myriad of gut issues IMI’s team of osteopaths can help to overcome. These include (but are not limited to):

Constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.

Hormonal imbalance, autoimmune conditions, and leaky gut – caused by dysbiosis, an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut.

Nagging pain in the gut that has nothing to do with exercise and everything to do with your belly and liver. “Some musculo-skeletal aches and pains can be partly referred from specific organs, and after releasing them, your pain can dissipate,” our osteopath explains.

Related digestive organ dysfunctions, such as in the stomach and gallbladder.

And, control of the digestive organs through the sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways. “Stress. Screens. Sleep-deprivation. Our sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ system is working overtime. We breathe less, which increases acidity, easing the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut. An osteopath can help activate the parasympathetic ‘relaxation’ system, improving both gut health and mental wellbeing.

Our naturopaths and osteopaths to get to the bottom of your gut-health challenges and create a customised plan to help you thrive.