As some of you may know, I am doing a "Fellowship" or an extra year of residency in osteopathic manipulative medicine in Maine. I have been lucky enough to be exposed to many different styles of medicine in the three months I have been here.
When I first came into the residency, I thought I was pretty good at what I did. Thankfully, I have been reminded how much more I need to learn.
The first example came from a local doctor (only 50 miles away), who showed me the connections in the body that fascia makes. Fascia is the thin filmy stuff you pull off of the chicken with the skin, just before you cook it. Since seeing the connections, I have been treating problems at a deeper level and have been able to help patients "cure" themselves faster! I feel like I have gone from a treatment approach to a fixing approach.
The second example is that of natural hormones. I am finishing a book on natural hormone replacement since I want to know everything. I had a didatic session (training session) with a physician who does "Functional Medicine," which is where he tries to heal the body prior to throwing a pill at it. My eyes were opened at the almost Eastern thought process this osteopath has! He has a back log and wait of 3 months to get in to see him. You can see his office's website here.
Why does this matter? I want to be the best physician I can for my patients and I want them to get better. It is oxymoronic to say that I want them to not need me again, but that is my goal. Here, I have been humbled by two areas of knowledge where I was previously (and currently) lacking. I love to learn and I found once again that the art of osteopathy cannot be mastered in such a little time.
I have been showing the myofascial level of knowledge to the student physicians who rotate with me and I have been learning as a result. I love teaching and encourage all who come through with me to touch their patients.
There is so much left to learn that I hope I never stop learning. Someday, sometime, I may need an osteopath to treat me and I want them to be as hungry for knowledge about treating the body as me!
As a side note, I have been asked what my purpose is in writing this blog. I hope to encourage other physicians to touch and treat their patients, but also, I hope to show non-physicians that the body is so complex that it takes a long time for a physician to learn how to treat it. I guess, I could say that I am selling encouragement!
I hope to bring in pictures, more stories and examples into this blog. Please leave feedback and suggestions!
thanks, Michael
