Following secondary school, I embarked on an overseas adventure in reading medicine in the Netherlands, excited of the prospect of fulfilling my adolescent ambition of becoming a medical doctor.
The beginning of my journey learning pathology
My first few months helped me acclimatise to the fact that six feet in height is considered small (even amongst women), dutch directness should not be misconstrued as rudeness, and the obvious fact that it was my first time living on my own. It fair to say adjusting to my new environment had a few challenges, but was made easy by my love for learning pathology and playing hockey.
What happened next changed everything
I played hockey for 2 years until I injured my knee during a local derby. Suffering with knee pain and swelling I went to the emergency department and to my surprise the consultant provided no answers or concrete plans for treatment apart from prescribing ibuprofen. I was taken back by the lack of response from the doctor and voiced my frustration to my coach, whom told me to seek osteopathic care instead.
I was sceptical, as I hadn’t seen a physical therapist before and was unsure about the efficacy of the therapy. Refreshingly, the osteopath took time to explain the problem, provided me a diagnosis and outlined a treatment plan. I came out of the appointment in less pain and impressed.
I shared my thoughts of the value of osteopathy to help musculoskeletal patient referrals to my respected lecturer but the notion of the effectiveness of osteopathy was dismissed. I was offended by that unjust reaction as my real experience with osteopathy in that moment was far more effective than my time in the emergency department.
In my 2 years of study, I recognised that modern medicine is limited to prescribed medication and surgical intervention. The latter only masking symptoms at times to give a false sense of a healthy state. I grew tired of being taught to prescribe symptom masking medication for conditions where a more natural form of therapy could also be of value. Fair to say my love for medicine diminished while my interest of osteopathy grew.
This experience led me to pursuing my true vocation
Soon after, I came back to London with valuable knowledge of medicine and a new ambition to gain a Masters in osteopathy. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in university applying my anatomical and pathophysiological knowledge in a practical setting and positively interacting with patients. I knew then osteopathy was my true vocation.
This whole experience, illustrated the value in being open to new experiences and teachings. You might have to shop around to find what you are really looking for, even if it takes time in the end it will be worth it.
Come to the clinic to meet Thomas or book an appointment with him or any of our practitioners here, we’d love to see you!
