Nathanael David Enns, known as Nate Enns, is a US Board Certified Doctor of Manual Osteopathy who was classically trained in Osteopathic Manual Therapy in Canada & Spain. He brings a unique approach, primarily using the Respiratory-Circulatory Model (RCM) of osteopathy. The RCM uses techniques of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Osteopathic Manual Therapy, developed by Dr. J. Gordon Zink D.O., which also draws on research from various reactive medical intervention methods. RCM is a comprehensive system that takes into account the whole person’s health, not just the felt needs or presenting symptoms.
This blog post will present a brief on the life and work of Nate Enns, as a US Doctor of Manual Osteopathy (Osteopathic Manual Practitioner in Canada), specifically using this ground-breaking approach to manual therapy.
Nate Enns was born to Canadian-American parents in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), West Africa. He earned his D.Sc.O. & D.O.(M.P.) in Osteopathic Manual Therapy from the Canadian College of Osteopathy in Toronto, Ontario, and later pursued a Ph.D. in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation from the National University of Medical Sciences in Spain. During his initial thesis research on hemodynamics (circulation) and the concept of the "fluidic body", he was introduced to the work of Dr. J. Gordon Zink, D.O., and the Respiratory-Circulatory Model.
Nate Enns launched his private practice in Ontario, Canada, in 2014 and relocated to the United States in 2024. He has treated thousands of patients from all over the world, using these RCM of osteopathic techniques. He has also taught extensively on this osteopathic model and has written several articles on the topic. In addition to his private practice, Nate Enns also mentors students of Osteopathy, as well as other professionals practicing as manual therapists. He has developed RCM courses and continues to teach internationally.
The Respiratory-Circulatory Model (RCM)
The RCM is a comprehensive system that takes into account the whole person, not just the presenting symptoms of the patient. It is based on the principle that all human health has its foundation in the ability to fluctuate fluids in and through its entirety, and this fluid flow is governed by the respiratory and circulatory systems of the body. These systems are linked in our bodies, and pressure gradients govern the movement of these bodily fluids, which includes internal cellular respiration, and harmony of physical tensions, hormones, and even our emotional and mental states. A healthy individual will be able to lie supine with full healthy respiration (called Eupnea) and show evidence of a healthy Common Compensatory Pattern (CCP) throughout his body. The CCP will be elaborated on in a future blog entry. When a person is “out of a healthy CCP” it indicates an imbalance in one area or more of the body, leading to disharmony within the body as a whole, and symptoms extending to the other areas, as well. Dr. Zink D.O. calls this unease: “dys-ease” when “the more out of pattern someone is, the more sick they are.” [1] RCM treats the myofascial components of disease, which often start as a symptom of dys-ease.
The body is roughly 60-75% fluid. Fluids are the largest matrix of the body. They carry life giving oxygen and nutrition to cells, and get rid of unwanted waste material, viruses, bacteria, or lymphatic tissue. Therefore, these body fluids become the foundational starting point for all treatment assessments as any disturbance can lead toward not just discomfort (“dys-ease”), but ultimately disease. A future blog will amplify on how internal respiration and external respiration affect the free flow of these bodily fluids.
The primary goal of RCM treatment is to restore harmony within the whole fluidic body, by balancing the respiratory-circulatory systems. This philosophy of applied techniques includes manually manipulating the bone structures/joints, the myofascias (muscles and fascia) and other connective soft tissues, and fluids – while incorporating cranial-sacral and energy work as needed. Although this is not the sum total of the treatment(s) needed by a patient, the RCM philosophy, with its accompanying manual techniques, provides a way to evaluate the CPP balance, release any offending blockages, and establish the foundation for further manual treatments or medical interventions that may be needed.
Conclusion:
Nathanael (Nate) Enns is a US board-certified Doctor of Manual Osteopathy who uses a unique approach called the Respiratory-Circulatory Model (RCM). The RCM method is a comprehensive system that takes into account the patient’s whole-person health, not just the presenting symptoms. This blog post seeks to provide an avenue for ongoing conversation with a closer look at the treatments and effects of Nate’s patient health care, using the ground-breaking RCM approach to Osteopathic Manual Manipulative Therapy.
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1 – The Collected Works of J. Gordon Zink, DO, FAAO
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