What IS Osteopathic medicine?

This is a really silly question, but what is the difference between allopathic and osteopathic? I live in Canada and I'm not sure these terms are used here. Is this the same thing as medical vs. naturopathic doctors (MD vs. ND)? Thanks!

Absolutely not.

Go to aacom.org to find out more.

DOs get much of the same training as MDs with a more holistic approach and with the inclusion of OMM... Certain DO programs are more closely like MD than other... Assess for yourself.

Best of luck!

And don't ever put naturopathic and osteopathic in the same sentence again or you'll likely get flamed in this forum.

"And don't ever put naturopathic and osteopathic in the same sentence again or you'll likely get flamed in this forum"

Yikes, sorry...just never heard of the term "osteopathic" until I went to this website 🙂 Does anyone know if you can get osteopathic training in Canada?

Thanks for the info...I'll visit the site.

In short:

Osteopathic medicine (formerly known as osteopathy) is "a complete system of medical care with a philosophy that combines the needs of the patient with current practice of medicine, surgery and obstetrics. The emphasis is on the interrelationship between structure and function, and has an appreciation of the body's ability to heal itself." [1] Outside the United States, "osteopathic medicine" is often used interchangeably with "osteopathy".
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or D.O.s, apply the philosophy of treating the whole person (a holistic approach) to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illness, disease and injury using conventional medical practice such as drugs and surgery, along with manual therapy (Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine or OMM).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathic_medicine

Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine (also known as naturopathy) is a school of medical philosophy and practice that seeks to improve health and treat disease chiefly by assisting the body's innate capacity to recover from illness and injury. Naturopathic practice may include a broad array of different modalities, including manual therapy, hydrotherapy, herbalism, acupuncture, counselling, environmental medicine, aromatherapy, wholefoods, cell salts, and so on. Practitioners tend to emphasise a holistic approach to patient care. Naturopathy has its origins in the United States, but is today practiced in many countries around the world in one form or another, where it is subject to different standards of regulation and levels of acceptance.
Naturopathic practitioners prefer not to use invasive surgery, or most synthetic drugs, preferring "natural" remedies, i.e. relatively unprocessed or whole medications, such as herbs and foods. Licensed physicians from accredited schools are trained to use diagnostic tests such as imaging and blood tests before deciding upon the full course of treatment. Naturopathic Practitioners also employ the use of prescription medications and surgery when necessary and refer out to other medical practitioners.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturopathic

Not the same thing.

Thanks, that makes sense. Not the same thing at all 😳

You can't get an osteopathic training and be a "doctor", in the traditional sense, in Canada.

All the DO schools are in America.

The two main differences in a DO are that we know magic and make about 30% money😉 . but don't tell the others (nods head at the allo forums) .

Where did you get that idea from? Site your sources, please.
I don't think thats true...

gonnamakeit said:

This is a really silly question, but what is the difference between allopathic and osteopathic? I live in Canada and I'm not sure these terms are used here. Is this the same thing as medical vs. naturopathic doctors (MD vs. ND)? Thanks!

Click to expand...

A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) studies 100% of allopathic (MD) medicine plus the tenets of Osteopathy integrated into the curriculum. A DO is an MD with extra training. The allopaths don't see it that way, mostly because they feel threatened by it. A DO is fully qualified to take the allopathic licensing board exams, although they don't have to because there is also an Osteopathic board exam. They are also fully qualified to complete an allopathic residency although they don't have to because there are Osteopathic residencies and professional board certifications.

A DO in other countries is more like Chiropractic (which is an offshoot of Osteopathy). A foreign trained DO is a Doctor of Osteopathy and is not a fully trained and licensed physician.

Toohotinvegas33 said:

The two main differences in a DO are that we know magic and make about 30% money😉 . but don't tell the others (nods head at the allo forums) .

Click to expand...

toohotinvegas -- when do you think we'll hear back from dmu?

I called them on monday, they said maybe early next week at the earliest.

jadetree said:

Where did you get that idea from? Site your sources, please.
I don't think thats true...

Click to expand...

Well the reason for the extra pay is because DO's never go into primary care, only plastics, derm, rad , ortho, and neurosurg. But once again keep this information on the downlow.

hsmooth said:

You can't get an osteopathic training and be a "doctor", in the traditional sense, in Canada.

All the DO schools are in America.

Click to expand...

Canadas recognition of DOs as fully licensed physician varies from province to province. So...you are partially correct.

JPHazelton said:

Canadas recognition of DOs as fully licensed physician varies from province to province. So...you are partially correct.

Click to expand...

Yep, you're right. Check with whichever province you are interested in.

I meant that all the DOs that practice in Canada went to DO school in the States. I believe there is 'osteopathic school' in Quebec, but they are not DOs and do not have the same practicing rights as DOs.

Osteopathic sounds really interesting. It makes sense to me to look at the body as a system and not as specific parts on their own. I kind of wish there was osteopathic training available in Canada. Thanks for the info everyone!

I'm not sure I grasp the idea of OMM though...I mean I just don't understand what it is, not that I don't understand why it would be done.

If you're really interested in osteopathic medicine, try shadowing a DO. You'll be able to see how they incorporate the osteopathic philosophies into their everyday practice, maybe even get them to show you an OMM treatment 🙂

Here is the thing: Osteopathic Docs are becoming more and more streamlined nowdays. Alot of DO's dont use the OMM taught them in med school and many are specializing; surgery, derm, cardio, etc. The only distinction, I think, is that DO's like to be set apart from allopathic docs: which is how it should be. True, the holistic health care outlook is stressed but the only real difference between an MD and a DO is that still, a large percent of DO's practice primary care. The fact that DO's have an opportunity to become exposed to patients and many clinical situations during the first year, and that they get to learn OMM (which is totally cool), makes the osteopathic career superior (I think many of you will agree). SO the bottom line is this: imagine a physician who's training is focused to become cool, caring, respectful and talented doctors who generally have a true love and passion for not only medicine, but their patients aswell; that is an Osteopathic Physician for you!!!!!!👍 👍 👍

jkhamlin said:

A Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) studies 100% of allopathic (MD) medicine plus the tenets of Osteopathy integrated into the curriculum. A DO is an MD with extra training. The allopaths don't see it that way, mostly because they feel threatened by it. A DO is fully qualified to take the allopathic licensing board exams, although they don't have to because there is also an Osteopathic board exam. They are also fully qualified to complete an allopathic residency although they don't have to because there are Osteopathic residencies and professional board certifications.

A DO in other countries is more like Chiropractic (which is an offshoot of Osteopathy). A foreign trained DO is a Doctor of Osteopathy and is not a fully trained and licensed physician.

Click to expand...

Atta Boy!!!! Like the definition. Sounds just about right.....