What is Osteopathy?

OSTEOPATHIC MANUAL MEDICINE: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Osteopathic Manual Medicine, “OMM” focuses on helping patients attain health, which though it may be compromised, is always available in all living patients. Osteopathic treatment utilizes the body’s own internal resources to treat and resolve underlying medical issues so people can be as healthy as possible. This is very different from conventional medicine that is all too focused on managing symptoms utilizing drugs, and surgeries (resources that are external to the patient’s own body).

OMM is practiced by licensed physicians, Doctors of Osteopathy, “DOs” and a small number of MDs. Osteopathic Manual Medicine is part of the innovative and transformational health care solution offered by the medical team lead by renown cardiologist and leader in integrative medicine, Dr. Mimi Guarneri.

Walter Cohen, DO is pleased to have worked since June of 2017 at his Kearney Mesa office and with Dr. Mimi Guarneri at Pacific Pearl La Jolla. He is a graduate of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, 2014 and completed three years of residency training. Dr. Cohen is board certified in Neuromuscular Medicine - Osteopathic Manual Medicine. Prior to osteopathy he was a massage and cranio-sacral therapist for seven years in Santa Fe, NM where he completed over 1,200 hours of related to the body. In addition, he spent 700 hours studying an algorithm developed to assist osteopathic patients in New York City post 9/11 to resolve PTSD and shock and trauma. It has helped many patients overcome emotional and spiritual trauma without or as an adjunct to talk.

There are one million doctors in the U.S. all of whom have an unrestricted medical license to diagnose, treat, prescribe, order tests and imaging. Of these about 12% or 120,000 are Doctors of Osteopathy “DOs.” The remainder are Medical Doctors, “MDs.”

• DOs and MDs complete identical coursework over 4 years of medical school

• DOs and MDs complete a minimum of 3 years post graduate training called “residency”

• DOs go into every field of medicine that MDs practice in including: Family and Internal Medicine, Surgery

• DO students, unlike MDs, complete at least 200-400 hours of Osteopathic Manual Medicine

• Of the 120,000 DOs practicing in the U.S., about 1,000 of these DOs, including Dr. Cohen, choose to specialize in Osteopathic Manual Medicine completing many more hours of training in the specialty

­“We suffer from two causes (of disease) … a want of supply and the burden of dead deposits.” —Andrew Taylor Still, MD, Founder of Osteopathy

This statement, made in 1908, is still true today. Consider these examples in common disease processes.

Examples of “dead deposits” and “want of supply”	What diseases result?
Chemicals in the body that set off inflammation	Chronic Inflammatory diseases, Skeletal and muscle pain
Inability of the gut to pass contents effectively	Irritable bowel syndrome, Acid Reflux, Hiatal Hernias, Digestive issues, Bloating, Constipation/Diarrhea
An excess of proteins in the brain produced as part routine brain maintenance	Cognitive decline, Dementia, Alzheimer’s
Excess adrenaline and cortisol	High blood pressure, Poor digestion, GI complaints, Insomnia, Anxiety, Fatigue and low energy
Poor lymphatic supply and drainage	Compromised immune system, Edema
Poor blood supply	Recurrent infections, poor tissue health in all organs

How does osteopathic manual medicine resolve conditions and support health?

Patients experience improved health by applying the following osteopathic principles to treatment.

Structure and function are interrelated. Consider a kink in a garden hose. The kink blocks the flow of water through it. Now apply this principle to an artery, vein or lymphatic vessel which if blocked, compromises supply to an area creating the burden of dead deposits previously discussed. An osteopathic treatment improves blood and lymphatic supply to and from all affected areas. It improves vascular, muscular, skeletal and organ function.

The osteopathic physician utilizes their hands to change the patient’s anatomy to improve delivery of what the body needs to become healthy. For example, a muscle injury or bone out of place may be the source of muscular or skeletal injury (structure) which can cause intense physical pain and compromised function. Putting the structure back in proper alignment restores health. This[JH5] concept works down to the cellular level. Donald Ingber, MD, PhD showed how changing the shape of a cell (structure) affects signaling molecules in cell walls to change or shut down the DNA the cell produces and even shut down the cell itself (function) which leads to disease.

An individual’s health is not only dependent on their physical body but their emotional and spiritual health. Emotional states affect the autonomic nervous system that controls all organ systems, all that is automated in the body (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, etc.). When it is in overdrive we go into “fight or flight” mode. “Rest and digest” mode, the opposite state, proves elusive. The result is chronic organ, tissue and autoimmune diseases. OMM balances the two halves of the autonomic nervous system helping to improve many of these physical conditions as well emotional states: anxiety, depression, insomnia and PTSD among many.

The body possesses the necessary mechanisms to self-regulate and self-heal. These are the numerous “internal resources” referred to on page one which include, among many, the cranial mechanism and various bio fields.

What is the difference between a DO, MD, chiropractor, massage therapist and physical therapist?

	Doctor of Osteopathy	Medical Doctor	Chiropractor	Massage Therapist	Physical Therapist
Undergrad Training	4-year degree	4-year degree	90 credit hours	Not required	4-year degree
Graduate Training or Program Length & Title	4-year degree DO	4-year degree MD	4-year degree DOC	250-1000 hours LMT or RMT	2.5-3 years DPT
Residency – Post Grad	3 years	3 years	None	None	None
Scope of practice includes management and treatment of:	All systems in body	All systems in body	Boney skeleton	Muscles and soft tissue only	Exercises, stretches, soft tissue manipulation
Diagnose	Yes	Yes	Limited	No	No
Prescribe Drugs	Yes	Yes	Limited or No depends on state	No	No
Order and interpret imaging	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Manual Medicine Training	Yes - Of all systems of the body	No, except for rare individual exceptions	Yes, within scope of practice detailed above	Yes, within scope of practice detailed above	Yes, within scope of practice under doctor’s orders.

Some things to remember before during and after treatment:

• Patients do NOT undress.  Please wear loose comfortable clothing: Slacks with top or athletic wear.

• Some of the techniques are subtle but these often produce the most significant change.

• Take it easy the first 24-48 hours after treatment. 

• Sometimes the biggest changes occur a day or two, even three days after leaving the office.

Be patient with oneself and the process. The body did not get into this state in a day or two. It may take five to six visits, even longer for chronic problems, to improve and resolve in lasting and meaningful ways.

Some things to remember before during and after treatment:

· Patients do NOT undress. Please wear loose comfortable clothing: Slacks with top or athletic wear.

· Some of the techniques are subtle but these often produce the most significant change.

· Take it easy the first 24-48 hours after treatment.

· Sometimes the biggest changes occur a day or two, even three days after leaving the office.