Osteopathy is a holistic, patient-centered system of healthcare that focuses on the relationship between the structure and function of the body and the body’s ability to self-regulate and self-heal. It is based on the principle that all parts of the body — including the musculoskeletal, neurological, cranial, and visceral systems — work together in balance, and that good health depends on the proper functioning and interaction of these systems.
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners use precise hands-on assessment and treatment techniques to find restrictions or imbalances in the body’s tissues and structures. By addressing these issues, osteopathy aims to support the body’s natural mechanisms of healing, improve movement and function, and promote overall health and well-being.
The philosophy of Osteopathy is based on four basic principles:
- Each structure in the body supports the body’s functions.
- The natural flow of the body’s fluids – lymphatic, vascular and neurological – must be preserved and maintained.
- The human body is the sum of its parts. Its physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and cognitive systems don’t work independently - they work in harmony.
- When the body has no restrictions, it has the inherent ability to heal itself
In New Brunswick, the Osteopathy Act (2025) legally defines osteopathy as a system of evaluation, assessment, treatment, and healthcare management grounded in the understanding that structure and function are tightly integrated and that a person’s well-being depends on the balanced health of the body’s systems.
