<p>Are osteopaths medical doctors with additional training in this type of holistic medicine or are they a specialty with their own field like a chiropractor would be? If someone has a D.O. after their name are they a certified MD or not? I checked a website and still couldn’t figure out exactly what their training and certification was.</p>
<p>Osteopaths are essentially equivalent to allopathic physicians (MDs) except they have several weeks of additional training in musculoskeletal disorders and manipulations during medical school. Unlike chiropracters, they do not, to my knowledge, make claims that the techniques they use can treat non-musculoskeletal conditions like asthma.
The techniques they use involve massage, stretching, special exercises, much like physical therapy.
Osteopaths tend to go into primary care specialties, but not altogether - one that I personally know is an anesthesiologist.
They are still slightly “looked down upon” by the allopathic establishment, but my understanding is that is unreasonably prejudiced.</p>
<p>There are osteopathic residencies as well, but I don’t know how they differ from regular residencies.</p>
<p>thanks, Cangel!</p>
<p>Mostly a difference in philosophy & training. No difference in what they are licensed to do.</p>
<p>FYI re chiropractors & asthma; related anecdote: </p>
<p>It may be hard to believe but my youngest son (who developed asthma just shy of age 3) was tremendously helped by Chinese Medicine (acupuncture.) I was a bit skeptical but I was also worried about putting my toddler on steriods (the western option.) Figured it could not hurt to try acupuncture when a friend recommended it.</p>
<p>The asthma came out of nowhere, and he suffered 4-5 attacks a month for the first two months-- until we did the treatment. After 6-8 weeks of treatment, frequency went down to 1 or 2 attacks a year (usually attendant to bad cold or extreme dust) and they at much lower severity. This has held for the last 5 years, with no additional treatment.</p>
<p>I have had asthma treated by acupuncture.
I used to go to a naturopath for about 20 years- who was very good and was covered by my ins, however she stopped dealing with ins companies last year- so I made the switch to an allopathic physician.
Currently I don’t usually use anything for asthma unless I am exercising heavily outside then I use an inhaler.
My older daughters pedatrician was an osteopath- very good- in US the training is equivalent to Drs- can prescribe controlled medications, perform surgery etc.
My impression was that he knew much more about nutrition and how body function ( movement) affects health.
It was a great transition for us, when our daughter was born I was planning on a midwife birth- but the reality was c section in a teaching hospital 10 weeks early. He respected my philosophy and knew a great deal about complementary/alternative medicine.</p>
<p>I know people at DO schools. The MD is a different degree than the DO, although, as above, they are licensed to do the same things. It is my understanding that DO school involves more hands-on work (manipulations) but also more interaction with the patient than traditional medicine. They still do all of the work that MDs do. Some parts of the country are more accepting of DOs than others - the Northeast, IMO, being particularly snobby.</p>
<p>A chiropractor is a Doctor of Chiropractor or something, right? </p>
<p>Re: Chiropractors. I’ve never actually been told by mine that her work would cure things unrelated to muscular disorders - but there may be differences in the field. I went to one after two/three years of severe abdominal pain and an utter failure of traditional medicine to even diagnose me. The best that traditional medicine came up with is, “psychosomatic.” Went to a chiropractor on the recommedation of someone with similar issues (pain that no one could diagnose). Best move I made - within a week, I felt better; within a month, I was out of pain for the first time in years.</p>
<p>There is some coming together of the allopathic and osteopathic. Here, the “flagship” OD hospital merged into the “flagship” (and very highly rated) MD hospital several years ago. There were some ruffles, but it is one big institution now. Still, there are those patients who only want MDs, those who prefer ODs and, I suppose, those who are indifferent or unaware of the differences.</p>
<p>I have had excellent results from acupuncture for 1) herniated discs, 2) respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia, 3) asthma and 4) organ prolapse. I also used acupuncture to mitigate the effects of chemotherapy ( there are definitely times to use allopathic medicine, and cancer is one of them!) and found my OMD (Doctor of Oriental Medicine) to be an ally for the Western medical treatment I was receiving. I have found that they can be used together. In addition, I have another doctor who is both MD and ND, so we can receive homeopathic treatments as well. We found that useful when one of our children suffered depression. Rather than trying the usual medication for depression, we tried homeopathy first. In our plan, there was time for a switch if homeopathy did not work, but it did. We therefore avoided the side effects of normal meds for depression. Unfortunately, none of the above is yet covered by our insurance :(</p>
<p>My h grew up with an osteopathic physician–way back in the olden days.</p>
<p>In the hospitals around here, (Houston area) it doesn’t matter if you’re a DO or MD, you practice side by side. My ob/gyn is a DO. There are many in TX (big school in Dallas area) and he delivers babies, does surgery, ultrasounds, etc. He practices in the same hospital with MDs and was even chief of ob/gyn in the hospital with MDs. He is much more amenable to alternative medicine that any MD I have ever seen. That is the only difference I have seen, having been to both.</p>