Dr. Michael J. Sampson is an osteopathic physician in Atlanta. He specializes
in family and sports medicine. He says osteopathic physicians need many qualities.
"It takes a person with compassion, altruism, intelligence and a strong
drive, and someone who is willing to treat a person as a whole and not just
focus on their disease," he says.
"An individual must posses the ability to be 'hands on' with care," adds
Dr. Sampson. "A well-rounded individual who is globally minded and community
focused are also in the make-up of an osteopathic physician."
Dr. Sampson also teaches family and sports medicine. And he's a ringside
physician for World Wrestling Entertainment. In the past, he's served as team
physician for professional and academic athletic teams, including the U.S.
Men's Olympic Water Polo team and the Seattle Mariners.
What drew Dr. Sampson to osteopathic medicine?
"When I was looking at medical schools, I was drawn to osteopathic medicine
for the philosophy of treating the whole person and also the added training
in the musculoskeletal system," he says. "As an athlete, this was particularly
important to me."
When Dr. Sampson looked into osteopathic medicine, he found that he totally
agreed with the following principles of osteopathic medicine:
1. The body is a unit. The person is a unit of body, mind and spirit.
2. The body is able to self regulate, self heal and maintain health.
3. Structure and function are interrelated.
4. Rational treatment is based upon an understanding of the basic principles
of body unity, self-regulation and the interrelationship of structure and
function.
Dr. John V. Chang is an osteopathic physician in Massachusetts. He became
an osteopathic physician because of a strong desire to serve others.
"I wanted to be of service to humanity," says Dr. Chang. "As a physician,
the patient puts their trust in you. Because they're ill, they're at your
mercy.... And while they're there for physical needs, they also ask you about
other needs, including emotional and even spiritual."
Dr. Chang emphasizes the "whole person" approach to health care that is
central to osteopathic medicine.
"Many, many people don't realize that we are more than just body parts,"
says Dr. Chang. "When you treat a person as a whole person, you get better
results, and I see that every day. When they open up to you, you can get a
lot of information that can help. So you've got to be patient and show kindness.
And that's quite satisfying when you're able to do that."
He says the best osteopathic physicians are well-rounded people.
"I think an osteopathic physician would be the kind of person who'd be
analytical in their thinking, and they're interested in philosophy and psychology
and maybe even spiritual matters as well," he says.
"Because if you look at the whole person, you want to be able to incorporate
everything," he adds. "You want to be close to the person, and how can you
be close to the person if you don't know all these things?"
The public often has misconceptions about osteopathy, says Adriana Johnston.
She's the admissions director for an osteopathy school.
"The public doesn't really know what it is," says Johnston. "They often
think it's chiropractic -- cracking of bones.
"There are a lot of misconceptions out there, partly due to the fact that
there are so many different kinds of osteopathy out there," she adds.
However, there is growing interest in the kinds of alternative treatments
offered by osteopathic physicians.
"Patients are getting wise and thinking maybe there's something else that
can be done," says Johnston. "They're curious."