Philosophy & Principles

With realities such as longevity, chronic diseases, and high costs of care driving the dynamics of today's health care delivery system, there is increasing interest in osteopathic medicine and its complete approach to maintaining health and preventing disease.

Osteopathic physicians provide the most comprehensive and complete medical care available today, because osteopathic medicine uses all of the high-tech aspects of modern medicine -- x-rays, surgery, medication, and diagnostic testing -- and more in its distinctive focus on the whole person.

Some Fundamental Principles of Osteopathic Medicine

Osteopathic medicine sees the human body as a unified organism and uses a whole- person approach to wellness and disease prevention.

The fundamental philosophy of osteopathic medicine is that all the systems of the body are interrelated and are interdependent, and that disturbances in one system can -- and do -- affect the others.

Although a specific organ or area of the body may manifest disorder or disease, the effects resonate throughout the body. Stated simply, if the body is sick, it is sick all over. Similarly, when responding to a disorder or disease, one organ or system does not respond alone; the entire body is mobilized and is involved in the return to health and balance.

The body's musculoskeletal system -- the bones, muscles, tissues, and nerves -- is the key to a person's well-being.

The musculoskeletal system, one of the most easily accessible systems of the body, comprises about 2/3 of the body mass. But its importance goes well beyond providing structural support.

Osteopathic medicine maintains that the musculoskeletal system reflects many internal illnesses and may aggravate or accelerate disease in the circulatory, lymphatic, nervous, and other systems of the body. The musculoskeletal system, therefore, plays a key role in the body's effort to regulate itself and resist illness or disease.

The body has a natural tendency toward health and has the capacity to resist disease and to heal itself.

This principle -- first promulgated many centuries ago by the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, and now gaining new attention -- is at the core of the osteopathic medicine philosophy and is central to its diagnostic and treatment approach.

Osteopathic medicine considers the person as a whole, including external factors such as environment, stress, exercise, and diet in an overall approach to achieving and maintaining good health.

While applying the appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment for a particular illness or disease, the osteopathic physician does more -- acting as a guide and teacher to help the person take responsibility for his or her well-being.

This proactive, preventive, and personalized approach clearly differentiates osteopathic medicine from all other forms of medicine.

©1996 - 2007 Tucson Osteopathic Medical Foundation

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