What Are The Four Tenets of Osteopathic Medicine?
At its core, osteopathic medicine is based on the belief that the human body has an innate ability to heal itself. This philosophy is reflected in the four tenets of osteopathic medicine: the body is a unit; the person is a unit of body, mind and spirit; the body is capable of self-regulation, self-healing and health maintenance; and structure and function are reciprocally interrelated. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at each of these tenets, as they’re outlined by the American Osteopathic Association, and how they shape the osteopathic approach to medicine. The Body is a Unit This tenet posits that the human body functions as a single unit, with each system impacting the others in a type of ripple effect. For example, an imbalance in the musculoskeletal system can lead to problems in the respiratory system. Osteopathic physicians take a whole-body approach to treatment, looking at
