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Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathy is a traditional term which refers to Osteopathic Manipulation. The modern term, Osteopathic Medicine, is indicative of the total licensure of Osteopathic Physicians to practice medicine, surgery, obstetrics and manipulation.

Andrew Taylor Still, MD, the founder of Osteopathic Medicine who practiced at the time of the Civil War, was very dissatisfied with the profession of medicine. After losing three of his own children in an epidemic of spinal meningitis, he decided there had to be a better answer.

Closer examination of his patients revealed that those with illness and other complaints had areas of tightness, soreness, swelling and other physical problems. He found that by working with them manually, better results were achieved than with his medicines. He concluded:

• The body is designed to heal itself
• Structural abnormalities are intimately related to bodily function
• Restoration of structural integrity by manipulation normalizes blood and nerve supply which allows the body to heal itself.

He intended to "improve the practice of medicine, surgery and obstetrics" but his new ideas were rejected, so he established a new philosophy of medicine called "Osteopathy." He opened the first Osteopathic College in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1892.

Today, there are nineteen Osteopathic Colleges and more than 45,000 Osteopathic Physicians (DOs). It is estimated that in excess of 20% of the US military medical corps are DOs.

All major forms of manipulation in use today originated with the Osteopathic profession. These include High Velocity-Low Amplitude, Muscle Energy, Counterstrain, Myofascial Release, Ligamentous Release and a very important addition from the late 30's, Cranio-Sacral Manipulation, developed by William Garner Sutherland, DO. Other health care providers are performing craniosacral therapy, but it is important to have medical training to know indications and contra-indications, as well as practice it properly.

Osteopathic Medicine has board certification in all specialties, including two in manipulation, which MDs do not have. The first, which has been known as Special Proficiency in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, has been changed to Neuro-musculo-skeletal Medicine. With additional training and testing, one can then become a Fellow of the American Academy of Osteopathy.

Comments

Inflammation of the middle ear – Otitis Media – is a common affliction of infants and children. Conventional medical treatment consists of repeated courses of antibiotics, and when that fails, plastic tubes are inserted through the ear drum to drain the infection. An extensive study in the Netherlands showed that children who were not treated with antibiotics got well as fast as those with antibiotics, those who had repeated courses of antibiotics often had perceptual problems in school, and those with ear tubes were prone to hearing defects. Four to five Osteopathic cranial treatments, by improving circulation and enhancing the immune system, will usually clear up Otitis Media and lessen future episodes.

A 61-year-old woman had arthritis of the left knee without a history of injury, and had been advised to have knee replacement surgery. The pain in the knee altered her daily activity, so that she had been unable to ski for fifteen years – her favorite sport. Physical examination revealed a significant degenerative change in her left knee and a marked restriction of the left sacroiliac. The sacroiliac problem impaired the blood and nerve supply to the left leg which affected the way she walked on the knee. After four Osteopathic treatments, and the addition of nutritional supplements including glucosamine sulfate, she is skiing again.

Source: Harold Magoun, DO, FAAO, DOEd (Hon), Greenwood Village CO.

Also see our Osteopathic Medicine eJournal Article.

See CompWellness Network Practitioners/Businesses with Osteopathic Medicine as their primary modality.

Search the Members List for those practicing Osteopathic Medicine.

Search this site for "Osteopathic Medicine"

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