WHAT IS OSTEOPATHY?

In the United States, there are two educational pathways to becoming a physician: Osteopathic Medical School (DO) and Allopathic Medical School (MD). In addition to traditional medical training, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine receive training in manual medicine, or Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Treatment (OMM/OMT).

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Osteopathic Medicine was developed by Dr. A.T. Still, a physician and civil war surgeon who became dissatisfied with the crude, toxic standard medical treatments available in the late 19th century. In response, he embarked on an educational journey that ultimately resulted in his founding of the first Osteopathic Medical School in Kirksville, MO in 1892. Dr. Still's work led a paradigm shift towards finding health and preventing disease through ultimate knowledge and application of human anatomy and physiology.

Osteopathy is guided by four tenets: the body is a unit, structure and function are interrelated, the body is capable of self-healing, and rational treatment is based upon an understanding of these three. For further information, visit the websites of The American Osteopathic Association and/or The American Academy of Osteopathy.