MD/ND Route? page

[echoyjeff222]

I'm wondering about whether there will be problems if I decide to go the MD route and then also take the ND route afterwards (naturopathy). I want to use both ways of treatment in my future practice, but will this cause any issues?

[quelsen]

such a vague question, I will provide vague answer

MD's generally take the mechanics approach. fix the isolated issue and move on

ND's generally take the sum of all parts approach, look at interrelations and assit the body to do the work

MD's measure success in days or weeks
ND's measure success in months or years.

YOU are your best practitioner and would be well advised to rely on medical assistance as a method to learn and obtain information but never to allow any degreed so and so determine what is or isnt health for you.

[echoyjeff222]

such a vague question, I will provide vague answer

MD's generally take the mechanics approach. fix the isolated issue and move on

ND's generally take the sum of all parts approach, look at interrelations and assit the body to do the work

MD's measure success in days or weeks
ND's measure success in months or years.

YOU are your best practitioner and would be well advised to rely on medical assistance as a method to learn and obtain information but never to allow any degreed so and so determine what is or isnt health for you.

sorry, i should be more specific. If I want to study medicine (i'm a pre-med student) and follow more of a paleo/alternative/holistic philosophy, what should I do?

e.g something following dr. amen's path?

[quelsen]

Ah that totally depends on what you want to do with your life.

I would ( were i to do it over again ) find a solid ND program, follow that up with Functional Medicine and Pharmacology. after my 12-15 years in school i would only work with millionaires

[EagleRiverDee]

It sounds like you are training to be a doctor? If so, I think that having the MD after your name will make you more accessible to patients. It depends on the State you are in, but in my State ND's cannot prescribe meds. Now, obviously ND's strive to treat root cause and to use diet, exercise, acupuncture, herbs etc. before meds but sometimes meds are necessary. If you train as an MD and then get your ND as well, you have all your bases covered.

If you're asking from the stance of a patient, I'd say have one (or more) of each type of doctor. I have one primary ND with two back ups, and I have one MD that I see for issues for which I need an Rx. But my ND is my primary care physician, and I have never been healthier than since I began seeing her. Naturopathic care has changed my life. I know now that I am truly the one in control of my own health. She's taught me where conventional wisdom has gone so wrong, and helped to get me back on the right track.

[oxide]

1. MD's can do more healing than ND's. Diet isn't going to fix a broken leg.
2. MD's are more likely to find work than ND's.
3. I don't know what ND clientele looks like, but MD's are more likely to see sicker people on SAD. For example, the very poor. IMO you get a lot more health bang for your buck by making a very unhealthy person fairly healthy than making a fairly healthy person super-healthy.

[EagleRiverDee]

1. MD's can do more healing than ND's. Diet isn't going to fix a broken leg.

I completely disagree with this. First of all, an ND is just as qualified to set a broken leg as an MD is. Second, ND's actually do *heal* people. MD's, generally (I've met a few exceptions) treat symptoms and not causes and so they give you a pill for your symptom, and another pill to treat the side effects of the first pill. That's not healing. It's simply symptom control. ND's actually dig down to the root of the symptom. I'll give you my own life as an example. I began seeing an ND in desperation after I herniated a disc in my lower back and was 100% disabled and in chronic pain. I had hurt my back because I had gained 90 lbs over 9 years despite chronic exercise and following the conventional wisdom low-fat, high grain diet. I had acid reflux so severe that I had to take Prevacid daily- a $200 monthly expense. In a matter of about 3 months, my ND had fixed my back (with acupuncture), discovered I had Hashimotos Thyroiditis (the original reason for my weight gain) and I was allergic to dairy which made my Hashi's worse and caused my acid reflux. My prior doctor (an MD) had simply given me Vicodin for the pain and Prevacid for the acid reflux. I now am down nearly 50 lbs, my acid reflux is 100% resolved, and my back pain is resolved and I'm back to living my life without any pain medication, even OTC. Which one healed me?

[echoyjeff222]

That was what I was thinking - a MD would have more power in terms of changing people's lives, since ND's are viewed somewhat differently by people ...

How about a D.O. pathway? I was just thinking of potential legal issues that could arise because of conflicting philosophies between ND and MD. I wouldn't really be able to use any of the training from ND in medical practice. Isn't D.O. more of a whole-body approach?

[heatseeker]

I think med school is such an extreme investment time- and money-wise that you'd be foolish to limit yourself. Go for what will give you the most options in your career. That's MD. I know quite a few MDs who practice a holistic/alternative approach. But your options are limited as an ND.

[sbhikes]

If I could afford the time and money and I was smart enough I would get the MD and then do the ND. I wouldn't need to even go get the ND degree. I could just take whatever courses or do whatever self-learning that would help me be a good ND.

In my community there is an Integrative medicine clinic. They have an MD on staff, and an ND. So it's pretty clear you can do the ND-type of medicine with an MD degree if you want to.

One thing that sort of bothers me is that all the NDs in town offer homeopathy. I would think a real MD would be smart enough to know hokum when he/she sees it. They don't offer that at the Integrative Medicine clinic, although they might have some other kinds of hokum.