» Osteopathic Medicine
What is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)?
If you're like most people, you've been going to a doctor ever since you were born, and perhaps were not aware whether you were seeing a D.O. (osteopathic physician) or an M.D. (allopathic physician). You may not even be aware that there are two types of complete physicians in the United States.
The fact is, that both D.O.s and M.D.s are fully qualified physicians licensed to perform surgery and prescribe medication in all 50 states. Is there any difference between these two kinds of doctors? Yes and no.
D.O.s and M.D.s are alike in many ways:
• Applicants to both D.O. and M.D. colleges typically have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on scientific courses.
• Both D.O.s and M.D.s complete four years of basic medical education.
• After medical school, both D.O.s and M.D.s can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine -- such as psychiatry, surgery or obstetrics -- after completing a residency program which requires an additional two to six years of training.
• Both D.O.s and M.D.s must pass comparable state licensing examinations.
• D.O.s and M.D.s both practice together in fully accredited and licensed health care facilities.
• D.O.s comprise a separate, yet equal branch of American medical care. Together, D.O.s and M.D.s enhance the state of care available in America.
D.O.s bring something extra to medicine:
• Osteopathic medical schools emphasize training students to be primary care physicians.
• D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they assess the overall health of their patients.
• Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive health care in addition to illness.
• D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system -- your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of its body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an injury or illness in one part of your body can affect another.
• Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose injury and illness and to encourage your body’s natural tendency toward good health. By combining all other medical procedures with OMT, D.O.s are able offer their patients more comprehensive care.
More than a Century of Unique Care
Osteopathic medicine is a unique form of American medical care that was developed in 1874 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. Dr. Still was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of 19th Century medicine. He believed that many of the medications of his day were useless or even harmful. Dr. Still was one of the first in his time to study the attributes of good health so that he could better understand the process of disease.
In response, Dr. Still founded a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. The philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body’s ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit.
Dr. Still pioneered the concept of "wellness" more than 130 years ago. In today’s terms, personal health risks -- such as smoking, high blood pressure, excessive cholesterol levels, stress and other lifestyle factors -- are evaluated for each individual. In coordination with appropriate medical treatment, the osteopathic physician acts as a teacher to help patients take more responsibility for their own well-being and change unhealthy patterns.
Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy: Hands-On Care
(Per the American Osteopathic Association)
“Nearly everyday, medical science unveils new discoveries, from brain scans to anti-cancer drugs. In the midst of these wonders, it's easy to forget that sometimes what patients really need is a healing touch.
What Is OMT?
Osteopathic manipulative treatment, or OMT, is hands-on care. It involves using the hands to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. Using OMT, your osteopathic physician (D.O.) will move your muscles and joints using techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance.
Who Can Benefit From OMT?
OMT can help people of all ages and backgrounds. It can
ease pain,
promote healing and
increase mobility.
OMT is often used to treat muscle pain. But it can also help patients with a number of other health problems, among them:
asthma,
sinus disorder,
carpal tunnel syndrome,
migraines and
menstrual pain.
When appropriate, OMT can complement—and even replace—drugs or surgery. In this way, OMT brings an important dimension to standard medical care.” OMT is most popularly used in head, neck and back pain, sciatic and upper limb neuropathies.
Somatic dysfunction is addressed by OMT. “Somatic dysfunction is the impaired or altered function of the skeletal, arthrodial, myofascial structures and their related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.”
Somatic dysfunction may be associated with internal disorders such as asthma and constipation as well as local joint, muscle and bone issues.
“The positional aspects of somatic dysfunction are described using 1 or more of 3 parameters: (1) the position of the body part as determined by palpation and referenced to its adjacent defined structures, (2) the direction in which motion is freer, and (3) the direction in which motion is restricted.
Somatic dysfunction is characterized by one or more of the following: vasodilatation, edema, tenderness, pain, constriction, asymmetry of motion, motion restriction, and changes in tissue texture. It may or may not be associated with organic disease.”
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