Osteopathy is a field of medicine dedicated to treating and healing the entire patient, rather than focusing on one body part or symptom. In most parts of the world, osteopathy is considered an alternative therapy, and those who practice it are called osteopaths. In the United States, however, doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) are the legal and professional equivalent of medical doctors (MDs), and a majority of them use similar techniques and treatments.

Although its principles date back to Hippocrates (c. 460–c. 377 BC), osteopathic medicine officially began in the United States in 1874. Osteopathy’s founder, Andrew Taylor Still (1828–1917), was a doctor who believed that many 19th-century medications and surgeries were useless. Instead, he believed that the body can largely heal itself. He studied the attributes of good health and pioneered the concepts of wellness and preventive medicine—such as eating properly and exercising—instead of just treating disease.

Still also held some beliefs that have since been disproved: He thought that all disease was caused by mechanical interference within the nerves and blood supply, that he could diagnose these diseases by feeling the body with his hands, and that these diseases could be cured by manipulation of displaced bones, nerves, and muscles. His autobiography states that he could “shake a child and stop scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria, and cure whooping cough in three days by a wring of its neck.” This idea of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is still taught today, although most osteopathic physicians only use OMT in addition to conventional medical treatments.

Like an MD, a doctor of osteopathic medicine completes 4 years of basic medical education and can choose to practice in any specialty, such as surgery, emergency medicine, or pediatrics. Osteopathic physicians also receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in the study of hands-on manipulation of the body’s musculoskeletal system. They are taught to evaluate patients’ overall health and to act as educators about healthy lifestyle and well-being.

ADDITIONAL FACTS

  1. There are 20 accredited colleges of osteopathic medicine and about 44,000 osteopathic practitioners in the United States.
  2. Approximately 65 percent of practicing osteopathic physicians specialize in primary care areas, such as pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.
  3. While osteopathy and mainstream medicine practices are similar in the United States, osteopathic organizations claim that osteopathy is a more comprehensive form of care.