What Does Osteopathic Principles And Practice Mean To Me?

When I reflect on the role of medicine more broadly, what first comes to mind is the responsibility of a physician to diagnose accurately and to help treat the illnesses that they present with. One question that always arose for me is: what is considered "treatment"? Let's say that a patient presents with an elevated GAD-7 and PHQ-9 score and is symptomatic of depression and anxiety. One course of action would be to hear the patient out about possible social or economic circumstances that may be contributing to their feelings, but ultimately decide to start the patient on medication to treat their symptoms without following up closely on the social determinants. Technically, anxiety and depression are treated in this scenario. However, I would

From the philosophy of self-regulating and self-healing systems to the unique approach of understanding the relationship between structure and function, osteopathic medicine is overall a school of thought that not only wants to address the symptoms of illness but also how they arise and how the root causes can be addressed. One of the core principles of osteopathic medicine that has drawn me to pursue this routine in becoming a physician is the whole-person approach; the human body is a unit of the body, mind, and soul. This approach allows one to recognize that although the patient may present with an illness, the "be it all end all" of medicine is not merely to address the signs of disease. It is important to understand that the symptoms of illness are a sign of greater dysfunction between the mind, body, and soul, and that one needs to make an effort to address the root causes of disease. I have seen many times over the past year in my role as a scribe how clinicians (MD, D.O., P.A., or N.P.) are viewed. who go the extra mile to address the root causes have created better patient outcomes and a significant impact. However, I believe that continuing my education in a philosophy that has the whole-person approach as a core value will allow me to ensure that I will one day have the whole-person approach as a