The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-01-30
|OSTEOPATH GIVES
DEMONSTRATIONS
Interesting Lecture and
Exhibition Given
at Clinic
MANY ARE PRESENT

At the convention of osteopaths
held at ocatello last week the
writer was surprised to find that the
treatment given was not what popu-
lar opinion generally says it is. 1t
was our understanding that treat
ment by osteopathy meant mostly
rubbing and manipulating with the
hands over the nerve centers for the
purpose of exciting nerve action in
the ganglia. We had heard it re-
peatedly condemned because such
treatment could not be expected to
restore mechanical, or physical diff
ficulties.
What OsteOpathy Is d
In all Of the short lectures that
were thrown in with the demonstra-
tons nothing of this kind was men,
toned, but everything centered
about the task of getting the me-
chanical frame work of the human
body into natural position and thre-
by permitting the different organs of
the body to function naturally. When
they speak of the mechanical parts
of the body they refer to the bony
frame work, the nervous system, the
circulation and the muscles.
II the bony frame work is out of
balance or out OF true there will DE
irritation or hindrance of the nerve
action and in consequence of inn
proper nerve action the circulation
viii be impaired and the work OF the
parts will be impaired.
Wonders of the Spine
The lecturer conducted his work
in such way as to prove his situa-
ton as he went along and to keep all
his demonstrations clear of the
charge Of hypnotic affect and the
power of suggestion. He had charts
on the wall showing the spinal col
umn and his lecture told that the
spine is a finely balanced arch car
rying the rest of the body, and that
SO long as it is we'll balanced it has
great strength and great fexibility,
but when unnatural curves appear in
it it loses strength and flexibility.
One curve at any point in the spine
throws it out of balance and in it's
attempt to maintain a general bal
ance it establishes another curve in
the opposite direction as far from
normal as the first curve. Every UNI
natural curve irritates or inflames
or paralyzes to some extent some
set of nerves and thereby arises the
difficulty in the organs or muscles
which they extend.
A WOman's Foot Trouble
A woman came for examination.
She said she suffered terrible head
aches with pains in her feet and a
weakness in the muscles of the neck
so she could scarcely hold her head
up at times. Her shoes and stock
ings were removed and she laid fiat
on her back on a table. 1t could
plainly be see that her limbs were
of uneven length. The great toe of
one foot turned at sharp angle to-
wards the center of the foot. The
calf of one leg was shrunken. In
order to get her idea Of what was
the matter the lecturer asked her
what made her toe so deformed and
she said she supposed it was from
wearing shoes that were too short
She said the arches of her feet had
given way and she attributed that to
the very high heeled shoes she had
been wearing. She went to lower
heels and secured some relief, but
the trouble was of such long stand
ing and her recuperative powers
were 50 exhausted that she was not
re1aining hpr formar health