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I was reading some bits on Osteopathic Medicine, and this portion was extremely interesting. DO's have definitely come a long way! Maybe you guys already know this, and those that don't may find it interesting as well.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathic#Osteopathic_Medicine_in_the_USA
Osteopathic Medicine in the USA
Acceptance by traditional M.D.s and their institutions was once an issue for osteopathic practitioners. Currently they hold comparable prestige to M.D.s where they work side by side in the health care setting.
In the 1960s in California, the American Medical Association (AMA) spent some $8 million to end the practice of osteopathy in the state. After passing a proposition backed by the AMA, D.O.s were granted an M.D. in exchange for paying $65 and attending a short seminar. The College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons became the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine. However, the decision proved quite controversial. In 1974, primarily due to the efforts of Viola M. Frymann, D.O., FAAO, the California Supreme Court ruled that licensing of D.O.s in that state must be resumed.
This decision by the California Medical Association in the 1960s to grant D.O. physicians an M.D. license was one of two turning points for D.O.s in their struggle for acceptance, the other being the U.S. Army's decision to allow D.O.s to enter the military as physicians. The California Medical Association may have been attempting 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 equivalency they desired. The last state to grant D.O.s equal practice rights as a fully licensed physician was Mississippi, in 1973.
Today in the USA, an osteopathic physician is sometimes described as a physician who, while practicing conventional medicine much like his or her M.D. colleagues, also maintains the ability to perform osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), also referred to as osteopathic manipulative treatment, or technique (OMT). It must be emphasized that manipulation, while very useful for certain disease states, is simply one tool that the D.O. employs in addition to traditional medical practice. Some D.O.s use OMT on a limited basis, while others use it more frequently.
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 consistently offer manipulative treatments to their patients.
There is no doubt that the American osteopathic medicine, as a progressive social movement, has had a significant influence on the practice of American medicine generally. Indeed, some US osteopathic medical schools have opened basic courses in osteopathic manual therapy for their MD cousins.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathic#Osteopathic_Medicine_in_the_USA
Osteopathic Medicine in the USA
Acceptance by traditional M.D.s and their institutions was once an issue for osteopathic practitioners. Currently they hold comparable prestige to M.D.s where they work side by side in the health care setting.
In the 1960s in California, the American Medical Association (AMA) spent some $8 million to end the practice of osteopathy in the state. After passing a proposition backed by the AMA, D.O.s were granted an M.D. in exchange for paying $65 and attending a short seminar. The College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons became the University of California, Irvine, College of Medicine. However, the decision proved quite controversial. In 1974, primarily due to the efforts of Viola M. Frymann, D.O., FAAO, the California Supreme Court ruled that licensing of D.O.s in that state must be resumed.
This decision by the California Medical Association in the 1960s to grant D.O. physicians an M.D. license was one of two turning points for D.O.s in their struggle for acceptance, the other being the U.S. Army's decision to allow D.O.s to enter the military as physicians. The California Medical Association may have been attempting 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 equivalency they desired. The last state to grant D.O.s equal practice rights as a fully licensed physician was Mississippi, in 1973.
Today in the USA, an osteopathic physician is sometimes described as a physician who, while practicing conventional medicine much like his or her M.D. colleagues, also maintains the ability to perform osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), also referred to as osteopathic manipulative treatment, or technique (OMT). It must be emphasized that manipulation, while very useful for certain disease states, is simply one tool that the D.O. employs in addition to traditional medical practice. Some D.O.s use OMT on a limited basis, while others use it more frequently.
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 consistently offer manipulative treatments to their patients.
There is no doubt that the American osteopathic medicine, as a progressive social movement, has had a significant influence on the practice of American medicine generally. Indeed, some US osteopathic medical schools have opened basic courses in osteopathic manual therapy for their MD cousins.
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