The Reason I Chose the National Academy of Osteopathy

I chose to study in this program and at the National Academy of Osteopathy (NAO) for many reasons. The curriculum interested me in the sense that it complemented my education in alternative medicine and allowed me to further expand my horizons. It is very thought out and covers all the necessary fields which are required to become a highly trained professional, such as human anatomy, pathology, physiology, clinical bio mechanics, diagnosis and symptomology, neurology, as well as nutrition and many other subjects.

 I am very satisfied with the contents of the program and had a wonderful time studying at the Academy. The professors are very well educated, approachable and helpful, more than willing to answer any questions and demonstrate first-hand practical skills.

 The Academy has one of the richest and most comprehensive databases which align with the curriculum, allowing every student to get the necessary and extra material on any subject or topic.

One of the things that stood out most to me at the Academy was the beautiful and positive atmosphere.

 Both the staff and students were very friendly and encouraged each other in their studies. As well, the class sizes were relatively small, which gave each student an opportunity to communicate with the professor one-on-one, which I believe is one of the most important things to be able to excel in class. Furthermore, what stood out most to me about NAO is the amount of daily practice time the students got. Learning theory is extremely important and necessary to be a successful manual osteopath, but because this field requires physical manual work, being able to practice and receive feedback from the professors was the biggest reason as to why I enjoyed studying  at the Academy so much.

I have always been interested in alternative medicine and was never fond of western medicine. I don’t believe, and now know, that drugs cannot treat the cause of a disease and simply get rid of the symptoms and pain. Osteopathy, on the other hand, has been shown to have clinically measurable effects on the following physical and physiological parameters, which, in turn, can impact overall health:

                -the ability of the autonomic nervous system (the part of the neuro-system that cannot be controlled voluntarily)
                -biochemical markers
                -blood supply and circulation
                -immunity and inflammation
                -joint function and capacity
                -lymphatic system
                -spinal mobility
                -tissue texture 

                -children's issues,

                - pain

                - respiratory ilness

                - ear, nose, throat problems
                -and more

One of the most important reasons for choosing to study osteopathy is the fact that manual osteopathy is a drug-free, non-invasive manual medicine that focuses on the body’s innate abilities to heal itself. The purpose and philosophy of osteopathic medicine is to treat the whole body rather than just a disease. Osteopaths restore the healing power of the body, and I wanted to be able to provide these services to people.

I have always had a passion for working with people and helping them. I have a degree from Europe where part of my studies included forensic medicine, psychology, and psychiatry. Later on, when I moved to Canada, I became interested in natural approaches of medicine and healing abilities of the body. This led me to study many different holistic modalities, such as psychosomatic therapy, energy medicine and bioenergetics. However, even after studying so many different things, I always felt that there was a piece missing. And so when I stumbled across osteopathy, I knew that this was the last piece of the puzzle in my education career. 

                                  

Natalia Dzuybina, BA, DOMP, Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, year of graduation 2015
Toronto, ON Canada

dzuybina.osteopathy@gmail.com