The International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
Osteopathy began life as a medical heresy. In the USA, osteopathy embraced medicine and surgery, with an inevitable diminution of distinctiveness. Osteopaths elsewhere practice in much the same way as a century ago. Limited to manual intervention, categorised as ‘allied’, ‘complementary’ or ‘alternative’, distinctiveness is now diminished by similarity with other professional groups .. To manifest both distinctiveness and professional visibility, determined engagement with science (the evidence), and with other communities whether in clinical practice or in the basic sciences is now imperative. Marginalisation through progressive irrelevance is a poor alternative.
Abstract avaible here.