On Friday, March 4, a friendly 51-year-old woman visited the practice with persistent sleep problems. For several months, she had been struggling with both falling asleep and staying asleep. As soon as she lay in bed, her mind remained active. Thoughts about work, the past, the future, and daily worries kept repeating. Even music continued to play constantly through her head.
Due to the lack of rest, increasing fatigue complaints arose, along with problems regarding concentration and energy levels throughout the day.
Within osteopathy, we examine which structure in the body has the greatest influence on the complaints at that moment. In this case, the hypothalamus appeared to play a significant role.
The hypothalamus is a small but essential area deep within the brain and influences many important bodily functions. Virtually all parts of the brain are connected to it. Consequently, the hypothalamus plays a central role in, among other things:
- the sleep-wake cycle
- stress regulation
- emotions
- hormonal balance
- heart rate and blood pressure
- hunger and thirst
- body temperature
- energy distribution in the body
When this explanation was discussed during the consultation, the patient immediately recognized several complaints and patterns that were potentially interrelated. “That explains a lot,” she responded.
Within osteopathy, we look not only at the current complaint but also at possible causes that have been affecting the body for a long time. During the examination, the impression arose that an old head trauma might still be influencing the functioning of this region.
The patient then shared that as a baby of about six months old, she had fallen out of a stroller during a holiday abroad. Her parents lost control of the stroller on a steep slope, causing her to fall forward. The shock at the time was so great that an X-ray of her head was taken immediately.
The body possesses a great capacity for adaptation and can compensate for a lot. However, old tensions or traumas can sometimes continue to influence the functioning of the nervous system for years.
Within osteopathic treatment, the aim is to restore rest, mobility, and balance to the body — even when complaints or tensions have been present for many years.
