About The Practice
People Tree Osteopathy is a physician specialty osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) practice in Columbia, MD, and Silver Spring, MD; and currently the only one in Howard County, Maryland.
The name "People Tree" comes from the iconic sculpture in downtown Columbia, which represents the idea that we're all connected, and if we work together, we can create an environment that supports growth - concepts similar to those in Osteopathy.
About Dr. Levy
Dr. Vivian Levy, DO, MPH is a hands-on osteopathic physician, formally trained in osteopathic neuromusculoskeletal medicine (ONMM), also known as osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). In addition to her medical education at Touro University California and a 3-year family medicine residency at Maine Medical Center, she completed a 1-year fellowship in ONMM at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, during which she treated patients both in the clinic and hospital, including adult, pediatric and newborn, obstetric and postpartum, perioperative, and critical care patients.
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Dr. Levy has pursued extensive additional osteopathic and integrative medical education over her years in training and practice, totaling over 2000 hours. She has completed over 450 hours of in-person training specifically in cranial and biodynamic osteopathy, which includes coursework in understanding how dental and visual issues impact the body from an osteopathic perspective, treatment of traumatic brain injury, and interaction with the body’s deeper self-correcting forces. Among other things, Dr. Levy also has training in the fascial distortion model, Fulford percussion hammer, sound healing, Usui reiki, and dry needling/acupuncture (and is currently pursuing further training in this through AcuMed's 300-hour Integrated Structural Acupuncture course). Her treatments tend to involve a combination of these concepts in addition to other common osteopathic approaches such as HVLA, muscle energy, counterstrain, myofascial release, neurofascial release, lymphatic techniques, Chapman’s points, visceral manipulation, facilitated positional release, Still technique, and Still exaggeration or functional technique. Treatments vary from patient-to-patient and the choice in what techniques to use are based on the individual patient’s history, their needs, their preferences, and the feel of different tissues in the moment. Most treatments probably lean toward more gentle or indirect approaches with the goal for the whole system to feel even and balanced. See "What to Expect" for more.
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Dr. Levy is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP), and the American Osteopathic Board of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (AOBNMM).
Dr. Levy’s other education includes a bachelors degree in Film and Media Studies from Johns Hopkins University, a masters degree in Public Health with a focus in epidemiology from George Washington University, a certification in Integrative Medicine through the University of Arizona’s 200-hour integrative medicine in residency program, and a certification from PAMA's Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine program.