i am appreciating clinic for its low key nature. it has bothered me at times, the feeling that i need to prove myself to a specialist, just to seem competent. that never feels fun. i know that overall i am vaguely competent. but not excellent. that does bother me.
the rest of my life is such as mess that it feels overwhelming to strive for that excellence. and what does that mean, anyway? that i have to be on call essentially, available 24/7 for my patients, most of whom are about as privileged and well as i am?
i wish it was more clear from day to day if i am doing the right thing by these people. of course real life is never as clear cut as a board exam.
day to day i also ruminate on my secondary boarding -- where do i want to go from here? there isn't anything that i am doing that necessarily is above and beyond something a fourth year osteopathic student would do. long gone are the days of shared meditations with my patients, working in the fluid, the ether, the embryonic zones. a part of me scoffs, easily, at those times -- the idealism of an ignoramus. the feeling is like a past lover. you wonder how you could have been so silly.
but also, here i am willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for that treatment for myself. i'm not sure what this represents for me and my journey in health and as a healer but i hope that someday it will lead to something good for the world.
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around the park, after dark
About Me
- Dancer D.O.
- hella NorCal. if you're lookin for a classy broad, go somewhere else.
What is a D.O.?
D.O.s continue the tradition of bringing health care to areas of greatest need:
- Approximately 65% of practicing osteopathic physicians specialize in primary care areas, such as pediatrics, family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.
- Many D.O.s fill a critical need for physicians by practicing in rural and other medically underserved communities.
D.O.s bring wholeness back to the art of medicine:
- Osteopathic medical schools emphasize training students to be primary care physicians.
- D.O.s practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they regard your body as an integrated whole.
- Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive health care.
- D.O.s receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system-your body's interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of your body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an illness or injury in one part of your body can affect another.
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated into the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. With OMT, osteopathic physicians use their hands to diagnose illness and injury and to encourage your body's natural tendency toward good health. By combining all other available medical options with OMT, D.O.s offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.
What is Osteopathic Medicine?
Osteopathic medicine is a unique form of American medical care that was started in 1874 by Andrew Taylor Still, M.D., D.O. Dr. Still was dissatisfied with the effectiveness of 19th century medicine. He believed that many of the medications of his day were useless or even harmful. Dr. Still was one of the first in his time to study the attributes of good health so that he could better understand the process of disease.
In response, Dr. Still developed a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. That philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. Dr. Still identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body's ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit.
Dr. Still pioneered the concept of "wellness" more than 130 years ago. In today's terms, D.O.s evaluate each patient's personal health risks-such as smoking, high blood pressure, excessive cholesterol levels, stress and other lifestyle factors. In coordination with prescribing appropriate medical treatment, osteopathic physicians act as teachers to help patients take more responsibility for their well-being and to change un-healthy patterns.
In response, Dr. Still developed a philosophy of medicine based on ideas that date back to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. That philosophy focuses on the unity of all body parts. Dr. Still identified the musculoskeletal system as a key element of health. He recognized the body's ability to heal itself and stressed preventive medicine, eating properly and keeping fit.
Dr. Still pioneered the concept of "wellness" more than 130 years ago. In today's terms, D.O.s evaluate each patient's personal health risks-such as smoking, high blood pressure, excessive cholesterol levels, stress and other lifestyle factors. In coordination with prescribing appropriate medical treatment, osteopathic physicians act as teachers to help patients take more responsibility for their well-being and to change un-healthy patterns.
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