Queen Street Osteopaths

09/04/2024

From my recent Newsletter

How safe our bodies feel determines how we can respond to treatment.

This insight is from the work of Stephen Porges and his Polyvagal Theory.

His work looked at the activity inside the body called the autonomic nervous system. How we respond to the outside world will be influenced by the setting of this nervous system. In short: we respond differently if we are stressed or relaxed. This theory has become hugely helpful in Trauma and Psychological Therapies.

This Autonomic Nervous System is like a traffic light.

Green - Safe mode: relaxed, open socially engaged, and adaptive.
Amber - Unsafe mode: mobilised for action, anxious, determined, and fight or flight.
Red- Deeply unsafe: immobilised, total shut-down, and in shock.

In life we shift between these modes, often using social engagement to help us shift.

Humans and other mammals are dependent on social engagement for growth and survival, so it makes sense for a large part of the brain to be dedicated to this. The parts of our brain that control facial expression, tone of voice, receptivity to hear human speech, and digestion are intricatley connected. So when we are in the amber or red mode we find it hard to hear or understand instructions, and a smile may be unhelpful. This is why we talk with friends or loved ones to help us move between the states – ultimately aiming for states of Safe and Unsafe and away from Deeply unsafe. Because these body states or emotional states are not logical to others; if I said to someone “it is ONLY a driving test!”, that would not shift them from feeling Deeply unsafe to feeling Safe.

People come to osteopaths because they want something to change, usually pain.

•In the clinic I look to see what is causing the pain or discomfort.
•Then I look to see if the patient is safe/relaxed enough to allow their bodies to make the changes for themselves or allow me to make changes for them.
•Then we work together, sometimes with more talk or teaching or calming treatment or more action such as exercise or manipulation.

31/01/2024

https://us9.campaign-archive.com/?u=ee5e4d65c2ea1b868177029c3&id=464244f1dc

24/10/2022

Get moving with a spring in your step. -

24/06/2022

https://us9.campaign-archive.com/?u=ee5e4d65c2ea1b868177029c3&id=099b2b9758

27/10/2021

The clinic is now open. -

24/06/2021

Looking Out - Looking In. Our mind watches our insides. -

20/06/2021

How I see things.
Produced by Thomas Coffey

13/01/2021

The Hidden Life of Trees by, a forester, Peter Wohlleben, shows us that trees are much more than just wood. This book is a great summer read or YouTube audio.
Experiences with trees can also help explain some aspects of cranial osteopathy.

Finding movement in trees - an experiment.

Notice that trees sway in the breeze but they also twist slightly in their trunks. This twisting is a result of the young trees twisting to allow the leaves to have better access to the sun. The twisting is part of the mechanics of pumping great volumes of water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves, growing tips and fruit. The pattern of the twisting is often seen in the grain of the bark. Most trees follow a right-hand thread (the spiral goes up to the right and down to the left) some trees spiral in a left-hand thread. Some trees such as palm trees and cabbage trees seem to have a spiral effect in their bark.

To feel this movement for yourself. Select a tree with a trunk of about 30 cm, with a noticeable grain in the bark and place your flat hand quietly on the trunk. You may feel/sense the tree spiralling up and down. This will only be a movement of about 1 mm. Or put about 500grams of force in one spiral direction or the other and feel if the bark seems more compliant in one direction or the other. Compare one tree with another and see if you can decide if they are left-hand or right-hand thread trees. 10-year-old children seem to find the spiralling more easily than adults.

When you are having treatment, the osteopath examines the various twists and turns in your body. The aim of treatment is to restore good movement. In cranial osteopathy we look to restore a “normal cranial rhythm”.

The second exercise is tree hugging 101.

When you are a little attuned to the tree movement place one or two hands flat on the trunk and wait. Allow yourself to go into a neutral or meditative state or just a half-asleep state. Wait at least 1-2 minutes and you may get a wave of relaxation passing over you. This sigh or wave of relaxation is the tone of your nervous system shifting. Usually lowering the active, sympathetic, tone to a more receptive, parasympathetic, tone. There is much in the literature and one good place is the Poly-vagal Theory of Stephen Porges. https://youtu.be/27FSiBqEDUs. This may be similar to hugs between humans of more than 20 second that release oxytocin, the feel-good hormone.

In Cranial Osteopathy, or even in the massage type work, the osteopath listens for that sigh or wave of relaxation to show that the patient is ready for changes to take place in their body or that they are re-balanced.

These ideas are still evolving so I welcome feedback.

10/04/2020

This is the prefered way of Helping but at this time of lockdown Telemedicine is available to guide you - John Cullen

Queen Street Osteopaths | 6th Floor Dingwall Building 87 Queen Street Auckland NZ 1010 | Osteopathy ===================================================== **C...

10/04/2020

Much of the discussion of core staility etc. is about focusing on the external observation of the form. I would suggest that it is ultimately smarter to list...

01/04/2020

Telemedicine - One week into New Zealand at Level 4

Some of you are working from home
Some of you are in lockdown
Some of you are in isolation
Some of you are essential service workers – A Big Thankyou and stay safe.

Telemedicine is a valuable service that I can offer at this time.

How can Osteopathy help?

Firstly, the art and science of Osteopathy is a way of thinking about health that is different than other branches of medicine.
Secondly Osteopathy uses teaching and hands-on treatment as key interventions.

What is on offer:
I can have a discussion with you on what has gone wrong called “Taking a History”
Some closer examination of the key problems called “Forming a Diagnosis”
Designing and intervention as a “Treatment”
I am following the telehealth standard issued by the Osteopathic Council of New Zealand.

Taking a history:
This is a discussion on the nature of the complaint and the context of how it is limiting your life currently.
If you have some specialist reports/referrals they can be emailed to me.
Please choose a place that you can have your preferred level of privacy.
I have access to my clinical management programme that includes your records.

Forming a diagnosis:
The video link will be helpful for me to form a picture of any limitations of movement or pain patterns.
With the diagnosis I can help guide if you need to go to the doctor or hospital.

Treatment:
I am skilled at teaching people to perform self-correcting movements and the video will be helpful.
I am skilled at teaching people various mindfulness type pain moderation techniques.

Resources:
Some information is availabe on my website. qso.co.nz
Some information is available on my Queen Street Osteopahs page

Please phone the clinic 09 366 1996 which diverted to my cell.
I am available to have a preliminary discussion with you
Email me to make an appointment. Osteo@qso.co.nz You will be sent an email with instructions


Pricing.
Introductory offer $50.00 for approximately 30 minutes.
I can discuss options with those in difficult financial situations.
I am not able to issue ACC certificates or receive funding from them at this time.
Southern Cross easy-pay clients who have osteopathic coverage can be directly billed.

Stay safe Stay healthy!
John Cullen

31/03/2020

Tread Lightly on the Earth.

I have been reflecting on the debate of single use plastic bag campaigns and other ecological campaigns. I find these valuable, however My focus is Osteopathy. I can help make the world a better place by helping people to engage with the world in a way that makes them and the world healthier.

Positive changes for better health can come with changes to any sphere of activity or awareness. Many of the spiritual traditions have and mindfulness/meditation of walking and fact walking softly and deliberately in nature is a great way to become ‘present’.

I have previously given a newsletter on feeling ”on top of the world” for good posture and this article is about walking (or running) in a smooth and graceful way. I always find it a pleasure to watch people move or play sport smoothly. In my clinical work it has always been a pleasure to introduce people ways to make their movement smooth..

Try this test to see if you run or walk heavy footed - Wear some ear plugs or builders ear muffs and as you walk listen to impact through your joints. There is a way of moving that absorbs the impact of walking through your muscles rather than through your joints.

The Basic Rules are:

Organise your core so your pelvis is efficient.(Tuck your tail in - not hard see my website for instructions)
Balance the leg and hip muscles especially thigh and gluteal muscles. (see Thigh strech)
The knees should be kept soft when landing and not landing with a straight leg.
The feet should be almost parallel.
The fulcrum for the movement should be through the pelvis.


What I have found is that most people have had some experience of good movement from some earlier sport or activity and have not transferred that experience of movement into their current life activities. Extensive sitting has a lot to answer for.