To Whom it May Concern:
As health professionals in your community, we would like to introduce ourselves. We are
members of OsteopathyBC (OBC), a not-for-profit, voluntary, professional association of
osteopathic practitioners, who work to maintain and promote the highest standard of
osteopathic healthcare in British Columbia. We represent the interests of osteopathic
practitioners, osteopathy as a profession, and the consumers’ rights to access osteopathic
services.

We have been raising awareness and promoting osteopathy in BC since 2005, working
on national standards with the Canadian Federation of Osteopaths and liaising with the
international community as a member of the Osteopathic International Alliance.
Now that osteopathy is becoming better known, many multidisciplinary clinics are offering
osteopathic treatments in their clinics.

We would like to provide you with some information to clear up any confusion regarding the qualifications of osteopathic practitioners.


The World Health Organization (WHO) published Benchmarks for Training in Osteopathy in
2010. This document specifies two types of training: Type I full time training which must be a
minimum of 4800 hours with 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice, and Type II training,
which is part time training, specifically for those with prior healthcare qualifications. This
training must include supervised clinical training and practice, and all osteopathic skills and
physical examination training must be taught through direct contact ie. not online. As
osteopathy and osteopathic training is not yet regulated in BC, it can be difficult for the public to
be sure that a practitioner meets the WHO benchmarks.


OsteopathyBC is the only BC (non-physician) osteopathic association whose members have all
graduated with a minimum of 4 years education full time or minimum 4 years part-time for
those who are already health professionals. Our goal, therefore, is to keep our standards
consistent with WHO benchmarks and with countries where osteopathy is already regulated.
Also, most of the major insurance companies recognize the high standard of education of our
members when covering the cost of osteopathic treatments.


Again, although osteopathy is not yet a regulated health profession in BC, we would like you to
know that if the person is a member of Osteopathy BC, http://www.osteopathybc.ca, you can
be assured of the quality of their education. If you would like further information on this issue,
please contact the OBC secretary at info@osteopathybc.ca.
​

Respectfully,
OsteopathyBC

Lets talk fitness!
Information from: World health organization & center for disease control and prevention
Adults age 18-65
1. 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity; =21 min daily

2. 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week.= 10 min daily

3. Muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits. 2 days a week.

Aerobic activity or “cardio” gets you breathing harder and your heart beating faster. From pushing a lawn mower, to taking a dance class, to walking or biking to the store.
Intensity is how hard your body is working during a physical activity.

Moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity means you’re working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat. One way to tell if it’s a moderate-intensity aerobic activity is that you’ll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your favorite song. Here are some examples of activities that require moderate effort:
Walking fast
Doing water aerobics
Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
Playing doubles tennis
Pushing a lawn mower

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you’re breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. You may use the Talk Test to gauge the intensity of your aerobic physical activity. If you’re being active at a vigorous level, you won’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Here are some examples of activities that require vigorous effort:
Jogging or running
Swimming laps
Riding a bike fast or on hills
Playing singles tennis
Playing basketball

If you are doing moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking or hiking, you can talk, but not sing during the activity.
​
Physical activities to strengthen your muscles are recommended at least 2 days a week. Activities should work all the major muscle groups of your body—legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. Muscle-strengthening activities should be done in addition to your aerobic activity.
A repetitionis one complete movement of an activity, like lifting a weight or doing a sit-up. Try to do 8-12 repetitions per activity, which counts as 1 set. Try to do at least 1 set of muscle-strengthening activities. To gain even more benefits, do 2 or 3 sets.
Lifting weights
Working with resistance bands
Doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance (e.g., push-ups, sit-ups)
Heavy gardening (e.g., digging, shoveling)
Some forms of yoga

www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

A registered massage therapist (RMT) in British Columbia is a health professional regulated by CMTBC under BC’s Health Professions Act.
Applicants for registration with CMTBC have completed post-secondary education in clinical applications of health sciences in massage therapy settings, and must meet CMTBC’s rigorous entry-level requirements.
RMTs are subject to:

• CMTBC’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.
• The requirements of the Health Professions Act and regulations made under the Act.
• Standards of professional conduct.
• CMTBC’s quality assurance program, which ensures ongoing professional currency and development.

Like all regulated health professionals, RMTs must practice within their professional scope of practice.  For RMTs, this means providing primarily manual, hands-on treatment and assessment in accordance with the definition of “massage therapy” in the Massage Therapists Regulation.  Many modalities and treatments that may be considered acceptable in other jurisdictions are outside the scope of practice of massage therapy in British Columbia.  CMTBC has posted specific guidance on yoga instruction and on using terms such as “specialize in” or “advanced” to describe one’s practice.

www.cmtbc.ca/what-is-an-rmt/

One of the most common reasons people see Osteopathic Practitioners is pain, especially chronic and complex pain.
While manual osteopathy offers a unique, whole-person approach using hands-on techniques, the key to managing chronic and complex pain requires more than just skilled hands.
It requires understanding:
Up to date research on pain science
Which exercise interventions will help
How nutrition may factor in your pain experience
The effect of thought patterns and behaviours on pain
How hyper-sensitivity can manifest in the body and what to do about it
OsteopathyBC Practitioners have a minimum of 4 years education in Osteopathy with many holding two (or more) professional designations. As osteopathy is still unregulated in BC, ensure that your Osteopathic Practitioner has the best tools to be a part of your pain management team.

 Osteopathy is both an Art and a Science.⁠
⁠
The Science in Osteopathy is the study and understanding of human anatomy and physiology as well as pathology, embryology, and biomechanics. It involves putting together the rationale for how these anatomical structures and physiological processes are interrelated and how they impact the function of the body. ⁠
⁠
The Art of Osteopathy comes into play through the application of various manual therapy techniques in a manner where the practitioner is completely present and in-tune with their patient, in a constant dialogue with the tissues and goes beyond analytical thinking and requires careful practice and presence. ⁠
To find an Osteopathic Practitioner in your area, visit www.osteopathybc.ca/members-list

​One of the most common reasons people see Osteopathic Practitioners is pain, especially chronic and complex pain. 

While manual osteopathy offers a unique, whole-person approach using hands-on techniques, the key to managing chronic and complex pain requires more than just skilled hands. 

It requires understanding:

Up to date research on pain science

Which exercise interventions will help

How nutrition may factor in your pain experience

The effect of thought patterns and behaviours on pain

How hyper-sensitivity can manifest in the body and what to do about it

OsteopathyBC Practitioners have a minimum of 4 years education in Osteopathy with many holding two (or more) professional designations. As osteopathy is still unregulated in BC, ensure that your Osteopathic Practitioner has the best tools to be a part of your pain management team. 

Find an OBC Practitioner in your area using the #linkinourbio