DO and Grave's disease

[bonjuju]

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Hey all.
A friend of mine has Grave's disease and has expressed interest in ditching her endo and seeing a DO endo because she thinks he/she will be more "holistic". I am currently in an allopathic school, (just finished MSI) and from what I understand, our trainings are pretty similar with the obvious exception of osteo-manipulation.
Does anyone past DOII know anything about DO treatment and Grave's that would differ from the treatment she would receive from an MD? I'd hate to see her switch docs to see someone who is going to treat her with the same treatment plan that she is currently unhappy with, and I haven't had enough path to give her good advice. Her current doc wants her to consider irradiation of the thyroid, which is why she wants to seek out alternative treatments. I'm not convinced that seeing a DO is an "alternative treatment" as DOs and MDs seem to be pretty interchangable. I should add that she has been diagnosed for (I think) at least three years, and that her current doc is not satisfied with her average TSH.
Any thoughts, suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[Green912]

It sounds as if she's either not satisified with her current doctor because of past management or she's worried about the new treatment plan. Whether D.O. or M.D. it seems she could use a second opinion. Can't help you with differences in tx.

 

[(nicedream)]

I agree. It's a good idea to get a second opinion, and if she's interested, why not from a DO? He/she could very well come up with the same treatment plan, but at least your friend will have explored her options.

 

[Ryan]

Obviously you know that Docs are humans too. If she has been treated by this doc for three years, I would tell her, or go with her if she in uncomfotable and explain to her physician that she is uncomfortable with irrad and would like to try alternative therapies first. The doc should be understanding of this. While he/she may not feel comfortable with 'recommending' any alternative therapies. However a second opinion couldn't hurt, but be sure to ASK how much OMT does the doc use Before setting up and appointment. Maybe the question of tx could better be answered by an OMT fellow or someone who is specializing in OMM

 

[bonjuju]

Thanks to all responding, and more opinions are definitely welcome. 👍
Nicedreams, I also feel "why not a DO", but I feel this way about all western medical care. My main question here, which I think I did not phrase well, is to ask whether or not there is something is OMM that anyone here might be familiar with for this particular disease. Part of the problem is that my friend is not open to the fact that she may lose her thyroid function, and I am afraid that she will keep messing with her meds to the point of some major system damage, which seems to be a part of her pattern thus far. I think that a DO may come to the same conclusions as her current doc, and that she is expecting some kind of drastic therapy that will "fix" what is broken. I know nothing about OMM, so I don't know if it is predominantly used for musculoskeletal issues, or if it can be used in the treatment of endocrine disorders. I do agree that she needs a second opinion, and that her current doc is NOT working for her. I should stress that she would like to see a DO in hopes that the treatment will be quite different from allopathic treatment, and so far I have not seen that it would be.
Any thoughts on that?

 

[Yosh]

There is nothing that really comes to mind that can specifically be used in the solitary treament of Hyperthyroidism. I am sure there are OMT techniques out there...but nothing that would be geared towards the resolution of this problem

I agree with the above posters, that perhaps she is dissatisfied with her current treatment. One caveat is that I tend to know many many more DO's that don't use OMT than actually do....

Just make sure the "endo DO" utilizes OMT....prior ro scheduling an appt...if that is specifically what the patient wants...

Just my .02