In this episode of the Journal of Human Lactation podcast, hosts Ellen Chetwynd and Adina Kopinsky discuss two companion papers exploring the role of osteopathic medicine in breastfeeding care: "Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for the Breastfeeding Dyad: A Scoping Review" and "Integrating Osteopathic Care into Treatment of the Breastfeeding Dyad: Anatomic and Physiologic Considerations" with authors Dr. Eileen Conway and Dr. Kimberly Wolf. Published in Journal of Human Lactation, Volume 42, Issue 2, these companion articles examine the current evidence supporting osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for breastfeeding dyads and explain the anatomic and physiologic principles underlying osteopathic care. Together, they provide clinicians with an introduction to this emerging area of lactation medicine and discuss how osteopathic physicians can collaborate with lactation professionals to support families experiencing persistent breastfeeding challenges. Key takeaways include: Osteopathic medicine evaluates how structure and function throughout the body influence breastfeeding for both infants and lactating parents. A scoping review of more than 9,000 published articles identified 35 studies examining OMT for infant feeding, breastfeeding, and related conditions, highlighting promising findings while emphasizing the need for higher-quality research. Current evidence suggests OMT may support breastfeeding by addressing musculoskeletal restrictions associated with latch difficulties, torticollis, plagiocephaly, reflux, colic, breast edema, mastitis, and low milk supply. The discussion explores why manual therapies are challenging to study using traditional randomized controlled trial designs and why stronger outcome measures are needed across lactation research. The authors emphasize that osteopathic care can complement, but not replace, comprehensive lactation management and medical evaluation, offering another tool for multidisciplinary care when breastfeeding difficulties persist. Link to the articles: Chen A, Mercer A, Conway E, Heskett K, Toby AH, Campbell M, Panza M, Wolf K. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for the Breastfeeding Dyad: A Scoping Review. Journal of Human Lactation. 2026;42(2). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08903344261430249 Conway E, Wolf K, et al. Integrating Osteopathic Care into Treatment of the Breastfeeding Dyad: Anatomic and Physiologic Considerations. Journal of Human Lactation. 2026;42(2). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/08903344261434473 Join the Conversation: Connect with us on social media: Facebook @JournalofHumanLactationInstagram @journalofhumanlactationX @JHL_Lactation
