Osteopathic medicine is a "whole person" approach to medicine that treats the entire person rather than just the symptoms. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) practice their distinct philosophy in every medical specialty, in all 50 states. DOs believe that all systems of the body are interconnected and affect each other when it comes to health and healing. They focus on preventive health care and spend a lot of time assessing a patients diet, environment, lifestyle, activity level and exercise habits, mental and physical health, stress levels, and sleep habits.

DOs receive extra training in manipulating the musculoskeletal system, which is made up of nerves, muscles, and bones, and use this knowledge to diagnose and manage patients. This approach is known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) . OMM is a comprehensive approach to health care in which DOs apply osteopathic philosophy, structural diagnosis, and use of OMT in the diagnosis and management of patients.

The osteopathic curriculum involves four years of academic study, with an emphasis on preventive medicine and holistic patient care. DOs serve a one-year internship, gaining hands-on experience in family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, and surgery. This experience ensures that osteopathic physicians are first trained as primary care physicians, even if they plan to pursue a specialty.

Osteopathic medicine is based on the idea that all the bodys systems are interrelated. Its founder, Andrew Taylor Still, believed that correcting problems with the bodys structure could help the body heal itself. One key idea in this field is that many diseases result from, or cause, problems within the bodys musculoskeletal system. DOs pay extra attention to how all body parts work together in order to prevent or treat health issues.

In summary, osteopathic medicine is a philosophy and practice of physician care in the United States that takes a whole-person approach to medicine and focuses on preventive health care. DOs receive extra training in manipulating the musculoskeletal system and use this knowledge to diagnose and manage patients. Osteopathic medicine is based on the idea that all the bodys systems are interrelated, and DOs pay extra attention to how all body parts work together in order to prevent or treat health issues.