Surgeon general nominee attends AOA reception for AMA

During the annual meeting that the American Medical Association's House of Delegates held in Chicago in mid-June, 2008-09 AOA President Carlo J. DiMarco, DO, and 2009-10 AOA President Larry A. Wickless, DO, hosted a reception at the AOA Chicago Office for DOs serving in the AMA House, as well as for leaders of the AMA and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States (FSMB).

Among the dignitaries in attendance was the immediate past chairman of the FSMB Board of Directors, Regina M. Benjamin, MD, whom 29 days later President Barack Obama nominated for surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service.

The AMA's 2008-09 president, Nancy H. Nielsen, MD, PhD, also attended the AOA's reception, as did Joseph M. Heyman, MD, the 2008-09 chairman of the AMA Board of Trustees; Edward L. Langston, MD, the 2007-08 chairman of the AMA Board; Martin Crane, MD, the FSMB's current chairman; James M. Andriole, DO, the FSMB's treasurer; AMA delegate Robert B. Goldberg, DO, the 2007-08 president of the Medical Society of the State of New York; AMA alternate delegate Michael J. Bradley, DO, the 1994-95 president of the Medical Society of Delaware: AOA Trustee James J. Dearing, DO, the AOA's observer to the AMA House; and Carl Michael Pesta, DO, the speaker of the AOA House of Delegates.

In a crowd-pleasing moment, Dr. DiMarco presented Dr. Nielsen with a ring to commemorate her year as the AMA's president. Eleven months earlier during Dr. DiMarco's inaugural dinner, Dr. Nielsen publicly praised Dr. DiMarco's presidential ring and, to the delight of AOA delegates, kissed it.

During the AOA's reception for the AMA and the FSMB, Dr. Nielsen pledged to join Dr. Langston as an AOA allied member. Dr. Benjamin and Dr. Crane became AOA allied members a month later during the AOA Board of Trustees' annual meeting in Chicago.

Back talk: Promoting OMT

In response to letters from the AOA and other supporters of the osteopathic medical profession, Consumer Reports added information about osteopathic medicine to its Web site.

An article in the magazine's May 2009 issue overlooked osteopathic manipulative treatment in its survey of back pain. According to the magazine's health blog, the publication received "several compelling letters" about the benefits of OMT after the article was published. As a result, this summer Consumer Reports added a section to its health Web site, found at www.consumerreportshealth.org, focusing on osteopathic medicine, as well as information about OMT to its subscriber-only Web site.

Also, on June 19, Dr. DiMarco wrote a letter to the editor of AARP The Magazine in response to an article titled "The Back Story" that was published in the July issue. While listing physical therapy, chiropractic treatment and acupuncture as methods for treating back pain, the article failed to mention the benefits of OMT. In addition to treating patients with back pain, OMT "can be used to help patients with a number of health problems ranging from asthma to migraines," Dr. DiMarco wrote.