The Best Doctors You’ve Never Heard Of
This article accounts one patient’s experience with an osteopathic physician, Dr. Shadoan, who specializes in manual manipulation. Dr. Shadoan describes the D.O. philosophy as “medicine that treats the patient [and] seeks to understand why the problem is there and resolve the conditions that create that problem.” A major difference between a DO and an MD is that the DO will explore every natural approach to healing the body before resorting to medication and drugs. By doing so the patient is receiving more than simply symptom management, they are being cured. I look forward to learning the methods of manipulative medicine over the next two years of medical school. Although I don’t plan on specializing in manipulative medicine, I do foresee myself incorporating these alternative methods into my practice, whether that be pediatrics, OB/GYN, neurology, etc. A large part of the DO approach involves emphasis on touch during diagnosis. Instead of checking off boxes on my iPad app as my patient sits on the bed before me, I plan to use a highly hands-on method of diagnosing and treating them. The body is an incredible entity and its ability to self-regulate and heal itself is something that we as leaders in medicine must recognize and respect.
Read the hyperlinked article for more insight into the rising field of osteopathic medicine!
My Med School Antidote 