Osteopathy is a form of medicine that focuses on whole body health and utilizes hand manipulations to improve healing. Osteopathic physicians, or doctors of osteopathy (D.O.), are licensed to practice the same medical procedures that medical doctors (M.D.) do, in addition to prescribing medicines. In recent years, osteopathic medicine has been one of the fastest-growing fields of practice in the United States.
History
In 1974, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still was becoming dissatisfied with the effectiveness of the medicine he was practicing. He lost faith in the efficacy of the medicines he was prescribing and developed a new philosophy that said that good health was centered on the musculoskeletal system--the path of muscles, nerves and bones that make up two-thirds of the body's mass. He stressed preventive medicine and believed in the body's ability to heal itself. Dr. Still was one of the pioneers of the wellness movement that believes doctors should be teachers and show their patients how to live healthier lives.
Doctors
Doctors of osteopathy, or D.O.s, enter medical school with a four-year undergraduate degree that's heavy in science-related subjects. Like an M.D., a D.O. must complete four years of medical school and three to six years in internships and residencies. Osteopaths choose specialties, as do medical doctors. In both professions, individuals must obtain state licenses to practice medicine and work in accredited health care facilities.
Training
Training differs for osteopathic doctors in that all students are trained to be primary care physicians, according to the American Osteopathic Association. Instead of treating specific conditions, however, D.O.s are taught to treat the whole person and focus more heavily on preventive care. Extra training is provided in musculoskeletal systems that give doctors a better understanding of how each part of the body is interrelated.
Hands-On
Osteopathic physicians get 300 to 500 hours of hands-on manual manipulation training and utilize their hands to perform osteopathic manipulative treatments. The National Institutes of Health reports that osteopaths use their developed sense of touch to feel and palpitate their patient's anatomy to make a more complete diagnosis.
Integration
According to Peter Hilsenrath, PhD, in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, D.O.s have become accepted into mainstream medicine and practice primarily in all health care facilities beside M.D.s. Once isolated from their counterparts, new osteopathic graduates can find work in any number of specialty and general practice facilities. The traditional osteopathic hospitals of the past became unwieldy and expensive. The integration of the two fields of medicine has proven to be profitable and manageable for most institutions.
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