What is Osteopathic Medicine?

Osteo what?! What is OMT? What’s a DO?

I often joke with my patients that osteopathic manipulative medicine or osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMM or OMT for short) is the best kept secret in medicine. Most people have no idea that there are actually two routes and two degrees to be a fully board certified conventionally trained physician in the United States.

A DO or doctor of osteopathic medicine is a fully licensed physician in the United States. There are “Osteopaths” who if trained in Canada or Europe only are licensed to perform osteopathic treatment and are NOT physicians.

Osteopathy was born out of the years of study, introspection and teachings of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still in the late 1800’s. Dr. Still was a conventionally trained doctor who sought a better approach to healing and developed Osteopathic medicine. He wrote extensively on the subject and his teachings have been distilled into four main principles which are now taught in osteopathic medical schools. They are:

1. The body is a unit of body, mind, and spirit.

2. The body is capable of self-healing and self-regulation ie health maintence

3. Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated

4. Rational treatment is based upon the understanding of the basic principles of body unity, self-regulation and the interrelationship of structure and function.

This means that a thoughtful treatment approach should serve to remove what is interfering from the body’s natural ability to selfheal. This may include working with the structure of the body through hands-on treatments, but it may also include prescribing antibiotics for example if a bacterial infection is what is interfering with health in the moment.

Below are some key aspects of what it means to be an Osteopathic Physician or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO):

1. Philosophy Osteopathy is based on the belief that the body's systems are interconnected. This means that problems in one area can affect other parts of the body. Osteopaths aim to treat the whole person, rather than just isolated symptoms. The goal is to help the body system harmonize within itself to improve homeostasis both internally but also to be in greater harmony with our environment and lives as a whole.

2. Training As mentioned above, osteopathic physicians complete a rigorous medical education similar to that of allopathic physicians (MDs), including a focus on the medical sciences, procedures, pharmaceuticals. In addition, we receive specialized training in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), which involves hands-on techniques to diagnose and treat conditions. Some of us pursue extra education in OMT and continue to see it as a vital aspect to our practice. Other DOs others do not use it at all. This means that just because someone has the credentials DO behind their name, they may not actually practice OMT. Many DO’s myself included took MD board exams as part of our path to our degrees. I am boarded with the American Board of Family Medicine which is the MD side of the specialty boards.

3. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) OMT is a signature component of osteopathy. It includes various manual techniques, such as stretching, gentle pressure, and resisted movements, designed to improve mobility, relieve pain, and enhance overall function. As mentioned above, not all DOs practice OMT. Many structural medicine forms have come out of osteopathy— these include chiropractic medicine, cranial sacral therapy, and myofascial release. DOs who perform OMT often have success with hands on approaches even when these other modalities fail due to our rigorous training in anatomy, physiology and the precision with which we work. Every DO I know who does OMT has many “miracle” stories of healing. We joke that we are “conincidentologists” as we often can help patients heal when others cannot. It is osteopathic philosophy that we are simply removing what interferes from the body’s innate healing capability and the body then takes over. At times the various healing modalities mentioned above can act as an adjunct to a patient’s approach to healing and there is no “one size fits all” approach as everyone is an individual.

4. Preventative Care Osteopathy emphasizes that it is the natural state of the human being to be in harmony. That means that health is our birthright and if we are not healthy then somewhere along the way we got off track with what is harmonious and supportive to that innate healing capacity. Therefore even DO’s who do not practice OMT have a more holistic lense with which we view medical treatment and often put an an emphasis on lifestyle. We encourage patients to take an active role in their health and may offer lifestyle coaching and suggestions on lifestyle change such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress reduction as well as regular check-ups and lab work to maintain (or return to) wellness.

5. Range of Conditions Treated As fully licensed physicians, you will see DOs in all aspects of medicine from surgery to radiology to specialties to primary care. Many DO’s do chose primary care as it allows us to incorporate more of our osteopathic philosophy and background into patient care. We can diagnose and treat a wide array of conditions just like any doctor, including musculoskeletal issues (e.g., back pain, joint pain), respiratory problems, digestive disorders, chronic pain syndromes, headaches, hormone issues, and chronic illnesses. OMT is also helpful adjunct to treatment in all of the above conditions. Often patients seek out OMT when they are suffering from pain or musculoskeletal issues but I have personally seen OMT help things like depression, anxiety, stress, vertigo, colic in a baby, reflux in both babies and adults, migraines, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, autoimmune conditions and much more.

6. Patient-Centered Care Osteopathy prioritizes the doctor-patient relationship encouraging open communication and collaboration in treatment planning. This approach helps to build trust and enhances patient engagement in their own health care.

7. Integration with Conventional Medicine Osteopaths are fully licensed to practice medicine, prescribe medications, and perform procedures and surgery. We integrate osteopathic principles with conventional medical practices to provide a well-rounded approach to patient care. At Durango Integrative Medicine and Osteopathy we see patients from “womb to tomb” for variety of conditions and illnesses. We provide full primary care and minor urgent care services. Members have access to a direct “doctor line” with access directly to Dr. Gould after hours and on weekends for urgent needs. We often have same and next-day appointments available for urgent needs.

Osteopathy's holistic perspective and hands-on techniques aim to promote health, relieve pain, and support the body's natural healing processes, making it a valuable approach to healthcare for many individuals.