Which Countries Teach Osteopathy?

Osteopathy was first practiced in the 19th century. The term "osteopathy" was created by an American scientist named Andrew Taylor Still. This therapy was developed during the war and it has gained much recognition since then. Andrew Still believes that the bone is one of the most fundamental parts of the body because the bones play a big role for emerging pathological conditions. They are considered a common cause for various diseases and the medical field should focus on them. Later on, Andrew Still founded his own school in Kirksville, Missouri and named it "American School of Osteopathy."

There are several countries that practice osteopathy. In the United States, this practice has been considered a part of the mainstream medicine because of its rapidly accepted philosophy. Traditional osteopathy has been taught in the country and the practice has experienced undergoing several changes in time. However, this therapy remained dynamic for the minority only. To widen its scope, the people have adopted the name "osteopathic medicine" which later on resulted to the creation of osteopathic medicine colleges.

In Canada, colleges started to introduce osteopathic education in 1981. During that time, graduates still could not qualify for registration because there were no licensure exams available for them yet. They could, however, work for various osteopathic associations and practice. On the other hand, osteopathic physicians from the United States were allowed to practice their field in Canada. Only those who have graduated from the American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine could get a license and practice the therapy all over the US.

In the United Kingdom, osteopathy was introduced to colleges in 1917 by Martin Littlejohn, former student of Andrew Taylor Still. He was able to change the curriculum and he was also able to mix in physiology. Undergraduates, as well as medical professionals, started taking up osteopathy for their bachelor and post-graduate degrees. Because of the growing popularity of the practice, various medical institutions have done studies to prove the effectiveness of this therapy.

In the European Union, there have been attempts to include osteopathy among the medical professions. This has already been established in several countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Belgium, France and Finland. At present, Spain is already in the process of recognizing the practice