written by Laurie Melrose-Doering, Osteopath
I was exposed to osteopathy from a young age. My grandfather was an osteopath in Kingston, my uncle was an osteopath in Wimbledon and New Malden, and my father has been an osteopath in New Malden and central London, working from Harley Street, for over 40 years.
Osteopathy on my mind
When I was still a baby, my two-year-old sister would perform muscle testing on me. She had observed my dad treat my mum and was seemingly keen to dabble in osteopathy herself. I do not actually remember being used as a guinea pig at all, but thankfully my parents recorded some of these sessions.
From the age of six or seven, I was in awe of how my dad could help patients with osteopathy and my interest was piqued. So when I was 11 or 12, I started entertaining the idea of becoming an osteopath myself. I even thought I should study Latin to help me learn anatomy.
Osteopathy was always competing with another vocation, such as being a football player, then an explorer or geographer, then a marine biologist. But the idea of becoming an osteopath was always constant.
Study Osteopathy at the European School of Osteopathy
So, when I was 20 years old, after having completed 7 months of social work in India, and then working for a year to put money aside for my degree, I enrolled in the European School of Osteopathy in Maidstone, Kent.
I had looked at the three main osteopathic schools in the UK and one in Germany. But I was set on the ESO – where my father had studied in the 1970s – because it is considered the most eclectic.
Inspiration from leading osteopaths
I consider myself very lucky to be an osteopath as I get to use my hands and my head, I am on my feet all day, and I get to see interesting people from all walks of life.
I am also privileged to have spent a lot of time – joint holidays even – with four inspirational osteopaths and applied kinesiologists who still practised full-time at over 70 years of age. Out of all the osteopaths I had met, I noticed the most passionate and successful were also those who practised for the longest and were happiest with their careers. This makes sense, really, but it reaffirmed my desire to become the best osteopath I could be.
When I was a student, I used to say to myself, “the more you know, the better you are. And the better you are, the more you enjoy yourself.”
What I also love about osteopathy, is that I can combine insights from different professions – e.g. acupuncture – allowing me to have an eclectic approach.
I feel I can be confident I will be enjoying being an osteopath for many years to come.
To book an Osteopathy appointment in New Malden or in Marylebone, phone 020 8942 3148 or contact Aston Clinic London.
Aston Clinic London is a third-generation complementary health clinic based in New Malden and serves the local areas of Kingston, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Surbiton, Chessington, Worcester Park, Sutton and other areas of southwest London and Surrey.
Aston Clinic London also offers Osteopathy and Herbal Medicine in Marylebone, Central London.
