History of Osteopathy
Osteopathy, including Cranial Osteopathy, is a system of medical knowledge and treatment that is base on the body's natural tendency to strive toward a state of health and homeostasis (equilibrium). Osteopathic physicians are trained to palpate (feel) the body's "living anatomy" (i.e. flow of fluids, motion and texture of tissues, and structural makeup), and to apply manual treatment where needed. This treatment called Osteopathic Manipulation Medicine (OMM) is a non-invasive approach to healing that works by restoring normal structure and function to areas impaired by trauma, disease, systemic disorders etc.
Osteopathic medicine was founded by a civil war surgeon, Andrew Taylor Still, MD (1828 to 1917), who broke away from traditional medicine when it failed to save his three children from meningitis in 1864. Immersing himself in the study of the nature of health, illness and anatomy, Dr. Still found that the body’s harmony was disrupted by mechanical and structural abnormalities. He saw the human body as a highly complex machine that, like any other machine, required proper alignment and lubrication for optimal functioning. He studied anatomy with extreme intensity intending to learn the secrets held by nature's design and developed manual treatments to enhance nature’s own ability to heal. In 1892, at the age of 64, Dr. Still founded the American School of Osteopathy (now the Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri), and began teaching formally. Today there are 20 accredited osteopathic schools in the United States.
Why Choose An Osteopath?
Long before it was fashionable, DOs advised their patients that the "best drugs" are contained in the body's immune system. So strongly do osteopaths believe in the body's innate healing ability that many have devoted years of additional training, after medical school, to specialize in osteopathic manipulative medicine.
Are You A Real Doctor?
DOs and MDs are both fully licensed physicians who are authorized to prescribe medication and perform surgery. While attending their own medical schools, DOs are responsible for the same academic discipline as their MD colleagues and receive an additional 300 to 500 hours in the study of the body's musculoskeletal system. Most graduates from osteopathic medical school go on to osteopathic (DO) or allopathic (MD) residencies to perform all specialties including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, psychiatry and surgery. Some DOs continue with their study of anatomy, physiology and OMM and incorporate traditional osteopathic techniques of diagnosis and treatment into their medical practice. A small percentage of osteopaths choose OMT as their specialty.
