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Traditional Osteopathic
Techniques
About Osteopathic Medicine
Developed 130 years ago by physician A.T. Still, osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest growing healthcare professions in the U.S.
and brings a unique philosophy to traditional medicine. With a strong emphasis on the inter-relationship of the body's nerves, muscles, bones
and organs, doctors of osteopathic medicine, or D.O.s, apply the philosophy of treating the whole person to the prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of illness, disease and injury. Osteopathic medicine is a unique form of American medical care that was developed in 1874 by Dr.
Andrew Taylor Still. Dr. Still was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of 19th Century medicine. He believed that many of the medications
of his day were useless or even harmful. Dr. Still was one of the first in his time to study the attributes of good health so that he could
better understand the process of disease. In response, Dr. Still founded a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates,
the father of medicine. The philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. He identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health.
He recognized the body’s ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit. Dr. Still pioneered the concept
of "wellness" more than 125 years ago. In today's terms, personal health risks--such as smoking, high blood pressure, excessive cholesterol
levels, stress and other lifestyle factors--are evaluated for each individual. In coordination with appropriate medical treatment, the
osteopathic physician acts as a teacher to help patients take more responsibility for their own well-being and change unhealthy patterns.
Near the turn of the 19th century, the son of a pioneer physician took another look at the way things were being done in medicine and saw a
better way. Always fascinated by the human anatomy and the science of healing, Andrew Taylor Still pursued a life of study and practice to
eventually establish the healing art of osteopathy. Still first articulated the idea of improving medical practice while living in Kansas in
1874. It was at that time, he had a seminal thought: The human body has much in common with a machine, one which ought to function well if
it is mechanically sound. Still was a typical frontier physician, having been trained through apprenticeship, with some medical lectures attended
later. Like nearly all frontier physicians, he did many things besides practice medicine: farming, mechanical work, and fighting in the Civil War.
His medical practice included caring for both settlers and American Indians. He faced epidemics such as cholera, malaria, pneumonia, smallpox,
diphtheria, and tuberculosis. After the War, spinal meningitis claimed three of his children and he began searching for a better system of
medicine. This new system promised simply to support health, which on the surface would not seem controversial. But the end of the 19th
century was a time of multiple schools of healing, and on the frontier there was medical competition and a mistrust of new ideas. Faced with
the apprehension to his science, Still became an itinerant physician, first in Kansas, then in Missouri. He tried out his mechanical skills,
and he talked to anyone who would listen about his new methods, which centered around treating the body by improving its natural functions.
He continued to use some drugs at first, but gradually he achieved good results without them. In time, he came to condemn nearly all the
drugs used in his day. Still's treatment methods, which included manipulation designed to improve circulation and to correct altered mechanics,
began to show results. In 1889 the number of patients traveling to see Still at his newly-founded infirmary became so great that he was forced
to stay in Kirksville, Missouri rather than traveling to see patients. He became busier, and people began to speak of him with respect and
understanding. Three years later, Still opened the American School of Osteopathy. Early students learned anatomy from William Smith, M.D.,
a Scotsman who had studied medicine in Edinburgh and had become interested in osteopathy while traveling in the United States. He was the
first to receive a D.O. degree. Still taught osteopathic medical practice by lecture and demonstration and through practice with his own
patients. The ASO awarded 18 diplomas in March, 1894. More schools opened after the ASO, and graduates spread around the country in
private practices.
Micigan State college of Osteopathy
Courses
Canadian College of Osteopathy
Courses
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