Anyone here have an osteopath (OD) as primary care physician?

[chookie]

I had to give up my beloved family MD when my insurance changed :-( After one total dud MD who by second consultation had violated the "First do no harm" precept, I found an MD who was actually knowledgeable and nice.

Trouble is -- his office is a 25 minute drive, each way. I have to go weekly to get allergy shots, plus I am max-total-super-stupendous-ridiculous busy and overwhelmed, so with the time and gasoline factor, I have missed a month of treatment, and just wishing I didn't have to go so far.

Right down the block here in Buburbia, a minute's drive, a new "family practice" opened. Made me think about changing to one of these doctors. I'm basically in good health, and have had all major health problems put under control by specialists, so it's not like the new PCP has to be "House" at this stage of my life, thank heavens.

But I found out that the doctors there are ODs and not MDs. Yikes. What's that?

Never been to an osteopath/OD and know zip about them. I didn't think they were "real" doctors until I read on the web that they are.

So they're not psychic surgeons, faith healers, Scientologists or New Age "shamans." Good so far.

But do they make good PCPs?

Advise me, please please please.

[trof]

1. Here's a quick google rundown.

"MD or DO - Is There A Difference?
A medical doctor (MD) and a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO)
generally have the same educational background. Both are required to
complete an undergraduate degree -- usually with an emphasis on
science -- followed by four years of medical school, and then a
residency program. The length of this residency program varies by the
physician's specialty. All physicians must then pass state licensure
requirements and examinations.

In regard to primary care, the basic difference between these two
types of doctors is narrowing all the time. "The biggest difference is
that most DOs go into primary care", according to Bryan Beggin, DO, of
the OSU Family Practice Center at Gahanna. The philosophic difference
is that the DO tends to treat the entire individual, rather than using
a disease-specific approach to treatment."
http://www.osumedcenter.edu/choose_physician/how_to_choose/md_or_do.asp


From Cecil Adams' "Straight Dope" website:
"What's the difference between an osteopath and an MD?
The difference between a DO and an MD is more a matter of philosophy
than training, although D.O.s do receive additional training in the
musculoskeletal system.

Other than that, according to the Osteopathic Pre-Med FAQ (located at
http://www.Osteopathic.com ), DOs and MDs get the same schooling. DOs
can do anything an MD can do (prescribe medication, perform surgery,
leer at nurses, etc.), and are considered equal by the law. This only
applies to American DOs.

[purr]

2. I have a DO not sure if its the same thing

I LOVE HIM!! He adjusts my back and is generally more relaxed and more thorough than my MD was. My MD was psycho with the EKG machine.. go in for a stuffed up nose he'll give you an EKG. Getting stitches removed? EKG. I HATED it. He also has his eye open to alternative treatments and makes me feel comfortable. Doesnt push drugs down you're throat either unless you really need them.

I would never go back to a regular MD unless I need a specialist. Hes my PCP and the greatest doc I ever had.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Yes, when I was a kid.

Southern Maine has a long history with osteopathic doctors. After a while they were the bulk of family practitioners in my community. A good one is as good as a good MD.

[triguy46]

4. Their training is essentially that of MDs, with the addition of "osteopathic manipulation."

an OD is a doctor of optometry. If you are seeing an osteopath, the credential is DO.

I would suggest, if you are reviewing credentials, see where he/she did residency training. In many, many teaching hospitals, MDs and DOs train side by side.

If anything, they are superior in primary care, in that they do, philosphically at least, view the body as an interconnected system. The OSU Center for Health Sciences has been ranked quite high in providing high quality primary care physicians, independent of the MD or DO medical school classification.

Might want to be wary of some "old school" DOs who left med school for medical practice without a residency. In todays world, just no reason for to use a physician who has not pursued post graduate training.

[chookie]

7. Thanks for your response

You succinctly addressed the issues that were of concern to me.

The DO I am considering switching to -- solely on basis of his close proximity to my home -- was trained at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Do you know about that place? His specialty is Family Practice, subspecialty is Manipulative Medicine, and he did in fact do a residency at a major hospital associated with the University of Pittsburgh. He is Board Certified in Family Practice.

Knowing he has Board Certification gives me some level of confidence that he is a well trained physician and not a goofball who practices dubious techniques.

I kinda already buy into the osteopathic notion of the importance of the muscular/skeletal system (i.e. I eliminated severe back pain simply by developing excellent posture), and of course practicing a healthy lifestyle (ha ha -- yes, minus all the stress I am constantly under).

MDs are not perfect. By golly, I had a constant serious cough that went misdiagnosed for ***15 years**** thanks to my MD PCPs and the pulmonologists they kept sending me to! Chest x-rays were always normal, but I was diagnosed with "cough-variant asthma", even though no asthma medicine known to mankind ever helped me. Me myself and I came up with the brilliant notion that maybe, since the cough started as a tickle in the throat, that I should see an otolarynologist. She listened to my history like a hawk for 10 minutes, suggested it was erosive esophagitis, and proved it when she stuck the probe into my esophagus, which looked like Dante's Inferno. Never had heartburn a day in my life, yet the damn cough all along had been the result of acid reflux. I followed her medicine regimen, and the very long-lived cough was extinguished. (I worship the ground she walks upon for fixing me.)

If an OD PCP is no dumber than an MD PCP, and is at least as imaginative and bright as Not-A-Doctor Chookie to figure out I needed to see another kind of specialist, then maybe I should consider giving this guy a try.
I guess it all depends on the individual practioner, MD or DO. Jeez Maneez -- this is supposed to be science, but so much of it is personality and chance.

Too bad my insurance doesn't let you "audition" one of their doctors before you choose :-)

[triguy46]

17. Health care is the most personal of experiences...

as such, sometimes things go well, sometimes things just don't click. All said about wholeness, etc, in practice today, the real clinical practice differences between MDs and DOs is quite slight. If you have an infection, the overwhelming, overwhelming number of physicians will prescribe the correct antibiotic. the distribution curve is quite broad, meaning that "most" health care providers are all pretty much equal in knowledge and practice. The ends of the curve are where things get interesting, on the down side by those who are marginal and dangerous, at the other end by those who are truly gifted, insightful, caring. For most of us, getting care from someone we like, and can trust in the middle of the bell curve, is really more than adequate.

Most of primary care, about 60% is episodic in nature, colds, flu, sore throat, upper respiratory infections. A good intern or first year resident can handle that stuff. Its the other 40% of stuff that you want someone who knows whats going on.

Good luck.

[supernova]

5. My Granddad was an Osteopath

He treated patients in his home office. Often what he did sounded an awful lot like massage, spinal alignment ... he was the first to recognize that I was developing scoliosis.

He died when I was 14.

I've often thought of them as MDs willing to consider alternative therapies.

However, there are med schools that now incorporate alternative therapies in their curricula. UNC-Chapel Hill is one.

[chookie]

6. Do they cooperate with allopathic specialists?

The reason that I am doing weekly allergy shots -- I am off the charts regarding reactions to certain things -- is because my superb otolarynologist said it might be worth a try.

The way my insurance goes is that the prescribing specialist can't give the shots -- only the PCP.

If I go to an osteopath, will he respect her orders to give the allergy shots a trial?

[Critters2]

11. Yes. They work well with allopaths.

Many DOs go on and do specialty training at allopathic schools and hospitals.

I'd recommend a DO. They tend to be better trained in "bedside manner"--patient communication issues. They're also open to a variety of treatments, including some alternative.

I've gone to DOs for years, because I've mostly been in rural areas. DOs are often found in rural parts of the country, because of their commitment to patient care over money, prestige, etc. I was on a committee to recruit a doctor to a rural community. We flew in a good many docs, MDs and DOs. We noticed a pattern. Every single MD asked about the golf course--where it was, how much to use it, some even asked if it was private (and seemed disappointed when we said it was public), and wanted to see it. Every single DO had questions about the nursing home in town and wanted to visit it. One MD was deeply concerned about the fact that there was no Cadillac dealer to service his car. The difference was most striking, and even we were quite surprised by the patterns that emerged.

Another thing I like about DOs is that every one I've been to has been educated in the US, most near to where I lived when seeing them--Des Moines, Kansas City, Chicago, etc. I suppose MDs trained off shore are well-qualified, but I must admit a bias when faced with choosing between a doctor trained in Grenada vs one trained in Des Moines or Chicago.

And then the final test--I've liked all my DOs. They've been great docs. So, when I moved here two years ago, I looked at the long list of docs available. The first place I've lived in a long time with many choices. It wasn't hard for me, though. I chose a woman DO. And she's great.

[KitchenWitch]

8. I love my DO!

The good thing about DOs is that they are more open to "non-traditional" approaches to medical issues. IOW, they are more likely to give a referral for acupuncture, etc than an MD.

YMMV

[NMDemDist2]

9. i had several in Phoenix and loved them each and every one! n/t

[TheProphetess]

10. I had one as primary physician about 10 years ago

I really liked him and only left him when our insurance changed and he was not covered under the new one. He did everything an MD would but he also could do spinal alignment, if needed.

Good luck to you. :hi:

[WinkyDink]

12. I did, as a kid. I loved him! He made house calls, too.

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. Yup

She's done acupuncture and OMT (osteopathic manipulation therapy) on me, which is kinda like chiropractic + massage.

D.O.s tend to practice preventative care more than M.D.s.

Oh — and she's a lesbian and HATES the Wregime, the health insurance industry and Big Pharma. :headbang:

[realisticphish]

14. I've had an Osteopath as GP for years

He's not the best, but he's basically an MD. He doesn't prescribe acupunture, or any other quack new-age remedies. Granted he's older, so that might have something to do with it, but it's no big deal.

Just beware of what they advise you... if you start to see them leaning into woo-land, I'd start looking for something else. Good luck :hi:

[chookie]

15. Thank you all

I appreciated each response and all the different perspectives and experience.

Diagnosis:
1) This Board Certified DO guy is worth a try
2) If he seems a little loopy, get the heck out of there. But that's what I'd do with any professional.

Thanks thank thanks

[ikojo]

16. From what I've heard osteopaths are trained to

look at the whole body rather than just the part the patient is complaining about.

[prolesunited]

18. Our whole family sees the same DO

and we are quite happy with him. Although he does prescribe drugs, it's not always his first approach. And he knows the dynamics of not just the individual, but the whole family, two of which have serious medical conditions.

I've never liked doctors until I started using him. We liked his partner even better, but he moved out of the area.

I would seek out a DO if I ever had to change.

[Digit]

19. I had a DO up in NoVa whom I almost believe can walk on water

I had a neck injury after a fall and could not turn my head. I went from chiropractor, to pain management, to every type of doctor. I had the injury for almost a year by the time I found my DO.
All in all, I spent $5,000 of my own money (no health insurance) trying to get rid of this pain.

I CURED me in ONE visit! I felt so GOOD, I went home and demolished an ancient workbench which weighed a ton and felt the familiar pains once again.

I booked yet another appointment, and he said I was not wonder woman, and I had to let the muscles reset for 30 days before I did any heavy lifting. I took his advice and have not had a problem since.

That was 17 years ago.

His name is Lie P. Chang in Alexandria, Va. I will never forget what he did for me.

[MiserableFailure]

20. As long as they're board certified, they're equivalent to MD's imo

If you want an internist for example, or a family practicioner, and theyve been through a residency and passed the board for it, you'll most likely be in good hands

[flamingyouth]

21. I had a DO perform surgery on me about five years ago.

She did a great job and prescribed all the appropriate meds. I can't speak for all of them, of course, but she was a great doctor.

[KT2000]

22. Used to and she was the best

GP I ever had. She moved out of the area and I was really disappointed.
She did the same things other doctors do so I don't know what the actual difference would be. She was probably brighter than most drs though.

[Connonym]

23. I've had a DO for the past 20+ years

Basically, quality of care varies widely from physician to physician, MD or DO. I wouldn't get hung up on that particular credential because it's not an indicative factor of quality of care. The right doctor-patient fit is different for everyone. Some people want a god-doctor to rule with an iron fist, some people want to be involved in the decision-making process. It's finding out what style works for you and finding someone you can trust. That is far more important than the initials at the end of their name.

Personally? I think it's important to build a relationship with one doctor and try to stick with them if at all possible. I'm willing to drive 30+ minutes instead of 5 to see my doc. I think we have a mutual trust and now that I have no medical insurance this is especially important. After all this time he's willing to handle simple questions over the phone ("I think I have a sinus infection" etc) without me having to pay for an expensive office visit. Plus there's the comfort level of me feeling I can be honest to him in saying that I can't afford ALL the blood work, what do I really need?

Find someone you trust, that's the bottom line.

[Eurobabe]

24. I've had two D.O. 's(doctor of osteopathy)

Both were very good, they are much more into considering the body as a whole, as a system. They don't tend to compartmentalize things like M.D.s do. My D.O's spent alot more time with me during visits asking questions than normal M.D.s ever did.

Go here: http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=ado_whatis

[philosophie_en_rose]

25. A few years back.

She was great, went to medical school and everything. :) The osteopathic training was in addition, not a substitute.

I would be careful to look up your doctor's credentials. They'll likely be online.

You don't want to have surgery from Dr. Nick Riviera - MD or DO, but I wouldn't take advice from anyone acting like a doctor that have only graduated from places like Bastyr.

[eyepaddle]

26. One more response: DO and MDs are pretty much equivalent

I was in a grad school program in Public Health, and many of my classmates were MDs, and a few were DOs, there didn't seem to be any rivalry at all, and many of our MD lecturers stressed "legitimacy" of DOs. (For the record, I am neither--my discipline is Industrial Hygiene, lest anyone think I'm trying to represent myself as a medical professional)

I think I'd personally prefer a DO as a primary care provider--it is just sometimes hard to find them as they are sort of outnumbered by MDs.

As you suspect, it'll come down to the individual in question.