ATHENS, Ohio -- The American Osteopathic Association has designated Nov. 11 to 18 as National Osteopathic Medicine Week. In Athens, the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine will observe NOM Week from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3. This year's NOM Week centers on educating and informing Americans about end-of-life care and related topics, such as advances in pain management, cultural sensitivities toward final stages of life, organ donation, advance directives and end-of-life care options and financing.
"Osteopathic medicine is a complete, holistic, hands-on kind of medical care that focuses on all aspects of the individual's state of health," said Daniel Marazon, D.O., interim dean of Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. "The osteopathic physician is trained to have an approach to modern medical care that addresses the dynamic interplay among a person's body, mind and spirit."
Marazon said osteopathic medicine's holistic approach helps maintain health and recovery from illnesses and injuries, not only through prescriptions, medicines, surgery and other traditional measures, but also by utilizing a distinctive tool called osteopathic manipulative reatment or OMT.
The foundation of OMT is built on a thorough knowledge of the musculoskeletal system, which makes up two-thirds of the body's mass. D.O.s believe that all body systems work together and that disturbances in one system often adversely impact functions elsewhere in the body. OMT involves a hands-on, whole body approach to diagnosing health problems, treating dysfunctions, preserving good health and preventing the occurrence of disease. By using their hands to diagnose irregularities in the muscle tissues, joints, and tendons, D.O.s are able to treat a variety of health ailments.
"D.O.s are found practicing every medical specialty all over the United States of America. They are neurologists and pediatricians," said Jack Brose, D.O., assistant dean for clinical research, who was recently named dean of OU-COM. "They practice in underserved areas as well as in research centers fashioning the latest medical technology, including gene therapy and DNA coding for diagnostic ends."
Today, many D.O.s practice in rural and medically underserved areas, but they are also top physicians in AIDS/HIV research, organ transplantation and steroid abuse. The first African-American woman to head a U.S. medical school, OU-COM's Barbara Ross-Lee, was a D.O., and D.O.s today also serve in high-profile government roles. Among them are Sue Bailey, D.O., administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Rear Admiral Joyce Johnson, D.O., chief medical officer and director of health and safety for the U.S. Coast Guard; and Lt. General Ronald Blanck, D.O., who recently completed a tour of duty as the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army.
NOM Week features community activities such as: Little People's Hospital at the University Mall on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., where kids get to play doctor and have fun while learning about health care.
November is also National Hospice Month, and OU-COM is partnering with Appalachian Community Hospice to present "Living with Dying," a public reading by celebrated essayist and undertaker Thomas Lynch, Friday, Nov. 2, at the Athens Community Recreation Center, East State Street, at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Free health screenings will be available just prior to the public reading at the OU-COM Community Service Program mobile health van parked in the Athens Community Recreation Center parking lot from 3 to 6 p.m.
Contact Tia Trivison, University Osteopathic Medical Center marketing manager and OU-COM's coordinator of NOM Week, at (740) 593-9572. You also can visit the AOA website at www.aoa-net.org to learn more about NOM Week.
