Imagine you are working for a primary care provider whose credentials are a doctor of osteopathic medicine (do) instead of a medical doctor (md). a new patient presents to the office, notices the difference on a business card, and asks you what the difference is

MD's (medicine doctors) practice allopathic medicine, the classical form of medicine, focused on the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

DO's (osteopathic doctors) practice osteopathic medicine which is centered around a more holistic view of medicine in which the focus is on seeing the patient as a “whole person” to reach a diagnosis, rather than treating the symptoms alone.