John B DeCosmo, DO

John DeCosmo, DO has been in practice in Saint Petersburg, Florida since July 18, 1988. He is an Osteopathic Physician and is Board Certified in Family Practice. His practice has matured and evolved quite nicely in that time and the doctor enjoys a good reputation in the community.

Dr. DeCosmo has always followed the ideal of treating the patient the way you would want yourself or a close family member treated. He has treated his patients like this and his only concern during the office visit is the patient and the issues that pertain to their health. This has manifest as better patient satisfaction, patients feeling that their story has been heard, and a strong sense of a team approach. Dr. DeCosmo is very attentive to the wishes, beliefs, and preferences of his patients and encourages the input of the patient in the decision making process.

Dr. DeCosmo has spent countless hours in medical training and continuing education. He maintains the lectures and credits necessary to maintain his licensure and board certification for Family Practice. Since 1997, Dr. DeCosmo has taken a special interest in the field of Functional Medicine or Nutritional Medicine. He has taken the advanced intensive Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice and is one of a few doctors who have done so in the Tampa Bay Area. He is currently pursuing additional training to achieve Certification in Functional Medicine granted by the Institute of Functional Medicine, one of the premiere training facilities in Functional Medicine. This additional training has afforded him the ability to delve deeper into health problems. As a matter of fact, one dictum in Functional Medicine is to look for the “root cause” of a medical problem. Finding the root cause allows treatment to be guided to the source of the problem and not to just put a “band aid” on the downstream manifestations of an illness. Many issues just go away instead of having to add prescription after prescription to cover or try to control the issue. This is a very satisfying approach for both doctor and patient and is very empowering for the patient.

One of Dr. DeCosmo’s favorite pastimes is “unprescribing medicines.” We all know that doctors, in general, are good at prescribing medicines but, yes, Dr. DeCosmo is also very good at unprescribing as well. With many of his treatment programs, the need for the medicines just goes away and the medicine can safely be weaned or just stopped. There are also many supplements, herbs, and vitamins that can safely be substituted for the more potentially toxic medicines. Regarding his practice of unprescribing medicines, Dr. DeCosmo has been known to say, “I have yet to meet a patient that has more money than the drug companies!” It sounds a little “Robin Hood like” but it works for him and his patients. For Dr. DeCosmo, the satisfaction lies in keeping the money in the patient’s pocket and averting exposure to medication dependence and medication side effects.