From: echristo@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Elena A Christofides)
Subject: Re: Chiropractics?
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 01:24:47 GMT


>>Nor do I think that they should treat diabetes, asthma, etc. That is not what
>>they are trained to do. Does that mean though that every MD who has training
>>different fields should be excluded from the AMA because they are not trained
>
>You are absolutely right that the AMA benefits from having
>members who contribute knowledge of their respective specialities.
>However, common to all specialties within the AMA is acceptance
>of the need to include controlled studies of physiology,
>pathophysiology, and treatment effectiveness in one's thinking
>process when formulating a care plan.  This does not mean that
>all these elements are always known; however, the
>alopathic literature clearly values scientifically valid
>data far more than anecdotal data, particularly when the
>former is easily attainable.
>

Ah, funny you should mention this:)
Need I remind you that allopathic medicine does not hold the monopoly on
scientific studies. (Please, I'm NOT talking about homeopathy here!)
Nor is there any sort of reproduction of studies done anymore. All too often,
scientific studies are undertaken, and the results left to sit and flounder.
Often there may be serious flaws in the controls of the study, or assumptions
made that do not hold true (are great leaps of faith). Scientists (and MD's)
now a days all too often accept a conclusion from a study that was only done
once. Rarely are studies undertaken to test the results/conclusions of a
previous study. I've been involved in the medical field for quite some time
now. So has my husband, his father, his mother, and many of our mentors. We all
read Science, Nature, etc. And in the course of *our* research projects, I have
yet to find my statements to be untrue.
The reason I bring this up is simply to illustrate my point that MD's do not
hold the monopoly of scientific testing.

>>in internal medicine or whatever? How about the physical medicine field?
>>They're essentially a liason between the internist (internal medicine dude)
>>the physical therapists. So, since they do a lot of their work by physical
>>manipulation and therapy that they should be excluded from the AMA? NO!
>
>Funny you should mention that -- that happens to be my specialty.
>Your description of physiatry is somewhat less than accurate -- but
>we'll leave that for appropriate channels of discussion.

Actually, I'm co-president of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation club for
Medical students! I know it's a little simplified - this isn't really the forum
Ito go into detail about everyone's specialty.

>do, indeed, often prescribe medications in addition to physical
>therapy.  However, the more important issue is as above -- my
>belief in scientifically studied pathophysiology rather
>than anecdote.
>
Again, I don't believe that MD's hold this kind of monopoly. In fact, when I
was an undergraduate, my research project was overseen and funded by three
different fields of medicine at OSU and the ENTIRE research project (and
subsequent MS degree by my co-worker) was based on ....Anecdotal evidence!!!



>
>>What I am saying is that, MD's have this attitude that since one can get
>>accepted to these school's with lower grades/scores, then they must not make
>>very good physicians - thus, MD's are intellectually superior.
>
>
>Who has an attitude?  Who said any of this had to do with
>relative qualities of school and grades?  Who said MDs
>are intellectually superior?  Not I.

These are some of the reasons that (many, again, not all!) MD's hold this kind
of attitude about DC's,
DO's, etc. And attitude was the whole reason this thread started.
I know about this attitude, I've been around it far too long. I'm sick of it
personally (in my school).



>--
>Richard Kaplan M.D.           Medical Software Exchange BBS
>806 2nd St. SW # 104          (507) 281-1989 14,400 HST
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:)Elena