The Varying Practices of Allopathic Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine

One of the main missions of the university is to help underserved communities. I believe that both my personal and academic experience has engrained in me the qualities that are essential for completing medical school and becoming a doctor. I want to become an osteopathic doctor that is involved in the community and serves those who lack proper health care. My primary care doctor, who is an osteopathic doctor, influenced my decision to pursue osteopathic medicine. She taught me that osteopathic medicine consists of treatment with holistic approaches, and it involves an education in physical manipulation. This aspect is particularly of interest to me because this is an approach that is used in India. Overall, I believe that I am a thoroughly qualified candidate to pursue a DO degree from Touro college of Osteopathic Medicine. The sheer pleasure I derive from helping people and sharing what I know, coupled with the mental stimulation intrinsic to the profession, make medicine the clear career pathway for

Dr. Andrew Taylor Still is considered to be the founder of osteopathic medicine. Dr. Still practiced as an orthodox medical doctor until spinal meningitis claimed the lives of three of his children in 1864. Convinced that using drugs for the treatment of ailments was not necessarily a scientific form of therapy, Still searched for alternatives (Gevitz 125). Through interactions with his peers, he began to see the human body as a "vital mechanical organism, with all its parts structurally and functionally coordinated" (Berchtold 2). Consequently, health was maintained when all body parts could interact in a harmonious manner and the flow of bodily fluids was unobstructed (Gevitz 127). Unlike his allopathic counterparts, Still tended to look at the body as a whole while emphasizing the body's inherent ability to produce remedies against disease. However, the human body could only take care of itself if "structural relationship was normal, environmental conditions favorable, and nutrition satisfactory" (Berchtold 2).

Describe the top three reasons you have chosen osteopathic medicine as your professional choice in becoming a physician (Please use your own description and not one that widely describes the profession).

Describe the top three reasons you have chosen osteopathic medicine as your professional choice in becoming a physician. = why D.O.

Truthfully, as an undergraduate I knew very little about the osteopathic profession. In 2013, however, I began working as a medical scribe with Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, DO, in the Sibley ER and she opened my eyes to the beauty of osteopathic medicine. Thanks to Dr. Ghaffari-Greene, and a number of other osteopathic physicians in the ER, I have come to understand what osteopathic medicine is all about. Three years after my first exposure to the osteopathic profession, I continue to be motivated to become an osteopathic physician for many reasons. These include the following:

* Osteopathy is also said to help relieve pain that individuals experience for a number of different reasons, this is done by improving mobility and reducing inflammation by using gentle, manual osteopathic techniques. (Hoddesdon osteopathic & sports injury clinic , 2016)

I first learned about osteopathic medicine through admissions workshop in graduate school. Osteopathic medicine’s emphasis on primary care and helping medically underserved communities truly appealed to me. As I delved further about its philosophy in the books, I am also interested by the fact that osteopathic physicians are trained to focus on health, not the disease. This will improve the overall well-being of a patient and prevent diseases. In Burma, I faced the challenges of substandard health care and education, without clean water, food or public sanitation. All these experiences, complicated by my bouts of tuberculosis and typhoid taught me at a young age to appreciate the value of a healthy life.

I want to become an osteopathic physician, because osteopathic doctors take the additional strides toward providing their patients with holistic care. Unlike other health care professionals osteopathic doctors try to obtain the most detailed history, starting from the patient’s birth, sometimes even before that. During the history taking

I want to become a service oriented, competent, and compassionate physician who upholds the founding philosophies of Osteopathy while healing the community. With its rich history, willingness to serve, and emphasis on spirituality, KCU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will be the perfect place to reach my career goals.

Medical practice in 1870 was given by a physician who was practicing medicine. However, these individuals did not get the proper training during this time period to carry out any medical tasks. In the 18th century, there was a limited amount of medical schools in the United States. Forty-two medical schools had opened in the United States in the 1850s. “These physicians did not have classroom facilities at their disposal, however, nor did they have the authority to confer the doctor of medicine (MD) degree.

My desire to be an osteopathic physician came after attending an OMM session during my gap years as a research fellow at the NIH. This experience contributed to my interest in osteopathic medicine, as I was intrigued by the musculoskeletal manipulation techniques, and deeply appreciated the hands-on, holistic approach to patient care. I feel strongly that training as an osteopath, will prove invaluable in my career as I work deliver quality treatment to underserved communities.

There are three main tenets that are essential for my success as a future Osteopathic medical student and physician; comprehensive patient-focused education, application of evidence-based medicine, and interprofessional collaboration.

Medicine has been used since ancient times, but it has greatly developed through the centuries. Today, people have doctors, nurses, surgeons, therapists, and many other individuals in the health field. Society’s definition of a healthy lifestyle, and the way people live, has greatly changed, and it has given most people a new perspective on society 's health. Before medications and doctors, people often died, or had no way to recover from illnesses and disease, because there were no cures. Advances in medicine are made every day. These advances could be a new allergy medication, a new vaccine to prevent a deadly disease, or a new way of performing surgeries, but all of these advances have one thing in common: they can save lives and make a better America.

Bonesetters were not allowed to enter hospitals during this century, even when treating cases that were their specialty. Bonesetters outnumbered medical doctors nine to one in England, and Dr. Harrison, Dr. Little, Dr. Hood. Dr. Paget, and Dr. Dods practiced some form of spinal manipulation in their practices located in

Traditional medicine, also known as conventional medicine, relies on scientific principles, contemporary technologies as well as scientifically proved methodologies for purposes of preventing, diagnosing, and treating adverse medical conditions (Treweek &Heller, 2006). Health care professionals within conventional medicine believe that diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses