Did you know that the fastest growing medical field in America according to the U.S. Bureau of Health Professions is Osteopathic Medicine? And yet so many people have little to no knowledge about this ever-expanding field. So, what is a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O)? This has become my favorite question to answer because it may be exactly what our patients never knew they needed.
Osteopathic physicians believe there’s more to good health than the absence of pain or disease. In fact, we emphasize that health is not merely the absence of disease, but also a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. So how is this achieved? It is first important to understand the interrelated unity of all systems in the body, each working with the other to heal in times of illness. D.O.s undergo special training in the musculoskeletal system – your body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles, and bones – and how each can potentiate and facilitate the functions of the organ systems in times of imbalance, or even illness. Thus, the body functions as one entire unit, not separate components – a major tenant of the Osteopathic philosophy.
Another fundamental principle of Osteopathy is that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. Osteopathic Physicians use Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), which is hands-on care to identify structural problems and support the body’s natural tendency toward good health and healing. The goal of treatment is to improve the body’s structure to encourage its natural abilities to fight disease by stimulating the patient’s immune system.
Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) technics are vast but generally involve the maneuvering of a patient’s muscles and joints via stretching, gentle pressure, and resistance. Treatment types include, but are not limited to: Soft Tissue Techniques, Myofascial Release Techniques, Articulatory Techniques, Balanced Ligamentous Tension, Cranial Osteopathy, Lymphatic Techniques, and Muscle Energy Techniques.
All of these different hands-on methods address the essential relationship between the body’s structure (anatomy) and how well it will function (physiology). Therefore, when the physical structure is strained or under constant stress, this can lead to health problems in seemingly unrelated areas of the body, including the internal organs. Besides treating the acute symptoms of a patient, D.O.s take things a step further via OMM to return the patient to an optimum state of health by dealing directly with the internal conditions that caused the disease in the first place.
But how can you diagnose and treat a somatic dysfunction, or an anatomical imbalance, if you were never trained how to find it to begin with? Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, are fully licensed physicians who practice their unique whole-person approach by looking beyond your symptoms to understand how lifestyle and environmental factors impact your wellbeing. In fact, this fundamental mindset is engrained in us from the first day of medical school. D.O.s are taught to approach every single patient in a whole-body manner. A whole-body manner approach can also mean looking beyond the site of the symptoms and accessing the surrounding related anatomical regions. For example:
- Back discomfort could present as referred pain from certain pulmonary or gastrointestinal imbalances
- Migraines could be the result of referred pain from somatic dysfunctions in the jaw, neck and upper back
- Chronic leg swelling could be a result of restrictions in the neck, chest, and ribs
- Knee pain could be due to a hip, spinal, or foot imbalance.
Osteopaths are trained extensively over years to develop advanced palpatory skills in accessing the body and finding these somatic dysfunctions that could otherwise be missed. In addition, OMM can be utilized to speed-up healing and reduce symptoms from many acute and chronic illnesses. For example:
- the use of OMM in treating patients with pneumonia has been found to shorten the length of hospital stays and the complications associated with it. This can be done by utilizing several manual techniques, including chest and rib mobilization to improve air flow and remove excessive secretions, and utilizing lymphatic technics to stimulate the overall immune system.
- Another example would be the use of gentle Cranial OMM techniques or manipulation of the bones of the skull to reduce pain in ear infections and promote faster drainage of the sinuses for a speedier recovery. Combining this with myofascial release of the anterior neck and chest to boost and accelerate the body’s immune response to the infection is also highly beneficial.
Another crucial use of OMM that is quite timely is its research proven benefits in fortifying the immune system in the setting of the world-wide Coronavirus Pandemic.
Osteopathic lymphatic techniques have long been associated with an improved immune response, shown by the researchers at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. They investigated this further by identifying how. This was shown to occur namely by increasing the body’s producton of:
- B Cells – antigen-presenting cells that are critical for the induction of protective immune responses against COVID
- Cytokines– molecules that allow your cells to communicate with each other and are crucial for healthy immune system function
These OMM techniques not only promote the production and presence of these vital immune components but they also facilitate removal of inflammatory mediators and waste products from the tissues of the body. As a result, OMM can not only boost the immune system to reduce risk of COVID infection, it can also assist in the body’s response to the COVID vaccine and fighting the virus itself.
So, what type of training does an Osteopathic Doctor undergo? A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine is a true medical physician who has completed four years of medical training at an accredited Osteopathic Medical School, instead of an Allopathic Medical School (MD). DOs are fully trained and licensed to prescribe medicine and perform surgery the same way M.D.s are. However, DOs receive on average, an additional 200 hours of OMM training. This dual knowledge arms D.O.s to provide all of the benefits of modern medicine including prescription drugs, surgery, and the use of technology to diagnose disease and evaluate injury as well as the added benefit of hands-on diagnosis and a comprehensive full-body approach to treatment.
Osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest-growing health care professions in the country, with one out of every four medical students enrolled in an Osteopathic medical school. It is truly the wave of the healthcare future. When you believe that health calls for a whole-body approach and prevention makes all the difference, you’re ready for a higher and more gratifying level of wellness. Seek out a trained Doctor of Osteopathy to take your overall health and well-being to the next level so that you may STRIVE for TOTAL WELLNESS.
