You’re in good hands with a D.O.

Several of our top doctors, including family practitioner Dr. Ricardo E. DeNapoli and OB/Gyn Dr. Samuel J. Santoro, are doctors of osteopathy-D.O.s. "What's a D.O.?" we asked them. "How are they trained and how are they licensed? And what can a D.O. do?"

"Here in the United States there are two types of medical schools," Santoro explains. "There are allopathic medical schools, which give a medical doctor degree. And there are osteopathic medical schools, which award a doctor of osteopathy, or D.O., degree. Basically, the training is the same in both schools. However, in the osteopathic medical schools, in addition to what allopathic medical schools teach, we're also taught osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT)."

Seattle native Santoro, 50, is president of the Solano Regional Medical Group, a multispecialty group of more than 60 physicians and allied health professionals, which is associated with the Sutter Regional Medical Foundation. He received his D.O. from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (now called Midwestern University), and did his OB/Gyn residency at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base. He is OB/Gyn department chair at NorthBay Medical Center, medical director for NorthBay's ABC prenatal program and board-certified by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"Osteopathy has been around for over 100 years," he says. "In some ways I think it's a little bit ahead of its time. Essentially, the osteopathic philosophy is to really view patients as an entire person, rather than just a single organ system or a single disease."

"There is a big emphasis in osteopathy on the holistic approach to medicine," says Solano Regional Medical Group colleague, DeNapoli. "A lot of the osteopathic schools put emphasis on primary care, initially, although there's an entire hierarchy of D.O. specialties, just as there are with the M.D.s. There are D.O. neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, pediatricians, obstetricians-similar to the whole allopathic M.D. profession.

"And there's a lot of mixture," he adds, referring to the fact that many D.O.s-he and Santoro included-complete M.D. residencies.

Mount Holly, N.J. native DeNapoli, 56, studied medicine at Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center, Des Moines, Iowa, and did his family practice residency at Western Medical Center, Santa Ana, which is affiliated with the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He is an adjunct assistant clinical professor of family medicine at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine on Mare Island, Vallejo, and is certified by the American Board of Family Practice.

"Osteopathic medicine gives an added dimension to general medical practice by using proven medical knowledge and emphasis on prevention, diagnosing and treating illnesses and injury, with the philosophy that there is a natural ability of the body to heal and regulate itself," he says. "Osteopaths are trained to develop their tactile senses to diagnose parts of the body where they may detect a disorder; and they actually use different methods of manipulation."
Although the osteopathic manipulation is in their medical bags, both physicians point out that use of OMT varies among D.O.s and is not a major part of either of their practices. Santoro characterizes his as a traditional OB/Gyn practice, while DeNapoli says he only uses OMT in a small percentage of his patients, with particular musculoskeletal problems.

"The whole approach may be a little bit more hands-on," DeNapoli says. "Aside from that, our skills and treatment are essentially the same as our M.D. colleagues perform, that is, X-rays when indicated, medications, analgesics, muscle relaxants and the use of physical therapy."

"M.D.s and D.O.s basically practice side by side," Santoro says. "There is essentially no difference as far as what our scope of practice is in our chosen specialty. M.D.s have the state medical board-the licensing board in California. The osteopathic physicians in California have a separate licensing board. But other than a separate licensing board, essentially we go through the same kind of training, same kind of residency training, same kind of credentialing, and maintain our CMEs (continuing medical education)-our training and education."

Ricardo E. DeNapoli, D.O., 770 Mason St., Vacaville (707) 454-5800

Samuel J. Santoro, D.O., 1234 Empire St., Fairfield and 770 Mason St., Vacaville (707) 454-5800

Both physicians have privileges at NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield, VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville and Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo.

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