Osteopathy is the body of See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. This article is about medical practice. Medicine is a branch of health science concerned with restoring and maintaining health. Broadly, it is the practical science of preventing and curing diseases. However, medicine often refers more specifically to... medicine that originally used strictly Manipulative therapy involves use of body work or massage therapy and other physical manipulation of the body for healing, such as osteopathy, and chiropractic. A survey released in May 2004 by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine focused on who used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), what was... manipulative techniques for correcting Somatic means to refer to the body. From the Greek word Somatikos, meaning body. It also can mean to refer to the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary movement. There is much more information to be found on the term somatic by going to the website ismeta.org... somatic abnormalities thought to cause disease and inhibit recovery. However, over the past century, osteopathy has embraced the full spectrum of medicine (to different degrees across the world), including the use of A medical prescription (℞) is a written order by a medical doctor to a pharmacist for a treatment to be provided to the doctors patient. Format and definition Prescriptions are typically handwritten on preprinted prescription forms that are assembled into pads, or alternatively printed onto similar forms using a... prescription drugs and Surgery Surgery is the medical specialty that treats diseases or injuries by operative manual and instrumental treatment. Its practitioners are referred to as surgeons. History of surgery Although surgeons are now considered to be specialised physicians, the profession of surgeon and that of physician have different historical roots. For example... surgery, in addition to manipulative techniques.

History

The osteopathic movement and The term chiropractic is used to refer to: Doctors of chiropractic medicine other known as chiropractic physicians. Although some doctors who practice chiropractic medicine have deviated from the original chiropractic objective, this difference is not always well_understood by the general public. The term straight chiropractic refers to those chiropractors who... chiropractic movements both started out in the The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... United States Midwest States (United States of America, ND to OH) The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. The term originated in the 19th century, along with Middle West and Heartland, and referred to generally the same areas and states in the middle of... Midwest in the Events and trends Technology Early commercial production of automobiles. Science Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity Discovery of x-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius and US geologist Thomas Crowder Chamberlain independently come to the conclusion that burning fossil fuels might cause global warming due to CO2 emissions War... 1890s and had similar philosophies; however, osteopathy came to adopt the use of medicine and surgery, whereas chiropractors continue to strictly use manipulative techniques. The original osteopathic movement, viewed today by scientists as A pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is a kind of counterfeit or masquerade of science which makes use of some of the superficial trappings of science but does not involve the... pseudoscience, was founded by Dr. Dr. Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917) is considered the father of osteopathic medicine. Andrew Taylor Still, was born in Virginia in 1828, the son of a Methodist minister and physician. At an early age, Still decided to follow in his fathers footsteps as a physician. After studying medicine and... Andrew Taylor Still, who was born in 1828 in Virginia. Unhappy with the ways in which his peers prescribed medicines in excess, Still sought more Holism (from holon, a Greek word meaning entity) is the idea that the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. It is often regarded as opposite to reductionism, although proponents of scientific reductionism state that it is better regarded as the... holistic approaches. Observing that the human body had much in common with the machines he worked on earlier in life, Still approached the study of the human body as one would approach the study of a machine.

Over time he and his followers developed a series of specialized physical treatments, for which he coined the name Osteopathy. Dr. Still founded the American School of Osteopathy (now the The Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, located in Kirksville, Missouri, is the founding institution of osteopathic medicine. It was founded in 1892 by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still. External links Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine Categories: University stubs | Universities and colleges in Missouri ... Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine) in Kirksville is a city located in Adair County, Missouri. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,988. It is the county seat of Adair County6. Geography Kirksville is located at 40°1137 North, 92°3446 West (40.193520, -92.579529)1. According... Kirksville, Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. The states nickname is the Show-Me State; the U.S. Post Office abbreviation for Missouri is MO and the state public universitys main... Missouri, for the teaching of osteopathy, on May 10, 1892. Kirksville was one of few places where he wasn't figuratively "chased out of town" by other doctors. While the state of Missouri was willing to grant him a charter for the awarding of the M.D. degree, he remained unhappy with the practices of his peers and chose instead to grant his own D.O. degree.

In the late Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). Semaphore is adopted by navies. United Kingdom founded in 1801 World Leaders Emperor Napoleon I (France) Emperor Francis II (Holy Roman Empire) Pope Pius VII Emperor Alexander I (Russia) King George III, (United Kingdom) President John Adams (United States) President... 1800s Still believed that diseases were caused when bones moved out of place, and disrupted the flow of blood, or the flow of nervous impulses; he therefore concluded that one could cure diseases by manipulating bones to restore the supposedly interrupted flow. His critics point out that he never ran any controlled experiments to test his hypothesis. He wrote in his autobiography that he could

"shake a child and stop scarlet fever, croup, diphtheria, and cure whooping cough in three days by a wring of its neck." (Andrew Taylor Still, Autobiography, New York, 1972, Arno Press)

Still questioned the drug practices of his day and regarded Surgery Surgery is the medical specialty that treats diseases or injuries by operative manual and instrumental treatment. Its practitioners are referred to as surgeons. History of surgery Although surgeons are now considered to be specialised physicians, the profession of surgeon and that of physician have different historical roots. For example... surgery as a last resort. As medical science developed, osteopathy gradually incorporated all its theories and practices:

"Today, except for additional emphasis on musculoskeletal diagnosis and treatment, the scope of osteopathy is very similar to that of allopathic medicine. The percentage of practitioners who use osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and the extent to which they use it have been falling steadily." (Source: Dubious Aspects of Osteopathy, Stephen Barrett)

In the 1960s in California, perceived differences between osteopathy and conventional medicine blurred enough that the California Medical Association and the California Osteopathic Association merged, and D.O.s were granted an M.D. degree in exchange for paying $65 and attending a short seminar. The College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons became the The University of California, Irvine is a public, coeducational university situated in suburban Irvine, California. It is one of ten University of California campuses and is commonly known as UCI or UC Irvine. University of California, Irvine Academics Three researchers from UCIs faculty received the Nobel Prize during their... University of California, Irvine College of Medicine. However, the decision proved quite controversial, and in 1974 the California State Supreme Court ruled that licensing of DOs in that state must be resumed.

Throughout the history of Osteopathic Medicine acceptance by traditional M.D. physicians and their institutions has been an issue. The decision by the California Medical Association in the 1960's to essentially grant D.O. physicians an M.D. license was one of two turning points for D.O.s in their struggle for acceptance, the second being the U.S. Army's decision to allow D.O.'s to enter the military as physicans. Some felt the move by the California Medical Association may have been an attempt to eliminate the osteopathic competition by converting thousands of their physicians to M.D.s. While most Californian D.O.s did take the opportunity to become M.D.s, nationally it provided the osteopathic physicans the stamp of equivelancy they so desired and continue to enjoy today.

Osteopathy is currently taught at 23 different schools in the United States.

Doctors of Osteopathy today

Today, an osteopath is sometimes described as a physician who, while practicing conventional medicine much like their M.D. colleagues, also maintains the ability to perform osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) (aka osteopathic manipulative techniques (OMT)). OMM is a method of touch and manipulation performed on the musculo-skeletal system to restore balance and symmetry to the individual. In a sense, the OMM practitioner is a combination of Physician, Physical Therapist, and The term chiropractic is used to refer to: Doctors of chiropractic medicine other known as chiropractic physicians. Although some doctors who practice chiropractic medicine have deviated from the original chiropractic objective, this difference is not always well_understood by the general public. The term straight chiropractic refers to those chiropractors who... chiropractor.

A doctor of osteopathy will follow his or her name with the initials D.O., in much the same way as a Medical Doctor follows his or her name with the initials M.D. Medical students for both D.O. and M.D. programs follow essentially the same set of studies, some schools even offering both M.D. and D.O. degrees (ie. Michigan State University), however, osteopathic students receive additional training in palpatory diagnosis and manipulative (manual) medicine. While the osteopathic community has a strong commitment to primary care osteopathic physicians can be found in any of the subspecialties. From surgery and anesthesia to emergency and family practice, Osteopathic physicians can be found practicing in all fields of medicine, and are fully-licensed physicians in all fifty of the The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America¹, the States, or (archaically) Columbia — is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii... United States.

The scientific merit of manipulative medicine continues to be a point of controversy. The American Osteopathic Association has made an effort in recent years to both support and promote scientific inquiry into the effectiveness of osteopathic manipulation as well as encourage D.O.s to offer manipulative treatments to their patients. Only a minority of D.O.s incorporate osteopathic manipulative medicine into their daily practices, a trend the AOA is working hard to reverse.

Osteopathy outside of the US

Outside of the United States Osteopathy varies heavily in its acceptance of modern medicine. In some places the original teachings of Andrew Still are practiced. In others it is closer to modern medicine. Nowhere is it as closely integrated as in the US

See also

• Alternative medicine is a broad term for any diagnostic method, method of treatment or therapy, and products whose theoretical bases and techniques diverge from generally accepted medical methods. Complementary medicine uses alternative methods and practices alongside conventional medical treatment. Integrative medicine, as defined by the National Center for Complementary and... Complementary and alternative medicine
• New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. This New Age movement is particularly concerned with spiritual exploration, holistic medicine, and mysticism, yet no rigid boundaries actually exist, making the term point to its own perspective on history, philosophy, religion, spirituality, medicine, music, science... New Age#Medicine
• Osteophysis

Further reading

• Muscle Energy Techniques, Leon Chaitow, Craig Liebenson, Donald R. Murphy, Harcourt Health Sciences, 2001, 2nd edition, paperback, 232 pages, ISBN 0443064962

External links

Osteopathic schools

• Directory of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in the United States (http://www.inosteo.org/college_links.html)
• Links to Osteopathic Colleges (http://www.nufa.org/links.htm)
• Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.midwestern.edu/azcom/)
• Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.midwestern.edu/ccom/)
• Des Moines University - Osteopathic Medical Center (http://www.uomhs.edu/coms/)
• Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences: College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.kcumb.edu/)
• Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.kcom.edu/)
• Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.lecom.edu/)
• Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.com.msu.edu/)
• New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology (http://iris.nyit.edu/nycom/)
• Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://medicine.nova.edu/)
• Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.imdiversity.com/employerprofiles/grad_school/ohio.asp)
• Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.healthsciences.okstate.edu/college/index.htm)
• Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.PCOM.EDU/)
• Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine (http://pcsom.pc.edu/)
• Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.tucom.edu/)
• University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey School of Osteopathic Medicine (http://som.umdnj.edu/index.htm)
• University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.une.edu/com/history.html)
• University of North Texas Health Science Center Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.hsc.unt.edu/education/tcom/About.cfm)
• Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.vcom.vt.edu/)
• West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (http://www.wvsom.edu/)
• Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (http://www.westernu.edu/comp.html)

Other links

• American Osteopathic Association website (http://www.osteopathic.org/) (including the AOA Journal)
• The History of Osteopathy (http://history.aoa-net.org/)
• Undergraduate Osteopathy students association website (http://www.nufa.org/)
• Dubious Aspects of Osteopathy (http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/osteo.html)
• The Skeptic's Dictionary (http://www.skepdic.com/osteopathy.html)
• Craniosacral Therapy: A Skeptical Look (http://www.canoe.ca/HealthAlternativeColumns/010816.html)
• Chiropractic: A Skeptical View (http://www.chirobase.org/01General/skeptic.html)
• Texas Osteopathic Medical Association website (http://www.txosteo.org/)

Applying to Osteopathic Schools

• AACOM American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine website (http://http://www.aacom.org/)