Organized under the auspices of the Emirates Osteopathic Society (Emirates Medical Association), the conference themed “Osteopathy across the Lifespan” is the first of its kind to be organized in the Middle East.

• Experts emphasized the need for training and development of new talents in the field of Osteopathy, while highlighting the growing potential of the specialty using a research and evidence based approach 
• Specialized workshops introduced local practitioners to new approaches in elderly care, perinatal care, child care, women’s health issues, bone disorders and pain management
• As an alternative treatment approach which harnesses a body’s potential for holistic healing through physical manipulation, Osteopathy is fast gaining popularity among local patients across age-groups

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 19 February 2017:  The first ‘Emirates Osteopathic Conference’ in the region was hosted in Dubai, under the patronage of the Emirates Osteopathic Society (Emirates Medical Association), organized by Osteopathic Health Centre on 17-18 February, 2017. The Dubai Healthcare City Authority awarded the conference 17 CPD (Continuing Professional Development) credits. The conference theme, 'Osteopathy across the Life Span” reflected the wide scope osteopathic practice helping people of all age groups, beginning from care of infants to the care of the elderly. It saw participation of international experts from 11 countries from all over the world.

The key note address was delivered by Sheikh Saqer Bin Humaid Al Qasimi. An advocate of osteopathy, he has been instrumental in encouraging the need to bring osteopathic education to the region. 

Over two days, the sessions were designed to cover a full range of subjects including, regulation in the field of Osteopathy, challenges and opportunities, treating premature newborns, overcoming barriers for effective re-habilitation of patients using new techniques in pain management, osteopathic management of women’s health issues in various life stages, and multimodal geriatric care. Taking into account the phases of human development from conception to old age and how human adaptation changes over time, the presenters brought forth a multi-dimensional intervention strategy which can promote health and wellbeing of individuals.

 “Osteopathy has been practiced in UAE for over 30 years, and it is rapidly gaining popularity as an important healthcare profession. UAE is a fast developing hub for medical tourism in the MENA region, and osteopathy can play a very important role in patient care if we provide the right guidance and training to budding talent. The first Emirates Osteopathic Conference is testimony to the increasing potential of Osteopathy in the region, and we hope to sustain our efforts to raise the level of expertise in the field.” said Malcolm Gregory, President Emirates Osteopathic Society

Keynote presentations, workshops and poster demonstrations discussed existing knowledge and innovative osteopathic interventions, along with finding new ideas and ways of research in the field of osteopathy. Attendees included osteopaths, physiotherapists and other healthcare practitioners involved in patient care. They also explored how practitioner centered barriers such as education, programming skills, time and resource allocation require a shift in education delivery at both the pre and post-professional levels for Osteopaths. 

“Recovering from a health condition is often a difficult experience, and Osteopaths help people overcome these challenges, while facilitating recovery using a natural and holistic approach. Scientific review and evidence-informed outcomes have a high priority in patient treatment and case management. Healthcare professionals are increasingly recognizing that traditional medicine and Osteopathy can go hand in hand to garner long term positive health outcomes for patients.” expressed Jorge Esteves, Osteopath, Associate Professor, Chair of the Emirates Osteopathic Conference Scientific Committee
Medical professionals and healthcare regulators were also present to understand osteopathy and its role in patient care. The conference was supported by C.O.ME. Collaboration, a foundation and a charity under Italian Law, duly recognized and dedicated to high-quality multidisciplinary research, and by Instituto Piaget, Portugal.

Osteopathy is a form of drug-free non-invasive manual medicine that focuses on total body health by treating and strengthening the musculoskeletal framework. It is a natural form of manual medicine based on the philosophy that disease and dysfunction are mainly due to the loss of the body’s structural integrity.  It is a person-centered system of healthcare. 

Looking for the cause of the pain rather than relieving symptoms, osteopathic treatment aims to restore the structural balance in the body and promote its optimal health. It follows a set of unique natural principles, the key one being the body’s ability to heal itself.

Following the conference, participants had the opportunity to attend a specialized workshop to enable healthcare practitioners to improve theoretical and practical knowledge, and skills in in the field of pediatrics osteopathy. Through a critical discussion of the literature and a clinical-based approach, attendees were trained to develop essential knowledge and clinical capabilities on how to approach the different pediatrics age groups in terms of osteopathic diagnosis and treatment.

The World Health Organisation recognizes the need to formulate and implement national policies and regulations on traditional (TM) and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to support their proper use. ‘Benchmarks for Training in Osteopathy’ is one of the series of documents for training in selected types of TM/CAM care as part of the implementation of the WHO resolutions. 

About Emirates Osteopathic Society
The Emirates Osteopathic Society was established in August 2016 under the umbrella of the Emirates Medical Association (EMA). Their mission is to advance the philosophy and practice of osteopathy in the UAE, support the highest standards of osteopathic healthcare delivery within the UAE health system and to be the peak representative body for osteopaths in the country.

About Osteopathic Health Centre
The Osteopathic Health Centre was set up in Dubai in 2000 by Malcolm Gregory (Greg) and Nargis Raza in order to continue offering relief to people in pain. Today they work with a wide team of therapists spanning over two clinics to combine a range of disciplines to help restore balance to the body, including osteopathy, cranial osteopathy, chiropractic, physiotherapy, pediatric physiotherapy, rehabilitation, homeopathy, naturopathy, hydrotherapy, and ante/post-natal care.