22 September 2008

The next time you visit your primary care doctor, read his or her name badge closely. Instead of an “M.D.” after your doctor’s name, you may see the letters “D.O.”

D.O. stands for Doctor of Osteopathy. There are more than 61,000 osteopathic physicians working in the U.S. today.  

September is National Osteopathic Medicine Month – a good time to learn about this interesting and fast-growing career.

The path to becoming an osteopathic physician

Doctors of osteopathy earn a “D.O.” degree, which requires the same education as a traditional medical degree: four years of college plus four years of medical school, followed by three to six years of internship and residency. The D.O. must then pass a state licensing exam and meet continuing education requirements.

Osteopathic physicians work alongside M.D.s in hospitals, group practices, the armed forces, and in private practice. They write prescriptions, order medical tests, and perform procedures, including surgery. D.O. services are covered by health insurance.

So what makes a D.O. different from an M.D.?

A different approach to health care

Hippocrates, who lived 2,400 years ago, is known as the “father of medicine.” The “father of osteopathy” is Andrew Taylor Still, who first used the term in 1874.

Dr. Still was trained as an M.D. While most doctors of his time focused on treating sick people, Dr. Still became fascinated with what helped people to stay healthy. He worried that many common medical treatments did more to harm patients than help them.

Dr. Still believed there was a way to help the body heal itself. He was especially interested in the role of the musculoskeletal system – the muscles, bones and nerves that make up 60% of our body mass – in protecting health. In fact, the word “osteopathy” comes from the Greek word for “bone.”

Hands-on medicine

D.O.’s provide comprehensive health care services. They use traditional medical practices, such as drugs and surgery, along with a special technique called osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).

In OMT, the physician’s hands are used to help determine what is causing illness in a patient and to stimulate the body’s natural healing response. D.O.s learn the techniques of “palpatory diagnosis” and “manipulative medicine” during medical school.

Many patients rely on OMT to relieve back and neck pain, migraine headaches, sinus pain and athletic injuries, as well as many other types of disease. Osteopathic doctors believe the expanded use of OMT could reduce reliance on drugs in many patients who suffer from chronic pain.

An emphasis on wellness

Osteopathic doctors are strong advocates of preventive medicine, as well. They emphasize the importance of proper nutrition and exercise, and they promote lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and reducing stress, to improve and preserve good health.

D.O.s take a “holistic” approach to health care. They treat the whole body, rather than just the part that hurts. That explains why more than 65% of osteopathic physicians choose a primary care specialty, such as family medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN or internal medicine.

Filling the gap in primary care

Doctors of osteopathy believe everyone deserves quality health care, regardless of where they live. According to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), more than 20 percent of osteopathic physicians practice in medically underserved communities, including rural areas.

Osteopathic medicine is growing fast – the AOA projects that by 2015, there will be more than 90,000 D.O.s practicing nationwide.

“In response to the nation’s changing demographics, [colleges of osteopathic medicine] also are focusing on recruitment of underrepresented minority students and on recruitment of students from rural and other underserved areas of the country,” according to the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Learn more about becoming a Doctor of Osteopathy.