This book bothered me

[Medstudent85]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I was reading my medical terminology book when I came across this paragraph.

Please let me know what you think:

"Osteopathic physicians, or osteopaths (DOs), practice osteopathy, which is a separate school of medicine using diagnostic and therapeutic measures based on the belief that the body is capable of healing itself when bones are in proper position and adequate nutrition is provided. Osteopaths are not medical doctors (MDs). "

The following sentence talks about chiropractors, as in grouping DOs and chiropractors together, separating them from MDs.

The isbn is : 1-4160-3492-7

 

[Chocolate Bear]

So why don't you write a letter to the publisher and explain how DOs are fully licensed physicians, blah blah blah? 😉

 

[jason3278]

When was that written?

 

[BabyKangaroo]

And who/what company wrote it?

 

[Art Vandelay2]

The Language of Medicine. You are going to spend the rest of your life explaining to people that you aren't an optometrist, that you can prescribe meds, and have the same medical standing of an MD.

Once you're in residency (and after) 99% of people and patients you meet won't care where you went to school, your board scores, or your degree. They are just looking for a conscientious, thorough, and skilled doc. Get used to it and embrace the DO spirit!

 

[Bleurberry]

Looks like it was published in 2007 by WB Saunders... I had a theory that perhaps it was a British publication, but alas, Saunders is out of Philadelphia. No idea how they could screw up that bad. Haha!!

 

[Bacchus]

Whatever, you'll be netting more than the writer...

 

[DeLaughterDO]

The Language of Medicine. You are going to spend the rest of your life explaining to people that you aren't an optometrist, that you can prescribe meds, and have the same medical standing of an MD.

Once you're in residency (and after) 99% of people and patients you meet won't care where you went to school, your board scores, or your degree. They are just looking for a conscientious, thorough, and skilled doc. Get used to it and embrace the DO spirit!

Agreed. I've never, since starting residency, had to explain what a DO is to any patient in my ED. They just want a good compassionate physician, no matter the letters granted by their degree.

 

[JaggerPlate]

I was reading my medical terminology book when I came across this paragraph.

Please let me know what you think:

"Osteopathic physicians, or osteopaths (DOs), practice osteopathy, which is a separate school of medicine using diagnostic and therapeutic measures based on the belief that the body is capable of healing itself when bones are in proper position and adequate nutrition is provided. Osteopaths are not medical doctors (MDs). "

The following sentence talks about chiropractors, as in grouping DOs and chiropractors together, separating them from MDs.

The isbn is : 1-4160-3492-7

Wow ... big swing and a miss there. How the hell do you screw that up so bad while writing a medical book. Jesus, I'd love to read this guy's anatomy book ... 'that pumping thingey in the middle of your chest, is NOT important ... you can disregard it completely. '

 

[spicedmanna]

Don't these books get peer reviewed? Sheesh...talk about egregious errors. If it continues to bother you, send the publisher a letter describing the error, but they are probably not going to do anything until the new edition.

Anyway, agree with DeLaughterDO and Art Vandelay2...

 

[pietachok]

My response will not be very popular here, but I think that you may have misinterpreted the paragraph.

ONE MAIN founding principle was indeed that the body was overwhelmingly a self-healing entity when properly cared for (i.e. aligned, well nourished, etc.) and didn't need leaches and blood-letting of the medicine of the time.

AND That last dangling sentence says "osteopaths" not "osteopathic physicians" (DO's) are not medical physicians. The author needs to be more clear on the difference between the two. Technically there is a difference.

In many countries (the US is not one of them), you can get a degree to become an osteopath, distinct from a DO. Osteopaths, unlike Osteopathic Physicians practice like physical therapists and chiropractors in those countries--you can even be an osteopath in the UK. Osteopaths from the UK who have not gone to medical school cannot become a licensed DO in the US. I happen to know one...she practices out of her home in Manhattan as what you or I would consider something inbetween a massage therapist and chiropractor. Unlike a chiropractor she mitigates the amplitude and velocity of her adjustments, and she knows enough to consider her "patients" other conditions before manipulating them. Unlike a physical therapist, they don't see her every day/week for months on end. It's an interesting arrangement.

Considering that OMM is a "use it or lose it" skill, I think having skilled osteopaths to whom M.D.'s or even D.O.'s (who've "lost it") refer, isn't necessarily a bad idea.

 

[JaggerPlate]

My response will not be very popular here, but I think that you may have misinterpreted the paragraph.

ONE MAIN founding principle was indeed that the body was overwhelmingly a self-healing entity when properly cared for (i.e. aligned, well nourished, etc.) and didn't need leaches and blood-letting of the medicine of the time.

AND That last dangling sentence says "osteopaths" not "osteopathic physicians" (DO's) are not medical physicians. The author needs to be more clear on the difference between the two. Technically there is a difference.

In many countries (the US is not one of them), you can get a degree to become an osteopath, distinct from a DO. Osteopaths, unlike Osteopathic Physicians practice like physical therapists and chiropractors in those countries--you can even be an osteopath in the UK. Osteopaths from the UK who have not gone to medical school cannot become a licensed DO in the US. I happen to know one...she practices out of her home in Manhattan as what you or I would consider something inbetween a massage therapist and chiropractor. Unlike a chiropractor she mitigates the amplitude and velocity of her adjustments, and she knows enough to consider her "patients" other conditions before manipulating them. Unlike a physical therapist, they don't see her every day/week for months on end. It's an interesting arrangement.

Considering that OMM is a "use it or lose it" skill, I think having skilled osteopaths to whom M.D.'s or even D.O.'s (who've "lost it") refer, isn't necessarily a bad idea.

No, you are right ... osteopaths from other countries are NOT medical doctors, but Osteopathic physicians are. However, since he specifically said DO (which I don't think is the degree designation given over seas), he's horribly wrong and honestly a complete ***** to write and publish something so off. It's embarrassing.

 

[pietachok]

Eeks. I missed the Osteopath = Osteopathic Physician at the beginning. I was referring to the last sentence...

Yeah...the guy read both definitions, and combined them into one entity b/c he was confused.

 

[Medstudent85]

You'd be surprised what a large percentage of the population is confused on this topic as well. I think the AOA should invest a large amount of money in a prime time infomercial or something, bring presentations to college campuses, do community outreach programs, etc.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

No, you are right ... osteopaths from other countries are NOT medical doctors, but Osteopathic physicians are. However, since he specifically said DO (which I don't think is the degree designation given over seas), he's horribly wrong and honestly a complete ***** to write and publish something so off. It's embarrassing.

This made me curious, so I found the British School of Osteopathy. They offer the Integrated Master of Osteopathy (M. Ost) degree, which replaced the Bachelor of Osteopathy (B. Ost) degree.

http://www.bso.ac.uk/sm2most.htm

Australia offers a couple of different degrees, one of which is the same as England, and none of which are the D.O. degree of the U.S.

http://www.osteopathic.com.au/index.php/undergraduate

 

[NurWollen]

Wow ... big swing and a miss there. How the hell do you screw that up so bad while writing a medical book. Jesus, I'd love to read this guy's anatomy book ... 'that pumping thingey in the middle of your chest, is NOT important ... you can disregard it completely. '

 

[mcp5016]

I have a related story to this topic and it just got me to thinking about the stigma that I will have to deal with if/when I become a D.O. I was having dinner with my finace and my friend (who just got accepted to vet school). She was all excited that she would have the D.V.M distinction which made my fiance bring up that I may have the D.O. I was so pissed when she said, "but he won't be a doctor," and had to explain that I would be a DOCTOR. I guess I'll just have to deal with it and be better than all those MDs.

 

[Bleurberry]

My response will not be very popular here, but I think that you may have misinterpreted the paragraph.

ONE MAIN founding principle was indeed that the body was overwhelmingly a self-healing entity when properly cared for (i.e. aligned, well nourished, etc.) and didn't need leaches and blood-letting of the medicine of the time.

AND That last dangling sentence says "osteopaths" not "osteopathic physicians" (DO's) are not medical physicians. The author needs to be more clear on the difference between the two. Technically there is a difference.

In many countries (the US is not one of them), you can get a degree to become an osteopath, distinct from a DO. Osteopaths, unlike Osteopathic Physicians practice like physical therapists and chiropractors in those countries--you can even be an osteopath in the UK. Osteopaths from the UK who have not gone to medical school cannot become a licensed DO in the US. I happen to know one...she practices out of her home in Manhattan as what you or I would consider something inbetween a massage therapist and chiropractor. Unlike a chiropractor she mitigates the amplitude and velocity of her adjustments, and she knows enough to consider her "patients" other conditions before manipulating them. Unlike a physical therapist, they don't see her every day/week for months on end. It's an interesting arrangement.

Considering that OMM is a "use it or lose it" skill, I think having skilled osteopaths to whom M.D.'s or even D.O.'s (who've "lost it") refer, isn't necessarily a bad idea.

Right! That's why I was looking to see if the publisher was international.
France has a couple of schools, and Germany have osteopath schools, too, and so on. There's the FIMM, the international manual medicine group, and I know they meet in Prague, they have members from Romania, Estonia, etc. The Aussie's have quite a few osteopaths, and it's distinct from DC's, as it is in these other countries I've mentioned, and none of them have physician practice rights and I believe they're just fine with that. From my experience, the country that has the closest integration is Germany; many many physicians learn manual medicine.
I'm really looking forward to visiting some of these groups and seeing what they're sharing.

 

[Bleurberry]

I have a related story to this topic and it just got me to thinking about the stigma that I will have to deal with if/when I become a D.O. I was having dinner with my finace and my friend (who just got accepted to vet school). She was all excited that she would have the D.V.M distinction which made my fiance bring up that I may have the D.O. I was so pissed when she said, "but he won't be a doctor," and had to explain that I would be a DOCTOR. I guess I'll just have to deal with it and be better than all those MDs.

It's discouraging to hear one voice such frustration.
I hope it's just because medicine is still an abstraction, and social hierarchy is more of an immediate reality. The scales will hopefully tip the other way once one has had some training, and one will be less impressed with the professional title. Titles and other symbols of power are security blankets that have some purpose, but only within a narrowly defined context of patient care, and the rest the mind gorges on it like junk food and gets all bloated. A nasty meme, if you will.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

You know what book bothered me? The DaVinci Code.

That book was such a piece of **** I could barely stand it. And this is after everyone and their mother told me it was the best book ever, and that I absolutely HAVE TO READ IT.

It starts off pretty well. Kind of a thriller/mystery-type thing. Then, you get about halfway through it, and every five pages, these ******s are breaking another "unbreakable code, that nobody has been able to figure out for centuries", and it is at that point that you realize that Dan Brown is a hack, and should kill himself.

The movie, which was mediocre at best, was actually much better than the book. At least it had Tom Hanks and Magneto, and this hot French chick. But the South Park parody of it was probably the best adaptation of the story.

 

[slim78]

You know what book bothered me? The DaVinci Code.

That book was such a piece of **** I could barely stand it. And this is after everyone and their mother told me it was the best book ever, and that I absolutely HAVE TO READ IT.

It starts off pretty well. Kind of a thriller/mystery-type thing. Then, you get about halfway through it, and every five pages, these ******s are breaking another "unbreakable code, that nobody has been able to figure out for centuries", and it is at that point that you realize that Dan Brown is a hack, and should kill himself.

The movie, which was mediocre at best, was actually much better than the book. At least it had Tom Hanks and Magneto, and this hot French chick. But the South Park parody of it was probably the best adaptation of the story.

Your first mistake was listening to other people's mothers. This is never a good idea. They are about as reliable and knowledgeable as the average premed adviser.

 

[JaggerPlate]

I have a related story to this topic and it just got me to thinking about the stigma that I will have to deal with if/when I become a D.O. I was having dinner with my finace and my friend (who just got accepted to vet school). She was all excited that she would have the D.V.M distinction which made my fiance bring up that I may have the D.O. I was so pissed when she said, "but he won't be a doctor," and had to explain that I would be a DOCTOR. I guess I'll just have to deal with it and be better than all those MDs.

Hahahah, wow ... you need to put your woman in line DAMMIT. Just kidding (kind of), but honestly that's one of the worst ones I've heard.