Osteopathy is, theoretically, an alternative to allopathy that uses a holistic approach and emphasizes the body’s innate ability to heal itself. In practice, I have rarely, if ever, observed this to be the case. Although osteopaths (DO’s) have additional training in “osteopathic manipulative medicine,” I haven’t ever seen this put to use. A DO’s training is otherwise quite comparable to an MD’s training and, in fact, it is not uncommon to see both working side-by-side in the same medical practice.
Individual practitioners will vary, of course, but, as a rule, expect that a DO will be essentially the same as an MD (although possibly more open to complementary treatment methods). If it’s important to you to have a practitioner with the traits that are supposed to set a DO apart from an MD in theory, do a little more digging to find out how your prospective practitioner really practices.