Stress has become an unwelcome companion amidst the hustle and bustle of our modern lives. In fact, it is unsurprising for many Singaporeans to have experienced stress at some point in their lives from different scenarios, and it can understandably be challenging to cope for many. However, living with prolonged stress is not just detrimental to the mind. It can also take a toll on our physical health.
The intricate connection between the mind and body is a well-established fact, and overall health can only be attained if the body and mind are in equilibrium. Osteopathy, rooted in the belief that our body systems are interconnected, can help address stress comprehensively in both aspects, offering a path to harmony and well-being.
The Mind-Body Connection: How Stress Affects Your Overall Health
Before we explore how osteopathy can help with stress relief, it is essential for us to comprehend the profound mind-body connection between our mental and physical states and how stress can affect both aspects. Recognising this connection is the first step towards finding a solution that addresses the root cause of stress rather than merely its symptoms.
Our bodies react to the way we think, feel, and act. As such, chronic stress does not just manifest as tension in our minds. It also weaves its way into the fabric of our bodies, causing us to react physically whenever we are stressed, anxious, or upset. These symptoms can surface in various ways, from headaches and digestive disturbances to musculoskeletal pain.
How Osteopathy Can Be The Solution
At first glance, many may not draw a correlation between osteopathy and stress management. That is because many have the misassumption that osteopathy is about bones and muscles. While many osteopathic centres in Singapore help treat various musculoskeletal pain and disorders, that is not everything osteopathic treatment encompasses.
Instead, osteopathy is founded on the principle that our body is a unit, and all its parts are interrelated. In the view of an osteopath, when a patient is ill, it indicates the body’s balance is disrupted. They also believe in the body’s inherent ability to self-regulate and heal. Therefore, treatment often encompasses examining all aspects of the patient’s health status, such as emotional, environmental, mental, physical, and social factors, to identify and address the root cause of the symptoms to restore balance and prevent further health issues.
Osteopathy: Manual Techniques For Stress Relief
So, how does this philosophy translate to stress management? One of the many goals of osteopathic treatment is to promote relaxation within the body to promote its natural ability to heal itself. That can be accomplished through manual therapy to decrease the sympathetic tone of the nervous system, thus alleviating the weight of stress and anxiety symptoms. Let us delve further into these manual techniques.
1. Manual techniques
Stress can often manifest physically in various areas of the body, usually in the form of muscle tension and stiffness. This tension can cause pain, discomfort, and even headaches when left unchecked. An osteopath can perform various manual techniques, such as soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilisation and HVLAT (high velocity low amplitude thrust), to improve blood flow to the affected areas, minimising tension and the activity of stress hormones, thus reducing pain and promoting relaxation.
Craniosacral osteopathy, in particular, is a gentle yet effective technique to promote relaxation, calm the nervous system, and facilitate stress reduction. An osteopath specialising in this technique can utilise their highly refined sense of touch to detect subtle changes, tensions, and rhythms in the patient’s underlying bone and soft tissue before using gentle and safe cranial palpation techniques to restore the natural rhythm of the cerebrospinal fluid and promote relaxation in the cranial area, reducing stress and its associated symptoms.
Learn More: What Is Cranial Osteopathy And What Benefits Does It Bring?
2. Mindfulness and Breath Awareness
Stress begins with our mind perceiving a situation as stressful and activating the stress response in the hypothalamus region of our brain. As such, one of the keys to combating stress is to foster a sense of calm, thus reducing its grip on our minds and bodies. One way to achieve this is through breath awareness, a cornerstone of mindfulness that allows us to consciously control our breathing patterns to promote relaxation and stress reduction.
When we feel anxious and stressed, our breathing patterns usually change, causing us to take short, shallow breaths that prolong feelings of anxiety and worsen the physical symptoms of stress. Conversely, when we are relaxed, we breathe through our noses in a slow, even, and gentle manner.
An osteopath can work with patients on their breathing patterns, showing them breathing exercises they can do during their osteopathic sessions and at home. With this powerful tool, patients can learn to control their breathing, deliberately copying a relaxed breathing pattern to calm the nervous system that controls their body’s involuntary functions, thus reducing stress. They can also help improve the function of important respiratory muscles such as the diaphragm.
3. Empowerment through patient-centric care
Beyond manual techniques and breathing exercises, an osteopath will take a holistic approach to treating the patient’s condition. That may include enquiring about the patient’s diet and lifestyle with the aim of discovering the root causes of stress. With this information, the osteopath can work collaboratively with the individual to understand their unique stressors and needs and equip them with the tools to manage stress in the long run.
Overall, osteopathy can be a highly effective form of treatment for promoting relaxation within the body. So, if you find stress overwhelming at times, do not lose hope! Our osteopaths at Edge Healthcare can help alleviate the symptoms of stress and educate you on proper stress management techniques, allowing you to put your stress and anxiety behind you.
Our osteopathic clinics are conveniently located in the CBD area, including Telok Ayer and Orchard, allowing working adults to access our osteopathic services easily. Contact us today if you are interested to learn more about our services and the price of our osteopathic consultations.