My Working Day: Alexander Gibbs, osteopath and t'ai chi teacher, helps people manage their bodies through pain
I get up at 6.30am and do 10-15 minutes of silent meditation followed by about 15 minutes of t'ai chi movements. This helps to awaken my mind, body and emotions to the day ahead.
I work 8am-1pm and 2pm-5.30pm in my osteopathic work in the Winton Practice in Rathgar, Dublin. It is a multidisciplinary clinic with two osteopaths, an acupuncturist and a naturopath. We hope to add a homeopath to the team soon.
Working as a team means we can refer patients to one another and work together to decide which form of treatment suits our patients best. We also run classes in t'ai chi, Feldenkrais, yoga and meditation.
I have been working as an osteopath for 23 years and I see a variety of patients, some in the acute phase of an injury and others who require longer term maintenance to help keep their sense of structure and balance.
As osteopaths, we work in conjunction with allopathic medicine but remain an alternative choice to drug therapy for some people. We also teach people how to manage their bodies through pain and to become conscious of how they do things. This form of reassurance and education is very important.
We are best known for our work with back and neck injuries. We have a hands-on approach which enables us to identify tissue damage and dysfunction. This physical examination is backed up with the person's medical history and symptoms. If we detect neurological damage or bone fractures, we refer patients to neurological or orthopaedic specialists.
I am the chairman of the Irish Osteopathic Association which has about 100 members. We abide by the World Health Organisation osteopathic training guidelines. I would like to see osteopaths working more closely with medical doctors. I would also like to see a school of osteopathy in Ireland as at present osteopaths can't train here.
Appointments are usually for 30-40 minutes. We detect inflamed or restricted tissues by palpating the body surface and deeper structures. Over time, an osteopath's hands develop an ability to pick up on how tissues are behaving and how damage in one area affects the whole body.
The job of an osteopath is to find the tissue damage, fix it and leave the body to readjust and correct balance. That way, healing can occur more naturally and more completely. The body holds memories of old injuries or traumas so it's not uncommon to have recurring problems. Also, the body can express its vulnerability at times of stress.
I always end my day as I begin with silent meditation and t'ai chi.
In conversation with Sylvia Thompson