Osteopathic Medicine enters the 21st Century as one of fastest growing health professions in the United States. The American Osteopathic Association projects the number of D.O.s will double in next two decades. Osteopathic care is increasingly in demand today as millions of Americans seek physicians who practice a whole person approach to medicine.

Although D.O.s treat millions of people annually, little is known about this medical field. An abbreviated list of key points is listed below.

More information is available on the AOA website.

• D.O.s and M.D.s are the only two kinds of fully-licensed physicians in the United States. D.O.s practice within every field of medicine, including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, orthopedics, aerospace medicine and geriatrics.
  
  
• D.O.s use the "whole patient" approach in treating patients. Rather than just treating a specific illness, D.O.s are also taught to consider the patient's diet, exercise habits, physical and emotional stresses, genetics, life history, environment and occupation and its possible affects to overall well-being.
  
  
• In addition to the typical scientific and clinical training given at M.D. schools, D.O. students are also trained in the area of manipulative medicine. It is a hands-on technique for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. D.O.s are able to manipulate the musculoskeletal system (structure and/or tissue) to allow the body's own healing elements to work against the ailment(s). Such techniques have been used in treating allergies, sprains and strains, to labor pain for expectant mothers.
  
  
• D.O.s emphasize prevention as a means of achieveing overall good health. They understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
  
  
• Like M.D.s, medical school for D.O.s consists of four years of science and clinical training.
  
  
• By 2003, there will be 20 osteopathic medical schools in United States.
  
  
• Currently, there are over 10,000 students pursuing a degree in osteopathic medicine.
  
  
• D.O.s can do their postgraduate training in osteopathic, allopathic (M.D.) or military residency programs. A majority of D.O.s currently receive their training through M.D. residency programs.
  
  
• Both M.D.s and D.O.s must pass a state medical board licensing examination in order to practice in that state.
  
  
• A majority of D.O.s who practice today are in family medicine.
  
  
• D.O.s are well regarded for their commitment to service in underserved rural communities throughout the United States.
  
  
• There are over 40,000 D.O.s in practice in the United States today. The American Osteopathic Association projects that there will be 80,000 D.O.s in practice by the year 2020.
  
  
• D.O.s comprise 8 percent of all military physicians.
  
  
• D.O.s handle 100 million patient visits per year.

A Brief History of Osteopathic Medicine

How did this school of medicine develop in the United States? The history of the osteopathic profession provides some answers. The osteopathic profession began in America in the late 1800s with one man's vision. Andrew Taylor Still, an M.D., was a typical frontier doctor, having been trained through apprenticeship and medical lectures. He helped both settlers and Indians face the epidemics of the day: cholera, malaria, pneumonia, smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis and spinal meningitis. When three of his own children died during a meningitis epidemic that killed thousands of people in Missouri, Dr. Still realized the ineffectiveness of the medical treatment available at the time.

As he looked for answers, Dr. Still began to observe the interdependence of the body's structure and function. In 1874, he first articulated his new philosophy, which focused on manipulation designed to treat the patient by improving the body's ability to function. He was one of the first in his time to study the attributes of good health so that he could better understand the process of disease. He pioneered the concept of wellness more than 100 years ago, and stressed such preventative measures as eating properly and keeping fit.

His treatment methods showed results and he soon had more patients than he could handle. Gradually, he began to teach a few others about his art and science, which he had named "osteopathy." Soon there was a need for a school where osteopathic medicine could be taught. The first school of osteopathic medicine was chartered by the State of Missouri on May 10, 1892, and the first class enrolled in October, 1892. Students learned academic subjects, heavily grounded in anatomy and physiology. Year by year, the number of students increased. By 1896 there were 430 students in osteopathic schools in the country.

The first law licensing osteopathic physicians was passed in Vermont in 1896. In 1897, a group in Missouri organized the American Association for the Advancement of Osteopathic Medicine, which later became the AOA, the American Osteopathic Association. Headquartered in Chicago, it is the accrediting body for osteopathic colleges and health care institutions across the country. Accrediting standards are parallel in many respects to the AMA's standards for allopathic medical colleges and hospitals.

Between the 1890s and the early 1900s, the profession saw continued growth and legal recognition, the development of educational meetings and publications and the beginnings of organized research programs. As a result of a U.S. Senate Armed Services Subcommittee hearing in 1957, legislation was enacted that made D.O.s eligible for military commissions. Full practice rights for D.O.s in all 50 states were attained in 1973.