A quick look at Utah’s medical cannabis regulations reveals that doctors of osteopathic medicine – also known as osteopaths and DOs – can recommend medical cannabis therapies as long as they have prescribing authority in the state. But what is osteopathic medicine? More importantly, what role does medical cannabis play in it?
Both questions are legitimate given that osteopathic medicine is not something most of us are familiar with. It is a legitimate form of medicine, nonetheless. And because DOs deal with many of the same issues that medical doctors deal with, medical cannabis is just as appropriate as a treatment option.
The Basics of Osteopathic Medicine
Salt Lake City’s BeehiveMed says that Utah recognizes osteopathic medical providers as qualified to make patient recommendations for medical cannabis cards. Utah osteopaths practice the same way their counterparts across the country do.
Osteopathic medicine’s unique approach is built on top of a holistic view of healthcare. Osteopaths emphasize patient-centered, whole-person care rather than the medical doctor’s approach to dealing only with individual medical problems.
Here is what this means practically: a medical doctor treating a patient for back pain will tend to focus only on the biological and physiological aspects. He will view the patient’s medical condition as separate from the patient himself. An osteopath will approach the patient from a different perspective.
Not only will the osteopath consider the biological and physiological elements, but he will also consider the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects. Osteopathic doctors see the individual as an integrated being consisting of body, mind, and spirit. They treat every aspect rather than just the body alone.
Medical Cannabis as a Treatment
The typical osteopathic doctor would not consider medical cannabis a foundational part of good healthcare. But osteopaths are generally open to alternative treatments of all types. Medical cannabis would certainly be an option when appropriate for a given condition.
An osteopathic practitioner is still subject to the same rules and regulations governing how medical doctors and other types of providers recommend cannabis. Let’s go back to Utah, a state whose medical cannabis patients primarily cite the following three reasons for applying for cards:
- Chronic and acute pain
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Chronic nausea
In all three instances, a medical doctor would have to verify the legitimacy of a patient’s condition and agree that medical cannabis is an appropriate treatment in order to make a recommendation. An osteopathic practitioner would be bound to the same requirements.
A Preference for Individualized Care
Another aspect of osteopathic medicine plays into the medical cannabis equation: the preference for individualized care. On the whole, osteopaths do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to patient care. They prefer developing individualized care plans for each patient. Care plans almost always include a healthy amount of patient input.
This plays into medical cannabis in the sense that some patients are very conscientious about the medications they take. For example, you might have a patient who refuses to take opioids because of bad experiences in the past. What else could her osteopath recommend for chronic pain? Medical cannabis could be an option in her state.
Similar but Different
Osteopathic medicine is similar to traditional medicine in the sense that practitioners deal with many of the same medical conditions. But it is different in that osteopathic medicine takes a holistic approach to healthcare.
Within that holistic approach there is plenty of room for considering medical cannabis as a treatment option. Perhaps that’s why states generally recognize osteopaths as being qualified to recommend cannabis therapies. That is good news for patients who prefer osteopathic medicine to its more traditional counterpart.
