NAO practical technique class - August 2017

The osteopathic techniques practical class students of National Academy of Osteopathy at the York University Heights campus (121 Limestone Crescent, Toronto, Ontario, Canada   M3J 2R1).

NAO Student Opens Medical Marijuana Clinic

Registered nurse, Marisa Comacchia, RN, MBA, a student of National Academy of Osteopathy has opened Aleafia Total Health Network, a multidisciplinary wellness and health clinic, with family physicians, pharmacy, chiropractic, physiotherapy and osteopathic services onsite in Concord, Ontario (www.aleafiainc.com) at 8810 Jane Street. The clinic offers medical marijuana and other services for chronic pain patients.

This is the first time one of our alumni has opened a medical marijuana clinic.

We are also grateful that Marissa has just hired two graduates of National Academy of Osteopathy to work in this wellness clinic.

Miss North Ontario Pageant Winner Joins NAO

Osteopathic Education for athletes 

 

Osteopathy has become a popular career for athletes. A growing number of top Canadian athletes have become our alumni already. Osteopathy and sports go well together.

We wish to welcome certified athletic therapist Nichelle Kenzie (from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada) to National Academy of Osteopathy. Nichelle is an exceptional athlete who has won a number of beauty pageants in Canada, including the 2012 Miss North Ontario Pageant and best talent Miss Teen Canada World 2012. 

 

 

Is it time to increase your fees?

While majority of manual osteopaths charge $80 to $140 per hour, we are seeing more and more alumni charging higher fees in Canada and abroad as per our request.

We reported before Dr Kenny Wong (physiotherapist/osteopath) in Malaysia charging $400 per hour for osteopathic care and Dr. Thomas Andrew (massage therapist/osteopath), an alumnus of National Academy of Osteopathy (Canada) charging $400 for 90 minutes of osteopathic care in Bermuda. We have now been told that our alumna Dr Liza Egbogah (chiropractor/manual osteopath) is charging $270 per hour in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). 

In our business lectures we went over how to effectively increase your fees. A small increase in your fees will not deter patients from utilizing your services. However even a small increase have a huge impact on your net profit, as your expenses remain the same. So any increase in service fees translate into profit.

Osteopathic Education for the hearing impaired

Due to our innovative advanced teaching methods, we have been able to introduce osteopathic education to the hearing and visually impaired individuals. Here is a post from Chanez Ouchene, a hearing impaired student (from Paris, France and now residing in Canada) of National Academy of Osteopathy on why she chose to study osteopathy with us:

"The art of gesture that relieves"

I have always loved the human body since childhood. I did not yet know what profession I will do. I knew one thing, that my handicap will make me barrage for certain trades. I have a disability: I'm deaf.

When I communicate with patients, the barrier is present, I read the lips of the patients and if I do not understand, we will either mime or we write on paper.

But thanks to this handicap, I have another sense that has developed: the touch and thanks to the touch, I manage to break the barrier that hangs between the patient and me.

Especially I can feel the body of the patient, his muscles, his bones.

It always requires much more effort, more concentration than a listener, but when this profession becomes a passion, one forgets all the difficulty of the handicap.

You feel stronger, you feel more helpful to help your patient.

What I also like about osteopathy is its originality of not using any medicine or instrument.
I looked for a school of osteopathy and the only school that seemed to me the best was NAO. I feel that this school is listening to each student and allows you to evolve to the maximum, and my handicap did not disturb them which seemed logical to go to them and I thank them very much for being able to make me discover this magnificent trade.

Athletic Therapists Love Osteopathy!

We have many athletic therapists as alumni. Here is a post by National Academy of Osteopathy student certified athletic therapist Marylène Audet, B. Eng., CAT(C), CSCS, FMS2 (from Montréal, Québec) on why she chose to study ostéopathie :

Initially trained as an Aerospace Engineer and now an Athletic Therapist, I found a true passion for the challenges of understanding complex systems from a functional perspective.

The rich set of manual techniques available to the manual osteopath allows a more exhaustive evaluation of the clients to maintain a delicate balance between all the functions of the body and the person as a whole.

What really attracted me to this profession is the gentle, respectful, thoughtful healing touch. One that is rationally exercised to achieve better mind-body movement.

From the fast pace of an Athletic Therapist life, osteopathy is an invitation to reconnect with Nature, appreciate the gift that was given to me: a passion to aid my client reach a balanced life and well-being.

 

 

NAO Student Completes Spartan Super 2017

Congratulations to National Academy of Osteopathy student Carolyn Smith for successfully completing the Spartan Super 2017!

Kinesiologists Love Osteopathy!

We have many kinesiologists as alumni. Here is a post from kinesiologist Tyler Butt, from Newfoundland:

After learning and practicing techniques at the National Academy of Osteopathy I can with great pride say that this school has provided me with a significant amount of potential to help injured people in the work force.

Dr. Pourgol, along with his amazing staff and professors, presented me with a tremendous amount of knowledge, skills, ideas, and useful business marketing techniques that I will cherish for a lifetime. Dr. Pourgol's lectures regarding Business Management and Clinical Ethics were a lot of information to take in but after watching and learning I can definitely see why this man has become as successful as he is. 

 

 

Osteopathic Education for High School Graduates

Did you know 56% of our alumni are high school graduates without prior health education?

Kurina Muller, a 20 years old student of National Academy of Osteopathy from Fort Saint John, British Columbia (Canada) is one of them. Here she writes about why she chose to study osteopathy:

When I began my journey to find my ideal career, I never expected it would be in the world of medicine. There were many factors that influenced my decision to become a manual osteopath, including the type of people I would be working with, the ability to still continue my education after years of working in the same field, and the general philosophies and principles behind the profession. That's what I was looking for: a profession. Not a 9 - 5 job that I would mentally clock out of an hour early, but a career that I was proud to say I was a part of; something I looked forward to and something I would continue to look forward to in ten years time.

There are countless career choices, but very few that involve the flexibility and modifiable aspects like osteopathy. It involves working one- on- one with patients, but not in the rushed manner that many medical professions present. As a manual osteopath we are taught to utilize our time with every patient; always adding a little extra time to each appointment to ensure the patient leaves with the reassurance that they have been treated with the best care possible. While being in a tight time- frame may keep you on your toes, at the end of the day I enjoy the feeling that I was thorough and complete with what I accomplished.

In addition to a relaxed work environment, as a manual osteopath the possibilities are endless. With experience you can open your own clinic, work alongside MDs, chiropractors, and other therapists, assist professional athletes in their abilities to remain active, or even just work out of your home. You can also gear your client base to suit your personal preferences, instead of spending hours treating patients while your mind wonders elsewhere. Receiving your manual osteopathy license opens you to a world of potential, with nothing holding you back.

The job of a manual osteopath includes much problem- solving. From one patient to another, one part of the body to the next, each contains their own set of complications and complexities to treat or work around. The brain is a muscle too, and needs to be exercised just as much as any other part of the body, and a job that constantly keeps me problem- solving is a job that makes the work day fly by.

The final quality that drew me to osteopathy was the holistic approach, while also consisting of a solid scientific foundation. As a manual osteopath, you can continue on to obtaining a DO (doctor of osteopathy) degree, or expand your knowledge in the medical field by studying other types of therapies and applying them in your practice. No matter what direction you decide to go with osteopathy, there will always be a patient somewhere who will utilize and appreciate your expertise.

As a 20 year old just joining the working and medical word, the possibilities and places osteopathy will take me in my future are the very reason I chose it. Without tying me down to a dead end job, osteopathy keeps me excited to see where I will be ten months from now, and eager to discover where I will be ten years from now.

 

 

A post from a Canadian fitness champion

I feel confident in my knowledge and abilities thanks to the school that has delivered an experience beyond my expectations, I’m so grateful for the National Academy of Osteopathy and their professors & staff whom have been integral in my success.

Jodi Livingston
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Métis Nation Osteopathy Scholarship

Did you know the Métis Nation provides scholarships to study osteopathy at National Academy of Osteopathy?

We have many Métis Nation people across Canada as alumni, including Sean Hauk, a singer, dancer and actor Métis residing in Ontario. 

Mediterranean diet works but not if you are poor!

Italian researchers who studied 18,000 people over 4 years found out that Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of heart disease by 15% but only for people who made more than 40,000 EURO ($60,000 Canadian). The research was published in the International Journal of epidemiology.

Numerous published research have shown that increased income makes people happier and healthier and actually helps them live longer while decreasing chance of divorce and stress.

What separates us from other osteopathic schools is our focus on business management. I do not feel the word MONEY is a taboo. I want our students to make more money. I teach everything I know about business to my students. That is why we graduate so many successful manual osteopaths and that is how we have become the largest providers of osteopathic education in the world with alumni in 68 countries.

The success of our students is what helps us grow. 

Shawn Pourgol, MBA, DC, DO, PhD

President

National Academy of Osteopathy (Canada)

www.pourgol.com 

2000 Manual Osteopaths in the States

Did you know there are about 2000 osteopathic manual practitioners in the states?

American therapist, Johanna Kenworthy (currently living in Montreal, Canada) is one of them. This is part of a post she published about why she chose to study osteopathy at NAO.

I needed a strong curriculum, accreditation, plus a manageable time frame and affordable fees. I also needed a program that I could integrate into my already busy schedule. Although I found many options only the National Academy of Osteopathy (NAO) met all of my criteria.

Not only is the NAO’s Diploma in Osteopathic Manual Practice a recognized professional accreditation in Canada but it expands my ability to bring a new knowledgeable, balanced, well-rounded approach to my clients back in the US. The training I’m receiving in osteopathy-specific manual techniques is an aspect of treatment that was missing in my practice prior to attending the NAO.

Through the connections of NAO immediately together we found an internship at a health and fitness clinic in Montreal, BTT West Island where Frederic Koomsatira, who is a former student of the NAO programming, owns and operates a student clinic out of his business. His clinic has been a refreshing and comforting place to be working side by side with other NAO practitioners in various programs.

I've continued working in the US to fulfill the hands on criteria of our program at my personal office as well as the student clinic in Montreal while taking online courses. In Quebec the language criteria is that everyone speaks French in order to work and you guessed right, I don't speak French.
Thanks to Fred and his clinic once again where most clients are bilingual and our ability to understand one another is one step closer to their health and well being! I feel blessed to have had as many opportunities as barriers cross my path these past six months.