What is Osteopathic Medicine (DO)

Osteopathic medicine emphasizes a philosophy of treating patients in a holistic manner. In the United States, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, are fully licensed physicians who practice in all areas of medicine who are trained to meet patients “where they are” and understand all of the things in their life that contribute to their health.

DO medical school programs incorporate this approach while also developing the competencies in which all physicians are trained in the U.S.

Sometimes, medicine can focus on treating an illness. Many patients may be given a diagnosis which is a type of label, so that they can be sent to the appropriate specialty office to get care.

A person with recurrent skin abscesses may get sent to infectious diseases, stomach pain goes to gastroenterology, headaches go to neurology, and so on.

At first glance, this seems like a convenient way to manage patients, but often times the system falls apart. For example, the person with stomach pain might also be dealing with severe anxiety, something that a gastroenterologist might not be thinking about or feel comfortable managing.

In theory, every medical professional should be able to “think outside of their specialty box”, but in practice, the medical culture of applying labels and then operating within those labels sometimes heavily influences how clinicians solve problems.

This approach also misses important opportunities, because the absence of disease isn’t the same as maximizing a person’s wellness.

For example, a person might not have hypertension or diabetes, but they’d still benefit from a better diet and stress reduction habits - both of which are strongly tied to well-being and happiness for years to come.

Philosophically, osteopathic physicians are trained to see their role as optimizing individual health and not just eliminating disease.

Now, the four key tenets of osteopathic medicine are that a person is made up of a mind, a body, and a spirit, that the human body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing, and health maintenance, that the physical structure and function of the body are interrelated, and that rational treatment and care should be based upon these foundational concepts.

One component of osteopathic medicine that all DOs learn and many DOs utilize in practice, is osteopathic manipulative treatment sometimes called OMT, which is when a DO uses hands-on techniques to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and illness by moving a person’s muscles and joints using techniques with different types of pressure and resistance.

These movements can help people of all ages and backgrounds with back, neck, and other muscle pain, as well as with other problems like carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines, and even asthma.

In a lot of cases, osteopathic manipulative treatment can be used to complement, or sometimes even replace, medications or surgery.

DOs work in the full range of specialties, everything from family medicine to oncology and orthopedic surgery and child psychiatry.

DOs are trained with a strong hands-on, patient-centered primary care focus, which gives them useful skills and a unique perspective, regardless of whatever specialty they go into.

In recent decades, the popularity of the field has grown really fast and there are now about 90,000 DOs in practice in the US.

Which is roughly 10% of the physician workforce. Also in the US, about 25% of incoming medical students are enrolled in DO programs compared to MD programs, which means that the field is going to grow really fast in the coming years.

The process of applying to a DO program is similar to an MD program - it requires getting solid grades, doing well on the MCAT, having a well-rounded set of interests and experiences, and an interest in the philosophy of osteopathic medicine.

Osteopathic medical school is four years, after which there are the same residencies as MD trained students, which are another 3-7 year depending on your specialty training.

Alright, as a quick recap, osteopathic physicians strive to help their patients be healthy in mind, body and spirit — not just be free of their symptoms.

They practice in all areas of medicine. And one technique that they can use is called osteopathic manipulative treatment, which is when they move a person’s muscles and joints using techniques with different types of pressure and resistance.

If this philosophy and approach resonates with you, then osteopathic medicine might be a good fit.