38
COM Outlook . Fall 2013
Proud
D.O.
Equipped
with
Osteopathic
Fairy
Dust
es, I admit it. I had (regrettably) undervalued a few
of the tools I was given in medical school, mostly
those applying to the art and science of osteopathic
manipulative medicine (OMM). As shameful as it is for
a D.O. to admit, OMM was a medical course I endured
out of pure necessity. Although I did very well on writ-
ten and practical exams, these were poor indicators of
my true level of interest in the subject matter and overall
confidence in my abilities.
To say it gently, I was less than completely enamored
with osteopathic principles and practice. I still vividly
remember one Thursday afternoon looking around the
OMM Lab at my fellow students, many desperately trying
to palpate a cranial rhythm impulse. Eyes closed, brows fur-
rowed, they would say, “I think I feel flexion! Nope, lost it.”
It seemed to me there were two groups of students—the
OMM devotees and the non devotees. The devotees always
looked thrilled to be in OMM Lab, armed with enthusias-
tic smiles, gifted hands, and what I imagined to be some
type of OMM
fairy dust
—a sprinkle of something magical
that reinforced their OMM special powers. In contrast, we
skeptical non devotees raised eyebrows, shrugged shoul-
ders, and fudged our way through lab muttering terms like
“ropy” or “boggy” at instructors. I had difficulties fully
accepting the notion that I could aid or even cure patients
through the use of my hands, plus, I lacked the finesse that
came effortlessly to a select few of my peers.
I graduated in 2011, anxious to start the exciting profes-
sion of medicine as a family medicine resident at Lakeside
Medical Center, and ready to leave the OMM days behind,
as many clinicians I have shadowed over the years ulti-
mately do. It didn’t take very long into my residency for
me to realize that OMM would linger—evasive and some-
times even downright annoying—appearing and reappear-
ing in lectures, board reviews, and conferences.
In July 2013, I had the opportunity to attend a mission
trip to Haiti with the Gaskov Clerge Foundation, a trip
that changed my life both personally and professionally.
I fell madly in love with Haiti, almost instantly, as I first
glimpsed the island from my small window seat on the
airplane. There is something special, and in a way intangi-
ble, about the beauty of the people and the richness of the
culture. I was blown away by how with so little resources,
the people of Haiti make do.
On day one of work, the physicians were given a
short list of pharmacy items and sent off with pats on the
shoulder and smiles of encouragement to start making
a difference. I saw patient after patient complaining of
severe musculoskeletal issues. Never before had I wit-
nessed so much neck and low-back pain. I kept frantically
searching my list of medications for answers, only to find
typed in plain black and white, the response: Ibuprofen
and Acetaminophen. I knew I could and would not short-
change these people, not with eyes softly pleading for any
relief and faces edged with grimace by simple acts like
Changing Lives...One Person at a Time
ALUMNI VOICE: The Benefits of OMM
By Tracy Romanello, D.O., 2011 Alumna – Family Medicine Resident at Lakeside Medical Center
Y
