What is a Doctor of Osteopathy

The likelihood is that if you have been going to a doctor since you were born you have been seeing a physician who is either a DO (doctor of osteopathy) or an MD (allopathic physician). You might not even know that there are two types of doctors or that they are both qualified and licensed to prescribe medications and do surgery.

These doctors have many commonalities including a four-year undergraduate degree, four years of basic medical education, three to six more years of specialty training, and qualification examinations and state licenses. However, it is the way in which these two fields are different that bring an extra dimension to the care of your family’s health.

The history of osteopathy began in 1874 when Dr. Still pioneered the philosophy of medicine based on ideas that dated back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. Dr. Still stressed that the body was a single unit that should operate as a well oiled machine and that it had the unique ability to heal itself. He stressed preventative medicine, eating properly and keeping the body fit.

Today approximately 65% of practicing DO’s specialize in primary health care and many serve in rural settings and other medically underserved areas. These DO’s are able to combine medical technology with the information they gather with their eyes, ears and touch. They see the patient as a whole person and not a combination of symptoms.

Schools of Osteopathy stress upon the students to be primary care doctors with a whole person approach to medicine and a focus on preventive care. They receive extra training that an MD doesn’t have in the area of the musculoskeletal system that makes up 2/3 of the body mass. Manipulation is also incorporated into training and practice with the use of the hands to diagnose illness and injury.

Osteopathic physicians hold a principle that a patient’s medical history (illness and physical trauma) is written in the structure of the body. In other words, there is a living anatomy that the doctor’s highly developed sense of touch will feel and evaluate. DO’s can practice in fields that range from the emergency room to cardiovascular surgery, psychiatric medicine or geriatrics.

A Doctor of Osteopathy will use two primary techniques. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) and Osteopathic Manual Medicine (OMM) are used in addition to more traditional medicines and treatments. Doctors will stress prevention with their patients and evaluate the effect of stress and posture on the systems of the body that may hinder proper function. Using manipulation they assist the body in ways to natural healing.

Although this method of treatment may seem highly unconventional many of the techniques and practices have been backed up through research and become widely accepted and practiced.