Hey Smart is Sexy Peeps,
I’m back!!!
Have you ever thought about the differences between a Chiropractor vs. Medical Doctor? Are Chiropractors even considered doctors?
Today I am going to talk about the difference between a chiropractor and a medical doctor in education, training and practice. Many people don’t know that chiropractors also function as a patient’s primary care physician due to their extensive education and training.
So, what make a Chiropractor different from a medical doctor? Let’s dig right in!
Chiropractors are health care professionals that focus on the musculoskeletal system and nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Medical doctors are physicians who practice medicine by treating injuries and illnesses. Pretty straightforward, right?
So what makes them different?
I don’t know about you but I’ve heard quit a few chiropractor horror stories, hopefully you haven’t experienced one yourself and that is why I am here, to give you the tools to know how to select the best healthcare practitioner for your next visit. Let’s help you play an active role in your health! Now to debunk what you may or may not have heard…here we go!
Let’s start with the educational requirements for admission to medical and chiropractic college; as well as the actual degree requirements for the MD (Doctor of Medicine) and DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) degrees.
Above is the admission requirements for Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, and Parker Chiropractic College. This was taken from the admission requirements for medical schools from the publication titled: Medical School Admission Requirements, 1997-1998: United States and Canada, 47th edition (published by The Association of American Medical Colleges).
Admission requirements for accredited chiropractic schools are dictated by the Council on Chiropractic Colleges (the agency appointed by the U.S. Dept. of Education to accredit chiropractic colleges).
Surprising, right? More schooling than you thought, huh!? Hopefully that demystifies chiropractic school being the easy way out from medical school. What it really boils down to is the intention of the physician, what stimulates them to study and practice for the rest of their life. Chiropractors primary focus is on prevention and helping the body heal itself by assessing the person holistically and then preparing the recommendation for treatment and maintenance of a body as an integrated system working synchronously. Most patients end up in a doctors office only when the pain has gotten to the extreme point, wanting to know ‘why” when an MD can only tell you ‘what’ is happening.
Making smart decisions about your health, not only makes you feel good but also follows the Smart is Sexy lifestyle. We all do need doctors in our lives and well, sometimes we wait too long for treatment that medication or surgery is necessary. However, if we see the inside of our body like we do the outside, I am sure we would start shopping for consistent care. This means taking care of our body as a whole and working on it before it becomes critical. Chiropractic medicine is dedicated to the practice of prevention of disease and treating the body based on a whole body functioning system approach compared to just examining the presenting symptoms which is often the standard for medical doctors. In some instances, when the symptoms are so severe I recommend this type of care. But just ask yourself one question, Wouldn’t you want to feel just as good as you look? Have your confidence and health be your best outfit?
Chiropractic is just that! Now that you know the difference between the medical practices, you can be a better skeptic and avoid any horror story because you are armed with the tools to pick the best physician for yourself! We Chiro’s want you looking and feeling good all of the time!
Stay tuned readers, could how you are using your technology be affecting your overall health? Let’s find out….
Feel free to ask me any questions below or if you want more information send me an email at drcaseye@gmail.com and stay Smart is Sexy 🙂
Wow. You are truly doing a disservice to your readers by discussing this issue with such closemindedness about the subject. You more or less just summed up an alternative website’s tables regarding this discussion.
The first table of course requirements is incredibly misleading. you don’t mention GPA, exam requirements, research, etc. There is also an association with lower admission standards with DCs (even DOs). Also, You conveniently left out that RESIDENCY that is required of MD/DOs (3-8 years!!!) destroys any amount of training a DC would hope to accomplish.
DCs aren’t licensed to prescribe or medically manage patient’s other co-morbid conditions they might have. Hence, they are not physicians (they’re doctors (more arbitrary) , its misleading to your readers to use that word.
This is not a simple topic. It’s a shame that you structured this entry like this. Instead of writing a more collaborative environment between MD/DOs and DCs, increasing your option, you make it more one sided. They should work together in certain issues.