- With Mayo Clinic internist
Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
Brent Bauer, M.D., is board certified in internal medicine. He is a consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine and director of the Department of Internal Medicine's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dr. Bauer, a native of Madison, Wis., is also a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School and a graduate of Mayo Medical School.
He serves on the editorial board of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter and is medical editor for EmbodyHealth Newsletter. He has been on staff at Mayo Clinic since 1992, first practicing at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., before joining Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., in 1996.
Dr. Bauer's principal research focus is the scientific evaluation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies that patients and consumers are using with increasing frequency. He has authored several book chapters and papers on this topic, and is the medical editor of the "Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine." Dr. Bauer also spearheaded collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Gaiam in the creation of a series of 10 DVDs (Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions). These DVDs address common health problems (for example, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure) with integrative medicine approaches that empower people to take charge of their health. His work is at the forefront of the emerging field of integrative medicine which combines the best of conventional medicine with the best of evidence-based complementary therapies.
Dr. Bauer has served on the NIH-NCCAM study section and is currently collaborating on over 20 studies being conducted at Mayo Clinic evaluating CAM therapies ranging from acupuncture to valerian. He is also a member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society; the American Federation for Medical Research; the North Central Cancer Treatment Group and other professional organizations.
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Question
Osteopathic medicine: What kind of doctor is a D.O.?
What kind of doctor is a D.O.? Does a D.O. have the same training as an M.D.?
Answer
from Brent A. Bauer, M.D.
A doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a fully trained and licensed doctor who has attended and graduated from a U.S. osteopathic medical school. A doctor of medicine (M.D.) has attended and graduated from a conventional (allopathic) medical school.
The major difference between osteopathic and allopathic doctors is that some osteopathic doctors provide manual medicine therapies, such as spinal manipulation or massage therapy, as part of their treatment.
After medical school, both M.D.s and D.O.s must complete residency training in their chosen specialties. They must also pass the same licensing examination before they can treat people and prescribe medications.
Next questionAfter a flood, are food and medicine safe to use?
- About D.O.s. American Osteopathic Association. https://www.osteopathic.org/osteopathic-health/about-dos/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed March 16, 2012.
- Shannon SC. The status and future of osteopathic medical education in the United States. Academic Medicine 2009;84:707.
- Style guide for reporting on osteopathic medicine. American Osteopathic Association. http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/news-and-publications/media-center/Pages/osteopathic-style-guide.aspx. Accessed Jan. 22, 2013.
- The difference between U.S.-trained osteopathic physicians and osteopaths trained abroad. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. http://www.aacom.org/about/osteomed/Pages/TheDifference.aspx. Accessed Jan. 22, 2013.
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