We spoke with Colin Malval, an osteopathic practitioner. Using osteopathic assessment and eastern diagnosis, he detects what part of your system needs more healthy attention, care and treatment, and releases unnecessary tension in his patients’ system. We found out when you should visit an osteopath, what you need before you receive good treatment, and why orthodontics make you forgetful.
You say that you truly believe good treatment comes through correct diagnosis, so, how correct do you diagnose?
I like to understand patients from different perspectives and approaches. This is why I spend so much time deepening my understanding of anatomy, physiology, energetics and psychology. However, I am an osteopath so I always start with the body. Is it a posture issue? Is it a neurological or nervous issue? Is it a digestive issue? Is it an emotional issue that leads the body to tighten up? Is it an energetic imbalance, and maybe look at the meridian anatomy? And then I treat accordingly, with osteopathic manual techniques.
How do we know if we need to visit an osteopath?
It’s time to come see me when you feel something is off (your sleep, your appetite, you digestion, your emotional balance), when you are in pain, or when your back or joints are giving you trouble.
Is an osteopathic treatment painful?
Excruciating! Just kidding. Osteopathic treatments are very gentle, they may involve some spine adjustment or cracking, but for patients who don’t like to be adjusted, osteopathy has a wide repertoire of techniques that can give the same relief. Most of an osteopathic treatment is spent working on soft tissues, like ligaments organs’ envelopes and muscle.
How do you help athletes?
Athletes put great demand on their body. They need special and regular attention to make sure their body will be able to reach their goals.
How do you help a crying baby?
A crying baby is either a hungry baby, a tired baby or a baby having discomfort. Usually it’s discomfort with bowel movement or digestion. Working on the diaphragm and the spine with very gentle hands on techniques (as gentle as a feather touch), is how osteopathy helps babies get a comfortable start in life.
How did you end up working out of a dentist’s office?
Dental osteopathy was part of my training in France. It’s something I’ve always been very interested in and I even worked with a dentist when I was in France, too.
Why do kids undergoing orthodontics especially need to see you?
Orthodontics are creating tension on the cranium, and those tensions are influencing tensions along the spine. To prevent lack of concentration, memory issue, headaches or even scoliosis, it is good to see and osteopath at least every 3 months when on orthodontics.
What do you do to stay “balanced?”
Regular exercise, yoga, meditation, and home cooked meals as often as possible. Early bedtime between 10-11, and no computer or screen 1 hour before bed. I make sure I kill the mosquito in my room before I go to bed (haha). Wait few hours in the morning before checking my emails. Practicing healthy communication (allowing myself to feel vulnerable when expressing how I feel). Belly breathing, time in Nature.
For more information, or to book a session with Colin, visit schecterdental.com.
