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Letters to the Editor  |   May 2007
Promoting an Osteopathic Medical Research Culture
R. Paul Lee, DO
Author Affiliations
  • R. Paul Lee, DO
    Osteopathic Center of the Four Corners Durango, Colorado
Article Information
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment / OMT in the Laboratory
Letters to the Editor   |   May 2007
Promoting an Osteopathic Medical Research Culture
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, May 2007, Vol. 107, 199-200. doi:
The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, May 2007, Vol. 107, 199-200. doi:
To the Editor: I was interested to read the original contribution by Sarah J. Breese McCoy, PhD, and colleagues1 in the April 2006 issue of JAOA—The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association on risk factors for postpartum depression. I am pleased to see reports appearing in the JAOA of original research emanating from our osteopathic medical institutions, such as the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa, which was the site of the Breese McCoy et al1 study. 
This study corroborated results of previous allopathic studies.2-8 My hope is that the larger study recommended by Breese McCoy et al1 will include original findings focusing on osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for postpartum depression. It is well known to those of us who regularly perform OMT that patients with postpartum depression respond well to manipulation of the sacrum. 
In an osteopathic medical institution, such research would be an excellent opportunity for the housestaff to perform uniquely osteopathic physical examinations and to note the effects of OMT on patients in the medical record. Of course, it would also be a good exercise in any medical institution. 
I suggest promoting the operational rules and regulations of the Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institutions,9 as well as to advance an osteopathic medical research culture at the same time. 
Breese McCoy SJ, Beal JM, Miller Shipman SB, Payton ME, Watson GH. Risk factors for postpartum depression: a retrospective investigation at 4-weeks postnatal and a review of the literature [published correction appears in J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2006;106:687-688]. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2006;106:193-198. Available at: http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/106/4/193. Accessed May 7, 2007.
O'Hara MW, Swain AM. Rates and risk of postpartum depression—a metaanalysis. Int Rev Psychiatry. 1996;8:37-54.
Fergerson SS, Jamieson DJ, Lindsay M. Diagnosing postpartum depression: can we do better? Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2002;186:899-902.
Beck CT. Predictors of postpartum depression: an update. Nurs Res. 2001;50:275-285.
Misri S, Sinclair D, Kuan A. Breast-feeding and postpartum depression: is there a relationship? Can J Psychiatry. 1997;42:1061-1065.
Abou-Saleh MT, Ghubash R, Karim L, Krymski M, Bhai I. Hormonal aspects of postpartum depression. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1998;23:465-475.
Pfost KS, Stevens MJ, Lum CU. The relationship of demographic variables, antepartum depression, and stress to postpartum depression. J Clin Psychol. 1990;46:588-592.
Barnet B, Duggan AK, Wilson MD, Joffe A. Association between postpartum substance use and depressive symptoms, stress, and social support in adolescent mothers. Pediatrics. 1995;96(4 pt 1):659-666.
Obradovic JL. Osteopathic Postdoctoral Training Institutions. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2007;107:54-55. Available at: http://www.jaoa.org/cgi/content/full/107/2/54. Accessed May 7, 2007.