A human being is one unit consisting of body, soul and psyche

The art of the osteopath is viewing each person holistically and seeing their problem as unique. Still required his students to treat people and not disorders. This maxim still applies in osteopathy today.

Being healthy means the presence of freedom of movement in all structures of the body

The body can fulfill its functions ideally when the joints, bones, muscles and connective tissues are not limited in their movements. For that reason the restoration of the movement of these structures is the primary goal of osteopathic treatment.

The Body possesses the Intelligence to regulate, heal and maintain itself

“Find it, fix it and let it alone” was another maxim Dr. Still taught. He was convinced that the body’s own capability for self-healing will regulate many problems unnoticed. If it is not working ideally a little external stimulation will suffice to get it going again. Disorders  will then ease off of itself.

The structure and function of the bodily structures interact with each other

The human body is composed of individual structures which all exercise their own specific functions. If one individual bodily structure has been disrupted, for example by wear, then it can no longer perform its function ideally. On the opposite side of the coin each change in function in a given bodily structure has consequences for its structure; thus as a rule, a muscle will grow if its function increases and will atrophy if its function decreases.