Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine


Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathic medicine forms in United States as medical care option in the last 19th century. It was impulse by Andrew Taylor Still MD, the father of osteopathy, who promotes the preventive medicine and discarded the medicine oriented to the disease that was not effective.

Actually, the osteopathy has been increased the demand of careers in Europe and Spain. Around the 5% percent of total degrees in the medicine field are covered by this legal career. Keep in mind that a Doctor of Osteopathy is a doctor with license to practice medicine, and take account surgeries and prescribe medicines.

The osteopathic model concerned each person as a complete human to be evaluated; some modern practitioners recognize the Easter concept of chi that says: a bodily "energy" as a healing force, instead of focusing on one system or body´s part. The auto-curatives mechanisms of the body and both humanitarian and intellectual qualities prevailed over the traditional methods.

Osteopathic physicians incorporate manual medicine techniques to relieve pain and enhance the body´s capacity, known as Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT). Consider that there are two types of physicians licensed:
  • Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
  • Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Also osteopathic physicians complete a residence of 2 ­ 6 years inside a specific area to complete a specialization, obviously as the same of normal medicine; they should approve all certificate tests. Most doctors in the osteopathic field use many of the medical and surgical treatments used by conventional doctors.

Differences between D.O. and M.D.

  • D.O.s practice a whole person approach to medicine; instead of treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they regard the body as an integrated whole.
  • D.O.s receive more training in the musculoskeletal system - the body's interconnected system of nerves, muscles, and bones. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways in which an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another.
  • Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive healthcare.
  • Osteopathic medical schools graduate more students who become primary care physicians.