Osteopathic Physician

If you’re like most people, you’ve been going to a doctor 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 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. 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:

• Both osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians complete four years of basic medical education.
• After medical school, both osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine— such as pediatrics, family practice, psychiatry, surgery or obstetrics—after completing a residency program (typically two to six years of additional training)
• Both osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians must pass comparable state licensing examinations.
• Osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians both practice in fully accredited and licensed health care facilities.

However, it is the ways that osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians are different that can bring an extra dimension to your family’s health care.

D.O.s bring something extra to medicine:

• Osteopathic 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 regard your body as an integrated whole.
• Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive healthcare.
• 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. It gives D.O.s a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage over those who do not receive additional specialized training.
• D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.

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 preventative medicine, eating properly and keeping fit.

Dr. Still pioneered the concepts of “wellness” over 100 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.

21st Century – Frontier Medicine

Just as Dr. Still pioneered osteopathic medicine on the Missouri frontier in 1874, today’s osteopathic physicians serve as modern day medical pioneers. They continue the tradition of bringing health care to areas of greatest need. Approximately 64% of all osteopathic physicians practice in primary care areas such as pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics/gynecology and internal medicine. Many D.O.s fill a critical need for doctors by practicing in rural and medically under served areas.

Today osteopathic physicians continue to be on the cutting edge of modern medicine. D.O.s are able to combine today’s medical technology with their ears (to listen caringly to their patients), their eyes (to see their patients as whole persons), and their hands (to diagnose and treat injury as well as illness).