As a young doctor in the mid-1800s, Andrew Taylor Still cared for sick and injured people on the frontier and on the battlefields of the Civil War. But he thought the common practices of bloodletting and using toxic medicines did more harm than good for sick people. He knew there had to be a better way to help them. Andrew studied books and examined the natural world around him to make a new medical model, discovering a way to manipulate muscles, bones, and nerves with just his hands. At first, people thought his ideas were crazy, but today the medical system he developed, osteopathic medicine, is used to treat sick people all around the world.

This antiquarian volume contains Andrew Taylor Still’s 1902 treatise, "The Philosophy and Mechanical Principles of Osteopathy". Within this text, Still explores the principles that differentiate osteopathy from allopathy - and explains how to treat a variety of ailments and diseases. This detailed and accessible book written by the father of osteopathy himself is highly recommended for those with an interest in the subject. It will be of special utility to massage therapists and practitioners of allied treatments. Contents include: “My Authorities”, “Age of Osteopathy”, “Demand for Progress”, “Truth is Truth”, “Man is Triune”, “Trash”, “Osteopathy”, “Nature is Health”, “Our Relation to Other Systems”, “Important Studies”, etcetera. Many antiquarian books such as this are increasingly hard to come by and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

Osopathic medicine currently serves the health needs of more than 30 million Americans. In this book the author chronicles the history of this once-controversial medical movement from its origins in the nineteenth century to the present, describing the philosophy and practice of osteopathy as well as its impact on medical care.

Developed in the late ’70s by French osteopath Paul Chauffour, Mechanical Link is a gentle manual therapy that encourages the balance of tensions in the fascial system—that complex web of tissue that interconnects and affects all other body systems. It spreads throughout the body uninterrupted, providing physical stability while also allowing flexibility and mobility. Based on the principle that traumatic stress affects the interconnecting tissues of the body by forming patterns of tension called lesions, Mechanical Link therapy has successfully treated fibromyalgia, migraines, asthma, and other conditions. Extremely popular in Europe, it is rapidly gaining adherents in North America. This book, complete with 44 black-and-white photographs and 20 color illustrations, is a comprehensive manual for diagnosing and treating patients. Mechanical Link therapy is guided by the body’s own wisdom about its unique needs. The work stimulates to the body’s self-corrective responses, promoting normal mobility, tissue tone and posture. Mechanical Link brings tension into equilibrium and allows the body to return to optimal functioning ability, so all its systems can improve—including the immune system. Mechanical Link helps alleviate a range of illness, pain and dysfunction, including: •Fibromyalgia •Indigestion •Migraine Headaches •Premenstrual Syndrome •Asthma •Chronic Fatigue •Motor-Coordination •Impairments •Chronic Neck and Back Pain •Central Nervous System •Disorders •Emotional Difficulties •Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ) •Stress and Tension-Related Problems •Orthopedic Problems