Bowing to the Wisdom of Others (Introducing my POWER Team)
Jennifer Schmid
I am blessed to have a huge toolbox of Earth-based Medicine available for my clients. I have so many success stories of people who have been able to take back their power and heal for good using whole foods, supplements, and herbs; adding healthy habits to their lifestyle; and simply knowing that someone has their back and believes in them. I can’t help but giggle when I think about how many libidos have been restored and marriages rekindled as a side effect of our work together.
Another aspect of my toolbox includes what I call my POWER Team. These are people who offer a service or a skill that complements my own toolbox and knowledge, people with whom I can collaborate, and, if necessary, refer my clients to so that they can achieve optimal wellness at the deepest levels, in all areas of their lives.
Over the next several months I’ll be presenting the different members of my POWER team in my blog and newsletter in a section called Collaborators' Corner. I can’t wait to share them all with you! Their collective wisdom validates my belief that everything can be healed. Below I introduce to you Patricia Reber, DO, the first of many healers and givers to be featured here.
Collaborators' Corner
Patricia Reber, DO — Bringing Balance to the Whole Person
I first met Patricia Reber, DO, in Portland in 2007 at a conference on anthroposophical medicine. We had both just moved back to the Bay Area and were thrilled to learn that our children would be attending the same school. Over the years, I have come to respect Patricia deeply for her healing hands, ability to integrate the whole person and collaborative spirit; my children also appreciate her for her listening skills and gentle bedside manner.
Read more about Patricia and her healing wisdom below.
Patricia Reber, DO
Jennifer: When you decided to go to med school, why did you choose osteopathic college instead of a conventional med school?
Patricia: This is a great question! Originally, I thought I would go to traditional allopathic medical school and work in alternative healthcare, though I was not quite sure how this would look. Then, while I was attending a dance class, a classmate fell down with seizures. It happened that there was an Osteopathic physician in the class. He began treating her Osteopathically, with subtle, non force manipulations. Finding out he was an Osteopath, I sat down across the room to observe, sensing that something important was happening. At one point the dance teacher told the Osteopath, "I don't think you should do so much energy work with her." He replied, "I'm not doing energy work with her, I'm working on her physiological body." When I heard this I knew that this was the work I would do. This Osteopath gave me an Cranial Osteopathic treatment to relieve some neck and back pain, which I'd been working on with a Chiropractor for several years. After one treatment my discomfort went away for three months! This solidified that not only I would attend Osteopathic medical school, that I would devote my practice to treating patients with subtle Cranial Osteopathy.
JS: How would you describe cranial osteopathy to someone who knows nothing about it? What are its benefits?
PR: Osteopathic physicians are trained as medical doctors and are also trained to diagnose and treat with our hands. We learn many techniques during our training and one of them is called Cranial Osteopathy or Osteopathy in the Cranial field, which is a modality for treating the whole patient. I like to describe it like this. Our bodies are always seeking balance. When we are out of balance, in any way, our inner Health works overtime, trying to bring us back into balance. I'm trained to sense the Health in my patients, where it is working, and to help facilitate It to restore balance. These treatments may look like I am just placing my hands on this or that area, though my training in anatomy, physiology and embryology help me to sense through the whole of the body to help facilitate change. The benefits of Cranial Osteopathy is that the healing really happens on a deep and inner level. I am not deciding what it wrong with a patient and then doing something to fix it. This is a communication with the inner Health of the patient, which facilitates deep and long lasting change from the inside out.
JS: Why is it important for children to get adjustments on a regular basis?
PR: Osteopathically we describe children as "bent twigs." This is a reference to "as the twig is bent, so the tree inclines." The importance of Osteopathically treating children regularly is to eliminate any restrictions that may interfere with normal growth and development, then the "bent twig" won't grow into "inclined trees" as adults.
JS: You also practice something called anthroposophical medicine. How does this complement osteopathy and other types of treatments?
PR: Anthroposophical medicine, like Osteopathy, looks at the individual as innately healthy. When we are out of balance, the use of low potency homeopathic remedies can help guide us back into right balance. Nutritional therapy, which helps to balance the physical body, is complemented by the addition of anthroposophical remedies, which helps to strengthen and guide the higher members into right relationship within the body. This makes the nutritional support work in a more advantageous way.
JS: With what other type of practitioners do you collaborate (dentists, etc.)?
PR: I collaborate with many professionals, like nutritionists, acupuncturists, dentists, lactation consultants and midwives. Though, I work in close collaboration with a few dentists who use alternative orthodontic appliances. These appliances which were designed by a dentist, work directly with the growth forces of the child. In this way, they are an Osteopathic treatment, augmenting the growth and development of the face, the head and the entire body. I provide additional Osteopathic support to children who are using these appliances, helping them to integrate the forces induced by the appliance into their whole body.
JS: Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
PR: There are many reasons why people come to my office for an Osteopathic treatment. I treat injuries, illnesses, pain, headaches, difficult births, lactation difficulties, delayed development, autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, behavior difficulties and more.
You can reach Patricia by phone at 650-335-5008 or visit her webpage for more information.