Osteopath - Phuket, Thailand

77/1 Soi Samakee 2 (Moo7)
Saiyuan Road
Rawai
Phuket,Thailand 83130
Tel….076 388524 or 081 6072343
E-mail info@garnettsymonds.com

Osteopathy is a hands-on form of treatment that cares for the health of the whole person. Osteopathic treatment is based on the relationship of the structures and system of the body and the effect they have on the overall function of the person.

What to expect from a visit to the Osteopath
Osteopaths work hands-on using a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment techniques. When you visit an osteopath for the first time a full-case history will be taken and you will be given an examination.
The osteopath may need additional investigations such as x-ray,MRI scan or blood tests. This will allow a full diagnosis and suitable treatment plan to be developed for you.
Treatment may include soft tissue (massage) techniques,rythmic passive joint mobilization or high velocity thrust (HVT) techniques to improve spinal mobility and joint movement.

Garnett was formely in practice as a Complementary Health-Care Practitioner in London for 25 years,before moving to the beautiful Phuket Island of Thailand.

Apart form being a practitioner,Garnett has also presented workshops and seminars in the UK and abroad,and has served as a council member with the British and European Osteopathic Association and the Guild of Osteopaths. He has also been a visiting lecturer at the Oxford Brooks School of Osteopathy.




MANIPULATIVE TREATMENT

Means many different things to different people. To most manipulative health professionals spinal manipulation implies manual medicine to restore normal function of the spine and body. There are some main different intentions in spinal manipulations, the major types of approach consist of Osteopathy, Chiropractic, Physiotherapy and also Orthopaedic medicine. All these approaches have their successes.

In theory, different schools of thought and philosophy possess different ideas on the nature of spinal lesions. Osteopathy looks at the patient in a holistic manner,i,e, mental, spiritual and physical, not forgetting diet and nutrition.

LOW BACK PAIN

Acute or chronic lumbar joint strain. Muscle contraction. Pelvic torsion. Sacral joint pain. Lumbar disc pathology,eg, Disc herniation (Slipped Disc). Patients often present with lumbar facet joint subluxation, in laymans terms this means that the spinal joint has fixated in an abnormal position,causing pain and dysfunction. Spondylosis,which refers to intervertabral disc degeneration, is a common feature in the older age group (50 - 70yrs), causing one level nerve entrapment or joint pain, or, in some cases both.

SCIATIC NERVE PAIN

This condition is associated with acute Low Back Pain (disc herniation or prolapse) usually found at the lower level of the lumbar spine (L4/L5 or L5/S1) causing nerve root (entrapment) compression, producing symptoms of pain in buttock, posterior leg & lateral calf and ankle. Numbness and loss of sensation may also be present. Neurological reflex testing will determine spinal level involvement and severity of condition. X-RAY or MRI may be used.

OTHER

Causes of sciatic nerve pain may be due to deep muscle involvement around the hip joint, or neuro-muscular trigger points which transmit pain along the sciatic nerve pathway. In some cases there may be a pathological cause, such as prostate disease or spinal tumour.
Sciatica is a condition causing pain along the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs from the lower back,and the back of each leg. Sciatica is a fairly common type of back pain and leg pain. Sciatica is usually caused by pressure on the Sciatic nerve, which can be caused by any of the following conditions:
Herniated Disc or Ruptured Disc
Pinched Nerve / Radiculopathy
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Degenerative Disc Disease and Spondylolisthesis


NECK (Cervical) PAIN

The most common causes are muscle strain or contraction affecting the superficial or deep muscles of the neck. Cervical joint degeneration and disc degeneration are commonly found at lower neck level (C5-C6-C7), producing various pain syndromes.
Cervical joint subluxation (joint fixation) is often found to be a common cause of neck pain and dysfunction. Whiplash injury to the neck may be mild - moderate or severe,depending on speed and impact (usually rear end shunt) when accident occurs,resulting in acute pain and restricted neck movement. Most cases of whiplash injury involve soft tissue and respond to Osteopathic treatment within 6-8 weeks, but, a more severe injury which may involve spinal joint and/or disc structure (sometimes Stellate nerve ganglion) may take 3 -6 months for recovery, and even then prognosis is not always good. Osteopathic treatment for all the above mentioned conditions is based on thorough history taking and examination before any physical/manual therapy be given, such as, deep tissue massage, Neuromuscular therapy, accupressure, mobilization, traction, manipulation. Electro-therapies such as TENS, Interferential and Faradic stimulation are also used to aid recovery, especially in cases presenting with nerve and joint inflammation.

REFERRED PAIN

Many pain syndromes quite often originate from a distant site or location,examples of this are; Lumbar nerve root injury referring into the lower limb. Cervical nerve root injury referring into the upper limb. Gall bladder disease may refer into the right shoulder.
Uterine disease may refer into the low back. Prostatic pathology may refer into the posterior lower limb. Ectopic pregnancy may refer into right or left shoulder. Carpal tunnel (wrist) syndrome refers pain into the hand and fingers. Trigger points can develop in muscle (myofascial) tissue and are a common cause of referred pain throughout the body.

MIGRAIN AND HEADACHES

Many headaches are the result of stress and tension affecting the muscles of the neck and shoulders. When discussing MIGRAIN HEADACHES the first fuction to be evaluated is the flow of blood through the arteries to the head. Lack of blood to the brain during arterial spasm upsets the function of various nerve centres in the brain. This will cause symptoms such as……
Visual disturbance and pins & needles sensation in, say, an arm or hand, and there are other symptoms which each patient learns to recognise and associate with onset of a headache. The next stage is the flooding of the brain which, due to the rise of pressure in the skull, causes headache, sickness, usually severe vomiting,and various other symptoms such as sensitivity to light and sound.

Some of the stimuli which trigger a migrain can be due to anxiety, fear or excitement. Bright lights, food sensitivity, allergy or intolerance.
Psychological overload and as mentioned above, congestion of the neck.

The following medical conditions known to produce headache require urgent medical attention,they are; Raised Intracranial Pressure. Temporal Arteritis.
Meningitis. High Blood Pressure.


PELVIC PAIN / MENSTRUAL DISORDERS

Of mechanical origin or stress related respond well to Osteopathy and Complementary Therapy.

CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

Responds well to acupuncture and special massage techniques which elevate and strengthen the immune system,this,and nutritional advice along with stress reduction brings about great improvement in this debilitating condition.


ACUPUNCTURE

The ancient Chinese Art of Healing.
This has become popular throughout the world,particularly during the past few decades. In many diseases which are resistant to conventional forms of therapy, acupuncture has proved remarkably effective. Besides being free from side-effects commonly encountered in drug therapy, it is simple, safe, effective and economical.

Meridians are the basis of Acupuncture and the foundation of Acupuncture rests upon the relationship that exists between a specific area on the surface of the skin and a specific organ. The treatment uses very fine needles - so fine that most patients don't even feel them being inserted - to stimulate the body's subtle energy (known as qi or chi) at any one of the 360 points situated along the 14 meridians or energy pathways which run through the body. This now brings us to the Yin - Yang balance.

Of all the terms used in acupuncture theory, Yin/Yang has proved the most difficult to express in one simple word or phrase. The theory of Yin/Yang is a kind of world outlook. It holds that all things have two opposite aspects, yin and yang, which are both opposite and at the same time interdependent. This is a universal law of the material world. These two opposites are not stationary but in constant motion. If we imagine the circadian rhythm, night is yin and day is yang; as night (yin) fades it becomes day (yang), and as yang fades it becomes yin. Yin and yang are therefore changing into each other as well as balancing.

PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF ACUPUNCTURE

Acupuncture points are really well known to us in the west, evidence shows that acupuncture points correlate very closely with 'trigger points' and the use of these trigger points is well recognized in Western medicine.
These trigger or acupuncture points are frequently on or near nerves. When an acupuncture point is stimulated various neurological and neurohumoral changes occur in the body. Work on small animals also shows that stimulating a specific acupuncture point changes the nerve transmissions in the painful area,the spinal cord and the thalamus (grey matter). Work in China suggests that there is a supra-spinal centre that inhibits viscero-somatic reflexes and that this is stimulated via acupuncture points.

ENDORPHINS - THE OPIUM OF ACUPUNCTURE

The effects observed on needling are both subjective and objective. One of the subjective effects may be slight pain at the site of needling, but with the use of proper technique by a trained acupuncturist, this is usually negligible. Another important subjective effect is the awareness of a peculiar sensation which the Chinese call 'deqi'. The deqi which the patient feels is a combination of numbness, heaviness, slight soreness and distension. For acupuncture analgesia to be successful it is claimed that adequate deqi must be elicited.

Endorphins are naturally occurring morphine - like substances, secreted by the brain and the pituitary gland. All pain input enters the spinal cord, impulses usually travel along small nerve fibres, larger nerve fibres having an inhibitory effect on pain, it is the large nerve fibres that are stimulated by acupuncture. Endorphins closely mimic the actions of opium and heroin in their effects within the brain. Acupuncture increases the endorphin level and therefore blocks pain.

As well as having an analgesic effect acupuncture also has a sedative effect by means of altering brain wave pattern. Acupuncture also has a regulatory and anti-shock effect. Acupuncture affects the immune system; needling certain points increases the white cell count, raises titres (strengths) of all groups of immunoglobulins, increases activity of reticulo-endothelial system and raises the level of serum complement.

In summary, acupuncture can bring about successful change in many acute and chronic conditions, producing analgesia, anti-inflammatory effect and stress reduction.

WHAT IS IRIDOLOGY

Iridology is the science and practice that reveals inflammation, where located and in what stage it is manifesting. The iris reveals body constitution, inherent weaknesses, levels of health and the transitions that take place in a persons body according to the way he/she lives. Through the application of iridology, it is possible to observe normal and abnormal reflex signs.

Iridology is the science of analyzing the delicate structures of the iris of the eye. The iris is that portion of the eye that carries the colour. U nder magnification, the iris reveals itself to be a world of minute detail, a land of many features. The iris represents a communication system capable of handling an amazing quantity of information. This form of analysis along with other diagnostic techniques facilitates a more complete understanding of the patients health care needs.

HOW IT WORKS

The iris of the eye is the most complex tissue of the body meeting the outside world. It is an extension of the brain, being incredibly endowed with hundreds of thousands of nerve endings, microscopic blood vessels, muscle and other tissues.

The iris is connected to every organ and tissue of the body by way of the brain and nervous system. The nerve fibres receive their impulses by way of their connections to the optic nerve, optic thalami and spinal cord. Both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are present in the eye.

The iris reveals an individual's strengths and weaknesses and what has been done to the body through incorrect living habits. It also reveals the wonder of one who has lived a good life according to the laws of the universe.

HOMEOPATHY KEYNOTES

WHAT IS HOMEOPATHY

Homeopathy is a system of therapy to maintain or restore normal health by prescribing a specific therapeutic agent, according to certain definite principles.

These therapeutic agents are substances of animal, vegetable or mineral origin which are manufactured according to the specifications of the homeopathic pharmacopoeia. The scientific principle employed is known as the Law of Similars, which states that Likes Cure Likes (Latin :- Similia Similibus Curentur).

The law of Similars states that a substance which can produce various abnormal symptoms when given to an individual in normal health may be capable of relieving or entirely overcoming a physiological or pathological disorder, which is characterized by a similar symptom complex.

The law of Similars was discovered by Samuel Hahnemann, a German scholar and physician, who was born in 1755 at Meissen in Upper Saxony. He wrote his first dissertation on homeopathy in 1796 in Hufeland's Journal. He also wrote a treatise on the V irtues of Medicine in 1805, the Organon in 1810 and his Materia Medica Pura in 1811.

The Fundamental Principles of Homeopathy are:-
• That disease is manifest by symptoms.
• That knowledge of a remedy action should be obtained by experimentation on the healthy human body.
• That the curative relation between these two sets of phenomena is by virtue of the law of similars.
• That the selected remedy should be administered singly, uncombined with any other,hence the principle of the single remedy.
• That it should be given in the smallest dose that will cure, hence the minimum dose.

  To conclude, a note concerning cure :- Herrings Law of cure states that cure proceeds from within outwards, from above downwards, and in the reverse order of appearance of symptoms. Of equal importance, one must trigger the patients mind to enable the patient to heal self.