Osteopathy | |
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Alternative therapy | |
MeSH | D026301 |
ICD-10-PCS | 7 |
ICD-9-CM | 93.6 |
This article is part of a series on |
Alternative medicine |
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Osteopathic medicine in the United States |
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Andrew Taylor Still (founder) |
Osteopathy, unlike osteopathic medicine, which is a branch of the medical profession in the United States, is a pseudoscientific[1] system of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body's muscle tissue and bones.[2] In most countries, practitioners of osteopathy are not medically trained and are referred to as osteopaths.[3][4][5]
Osteopathic manipulation is the core set of techniques in osteopathy.[6] Parts of osteopathy, such as craniosacral therapy, have been described by Quackwatch as having no therapeutic value and have been labeled by them as pseudoscience and quackery.[7][8] The techniques are based on an ideology created by Andrew Taylor Still (1828–1917) which posits the existence of a "myofascial continuity"—a tissue layer that "links every part of the body with every other part". Osteopaths attempt to diagnose and treat what was originally called "the osteopathic lesion", but which is now named "somatic dysfunction",[6] by manipulating a person's bones and muscles. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) techniques are most commonly used to treat back pain and other musculoskeletal issues.[6][non-primary source needed][9]
Osteopathic manipulation is still included in the curricula of osteopathic physicians or Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) training in the US. The Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree, however, became a medical degree and is no longer a degree of non-medical osteopathy.
So other than a lower admissions standard and the focus on a pseudoscientific belief system, there is no difference between the two educational systems. So why should this two-tiered system even exist? It is time to rid ourselves of this pre-scientific, dual system of medical education.