Osteopathic doctors believe that touch can heal. All ODs are trained in osteopathic manipulative treatment, sometimes called manual manipulation or OMT. It's a practical method to help diagnose and treat diseases. If Salzberg wants to discuss the cost of providing health care in this country, he should recognize the growing need for primary care physicians that is being addressed with the growing number of osteopaths each year and the amount of healthcare dollars that are wasted when patients go to the emergency room or a subspecialist for care because they do not have access to a primary care physician.
Osteopathic medicine is a patient-centered approach to healthcare that takes into account all aspects of the patient, including physical, personal, and spiritual well-being. I chose family medicine, as many osteopaths do, because it aligned with the holistic and practical care for which I was trained, allowing me to care for the entire patient and their families. Doctors of osteopathic medicine (DO) use OMT to treat mechanical pain (muscle, tendon, or bone pain due to structural imbalance) and a wide range of health conditions. I was attracted to osteopathy because of the basic principle of treating the whole person rather than a collection of symptoms.
OMT is a therapeutic application of manual techniques by an osteopathic physician to address changes in body structure and improve physiological function. But perhaps even more annoying is Salzberg's disservice to patients and the medical world when he fails to balance his opinion with the positive impact of osteopaths on our healthcare system. And this month, a study and an accompanying editorial in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association indicated that the incidence of adverse events associated with osteopathic manipulative treatment is much lower than previous estimates. By understanding that the body is more than just a sum of its parts, osteopathic (DO) physicians help the patient's innate healing capacity by addressing the interrelationship of the body's nerves, muscles, bones and organs.
In addition to treating medical conditions with medication or surgery, ODs are trained in osteopathic manipulative treatment. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine have a deep understanding of how the body's systems are interconnected and how each one affects the others. Osteopathic manipulation is a safe and effective treatment for back pain and a wide range of health conditions. Osteopaths also tend to treat a wider range of ailments, including respiratory and digestive problems.
Osteopathic manipulative therapy treats conditions that affect all body systems, including the musculoskeletal system, digestive system, nervous system, and immune system. Also called osteopaths or DO, these doctors focus on the body, mind and spirit as part of an interconnected system. One of the underlying concepts of osteopathic medicine is the idea that restrictions and tension in muscles and nerves can be caused or cause other problems.
