# MD and DO

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-and-do/188898>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 16, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-and-do/188898 "2003-07-16T15:53:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-and-do/188898/1 "2003-07-16T15:53:53Z")

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What is the difference between the curriculums of MD and DO degrees?

Thanks.

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**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-and-do/188898/2 "2003-07-16T18:07:33Z")

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Or is it OD?

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**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-and-do/188898/3 "2003-07-16T18:54:56Z")

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DO - Doctor of Osteopathy. They have more training in the musculoskeletal system than MDs and learn osteopathic manipulation, which is similar to chiropractic. They tend to be more holistic in philosophy, though not always.

I used to work at an osteopathic hospital and I asked one of the docs there how often he got to use that training. He told me he used it most often during his rotation on the ob/gyn floor of the hospital where he did his internship - he used it on women who had just had babies to help relieve lower back pain.

Here’s a link from the National Institutes of Health:

> **[Doctor of osteopathic medicine: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002020.htm)**
>
> A doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) is a physician licensed to practice medicine, perform surgery, and prescribe medicine.

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**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\
**Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-and-do/188898/4 "2003-07-17T17:11:36Z")

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What’s an osteopathic hospital? Is that attached to a school, or are there actual hospitals that are osteopathic by philosophy?