In hopes of gaining inspiration for this article I googled “Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine,” and as one would expect, an article in Wikipedia appeared at the top of the search results. Wikipedia is often a pretty decent source when looking for general knowledge. I have used Wikipedia consistently since high school, and most, if not all of my peers that I have spoken with do the same. If you don’t know where to start, Wikipedia is generally a good place to go.
Reading the article in Wikipedia on OMM was not what I expected. The first sentence of the second paragraph reads: “Research into OMM has found it to be a generally ineffective therapy for ailments other than low back pain.” This sentence is cited with three sources. It continues to say in the following sentence: “Critics of the technique have characterized it as pseudoscience.” This sentence also has a cited source. I am shocked to see this information about osteopathic medicine published on a website that is consistently accessed by the lay population and professionals alike for general information. From the very beginning of this article OMM is regarded negatively, which affects the view of those who are uneducated about our profession.
The Wikipedia article needs editing. I am not registered with Wikipedia, nor do I feel that I have enough background and knowledge to be an author on Wikipedia, but if someone doesn’t do it, I will definitely take the flying leap make an attempt to change it myself. As a community we must look out for our profession and ensure that we are adequately represented to the public. Wikipedia is a major source of information used by people around the world every day, and is often the first place that people look when doing a search. Obviously, not everything we read on the internet is reliable, and definitely not in Wikipedia. Fortunately, articles on Wikipedia are open direct edits from anyone who is registered with the website and has the gumption to make the changes. Let us promote our profession and let people know what OMT is truly about and capable of, especially in high traffic areas such as Wikipedia, and not allow misinformation to represent our field.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteopathic_manipulative_medicine (Last updated December 28, 2013)
A Call to Action - Wikipedia & Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
By: Tyler Peterson -- Touro-NV