The Delaware Valley Academy of Osteopathy is a component society of the American Acadmey of Osteopathy, the foremost educator of osteoapthic manipulative medicine and treatment in the world. 

1. The mission of the DVAO is to develop and teach the art and philosophy of osteopathic medicine to medical students, residents and physicians.
   
2. Our goals are to increase the amount of physicians utilizing osteopathic philosophy and treatment in practical ways. 
   1. To accomplish this, we will teach and treat each other, present difficult and interesting cases and create CME courses for use by our group and the medical community.
   2. We wish to increase the amount of residencies in the area applying for and obtaining osteopathic recognition by helping them with their osteopathic teaching.
   3. Eventually, we wish to create a gratis/donation based Osteopathic Center for Children (and Veterans).
      
3. Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM)
   1. Doctors of Osteopathy restore health by applying osteopathic principles in the practice of a hands-on treatment. This method helps to alleviate pain, restore mobility and reduce or eliminate impediments by focusing on the natural motion within the body’s structure and its relationship to function. Osteopathic knowledge and treatment considers the musculoskeletal system as well as the inter-relationships of all physiologic systems (e.g. neurological, respiratory, digestive, hormonal, etc.).
      
4. The History of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
   1. Osteopathic manipulative medicine began during the American Civil War era when Andrew Taylor Still, MD, DO, proposed an alternate philosophy in medical thinking. Dr. Still observed disease in patients who had limitations in their body’s normal motion. He then postulated and experimented with using his hands to manipulate the tissues and bones of the body to restore their function and motion. He found that normal motion brought health. Dr. Still proposed that the mind, body and spirit are integrally connected and medicine must evaluate the whole in order to determine the cause of disease or ailment. A.T. Still believed health was not simply the absence of disease. He believed that with optimal motion throughout the body, the body possesses an innate healing system. It is the job of the physician to guide the body to best use this innate healing system.
      
      OMM has been practiced by the D.O. community since this time. It is taught in all osteopathic medical colleges through coursework on philosophy and lab training where students are guided with hands-on training by practicing physicians. Osteopathic practitioners refine their palpatory skills to recognize the smallest motions in the body and our eyes are trained to recognize motion and absence of motion in body movement. Through a variety of techniques, osteopathic practitioners are able to restore motion in areas restricted, hence improving functionality.