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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
 Posted - 04/10/2012 : 19:26:05
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Hey all,
It's been about a year since my last check-up. I can't stand my GP and I'm looking for a new one. Someone suggested a DO, but honestly... I know very little about them. I have this image of them being another version of a DC, which I don't care for.
Can DO's prescribe medicine and order all routine tests? They talk of "integrative medicine," which sounds great in principle. But... I want to be working with someone who's legit, and not eventually trying to sell me supplements, i.e a Naturopath or DC.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Sarnotic-nerve
USA
48 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2012 : 20:06:21
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D.O.'s can perform surgeries...and prescribe medication.
In terms of "integrative", I'm not sure what they mean by that. But a DO usually has a focus on the entire musculoskeletal system.
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The pain is real! The cause...well, that's complicated. ;) |
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Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2012 : 20:17:54
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My PCP is a DO.
Like MD's, some are good and some are bad.
My former doc was a DO, and he missed an infected gallbladder the size of a summer squash. I kid you not.
My current DO is so well liked that he is known as the "doctor to the stars", in that he is on call when many household name entertainers come into town. Some come into town just to see him. He said that many stars are hypochondriacs.
That said, he was the one structural guy who looked at my MRI transcript and concluded that my symptoms did not relate to the pathology of the herniation.
Give the DO a whirl. Who knows? They are not the same as DC's, most of whom are not qualified to doctor a department store dummy.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2012 : 23:09:56
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| Thanks guys |
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wrldtrv
666 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 09:37:44
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| DO's and MD's are interchangeable. There is a bit of a stigma to being a DO rather than MD because everyone knows it is tougher to get into an MD school. From what I've seen/heard (I work in healthcare), applying to DO school is the fallback option. |
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Fox
USA
496 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 11:51:50
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| Got my TMS diagnosis from an osteopath (in Pennsylvania - Dr. Randy Cohen) and I liked him. He is (or was?) on the TMS doctor list. He did not get into chiropractic or vitamins or the like. He asked me about my symptoms, my history, and did some physical testing that sounds, from what I have read, like what most TMS doctors focus on in their evaluation. So, I would not rule out seeing osteopaths for a TMS evaluation. But, of course, if any doctor ends up talking about spinal manipulation, run for your life! |
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AnnieA
13 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 11:57:50
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Osteopaths educated in the US are equal to MDs. But if educated elsewhere, they may not be.
Osteopaths learn some different healing methods but can also prescribe medications etc... like MDs. |
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 15:42:23
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So, this is from the website of the guy I'm considering. Perhaps I'm getting too cynical, but the second half of this paragraph sounds a little curious...
As a Board Certified Osteopathic Family Physician, Dr. Lloyd practices an integrative medical approach while also providing primary care services to patients. He possesses extensive training on how the musculoskeletal system affects and influences systems throughout the body. Futhermore, by using his hands, Dr. Lloyd can treat pain, promote healing, and increase mobility. |
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 15:50:47
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And more... Hmmmm...
Dr. Lloyd treats patients of all ages and backgrounds. A typical osteopathic structural examination includes a thorough assessment of the condition of your posture, spine, back, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
We offer osteopathic manipulative treatment, or OMT, which involves hands-on care to diagnose, treat and prevent illness or injury. He is able to move a patient's muscles and joints using only the gentle touch of his hands to benefit the patient.
He can help patients with a variety of health problems including neck and back pain, asthma, sinus problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraines, and menstrual pain. When appropriate, OMT can complement -- and in some cases replace -- the need for drugs or surgery. |
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Back2-It
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 17:06:06
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Maybe you're over thinking it?
A good massage will help ordinary aches and pains. That's touch. We live in a sterile society, where a handshake is followed by a sanitized hand cleaner.
Never discount the human touch. Some doctors will hardly touch their patients but will send them off to imaging. None of the doctors I ever went to could feel the tightness of my spinal and back muscles, but a massage therapist certainly could. Well, the DC could, and he was more than happy to "adjust" my spine and advise me that I would never be 100% again.
My thoughts are, avoid doctors at all cost, unless ill, or needed by your job.
The whole annual check-up thing is a manufactured piece of propaganda cooked up by the AMA. Fifty and sixty years ago, and even thirty years ago, you went to the doctor when you were sick. Not for a mining expedition.
Unless you have an ongoing problem -- aside for the effects of anxiety-- why bother? Seems like it is causing you some great anxiety in just the choosing a doc.
If they keep looking, they will find something. Guaranteed. That's their job, more or less.
"Bridges Freeze Before Roads" |
Edited by - Back2-It on 04/11/2012 17:10:32 |
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bryan3000
USA
513 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2012 : 23:26:57
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| Excellent response Back2it. |
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Osteopathic Medicine
