An alternative way to treat certain mental illnesses could be Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine is defined as “treatment which assists the body with pain minimisation, reduced stress and greater mobility providing the body with the opportunity to heal itself.” (Nordqvist) This means that Osteopathic DO’s use their hands in order to give the brain help to heal itself, and the body. While Osteopath use their hands, Allopathic doctors take a more traditional approach by depending on medication to treat their patients. …show more content…
Another reason why Osteopathic DO’s are so few and far between is because it is much more difficult to become a DO rather than to get a degree in Allopathic medicine to be an MD. “osteopathic medical students take approximately 200 additional hours of training in the art of osteopathic manipulative medicine” (What is Osteopathic Medicine?) The reason why it takes so much more training to become an osteopathic doctor is because they are trained in all the same training as Allopathic MD’s, plus more. This can be seen as a downside of OMM because the DO’s are so hard to come across so it makes it seem like they are not as important or maybe that the reason why they are not as popular is because they are not as …show more content…
The process of Craniosacral Therapy, can be performed by massage therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, or naturopathic doctors. The theory of this therapy is when doctors lightly touch parts of their patient in order to find the cranial rhythmic impulse of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The feeling is similar to how a pulse of blood vessels may feel. The doctors now subtly manipulate the skull, and other areas to try to take away restrictions in the CSF; which will restore balance in the patient. (Craniosacral Therapy) To many people this method of therapy sounds like a good way to treat patients but they stay concerned about effectiveness and side effects. There is a very large amount of dangers which accompany this method, along with a long list of things it does not treat, and could even make worse. This can be a downside of alternative medicine for certain people because of the risks they would be taking if they choose Osteopathic medicine. Some of the side effects include diarrhea, opisthotonus (a muscle spasm where a person’s spine, neck and head hyperextend.), brainstem dysfunction, loss of consciousness, an increase in anger, and seizures. These side effects are very severe compared to the usual headaches and soreness. (Craniosacral Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders) Side effects such as a headache, or being sore, can be easily overlooked when a patient is looking for a new type of medical treatment. The