Biography

Vital Statistics

Keith Barbour,                         Monroe, Michigan                 DO,FAAPMR,FAOCRM,FABPM*        

Age     46                                           Doctor of Osteopathy

Born in   Toronto Ont Canada               TEAM Doctoring for 10 years

Career Highlights

• Silver Medal as US TEAM Member, '01 Worlds, Australia
• Gold Medal as US TEAM Member, '99 Worlds, England
• Silver Medal as US TEAM Member, '97 Worlds, USA
• Gold Medal as US TEAM Member, '95 Worlds, Australia
• Gold Medal as US TEAM Member, '93 Worlds, (1st ever World Championships) 
• Silver Medal as US TEAM Member, '91 World Trophy,
• Silver Medal as US TEAM Member, '89 World Trophy, 
• Volunteer (Director of the Board) for World Distribution, a not for profit organization to refurbish and distribute orthotics and prosthetics world wide.  This includes missions to foreign countries that include training of other professionals and patients and one or more adaptive sport clinics
• Volunteer for Michigan Adaptive Sports for their events/ fund raisers, has been asked to join the board
• Provides a free children's clinic to treat any child 13 or under with Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine for any problem for as long as that parent wants to bring the child.  They've had unusual success with such problems as colic, pigeon toes, seizure disorders, attention deficit disorders, headache, dizziness, misshapen heads from traumatic births and bed wetting. Doc was surprised to see such a variety when he first started the clinic 10 years ago. He sees very few prevention only kids (as I expected) and less of the common sprains and strains than he expected
• Volunteers for local downhill ski events and has been trained by the national group in Winter Park, CO
• Doctor of Osteopathy
• A Mason
• A Scientologist
• FAAPMR-Fellow American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 
• Fellow of the American Osteopathic College of Rehabilitation Medicine 
• Fellow American Board of Pain Management

Hobbies 

Kayaking, swimming, walking, bicycling, skating, boating, traveling and teaching

Ski Club Affiliation

The US DisAbledWaterSki TEAM, the affiliation of which he is most proud :)

Most fun skiing experience

My favorite ski adventures include the fun I have getting to know world class skiers and watching someone on their first effort or success in adaptive sports.

Being able to practice hands on Osteopathic Medicine in the field however has been the most rewarding.  I continue to learn more and more of the body's healing abilities when forced to apply my skills without the aid of immediate technological support.

The Mexican skier in Australia '95 with urosepsis unresponsive to my first line "Thoracic pump" procedure to restore flow of lymph in order to mobilize the immune system, did respond once the "heat" over the kidney was transferred to the abdomen with a damp cloth that the mother had been using to try to break the fever of 104 at 3 am.  This somehow gave enough "energy" to the diaphragm to enable an adequate thoracic pump which then broke the fever, stopped the sweats, revived the level of consciousness and relieved the headache before antibiotics were available.

The many traumatically injured athletes whose performance is enhanced immediately following a treatment; like the teenage lower ext amputee in France who after a treatment was very unhappy with his jump because it was " weak, wobbly, poorly controlled . . .although he jumped 11 feet farther for a new world record.

People I look up to or who have helped me

My mentors are many. Robert Fulford, DO  taught me more than I could ever hope to repay to my students, patients or profession. You can read his perspective in his book "Touch of Life".

John Uppledger, DO  was my first mentor in medical school.

Kevin Mitchel, the CEO and driving force of World Distribution always inspires me with his endless, selfless energies.

Dr. Barbour (Doc) has been with the US TEAM for over 10 years. By degree he is a Doctor of Osteopathy, specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. As an osteopathic physician he uses his hands (plus all the modern/traditional methods) to evaluate/treat any illness.  He is a Board Certified Specialist to evaluate/treat sports injuries, pain, weakness and disabilities.  This combination makes him well suited to handle all the varied medical difficulties that such a TEAM and its support staff may encounter on the road, training, and competing.

In addition to all his professional qualifications Doc is well respected and appreciated by the TEAM for his personality.  That may not sound like much, but think about this . . . you're traveling with a minimum of 17 people, in a foreign country, for 2 weeks, everyone gets tired and cranky, things don't go right, luggage gets lost, etcetera . . . it's highly desirable to travel with people you like.  Doc is a great traveling companion, he has humor and wit and a strong sensibility. 

That's Doc and his wife Sherri at the Kilgour Estate Winery, with the city of Melbourne, Australia beyond the horizon on the other side of the bay.

*DO- Doctor of Osteopathy

DOs and MDs are both fully licensed physicians who are authorized to prescribe medication and perform surgery.

While attending their own medical schools, DOs are responsible for the same academic discipline as their MD colleagues and receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in the study of the body's musculoskeletal system. Physicians who wish to pursue the field of Cranial Osteopathy must train an additional five years in practice to be certified in this area of expertise.

Millions of patients today are turning to Osteopaths as their physicians of choice. They recognize that a DO, doctor of osteopathy, offers a variety of non invasive healing treatments not available from allopathic (conventional) doctors.

Long before it was fashionable, DOs advised their patients that the "best drugs" are contained in the body's immune system. So strongly do Osteopaths believe in the body's innate healing ability that many have devoted years of additional training, after medical school, to specialize in Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM).

How Does Osteopathy Work?

Osteopaths hold to the common sense principle that a patient's history of illnesses and physical traumas are written into the body's structure. It is the Osteopath's highly developed sense of touch that allows the physician to palpate (feel) the patient's "living anatomy" (i.e. flow of fluids, motion of tissues, and structural make-up). In more clinical terms, a DO can even detect physical problems that fail to appear on an X-ray.

The Osteopath's job is to "set" the body up to heal itself. To restore this normal function, the Osteopath gently applies a precise amount of force to promote movement of the bodily fluids, eliminate dysfunction in the motion of the tissues, and release compressed bones and joints. In addition, the areas being treated require proper positioning to assist the body's ability to regain normal tissue function. This treatment modality is called Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM).

What Happens In Treatment?

After a thorough evaluation, the patient lies down on the examination table ready for treatment. DOs treat the dysfunction in the patient's body taking advantage of the body's natural tendency to strive toward a state of health and homeostasis.
Many patients frequently report feeling a deep sense of relaxation, tingling, and/or flow of fluids as their pain is relieved.
Although treatment varies, Osteopaths primarily concentrate on normalizing the body's "mechanism" or put in more clinical terms, The Five Components of the Primary Respiratory Mechanism (as pioneered by William Sutherland, DO).
Since the late 1800s, Osteopaths have been able to successfully diagnose and treat medical problems with their hands, much to the disbelief of their MD colleagues.

How Does The Body Treat Itself?

The rhythmic motion of the brain and spinal cord along with that of normal breathing is transmitted to the rest of the body through the continuity of membranes (dura and fascia). Fascia is literally one piece of connective tissue that lines the body cavities, surrounds all the muscles, organs, bones, vessels, and nerves, somewhat like a large piece of shrink-wrap. The fascia is continuous with the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord (meninges), thus allowing the different motions (and tension) of the body to be transmitted everywhere. This motion gently pulls and lets go on all the areas of the body in order to work strains and tissue restrictions structurally free. This is enhanced when a person sleeps as the affects of gravity are reduced.

What Does Osteopathy Treat?

Treatment is aimed at the structural problems present, not the disease entity. By removing the obstructions to health, Osteopathic Physicians are able to treat virtually any illness or trauma. Their philosophy is the body is a unit whose parts integrally affect each other. Therefore, dysfunction in one area affects other areas as well. For example a young man suffering from pain due to a cervical disc problem wanted to know why his practitioner was spending time treating his legs when it was his neck that hurt. The doctor explained that due to a past traumas the man's legs were pulling on his neck, restricting its motion, and that unless he freed up the area, the pain would persist. Much to the patient's amazement, a great deal of his pain disappeared, before his neck was treated.

FAAPMR-Fellow American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (The allopathic (MD) board of his specialty.)  Means that he's completed the Residency, passed the exams and has been accepted by the members of the academy.

FAOCRM  Fellow of the American Osteopathic College of Rehabilitation Medicine    (The Osteopathic Board for the same specialty.)  Means that he's completed the Residency, passed the exams and has been accepted by the members of the Academy

FABPM  Fellow American Board of Pain Management

Born in Toronto Ont CND on Sept 26 1955, "Doc" moved to the US when he was 4.  He lived in Chula Vista CA, Rochester NY, Trenton NJ then Ann Arbor, MI.  High school in Dexter MI,  under graduate school at Eastern Michigan University, Osteopathic Medical school at Michigan State University a rotating 1 year internship through all basic specialties, surgery, medicine, family practice, oncology, urology, ER, etc. to prepare for family practice then a 3 year specialty training in PM&R at Wayne State University in Detroit.  It was there that the sponsor of the first National DisAbled WaterSki event contacted Doc to volunteer, and like that little energizer bunny . . . he's been going since!