Are D.O.s real doctors?

[Deep13]

I know once apon a time they were in the same catagory as chiropractors and homeopaths. Has that changed?

[Orrex]

1. Thanks for asking that--I've wondered the same thing

I get the sense that woos treat D.O.s like some kind of "universal" doctors, much like The Professor on Gilligan's Island was a professor of everything.

Whatever of Doctor of Osteopathy actually studies, he or she enjoys wide-reaching reverence among woos.

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. Yes. Here's a link:

If you are like most people, you probably don't know the difference between a medical doctor, MD, and an osteopathic doctor, DO.

DOs and MDs are alike in many ways:

* Applicants to both DO and MD colleges typically have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on science courses.

* Both DOs and MDs complete four years of basic medical education.

* After medical school, both DOs and MDs can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine—such as psychiatry, surgery, obstetrics, or sports medicine—after completing a residency program (typically two to six years of additional training).

* Both DOs and MDs must pass comparable state licensing examinations.

* DOs and MDs both practice in fully accredited and licensed hospitals and medical centers.

* Both are medical doctors; MD is specifically Doctor of Medicine and DO is Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

What Makes DOs Different?

* DOs can perform surgery, child delivery, treat patients, and prescribe medications in hospitals and clinic settings.

* DOs look at the "total person." Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive care. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they look at the whole body.

* DOs receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system, which is comprised of the nerves, muscles, and bones. This training gives DOs a better understanding of how an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another part of the body; therefore, DOs have a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage.

* DOs use what is called osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). OMT is a technique in which the DOs use their hands to diagnose injury and illness, giving special attention to the joints, bones, muscles, and nerves. Manipulations improve circulation, which in turn, creates a normal nerve and blood supply, enabling the body to heal itself.

http://www.stronghealth.com/services/primarycare/domd.cfm

It does sound a little chiropacter-esque. However, my wife (a nurse) says that most of the D.O.'s she knows are in OBGYN.

[Warpy]

3. They did the same internships and residency

that mainstream doctors did in the teaching hospitals I worked in back in Boston, where one of their schools was.

I found them to be knowledgeable and competent but with an expanded focus on nutrition and musculoskeletal disorders.

[cosmik debris]

4. I wonder if their Malpractice Insurance is more expensive?

Just curious.