How a cold shower taught me about Osteopathy

Cold showers are all the rave these days, thanks to the strides made by Wimhof, the ‘iceman’. But that is not what I am talking about here. This is a story of how sometimes when you can’t see something happening beneath the surface, it can seem like magic.

It was a cool morning and I awoke at a cabin, bundled beneath the blankets. As I looked out a lightly frosted window, I watched the fog begin to lift off the lake. I stepped onto the chilly bathroom tiles and turned on the taps to the shower. Cold water sputtered out of the tap, and to my disappointment, was not heating up. I shivered as I switched the taps numerously trying to coax the warmer water. Ryan entered and in assessing my struggle, spun around to the sink and turned on the hot tap. Almost instantly, the shower water heated and steam was emanating. I cheered and exclaimed to Ryan ‘what, are you some kind of wizard?’

He slyly replied, ‘No - that’s just Osteopathy.’

Not having known the ‘anatomy’ of the bathroom pipes, there was an illusion of magic. I couldn’t see beyond the tiles and the drywall, the same way a patient can’t see the structures beneath the skin. We often get the remarks ‘Osteopaths are wizards’ or ‘I don’t know what you do, but it is magic’. But here is the secret, there is no magic, just an understanding of something that you can’t see.

To Ryan, he assessed an issue (symptom), tested his solution (treatment), and observed the resolution. The smaller diameter pipes were drawing a smaller volume of hot water toward the shower. When the larger diameter sink pipes were turned on, the volume of water increased ten fold and the hot water arrived almost instantly.

The secret lies in understanding the landscapes, and evaluating the issue. This technique would not be sufficient for all plumbing issues, but was specific to this bathroom, in this instance. Trust me, turning on the hot water does not fix a clog.

The specificity and simplicity is what makes us awe at the beauty of each treatment. The magic moments when the water goes hot is the awe that keeps us alive.

That’s osteopathy.