Doctors of osteopathy growing in number

The following article appeared in the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. I found it very interesting, and have included it below, with some comments from me in Red. As always, if YOU have any questions or comments about this article or anything else you read in this newsletter…let me know at DrNic@GieblerChiropractic.com !
Thanks, and Enjoy:

Doctors of osteopathy growing in number
Discipline focuses on mind-body connection
BY SUZANNE WEISS • HERALD TIMES REPORTER • FEBRUARY 1, 2011

MANITOWOC — Medical language often is filled with an alphabet soup of acronyms and abbreviations.

One that may not be familiar to patients is the designation of DO, which stands for doctor of osteopathy. More and more DOs can be found at local hospitals and clinics.

A DO studies the same subjects as an MD, but does additional work in musculoskeletal anatomy and hands-on manipulation, said Dr. Michael Hazelberg, doctor of osteopathy and family medicine practitioner at Holy Family Memorial's Harbor Town Clinic. (A DC receives the same primary education as an MD or DO, but only receives minimal training in pharmacology, and instead extensively studies the musculoskeletal system.)

"It's one of those things that often patients don't realize," he said. "It usually doesn't come up in day-to-day issues."

For Hazelberg, the training has helped him appreciate each patient as an individual, he said.

"It's also making a connection with your organ health along with emotional and psychological effects. We can't address someone having a heart attack without addressing the fact that depression and anxiety may go with that," Hazelberg said. "The whole idea is that you're looking outside of strictly relying on labs, you're looking at other aspects of care ... you're actually paying attention to other physical, emotional and psychological effects."

There have been a higher number of DO graduates in the last 20 years, he said.

A lot of DOs are in primary care and there are growing numbers in sports medicine and orthopedics, Hazelberg said.

For Dr. Mylan Kohler, a psychiatrist with Holy Family Memorial's Tamarack Behavioral Health Center, the desire to pursue osteopathic medicine stemmed from bad encounters with doctors as a teen. "I definitely learned what not to do," she said.

Osteopathy focuses on "the inter-relationship between structure and function and mind and body," Kohler said. "I basically liked the idea that it was less of 'here's a couple of symptoms, here's a pill.'"
Kohler said she likes to dig for the root cause rather than just treat symptoms. (Sounds a lot like Chiropractic, too)

"In addition to asking, 'Are you feeling depressed? Are you feeling manic? Are you hearing voices?' I ask 'How are your relationships? What are you doing with your free time? How do you relax? Where do you find friends?' I spend a lot of time talking about diet and exercise, relaxation techniques, not just medications," she said.

Kohler also takes time to explain things to patients and help them figure out practical ways in which they can incorporate lifestyle changes into their lives, she said.

"To me that's really why I like the osteopathic school of thought: Find the root cause, fix that and explain why things are happening," Kohler said.

There are two types of fully licensed physicians in the United States, osteopathic and allopathic, said Dr. James R. Smith, doctor of osteopathy, board-certified in family medicine and urgent-care medicine at Aurora Manitowoc Clinic.

"If your doctor is an MD, that doctor is actually a doctor of allopathic medicine. It's a school of thought," he said.

A DO, like an MD, can prescribe medicine and perform surgery, Smith said.
Up until recently, Wisconsin hasn't been as open as other states to the designation of DO because of political infighting, he said.

Osteopathic medicine has been around for about 150 years and was the first of the holistic philosophies because it looks at the complete body. It has to do with maintaining the musculoskeletal system — good spine and muscle integrity, Smith said.

"When that is maintained, it has an effect on the whole body," he said. "If the spine is in proper alignment, it will make (This is true. DO’s joined the American Medical Association in the early 20th century, and since then have focused the majority of their practice on a more medical-based approach, while Chiropractors have continued to help their patients through the care of the muscles, joints, and nerves of the body.)

Osteopathic medicine combines allopathic and homeopathic methods along with manipulative medicine and encouraging the body to heal itself, Smith said.

That means DOs use not just medicine and surgery, but hands-on work with patients such as stretching and massage, he said.

"I don't rush into giving (patients) an antibiotic," Smith said. "Not every fever is bad; it's just when it gets out of hand. You don't have to stop every case of diarrhea or vomiting. Mother Nature is trying to do something. (Again, sounds a lot like Chiropractic! As you know, Chiropractic can’t, on its own, ‘cure’ anything. But one of the most crucial keys to long term health and happiness is a body that is working as efficiently and effectively as possible, and, as this article points out, that starts with healthy muscles, joints, and nerves! Chiropractic is the Gold Standard in the care of muscles, joints, and nerves, period.)