Reedsport Medical Clinic
Doctors accepting new patients. Click here
to learn about these physicians.
Rio Lion, D.O.
Family Practice, Doctor of Osteopathy
Dr. Lion graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz in
1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and received his Doctor of
Osteopathy (D.O.) degree from Western University of Health Sciences, COMP, in
Pomona, California in 2006. He will completed his Family medicine training at
the Cascades East Family Practice Center in Klamath Falls, Oregon and moved to
Reedsport to begin practicing at Dunes Family Health Care (DFHC) in June of
2009. Dr. Lion also has a background in Yoga. Prior to medical school he was a
Yoga Instructor, focusing on teaching children.
Dr. Lion and his wife, Loleta, and son, Luke, recently purchased a home in
Reedsport where they will live with their family dog. Rio and his family enjoy
hiking, kayaking, surfing and snow boarding, and exploring the beautiful beaches
in Oregon.
WHAT IS A DOCTOR OF OSTEOPATHY (D.O.)?
A doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) is a physician licensed to practice
medicine, perform surgery and prescribe medication.
Like allopathic physicians (or M.D.s), osteopathic physicians complete 4 years
of medical school and can choose to practice in any specialty of medicine.
However, osteopathic physicians receive an additional 300 – 500 hours in the
study of hands-on manual medicine and the body’s musculoskeletal system.
Osteopathic medicine is dedicated to treating and healing the patient as a
whole, rather than focusing on one system or body part. An osteopathic physician
will often use a treatment method called osteopathic manipulative treatment
(also called OMT or manipulation) – a hands-on approach to make sure that the
body is moving freely. This free motion ensures that all of your body’s natural
healing systems are able to work unhindered.
Osteopathic physicians hold to the principle that a patient’s history of illness
and physical trauma are written into the body’s structure. The osteopathic
physician’s highly developed sense of touch allows the physician to feel
(palpate) the patient’s “living anatomy” (the flow of fluids, motion and texture
of tissues, and structural makeup).
Like M.D.s, osteopathic physicians are licensed at the state level. Osteopathic
physicians who wish to specialize may become “board certified” (in much the same
manner as M.D.s) by completing a 2- to 6-year residency within the specialty
area and passing the board certification exams.
Rio Lion, D.O.