Osteopathy- quack or not?

[lizerdbits]

I had a sleep study done due to symptoms of sleep apnea (which my dad has) and I don't have that but I have what the doctor called idiopathic hyperarousal- I wake up not to full consciousness repeatedly but my breathing is normal, hence having the symptoms of sleep apnea because I'm waking up a lot. I was discussing this with a coworker who suggested an osteopath which I was surprised to find wasn't bone related based on the prefix osteo.

This description ( http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002020.htm )makes me think magic water. Plus the comment to 'set the body to heal itself.' The person I was discussing this with is frequently a skeptic so it was somewhat surprising that she used the word 'homeopathic' which may have been incorrect on her part.

What do you think about it? It sounds like it might rely on a lot of placebo effect.

[Warpy]

1. Osteopaths concentrate much more on nutrition

and other patient variables than regular MDs do, but they generally have full hospital privileges and are real doctors. I have worked with them as interns and residents and found their knowledge base as impressive as the Harvard Medical grads I also worked with.

Give this guy a chance. Their focus is a little different, but since you don't have classic sleep apnea, a CPAP machine won't do a damned thing for you. An osteopath approaching the problem from out in left field might be just what you need.

It's either that or drugs every night.

[lizerdbits]

2. Drugs is why she mentioned the osteopath

I told the doctor I felt great for my last period and he thinks I might have prolonged PMS due to PCOS and gave me paxil which is used for severe PMS which isn't really the same thing. Later I wondered why not BCPs but when you're worn out and tired enough from a year or so of crappy sleep you'll try just about anything. I go back in a month so I can look into it and be able to ask more questions, I was certain I was going to have sleep apnea so what he said took me by surprise.

[TZ]

3. You are posting this here?!?!Are you series?1!!111!!!

Not the Health Lounge? I'm sure you would get some FINE advice from the folks there..All you need to do is have teh evul amalgams removed ya know!!!:rofl:

[varkam]

4. I wouldn't think that an osteopath would be able to help much...

with idiopathic hyperarousal, given that it probably has more to do with circadian rhythyms and neurological functioning than physical activity.

[Warpy]

5. I've worked with DO's as I said

and once in a while one would pull something from way out there and it would work.

We had a head injured patient with uncontrollable anger. He wasn't that dangerous, just too scary for his wife to take home. A DO suggested we put him on high doses of a beta blocker and damned if it didn't work!

Like I said, it's worth a chance if you want to explore alternatives.

[varkam]

7. I'm not doubting what you said.

I'm not a doctor, and have never worked with or been a patient of a DO so I'll take your word on it. I'm just saying that based on the description offered it doesn't make intuitive sense to me that idiopathic hyperarousal would be something that could be resolved with treatments focusing on muscles or bones. I suppose, though, that's not all that a DO can do (Hah! I'm a very punny man).

[chicagomd]

6. Not.

Osteopathic (D.O.) and allopathic (M.D) physicians can get the exact same licensing by state governments and the FDA. There is some variation in their initial (i.e., medical school) training, and the exams they take to be licensed can be different. At a specialty level their Board certifications may be by different professional groups.

Traditionally there has been a bias against DOs by MDs, mainly because historically their training has not been standardized so a DO from one institution might have a vastly different knowledge base than from another one.

[Lisa0825]

9. My new doc is a DO.

I had to switch because my old doc moved away. I was skeptical, but I know several of her patients who spoke very highly of her. I honestly have not been able to tell any difference in care. Her explanation of the difference was that while the training was mostly similar, they focused more on preventive care and wellness (nutrition, good habits, etc) than typical MDs.

[dropkickpa]

8. My cuz's husband in Iraq

(Army hospital) is a DO. His schooling was almost identical to an MD's, but with a slightly different focus (as he explained to me). It's more holistic (physical and mental are considered) than traditional MD programs. Since the regular MD has termed your issue "idiopathic" (no obvious or known cause that he can find) it couldn't hurt to see a DO who would maybe approach it from a different perspective.