Frequently Asked Questions

Appointments are one hour. The first part is an opportunity for us to talk and for you to share anything you want me to know. This is followed by a structural assessment and osteopathic treatment. Treatments are extremely gentle. I use only light to medium pressure and small motions to engage with the inherent fluidity and motion of the body. Typically I do a standing assessment and most of the treatment back-lying, but the entire visit can be done in any comfortable position: standing, sitting, semi-reclined, side-lying, etc. 

Treatments are fully clothed minus shoes. You can wear anything to an appointment (I like to joke that I can treat through a suit of armor if I have to) but soft, simple clothing is best (think yoga pants and a t-shirt.)

In an outpatient setting, people most often come in for pain and discomfort:

  • Back and neck pain – new or longstanding, sciatica, bulging discs, pinched nerves, lifting injuries, muscle strains
  • Headaches – migraines, tension headaches, occipital neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia
  • Arthritis – knees, hips, hands, shoulders, spine, etc
  • Rheumatologic conditions – rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, spondylitis, etc
  • Sports (or other) injuries- falls, sprains, rotator cuff injuries, concussions and post-concussion symptoms
  • Connective tissue disorders – Ehlers Danlos,  hypermobility spectrum disorders
  • Digestive issues – constipation, acid reflux, abdominal pain

And for many common issues of the newborn and infant period:

  • torticollis
  • plagiocephaly
  • colic
  • reflux
  • constipation
  • latch and feeding issues
Sadly, for-profit private insurance companies make it almost impossible for small private practices to get reimbursed for their services. I therefore do not accept any insurance. I instead offer a very wide sliding scale, and give my patients an invoice for each treatment which can be submitted to their insurance companies for reimbursement, credit toward a deductible, or use of FSA/HSA funds. See my rates page for more information, Also consider joining Put People First or other organizations fighting for Medicare for All.

There are two degrees in the United States which confer full practice rights to physicians. These are Medical Doctor (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathy (DO.) The training is almost identical, and the residency system is shared, so there are DOs in all specialties from pediatrics to brain surgery. DOs tend to think more holistically and are about twice as likely as MDs to do primary care.

The only significant difference in our schooling is that DOs get 100+ hours of training in Osteopathic Philosophy and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), how to diagnose and treat disease with our hands. However, after medical school, only about 20% of DOs (mostly family doctors) continue to use those skills, and a smaller fraction will focus exclusively on this “manual medicine.” 

Chiropractics is an approach to musculoskeletal problems which focuses primarily on the spine, and the alignment of the vertebrae to regulate the nervous system. Osteopathy is a comprehensive system of medicine based on the removal of strain and restriction in all the tissues and organs of the body to allow the inherent forces of health (breath, arterial supply, lymphatic drainage, etc) to do their work. Chiropractors most commonly use “high velocity” thrust techniques (“cracking”) while DOs tend to use more gentle techniques. Chiropractors complete 4 years of chiropractic school. DOs are fully licensed physicians who complete 4 years of medical school and 3+ years of residency caring for patients in hospitals and outpatient settings. 

As one of my patients put it, “Chiropractors are like an X-ray, and DOs are an MRI.” I like this because sometimes all you need is an X-ray, in which case you can save yourself the time and expense of an MRI. Other more complex issues require higher levels of care and diagnostic detail.

I practice Osteopathy in the Cranial Field, which Craniosacral Therapy is derived from.

William Garner Sutherland, DO developed the idea that the bones of the skull have palpable motion and can be subject to osteopathic principles of treatment. He  developed courses to propagate his ideas which he always contextualized within osteopathy and the treatment of the whole body, calling it  “Osteopathy in the Cranial Field.”

John Upledger trained in these courses and then began his own institute to train non-physicians in protocol-based treatments of the head and sacrum, calling it “Craniosacral Therapy.” Some DOs are very salty about this. I am not one of them. Given that CST practitioners are much more numerous (and affordable) than DOs who use cranial techniques, I am grateful to them for making a form of this potent treatment more accessible.

I also believe that people with more complex problems or multiple medical conditions can benefit from practitioners with more comprehensive training like DOs.

I’m flattered, but unfortunately no. Because there are many doctors doing primary care, and so few doing this kind of work, I decided to become a specialist and devote myself entirely to manual medicine.