Osteopathic Medicine - Mind, Body, Spirit Health - HealthSurgeon - Healthy Living and Fitness

Osteopathic medicine is becoming very popular. One in every four medical students are enrolling in osteopathic medicine. To become an osteopath you must first receive your bachelor’s degree. After which you will then go on to four years of osteopathic medicine training, and then after those four years go into your specialty training. About 50% of osteopaths specialize as primary care physicians. They are usually family oriented and will work in small rural areas to take care of full families or communities. Other specialties are pediatrics, OBGYN, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and surgery. As a doctor of osteopathic medicine these doctors are fully licensed doctors, and can perform surgery if specialized.

Osteopathic medicine focuses on the whole person instead of just symptoms. They think of the human body as having body, mind, and spirit that are all interconnected and can affect each part. Osteopathic medicine focuses more on prevention while looking at your lifestyle and environment. The goal for most osteopathic doctors is to help you be healthy all around instead of just becoming symptom free. They follow the latest science and technology in the treatment process. They also go through special training of the musculoskeletal system. This is a system made up of muscles, nerves, and bones. They believe all these symptoms are interconnected.

There are four core beliefs of osteopathic medicine. One is that the human body is a unit made of mind, body spirit. The second is the human body is able to self heal, self regulate, and maintain health. The third is that function and structure are equally interrelated. The fourth is that rational treatment can be achieved based upon the first three things.

When going to an osteopathic doctor it will be very similar to going to any other doctor. The doctor may ask you some medical history questions, and do a physical exam. They can diagnose, treat, injuries and diseases with holistic methods, and preventative healthcare. When diagnosing and treating they will look at more than just your symptoms. They will assess your diet, environment, lifestyle, activity level, exercise habits, mental health, physical health, stress levels, and sleep habits. Doctor of osteopathic medicine can give you vaccines, routine care such as mammograms, cholesterol blood tests, quit smoking programs, and screen for mental health conditions.

Another part of osteopathic medicine is osteopathic manipulative treatment. This is a treatment that believes tightness and restriction in the nerves and muscles can be caused by or lead to other problems. During osteopathic manipulative treatment your doctor will move joints and tissues to correct restrictions. This has been used to help with low back pain, neck pain, sports injuries, repetitive injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, asthma, sinus problems, and menstrual pain. You may be sore after an osteopathic manipulative treatment for a day or two but there usually are no other side effects with this treatment. There have been some doctors who use this method to help treat asthma in pediatric patients. This treatment assists your body to heal by itself by helping all the bones and muscles to be perfectly aligned and balanced.

Osteopathic medicine is different from naturopathic medicine. They may sound the same, but they are actually very different. A naturopath is trained in programs that are not certified by the United States department of education. They also focus highly on natural remedies, such as food, herbs, water, and lifestyle changes. Where in osteopathic medicine, all doctors are licensed and look beyond just natural remedies with medicines, surgery, and technology.

Doctors of osteopathic medicine make up about 11% of all doctors in the United States. This type of medicine is growing in popularity. They look at a patient as a whole, thinking that body, mind, and spirit are connected. They are licensed medical professionals who have to go through four years of training before picking a specialty. Most commonly doctors of osteopathic medicine focus on family primary care physician specialties, but a doctor of osteopathic medicine can specialize in pediatrics, OBGYN, emergency medicine, psychiatry, or surgery.