Climate Change, One Health, and Osteopathic Medicine
by Mary Schaefer Badger, DO, FACOI, FAWM
Chair, ACOI Committee on Climate and Health
July 29, 2025
While slowing down, climate change remains a priority. Adaptation to the changing climate and trying to best protect humans, animals, and our shared environments from its negative impacts are an urgent need.
According to Chief Seattle, “Man did not weave the web of life, he is one strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” That, in essence, summarizes the One Health approach. The WHO defines the One Health approach as “an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems.” It approach engages multiple sectors and disciplines to achieve better health outcomes. This concept is not new, but public health emergencies like Zika virus, COVID-19 and Bird Flu, as well as increased infectious disease issues after natural disasters have highlighted the interconnectedness and changing relationships between humans, animals, and the environment. The One Health approach can be used to tackle key impacts of climate change on public health, such as antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic disease, and food and water safety and security. The cooperation between multiple disciplines results in saved lives, reduced costs, and sustained social and environmental services.
There are five mechanisms by which climate change impacts biological systems and human health: modification in vector, reservoir, and pathogen life cycles; diseases of domestic and wild animals and plants; disruption of synchrony between interacting species; trophic cascades; and alteration and destruction of habitat. Therefore, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmosphere’s (NOAA) One Health initiatives had previously organized their climate and health efforts into ten focus areas, addressing climate-related health challenges at multiple levels. However, many of these initiatives have recently been cut.
As the global population continues to grow, food security and proper nutrition have become more challenging. Inadequate access to nutritious food can lead to a range of health issues. Climate change affects and exacerbates these issues. Dr. Laura Rosch explored this topic more thoroughly in the June ACOI newsletter.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60 percent of pathogens that cause human diseases originate from domestic animals or wildlife, 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases have an animal origin, and 80 percent of pathogens that are concerning for bioterrorism originate in animals.
Primary care, as the initial point of contact for patients, can significantly benefit from integrating the One Health approach. This integration can improve disease prevention and management by fostering a more comprehensive understanding of disease causation and transmission, especially concerning zoonotic diseases . One Health addresses a wide spectrum of health aspects, including prevention, health improvement, health promotion, and responses to health crises, going beyond just zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. By considering the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, disease surveillance and early detection of outbreaks can be enhanced. One Health provides primary care providers with a broader perspective, enabling them to consider environmental and animal factors that may contribute to disease.
In the clinical setting, try to incorporate environmental and animal contact considerations into patient care. Take a history of animal contact for your patients including pets, livestock, and wildlife to identify potential zoonotic disease risks. Be aware of how environmental factors such as air and water quality, climate change (heat), and land use can affect their health. Educate patients about safe food handling, proper hygiene practices, and vaccination of themselves and their pets. Promote proper antibiotic usage. Integrate environmental health considerations such as promotion of healthy food choices, decreasing pollution, and encouraging sustainable practices.
In addition, Rabinowitz concluded that while many medical educators may not yet be familiar with the concept, the One Health approach has been endorsed by major medical and public health organizations and is beginning to be implemented in several medical schools. In the research setting, One Health opens new avenues to understand, detect, and prevent emerging infectious diseases, and to conduct translational research across species.
Osteopathic medicine aligns well with the One Health concept by taking a "whole person" approach to healthcare, considering the interconnectedness of a patient’s physical, mental, and environmental factors. This mirrors One Health's focus on the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.
Both philosophies prioritize a holistic view of health and well-being, encouraging collaboration across different disciplines to address complex health issues. Similarities include:
- Patient-centered focus: Actively listening to patients and considering their lifestyle factors, which aligns with One Health's focus on understanding the whole picture of a patient's health, including their environment and social determinants.
- Holistic approach: Like One Health, osteopathic medicine views the body as a unified system, considering the interplay between structure and function, and utilizes manual therapies like osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) to address potential imbalances.
- Preventive care: Osteopathic medicine emphasizes preventative healthcare strategies, which aligns with the One Health approach to proactively address potential health risks across different species and environments.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration: Collaboration between various healthcare professionals, including veterinarians, public health officials, and environmental scientists, which aligns with the osteopathic philosophy of considering a patient's whole environment and potential contributing factors. Examples of this are: Institute for Global Health of the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State - a program with Mekong One Health 2022-2025 & Midwestern U-Chicago College Osteopathic Med-One Health to increase research opportunities.
Planetary Health is public health. As we look to the future, climate change and its health-related impacts can't be solved by a single program or policy. Despite challenges, a One Health approach can promote evidence-based partnership to tackle the climate crisis. Potential benefits include improved diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases transmitted between animals and people, improved management of animal allergies, early detection of environmental health hazards, and improved patient health and satisfaction.
References:
https://www.astho.org/communications/blog/tackling-climate-change-using-the-one-health-approach/
https://www.cdc.gov/one-health/media/pdfs/2025/01/354391-A-NOHF-ZOONOSES-508_FINAL.pdf
https://cpo.noaa.gov/noaa-one-health/
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