It is used in conjunction with conventional treatment to improve health. However, osteopathic physicians are also qualified as physicians (MD) and have more training than other complementary therapists, such as naturopaths.
Osteopathy
is a way to detect, treat, and prevent health problems by moving, stretching, and massaging a person's muscles and joints. Osteopathic medicine is based on the idea that all body systems are interrelated.Osteopaths focus on treating the whole person. There are more than 114,000 osteopathic physicians in the U.S. UU. And more than 1 in 4 medical students are on track to become doctors of osteopathic medicine (OD).
Osteopathic physicians, now referred to as DO, argued that allopathic physicians had an overly mechanistic approach to treating patients, treated the symptoms of the disease rather than the original causes, and were blind to the harm they caused to their patients. The most interesting of these was an Italian study that found that osteopathic treatment of premature babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) could gain weight more quickly and be discharged from hospital on average six days earlier than babies in the control group. Many osteopathic physicians also work as primary care physicians in fields such as family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. There is no European regulatory authority for the practice of osteopathy or osteopathic medicine within the European Union; each country has its own rules.
People visiting an osteopath should ensure that their doctor is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and is licensed to practice. The osteopathic philosophy provides a holistic approach to health and emphasizes the importance of the musculoskeletal system in a person's health and well-being. Some osteopathic techniques can improve lymphatic health and produce internal improvements in the body without the need for invasive surgical treatment. This original study was repeated in a larger clinical trial and, although the effect size was smaller, it showed a positive outcome for osteopathic treatment (four days shorter stay).
Because osteopathic techniques include a gentle approach, they can be suitable for many people, from the newborn to the elderly, and for those with complex medical problems. An osteopathic doctor is a doctor with specialized training in the fast-growing approach to healing and well-being. Osteopathic manipulation is still included in the curricula of osteopathic physicians, not to be confused with non-medical osteopaths, and is considered a unique aspect of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) training. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) techniques are most commonly used to treat back pain and other musculoskeletal problems.
An osteopathic doctor can help prevent problems by identifying potential sources of referred pain in time. The research suggested varying benefits for people receiving osteopathic treatment, depending on the condition being examined.
