I look back at my life and am grateful for the friends who have supported me on the way to my work in healthcare. I started my education as a physical therapist in 1993, where I first glimpsed the medical world. Following my state examination, I spent my practical year in a rehabilitation clinic and then started work in a phyiscal therapy practice in 1996.
Five years later, I often reached the limits of my treatments and felt at a loss. It was recommended that I look into the “gentle treatment method“ called osteopathy. Until that day, I had not heard about osteopathy but was immediately curious. Two weeks later, I registered at the Sutherland College of Osteopathy in Schlangenbad, and a whole new world opened up for me. I had a new way of thinking about treating patients, health, and the universe in general. I felt like I was on an adventure trip, discovering new perspectives and interpretations of anatomy, physiology, embryology, and diseases and about what health means. The philosophy of, for example, “health is already there, you have to do nothing“ seemed very strange to me initially.
In 2004, I passed the state exam and received my admission as a practitioner of natural medicine; in 2006, I passed my final exam by the boards of examiners of College Sutherland and the BAO e.V. and received my admission as a state-recognized osteopath. From 2006-2011, I had the great chance to work in the practice of Marina Fuhrmann in Wiesbaden. This was a wonderful and professionally enriching time.
Today, I work in my own practice about an hour away from Frankfurt. I live in a small village that is quiet, calm, and close to nature. In my free time, I like to sing in the choir, and I`m happy harvesting vegetables and herbs in my garden and reading books to relax. I can walk or bicycle over the fields to my work. When I look out the window of my treatment room, I can see the sky, hear the birds singing, and see the wind in the trees. I am very lucky to live in such an idyllic environment. Sometimes I can feel what A.T. Still meant by saying, “God is in nature“.
Over the years, I took part in various continuing education courses, conferences, and specializations, such as Strain Counter Strain with Dr. Devine and Pediatrics in Vienna, but 3 years ago I started to feel unsteady and that I was missing something in my work. At that time, I got to know Dr. Brian Degenhardt and Lisa Norman in Idstein, where they presented the work of DO-Touch.Net. I was immediately interested and became a member of DO-Touch.Net. In 2016, I took part in the “Patient-Reported Adverse Events from Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment“ study.
I really must say, not only was it fun, but I was surprised and pleased about my patients‘ readiness to take part in the study. I also felt I was asked to be more precise in the execution of my treatment techniques and to review the diagnoses and their relevance for the treatment of my patients.
This year I had the chance to visit Kirksville by invitation from DO-Touch.Net with the German group from VOD and participate in the Advancing Skills in Osteopathy course. I felt so honoured and deeply moved to be where osteopathy began. It was a very intense and great time for me. My palpation skills improved and I learned how my body posture related to the patient, how it affects my palpation results, and how to correct my posture. In my practice, I take more time now for a detailed examination and include the vertebrae in my treatment more often. My colleagues and I would like to expand our scientific research with DO-Touch.NET in Germany. I`m very grateful to them for sharing their knowlege with us and for all the support given by Brian Degenhardt and his team. At the moment, I can`t be nearer to “Dig On“.