Allopathic and osteopathic physicians are just like any doctor available for treatment. Their learning years are a total pre-residency preparation for a job as a doctor.
Though the coursework of both physicians can be considered more or less similar, the academic credentials or titles earned by the two doctors are different.
The classes and subjects for both courses are also similar, including anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology.
Key Takeaways
- Allopathic physicians focus on treating symptoms and diseases using medications, surgery, and other medical interventions, whereas osteopathic physicians emphasize a holistic approach, considering the entire body and its interrelated systems.
- Osteopathic physicians receive additional training in osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a hands-on approach to diagnosing, treating, and preventing illness and injury.
- Both allopathic and osteopathic physicians can practice in all medical specialities, but osteopathic physicians are more likely to pursue primary care and preventive medicine.
Allopathic vs Osteopathic Physician
The difference between allopathic and osteopathic physicians is that the students opting for osteopathic courses need to have an additional 200 hours of practice in their residency years, which gives them extra hands-on practice and training, focusing them on the structural difference related to the multiple-body parts. Allopathic physicians only need to fulfil the basic required training hour.
Allopathic physicians are trained in the classical form of medicine, which is the more traditional method of medicine followed by doctors and physicians since time immemorial.
Their origin dates back to Greek medicine, and practices are done by physicians who tended to all kinds of medical crises that were then believed incurable.
Their treatment method involves only the curing of symptoms.
Osteopathic physicians are trained to provide patients with a kind of interactive session where the doctors understand not just the patient’s physical ailments but also their mental state of mind, thereby helping them overcome issues that others might shove off as mental issue that needs to be treated.
They have a lot of patient-doctor interaction.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Allopathic Physician | Osteopathic Physician |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Method | Clearing the symptoms alone | Not just a simple cure but to understand the mental and social well being of the patient |
| Degree Attained | MD | DO |
| Purpose of Diagnostic Strategy | Only to cure the patient | Not only to cure but to try and prevent the disease |
| General Outline of Cure | Traditional and philosophical medical form | A holistic medical form |
| Present Since | Has been going on since the time of ancient Greeks | Since the 19th century |
What is Allopathic Physician?
Allopathic physicians procure a degree in MD which stands for Doctor of Medicine.
Allopathic physicians are trained with the traditional medicine concept kept in mind making sure to clear off symptoms.
The traditional form of medicine is also called the classical medicinal technique adapted by most medical schools catering to allopathic doctors.
Allopathic physicians have been taught to follow a particular method of curing and treating the patients that come to them.
This method focuses on the diagnosis of the symptoms that a patient comes in with. This treatment helps fast proceeding of patient inflow, thereby avoiding crowding in the physician’s OP.
Allopathic physicians, like all other medical practitioners, can see the patients, give medicine prescriptions, and do surgeries.
The origins of allopathic medical techniques age back to the ancient Greeks. Hippocrates, a great Greek physician, has been well-known at the time and now for his allopathic approach to patients.
Even today, medical graduates take the ancient oath called the Hippocrates oath, but with the difference that it has been translated to English from its traditional Greek form.
The Hippocrates oath is what the physicians take to heart to provide them with the right path in treatment and diagnosis.
Allopathic physicians are considered to be thinking more cerebrally, that is, without giving the other aspects of the patient’s issue, including their mental well-being.
The MD course is a high-opportunity one. Once a student or resident doctor has graduated, a position as an allopathic physician is guaranteed for them.
Most allopathic med schools are always affiliated with a research-based institute or university, allowing students to widen their experimental skills in the field.
Allopathic physicians diagnose their patients either by referring them to multiple tests like blood tests, stool tests, urine tests, etc., or by many other procedures like MRI scan, CT scan, X-Ray, etc.
What is Osteopathic Physician?
Doctors serving as osteopathic physicians need to complete a degree called DO (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine).
Osteopathic physicians are trained in a holistic form of medicine that takes into account not only the symptoms that a patient comes in with but also the other aspects of well being of that patient.
These other aspects include the patient’s mental well-being, which is not restricted by any barrier and could be either depression or other mental stress either from family or from the workplace. Another element is social well-being.
Like any other category of doctors, osteopathic physicians can also prescribe medicines, interact with patients, and perform surgeries when necessary.
Osteopathic physicians learn a new element of medicinal study called Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT). This additional element prompts the diagnostic method of osteopathic physicians.
The DO degree emphasises the belief that the body as a whole can be considered only as one and that all parts function as a single unit. The body, with time given to the patient, has patience and can heal itself.
The major emphasizing factor in the Osteopathic medical study is that any disease can be cured.
Osteopathic physicians receive special training as per the OMT rules that give the doctors extra hands-on practice to realize and diagnose disease.
The complete principle followed by Osteopathic medicine is that the body is a unit in sync with the mind and that, given time, the body can overcome any disease and heal itself.
The practice of osteopathic medicine began in the late 19th century, during which a holistic approach was not heard of at the time of crisis.
On many bases, this is the least opted-for method of medical practice. Osteopathic physicians see the whole body as a single interconnected system.
Main Differences Between Allopathic and Osteopathic Physicians
- While osteopathic physicians take into account the holistic treatment way that includes many other aspects of a patient’s well-being, including mental and social aspects, allopathic physicians stick with treating a patient’s symptoms and the symptoms alone.
- While allopathic medical schools keep themselves affiliated with many research institutes and universities to enhance their students’ research and experimental skills, most osteopathic medical schools don’t have such affiliations.
- Allopathic physicians diagnose the patients with tests and procedures, including MRI, X-Ray, blood test, urine samples, etc whereas osteopathic physicians diagnose their patients with a lot more interaction than talking to them and then using a few physical techniques like cracking the joints and relieving the pain.
- Osteopathic physicians gain a lot more hands-on practice in patient-doctor interaction that enables them to stand true to what their degree has taught them in treating patients but in the case of allopathic physicians, and their expertise depends on their medicine prescription and surgical tactics.
- More people opt for the allopathic medicinal form due to its vast opportunity and the competitive nature of the admission process to allopathic med schools whereas there are lesser people who opt for osteopathic medicine.
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2019.092/html
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2005.20033/html
Last Updated : 13 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
Interesting insight into the different approaches of these two types of doctors. It’s important to understand these differences when seeking medical care.
The historical context and the evolution of medical practices for both allopathic and osteopathic physicians have been presented fascinatingly. It’s essential to recognize the backgrounds of these professions.
Really makes the distinction between the two types of physicians clear. I appreciate the balanced comparison between the two.
The distinction between these two physicians is quite evident. It’s thought-provoking to see how they differ in their treatment and diagnostic techniques.
Indeed, the detailed descriptions have shed light on these differences. The article serves as an insightful guide for those navigating the healthcare field.
This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the contrasting methods of allopathic and osteopathic physicians. It’s crucial for patients to be aware of these distinctions when choosing their healthcare provider.
The clear points of contrast between allopathic and osteopathic physicians are well-articulated. Understanding these disparities is paramount in healthcare decision-making.