[Jakora]

Hi everyone, I'm kind of fed up with my GI specialist at this point. Every medication he's given me has done next to nothing and he cannot find a single thing wrong.I had heard of Osteopaths as alternatives to more mainstream doctors. What does everyone think about them? Or are they not the type of doctor one should see?

 

[blondeoverblue24]

It really depends on the doctor you are seeing - A lot of osteopaths I've seen are not much different from MDs. Also, you may run into the problem that a lot of primary care docs aren't too familiar with IBS and might just try routing you back to a gastroenterologist. If you are able to ask around, you might want to find a gastro doc who takes a more holistic approach. Even if you're not looking for alternative medicine, it often indicates a doctor willing to try some things that others are not and someone who's more likely to treat you as a whole, not just as a list of symptoms.Out of curiousity, what are your symptoms? What have you tried so far?

 

[Cheshire Kat]

I've not heard of that type of specialist being an alternative to a GI. Doesn't mean its not a valid idea, just that its news to me.GI's really are the best qualified type of doctor to help, their field of knowledge is best suited for your IBS/IBD issues. IBS/IBD is pretty tough to treat successfully, as what works for one doesn't work for all. So don't give up, consider setting up consultations with some new GIs and interview them, they aren't all incompetent. Heck, I went through three GIs till I found my current one. And if I ever feel that this one isn't helping enough I'll find another.If you're adamant about not using a GI, then I'd suggest that you look into GPs with a certain skill set. I got very lucky when I found my GP. He specialized in Internal Medicine, and also received a degree in Nutritional 'medicine' many years after starting his practice, and he continues his education so as to stay current in both fields. He felt that the two were complimentary, and I've certainly benefitted from his knowledge.

 

[Kathleen M.]

There was a small study that looked fairly promising with osteopathic treatment. It is hard to know how much of that was the treatment plan vs the differences in how the practice is done. Osteopaths tend to spend more time with patients and that by itself can sometimes be quite healing.

 

[crstar]

i understand ur frustration.........it's been my experience, that dr' only know how to treat things when they get acute..........by then there r alot of responses in the body to the original problem..........then they go about treating all of the symptoms, never getting at the base issue..........& it sucks!!!........by the time i found the help i needed, i was on my way to the grave..........i have no experience with Osteopaths, but why not try everything u can to try to get some help.........who knows??..........i personally think ibs-d is caused by not having the digestive elements needed to digest the things we consume.........they r either a little deficient, really deficient or non-exsistant........what i did was do alot of research on the net & got the book: fiber menace, there's a website by the same name..........u might try some betaine hydrochloride.......most vitamin stores have it........if u r not in too bad shape, it may make ur stomach produce more hydrochloric acid (HCl)..........when it's in sufficient quantities, other digestive juices will not b over produced........it's my belief that when HCl is too low, other elements get over produced to try to stimulate he stomach to make more HCl.........for my own story, click on my name & look at my other posts.........

 

[blondeoverblue24]

I would see the doctor before taking anything with hydrochloride in it, as it can aggravate gastritis, abdominal pain and ulcers.

 

[AIRPLANE]

I saw an osteopath many years ago and my current GP is also a D.O (doctor of osteopathy). Unfortunately, neither of them were/are any different from all of the other doctors I've seen in the past 25 years for this stuff. The current D.O. I see doesn't spend much time with me- she even said that she would only take care of the 'routine' stuff- blood pressure and cholesterol checks, etc. She did test for Vitamin D levels and said I needed to increase them with a supplement.She at least does seem willing to cooperate, so far anyway, with giving me the OK and written authorization if needed for insurance purposes to go to alternative practitioners. All other doctors I've seen in the past had absolutely no respect for anything outside of allopathic medicine. I am currently going to a massage therapist every 2-3 weeks who does visceral manipulation and myofascial release. Interestingly, it is a French osteopath named Jean-Pierre Barral who came up with the visceral manipulation technique. The massage therapist usually starts out each session by moving her hands a few inches above and along my body, checking for increased heat that indicates inflammation. On my last visit, she mentioned that she detected something behind my left knee. Sure enough, I had cut myself there while shaving the day before! She then finds the tight areas and structural abnormalities and 'manipulates' them. Since my insurance doesn't cover massage therapy, I have to pay out-of-pocket, about $100.00 per 90-minute session. With my doctor's written authorization at least the tax is waived. There are also some physical therapists who are trained in these techniques- usually insurance will cover it in that case with a doctor's written authorization. I mentioned to the massage therapist that I was surprised that my osteopathic doctor didn't spend more time with me and at the very least maybe do some examining in my abdominal/pelvic areas as I thought they were more 'in touch' with the body as a whole than allopathic docs. She said not necessarily- it all depended on what kind of training the D.O. went through as far as what knowledge they had and what approaches they used.