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About OSteopathic Medicine

Founding of Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathic medicine is a distinctive form of medical care founded on the philosophy that all body systems are interrelated and dependent upon one another for good health. This philosophy was developed in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still, DO, MD who pioneered the concept of “wellness” and recognized the importance of treating illness within the context of the whole body.

Dr. Still believed that by correcting problems in the body’s structure, through the use of manual techniques now known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), the body’s ability to function and to heal itself could be greatly improved. He also promoted the idea of “preventive medicine” and endorsed the philosophy that physicians should focus on treating the whole patient, rather than just the disease. These beliefs formed the basis of osteopathic medicine. Using this philosophy of disease prevention and health promotion, Dr. Still opened the first school of osteopathic medicine in Kirksville, MO in 1892.

*History of Osteopathic Medicine adapted from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine.

Tenets of Osteopathic Medicine:

  • The body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind and spirit.
  • The body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing and health maintenance.
  • Structure and function are reciprocally interrelated.
  • Rational treatment is based upon an understanding of the basic principles of body unit, self regulation and interrelationship of structure and function.

Photo left: Dr. Andrew Taylor Still (1828–1917)

*Tenets of Osteopathic Medicine listed here as approved by the American Osteopathic Association House of Delegates.

Osteopathic Medical TRAINING AND CARE

There are two types of licensed physicians in the U.S., osteopathic physicians (DOs) and allopathic physicians (MDs). Both graduate from rigorous medical school programs and complete residency training accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). During medical school, DOs receive additional training in Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), also known as Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness. Upon graduation, DOs are complete physicians who, along with MDs, are licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery.

Reflective of the osteopathic philosophy of treating the whole person, many DOs serve in the primary care fields: family medicine, general internal medicine and pediatrics. There is also a long tradition of osteopathic physicians establishing practices in rural and medically underserved communities.

GROWTH IN OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Today, DOs provide comprehensive medical care to patients in all 50 states and have unlimited practice rights in more than 65 countries. There are nearly 167,000 DOs in the United States representing a wide range of medical specialties, according to the American Osteopathic Association. As of 2025, more than 25% of medical students in the US are training to be osteopathic physicians. There are nearly 9,000 licensed DOs in Ohio, representing one of the fastest growing segments of healthcare professionals, according to the Ohio Osteopathic Association.

In Ohio, 28% of family physicians are DOs. DOs have a strong history of serving rural and underserved areas, providing their unique approach of compassionate, patient-centered care to some of the most economically disadvantaged members of society.

For more information about DOs and the osteopathic profession, please visit:

American Osteopathic Association
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
Ohio Osteopathic Association