TexasCHLforum.com

Redneck_Buddha wrote:I saw a DO for my most recent physical and was surprised that he was trying to push Lipitor on me for what was basically high/normal cholesterol. Given the new federalized healthcare model which shall remain nameless, I asked him not to write the prescription.

Lipitor is one of the drugs du jour. Apparently for both the DO as well as the MD.

Abraham wrote:I've never encountered an Osteopath, yet they have all the skills and training of MD's. They do surgery, write prescriptions, etc.
1) So, a question: Do you see an Osteopath or an MD?
2) From the small amount of research I've done, they appear to be even more trained than MD's, yet are apparently little known by the general public. (or perhaps I live in a bubble...?)
3) Another question: Why do we have Osteopaths Vs. MD's?
Anyone?

I will offer my opinion based on my limited experience.

1) I usually see an MD.

2) I have seen an Osteopath on two occasions. The first was when I was on vacation in Tennessee and got a sinus infection. I was feeling poorly so I stopped in a clinic I saw in a small town. I didn't realize he was an Osteopath until I got inside.

He agreed to see and treat me without insurance. [I had insurance, but lived in another state] so I paid with my Visa Card. I received a prescription for some antibiotics which made me feel better in the short term [my insurance covered my prescription with a small co-pay which amazed the pharmacist.]

When I got back home I still had the infection so I visited my regular MD. He/we decided that the dose he prescribed was too low for a person of my size. He gave me a larger dose and I recovered. A side note: my MD doctor's daughter is a DO. He never did comment why she chose that route.

When I moved to Texas I went to a medical group covered by my insurance plan to get a physical. They assigned me to an Osteopath, who did a decent job. I didn't feel like I was getting short-changed since he wasn't an MD.

3) I think that the Osteopath medical schools are a relic of the past. There are only 30 accredited Osteopathic medical schools in the United States. I really don't know if their philosophy of treatment is much different than most medical schools. I have a suspicion that it might be more difficult for a DO to get a residency to get board certified for certain specialties. This would limit their income as primary care physicians.

They have a long history and the state medical boards to recognize them and give them the same rights as MDs. IMO, the AMA hasn't been able to or doesn't have the desire to convert them to MDs. I believe that they will be absorbed into the MD curriculum.