Osteopathic MedicineI. Introduction of the DOC There are currently two main types of licensed physicians in the United States. The first is the doctor or allopathic doctor. Approximately 95% of licensed physicians have studied at one of more than 120 allopathic medical schools and have thus earned a medical degree (MD). The second type of doctor, the doctor of osteopathy, is less common. Osteopathic physicians make up approximately 5% of the nation's physicians (Peters 730). Although this is a significant number of doctors, many people are not familiar with the second type of doctors. In 1981 the AOA (American Osteopathic Association) published the results of a survey on the public's familiarity with the osteopathic doctor. Only 20% of the 1,003 individuals surveyed, aged eighteen and older, knew the abbreviation DO (Doctor of Osteopathy). Furthermore, only 50% of those familiar with the title could correctly provide the unabridged version (Gevitz 154-55). The results of this survey are to some extent outdated, but a general atmosphere of unfamiliarity still hangs over the Doctor of Osteopathy. The following discussion will attempt to clarify this modern conundrum. A brief history of the much-maligned Doctor of Osteopathy will be provided along with a contemporary description of his goals and responsibilities. Given the current healthcare cost situation, we will discuss the legitimacy of the DO and the ability to challenge the increased costs inherently possessed by this form of physician. Finally, the integration of DO and MD treatments will be discussed. Through the following topics the reader will learn t...... half of the document ......mberly and Matt Popowsky. "Open season". Kiplinger Personal Finance56.12 (2002): 78-79.McGirt, Ellen. “Health Insurance: Less Costs More.” Money 31.12 (2002): 146-48. Newswanger, Dana L. "Osteopathic Medicine in the Treatment of Low Back Pain." American Family Medicine Physician 62.11 (2000): 2414-15. "Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment May Benefit Patients." Women's Health Weekly October 11, 2001: 13.Peters, Antoinette S., Nancy Clark-Chiarelli, and Susan D. Block. “Comparison of Osteopathic and Allopathic Medical School Support for Primary Care.” Journal of General Internal Medicine 14.12 (1999): 730-39. Stieg, Bill and Lisa Jones. "What's the difference?" Men's Health 17.5 (2002): 50. Tyler, Lawrence. Understanding Alternative Medicine: New Healthcare Pathways in America.New York: Haworth Press, 2000.