Five years ago I went to the SCC’s Hidden Treasures Conferences, delighted that our world was getting its act together with regards to research. While I didn’t come away with a sheaf of RCT-level data to inform my patients, I did come away with the impression of a great deal of brain power and critical thinking ability, and much enthusiasm, albeit not with many structures or projects in place just yet. But it felt like a great start and plenty of potential.
So I’m delighted to find that the SCCO is holding another conference this midsummer, this time not only with some recent original research and ongoing projects, but with an emphasis on helping us with the new CPD scheme.
It is led by Karen Carroll (pictured left), and the speakers are pretty high-powered. They include:
Pete Cockhill – this is an impressive sounding person who is actually tackling the demands for more evidence for paediatric osteopathy head on. He runs a practice in Bath, has been working with the Royal United Hospital in Bath, quotes TS Eliot on his website and is going to be reporting on the “BabyCheck” research project at this conference.
Steve Bettles and Steve Vogel are prime movers and shakers in the world of osteopathic governance and education respectively, and between them know a great deal about research, the new CPD scheme, consent, osteopathic practice standards and all that stuff which is often just a bit time consuming or, dare I say, unexciting to bother actually reading up on. They are going to make life easy for us by explaining just exactly what we are going to have to do for CPD, and along with a few others they are also going to run workshops showing us exactly how to do it too, particularly when it comes to the “peer discussion review” and “objective activity” bit of the scheme.
Jo Wildy – who I have just looked up, is going to talk about how to preserve our identity while embracing a research culture. She seems to be yet another of many deep thinkers and agile minds who quietly populate our profession, and suggests that we define ourselves by how we think rather than what we do. She has written three very interesting sounding papers
The Brain, the Mind and the Osteopath
One Leap Forwards or Two Steps Apart
The UK Cranial Osteopathic Profession – Strengths and Weaknesses
and all I can say is, looking forward to getting a few moments to read these, and also, why did nobody tell me?
Anne Jaekel -Anne was actually at the last conference, giving a talk on the feasibility of conducting research into the effects of cranial osteopathy on infantile colic. Well, she’s evidently been on a journey, because she’s back this time with some original research to report, but also a lecture on the landscape and methods of research in cranial ostoepathy.
Ben Katz and Karen Carroll – I am sure many of you already know these two. I know both of these from my very fruitful days at the OCC in Clerkenwell. Karen Carroll is leading the conference, also presenting some original research from the OCC, and Ben is now iO President and is giving the opening “State of the Nation” address.
And even more amazing speakers too numerous to list here.
So hopefully I’ve whetted your appetite. There will be philosophy, practical workshops, help with CPD, real, new research which will help you in your practice, and the opportunity to chat things over with like minded professionals. So obviously, now you want to know
Where is it? the beautiful 18th century De Vere Wokefield Estate in Reading (it has a pool!)
When is it? The weekend of June 30 – July 2, 2018
How much is it? About £490 for the entire residential experience, less if you don’t want the whole shebang
How can I book this incredible offer of 16 hours high quality and useful learning-with-others CPD?
Go right here to the SCCO website now.
osteofm 
My appetite was whetted. I read Jo Wildy’s The UK Cranial Osteopathic Profession – Strengths and Weaknesses because I wanted to see what was on offer. Though the article started well by naming and calling out that cranial osteopathy is unscientific and needs to acknowledge and address that fact, I was sadly disappointed by what Jo thought were the fundamental questions needing to be answered, while still maintaining very problematic assumptions about the palpation skills that cranial osteopaths purport to possess, and assumptions about what a cranial shape means clinically to the person who has it.
One of these fundamental questions related to what cranial osteopaths feel is “What is it that they are interacting with and how are they initiating a therapeutic response?” But Jo’s attempts at explanation ducked the more fundamental question of “What in our known sciences do we have to explain what osteopaths and patients feel with a cranial osteopathic application?” in favour of evoking the spectre of quantum physics, cellular processes and asking profound questions about the laws of nature.
We already have scientifically reasonable, plausible and justifiable ways of explaining both what osteopaths feel when they put their hands on a persons head and what the patient may report to feel during the treatment. These explanations come from known sciences like neurology, physiology and psychology and they are fascinating and fascinatingly complex all on their own.
Jo asks ““Magical Thinkers” Are osteopaths working in the cranial field “magical thinkers” in terms of what they do and what they say?.” On the strength of the article, I would have to say yes.
LikeLike