- The alternative therapy involves laying hands over the skull or spine to ‘tune in’ .
- Claims to heal, relax and promote sleep, digestion and body alignment.
“Pippa Middleton has embraced the bizarre therapy of ‘cranial osteopathy’ for her one-year-old baby Arthur, and swears it’s had physical benefits.
The younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge admits there is a lack of scientific evidence for the treatment – which involves the laying of hands on the skull or spine to tune into what practitioners call the ‘Craniosacral Rhythm’, then manipulating the body to retune it.
Writing in Waitrose Weekend magazine, 36-year-old Pippa said: ‘Soon after Arthur was born last year, I heard a few mums talking about seeing a cranial osteopath. It’s a popular alternative therapy for newborns, particularly those who have had a traumatic birth, are unsettled, or have trouble sleeping.
‘It claims to heal, relax and promote sleep, digestion and body alignment through gentle head and body manipulation. While there is a lack of scientific evidence, after hearing positive things about it (and out of intrigue more than anything else), I took Arthur when he was seven months old.
‘I was fascinated to see how calming it was for him, but also how valuable the feedback was. The osteopath noticed one side of his neck was tighter than the other, which explained why he favoured one side sleeping. She also saw that his arms were stronger than his legs, so she gave me an exercise to help him.’
The treatment uses gentle, non-invasive techniques to gently manipulate the head and spine, which affects the whole bodyPippa added that the treatment could be used for mums, too, writing: ‘It is an expense… but well worth it.’
She quoted Kam Panesar from London Osteopathic Care, who said the treatment ‘uses gentle, non-invasive techniques to gently manipulate the head and spine, which affects the whole body. It’s gentle, soothing and great for helping babies relax.’
Excerpt written by Ian Fletcher for the Daily Mail October 2019
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