# MD vs. DO **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 29, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145 "2004-03-29T20:02:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/1 "2004-03-29T20:02:57Z")
Compelled to choose a primary-care physician quickly from a list of providers about whom you know little, do the letters after the name make a difference to you? If so, which do you choose: MD or DO? Why? ---
**Author:** ![jellytoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@jellytoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellytoes)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/2 "2004-03-29T20:10:01Z")
From personal experience, I always go with the DO. I understand that they go through a few more years of schooling and another series of tests than MDs. They can do a few more things than MDs, which means that when I got my sacro-iliac (sp?) joint out of whack, my DO could pop it back in place correctly and give me some exercises to do to strengthen the muscles around it. All the MDs I’ve seen would have just handed me a referral and a prescription. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/3 "2004-03-29T22:59:34Z")
[Eddie Izzard] Both very powerful figures on the Scrabble™ board, however. [/Eddie Izzard] ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/4 "2004-03-30T00:28:45Z")
I’ve worked with both. Education is somewhat different. I believe DOs have slightly less. I’ve been much less impressed with the DOs performance, but that might have been the individuals. The DOs seem to be less concerned about the patient’s physicial health than its impact on day to day life. My notion is if you allow someone to _die_ their day to day experiences are all pretty much the same. But I digress. If you have to choose immediately, just close your eyes and choose. See him or her once then decide if he or she is right for you. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/5 "2004-03-30T00:36:32Z")
> [@jellytoes](#): > > From personal experience, I always go with the DO. I understand that they go through a few more years of schooling and another series of tests than MDs. They can do a few more things than MDs, which means that when I got my sacro-iliac (sp?) joint out of whack, my DO could pop it back in place correctly and give me some exercises to do to strengthen the muscles around it. All the MDs I’ve seen would have just handed me a referral and a prescription. No, not at all correct (except perhaps for the personal experiences part). MD’s are _allopathic_ physicians. DO’s are _osteopathic_ physicians. They both have four-year postgraduate medical degrees followed by internship. They both have to pass professional and state licensure requirements in order to practice. The difference between the two degrees reflects differeing systems of training and their underlying philosophies. Allopathic medicine is the dominant treatment philosophy in the US today. [Allopathy](http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?allopathy) is > [@](#): > > That system of medical practice which aims to combat disease by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the special disease treated; a term invented by Hahnemann to designate the ordinary practice, as opposed to homeopathy. Osteopathic medicine is a form of treatment derived from a philosophy that all disease is caused by problems in the skelatal system. Today, [osteopathy](http://www.aacom.org/om.html) has developed into a “holistic” alternative treatment philosophy: > [@](#): > > Osteopathic medicine is a distinctive form of medical practice in the United States. Osteopathic medicine provides all of the benefits of modern medicine including prescription drugs, surgery, and the use of technology to diagnose disease and evaluate injury. It also offers the added benefit of hands-on diagnosis and treatment through a system of therapy known as osteopathic manipulative medicine. Originally, osteopathy was little different from “hard” chiropractice. There are still remnants of that in the current teaching, but it has evolved into a modern medical philosophy. There are advantages to osteopathic physicians as primary care providers. In fact, proportionally more DO’s choose to become PCP than MD’s. OTOH, some patients are “put off” by the idea of joint manipulation to treat GI problems. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/6 "2004-03-30T01:42:11Z")
Not all DOs practice Osteopathic Manipulation Therapy (OMT). My own PCP is a DO, and she doesn’t, and most of the DOs I’ve worked for don’t, either. That said, in most states there is no legal distinction between an MD and a DO. DOs can practice the vast majority of specialties of medicine; I’ve known DOs who were radiologists, surgeons, OB/GYNs, and even a couple psychiatrists. Robin ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/7 "2004-03-30T18:15:28Z")
I just realized no one can search for this thread by title, and that makes me kind of sad. But not too sad. OK, here’s my own prejudice, based on a combination or reasoning and ignorance. Feel free to blast away with the power of fact. **I always choose the MD because I suspect they may have a higher level of training and competence.** MDs and DOs do pretty much the same thing, and are subject to the same rules, requirements, and limitations. However, the MD is a much more prestigious and well-recognized degree. People know an MD is a “real doctor,” after all. There seems to be some confusion about what DO means, and I’m not sure what percentage of people are familiar with the degree at all. So why would someone choose to be a DO? Maybe they _don’t_ choose. Maybe the barriers to entry are lower. Maybe the schools are easier to get into or to graduate from, and I’d certainly prefer a doctor who attended Johns Hopkins University to one who went to Bob’s School of Doctoring, even if they have to meet the same basic requirements to practice medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/8 "2004-03-30T18:58:56Z")
Why on earth wouldn’t you go to the one most relevant to your problem? With a sprained shoulder, I’ll go to an osteopath; with a fever I’ll get the doctor. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/9 "2004-03-30T19:28:03Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I just realized no one can search for this thread by title, and that makes me kind of sad. But not too sad. > > OK, here’s my own prejudice, based on a combination or reasoning and ignorance. Feel free to blast away with the power of fact. > > **I always choose the MD because I suspect they may have a higher level of training and competence.** > > MDs and DOs do pretty much the same thing, and are subject to the same rules, requirements, and limitations. However, the MD is a much more prestigious and well-recognized degree. People know an MD is a “real doctor,” after all. There seems to be some confusion about what DO means, and I’m not sure what percentage of people are familiar with the degree at all. So why would someone choose to be a DO? Maybe they _don’t_ choose. Maybe the barriers to entry are lower. Maybe the schools are easier to get into or to graduate from, and I’d certainly prefer a doctor who attended Johns Hopkins University to one who went to Bob’s School of Doctoring, even if they have to meet the same basic requirements to practice medicine. There are excellent DOs, just as there are bad MDs. I went to an MD for back pain. He put me on Motrin and sent me back to work. The Motrin made the pain worse, so I went back to see a different practitioner. Turns out that the MD missed an obvious kidney infection; the corpsman I saw told me that had it been allowed to go on much longer, I was looking at permanent damage. Likewise, my current PCP is a DO. When I had pain and tingling and whole body parts were going numb, she made some excellent educated guesses and sent me for appropriate referrals. She didn’t waste my time sending me to an orthopedist; she sent me right to a neurologist, who was able to determine what the problem was. YMMV, of course. Robin ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/10 "2004-03-30T19:28:47Z")
Perhaps you’re not familiar with the term [primary-care physician](http://www.cigna.com/health/consumer/service/faq_pcp.html), which appears in the OP. Why would you assume an osteopath would be better at treating a sprained shoulder and a doctor (by which you mean M.D.?) would be better at treating a fever, if both are general practitioners? ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/11 "2004-03-30T19:32:00Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I just realized no one can search for this thread by title, and that makes me kind of sad. But not too sad. > > OK, here’s my own prejudice, based on a combination or reasoning and ignorance. Feel free to blast away with the power of fact. > > **I always choose the MD because I suspect they may have a higher level of training and competence.** > > MDs and DOs do pretty much the same thing, and are subject to the same rules, requirements, and limitations. However, the MD is a much more prestigious and well-recognized degree. People know an MD is a “real doctor,” after all. There seems to be some confusion about what DO means, and I’m not sure what percentage of people are familiar with the degree at all. So why would someone choose to be a DO? Maybe they _don’t_ choose. Maybe the barriers to entry are lower. Maybe the schools are easier to get into or to graduate from, and I’d certainly prefer a doctor who attended Johns Hopkins University to one who went to Bob’s School of Doctoring, even if they have to meet the same basic requirements to practice medicine. That is just prejudice. MD’s and DO’s face the same or equivalent state licensure requirements. There are smaller numbers of practicing DO’s, but there are also proportionally smaller numbers of osteopathic medical colleges. FWIW (not alot), the average MCAT score for osteopathic medical schools from [this site](http://www.eckerd.edu/academics/nas/premed/MCAT_GPA_List.htm) is 8.0, versus 9.4 for allopathic medical schools. Remember: not every allopathic medical college is Harvard Med or Johns Hopkins. That is not really a concern here. I’ve known some really crappy doctors from those schools, and some very good ones from offshore schools. Don’t focus on the degree type or the school granting it. And **qts** , I think you might be confusing osteopath with orthopedist. As mentioned, osteopaths are not necessarily “bone guys”, even if the teaching philosphy originally located disease in skeletal dysfunction. Many osteopaths are generalists, as able to treat a fever, and as likely to refer you onwards for a shoulder injury, as any FP with a MD. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/12 "2004-03-30T19:34:20Z")
Whoops, **MsRobyn** got in while I was previewing my response to **qts**. I believe there are good DOs and I know for a fact there are bad MDs, but I’m wondering if there could be a correlation between the degree and the levels of training and competence, even if its not 1:1. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/13 "2004-03-30T19:55:15Z")
> [@paperbackwriter](#): > > That is just prejudice. I admitted it was a prejudice. I am prejudging a physician’s ability to care for me. But to dismiss it as _just_ prejudice seems kind of unfair, since I did present a rationale, which you have partially supported. > [@](#): > > MD’s and DO’s face the same or equivalent state licensure requirements. This, in fact, was part of my argument. > [@](#): > > There are smaller numbers of practicing DO’s, but there are also proportionally smaller numbers of osteopathic medical colleges. FWIW (not alot), the average MCAT score for osteopathic medical schools from [this site](http://www.eckerd.edu/academics/nas/premed/MCAT_GPA_List.htm) is 8.0, versus 9.4 for allopathic medical schools. That would seem to support one of my conclusions, that the barriers to entry for the profession are lower. > [@](#): > > Remember: not every allopathic medical college is Harvard Med or Johns Hopkins. That is not really a concern here. I’ve known some really crappy doctors from those schools, and some very good ones from offshore schools. Don’t focus on the degree type or the school granting it. I think for many of us, the amount of information we are given and the ability we have to do independent research when choosing a primary-care physician are quite limited. (I’ve been in situations in which I was pressured to choose a PCP before the end of the day.) One of the very few pieces of information we are given about each candidate is the person’s degree, so if there’s even a SLIGHT significance to it – and it looks like there might be – why not take it into consideration? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/14 "2004-03-30T20:05:56Z")
My alma mater featured a School of Osteopathic Medicine… which meant that, in my college years, most of my exposure to doctors in general were D.O.s. As far as I’m concerned, MD and DO are interchangeable. I witnessed that the DOs had the same amount and type of education as the MDs, only it seems to me that MDs [sweeping generalization] tend to be brusque to get you out of their office asap, while DOs take the tiime to find out _how you are_. [/sweeping generalization] Because of that, I’ve always chosen DOs because the DO philosophy (body + mind) is more complete than MDs (body only). Clearly, YMMV, but in my experience, the DOs showed more concern for my well-being in general than have MDs and any disease or infection was cured just the same. DOs tend to emphasize diet, sleep and other external factors before they’ll write a scrip, but they won’t let you suffer if a pill will cure what ails you, either. If there’s a non-invasive way to handle your problem, they’ll try that first. Try getting a scrip for antibiotics from a DO when you have a cold. Not gonna happen. On the other hand (where there are four fingers and a thumb), I find chiropractors to be complete quacks, even though I know some people swear by them. I found it interesting to learn that originally, the DO philosophy was not much different than Chiropractic “medicine”. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/15 "2004-03-30T21:39:10Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > I admitted it was a prejudice. I am prejudging a physician’s ability to care for me. But to dismiss it as _just_ prejudice seems kind of unfair, since I did present a rationale, which you have partially supported. > > This, in fact, was part of my argument. > > That would seem to support one of my conclusions, that the barriers to entry for the profession are lower. > > I think for many of us, the amount of information we are given and the ability we have to do independent research when choosing a primary-care physician are quite limited. (I’ve been in situations in which I was pressured to choose a PCP before the end of the day.) One of the very few pieces of information we are given about each candidate is the person’s degree, so if there’s even a SLIGHT significance to it – and it looks like there might be – why not take it into consideration? I don’t have much of a dog in this fight, since I have neither of these degrees, nor do any of my close relatives. I just think that you are using an unreliable indicator to pre-judge. I suppose that you have a point, in that is is one of a small set of equally-unreliable indicators available to you. If you are allowed to change your PCP selection there is little harm in doing so, I suppose. I just interpreted your OP as being agnostic on the question, rather than seeking support for an opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/16 "2004-03-30T22:36:59Z")
Hmmm… it appears that osteopaths in the UK are very different to osteopaths in the US. Here osteopaths solely deal with muscular-skeleto problems (the aforementioned shoulder in particular) and the ones I been to have been very good at it. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/md-vs-do/237145/17 "2004-03-30T23:52:50Z")
Eons ago when I had an HMO, my primary physician(s) belonged to a DO practice. I found it to be less than desirable only because they seemed to accept every HMO in the immediate world, so there was always a wait - even if you had an early appointment - and then rushed us out just as fast as they could. I changed insurance and changed doctors within a year. That experience alone makes me less inclined to consider a DO, but I would listen to the recommendation of a patient.