Osteopathic Medicine
Currently there are two main types of licensed physicians in the United States. The first is the medical doctor or the allopathic doctor. About 95% of licensed doctors have been educated at one of over 120 allopathic medical schools and have thus obtained a medical doctor degree (M.D.). The second type of doctor, the doctor of osteopathy, is less common. Osteopathic doctors make up about five percent of thephysiciansin the nation (Peters 730). Although this represents a significant amount of physicians many people are unfamiliar with the second type of doctor. In a 1981 the AOA (American Osteopathic Association) released the results of a survey about public...show more content...
With the ability to provide alternatives to costly medications and focus on preventive measures, the osteopathic doctor is the model for affordable health care.
II. Osteopathy: past and present
Dr. Andrew Taylor Still is considered to be the founder of osteopathic medicine. Dr. Still practiced as an orthodox medical doctor until spinal meningitis claimed the lives of three of his children in 1864. Convinced that using drugs for the treatment of ailments was not necessarily a scientific form of therapy, Still searched for alternatives (Gevitz 125). Through interactions with his peers, he began to see the human body as a "vital mechanical organism, with all its parts structurally and functionally coordinated" (Berchtold 2). Consequently, health was maintained when all body parts could interact in a harmonious manner and the flow of bodily fluids was unobstructed (Gevitz 127). Unlike his allopathic counterparts, Still tended to look at the body as a whole while emphasizing the body's inherent ability to produce remedies against disease. However, the human body could only take care of itself if "structural relationship was normal, environmental conditions favorable, and nutrition satisfactory" (Berchtold 2).
To help restore a patient to health Dr. Still began to use a landmark technique in osteopathic medicine: osteopathic manipulation. By manipulating bones, muscles and other tissues Still believed that he