- 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.
Consumer health basics (5)
- What is compassionate use of experimental drugs?
- After a flood, are food and medicine safe to use?
- Osteopath: What kind of doctor is a D.O.?
- see all in Consumer health basics
Alternative medicine (26)
- Detox foot pads: Do they really work?
- Ear candling: Is it safe?
- Colon cleansing: Is it helpful or harmful?
- see all in Alternative medicine
Medications (5)
- Grapefruit juice: Beware of dangerous medication interactions
- Antibiotics and alcohol: Should I avoid mixing them?
- Bioidentical hormones: Are they safer?
- see all in Medications
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Osteopath: 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 D.O., also called an osteopath, is a doctor of osteopathic medicine. Osteopathic medicine is a type of holistic medicine that centers on the belief that the body's systems are interconnected. Osteopathic medicine typically focuses on the musculoskeletal system, which reflects and influences the condition of all other body systems.
An osteopath must undergo training that's very similar to the training required of doctors of medicine (M.D.s). An osteopath must graduate from an accredited osteopathic medical school and complete an internship and residency training. A D.O. also must be licensed — just like an M.D. — to treat people and prescribe medications.
The major difference between osteopathic and conventional (also called allopathic) doctors is that some osteopathic doctors provide manual medicine therapies, such as spinal manipulation or massage therapy, as part of their treatment.
Next questionTriclosan: Is it safe?
- Osteopathic medicine. American Osteopathic Association. http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ost_omed. Accessed May 11, 2010.
- Shannon SC. The status and future of osteopathic medical education in the United States. Academic Medicine 2009;84:707.
Find Mayo Clinic on