DC or DO? Exploring the Path That Aligns with Your Healing Philosophy
If you’re passionate about helping others heal, enjoy working with your hands, and are interested in a holistic approach to healthcare, you might consider careers like a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO). Both offer meaningful ways to serve others and honor the body’s innate ability to recover and thrive. However, they differ significantly in philosophy, practice, and purpose—especially when you consider the kind of healer you want to become.
At Sherman College of Chiropractic, we encourage students to explore these differences. Choosing a profession isn’t just about the title. It’s about finding alignment with your values, goals, and the type of impact you want to create.
Shared Beginnings: Still, Palmer, and the Rise of Hands-On Healing
In the late 1800s, both osteopathy and chiropractic emerged as bold alternatives to the drug-centric medical model of the time. Andrew Taylor Still established osteopathy to highlight the connection between the body’s structure and function, especially focusing on circulation and blood flow.
Chiropractic founder Daniel David Palmer, influenced by Still’s early work, expanded on the principles and introduced the concept of Innate Intelligence—the idea that the body can self-heal, self-regulate, and is guided by the nervous system. Although the two professions started with many similarities, including manual care and structural philosophy, their paths quickly diverged.
In fact, some of the earliest chiropractors held both DC and DO degrees. However, over time, the professions developed into separate fields.
Osteopathy Today: A Modern Medical Model with a Holistic Spirit
Doctors of Osteopathy undergo a rigorous medical education almost identical to that of MDs. They are able to prescribe medication, perform surgeries, and practice in hospitals and clinics nationwide. DOs also learn Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT), which involves hands-on techniques to enhance mobility, circulation, and muscle function.
However, most DOs today practice very similarly to MDs. While their holistic training remains part of the curriculum, few continue using manual techniques regularly in practice. The osteopathic path has largely aligned itself with mainstream medicine, offering a broad scope but often little opportunity to focus on natural, hands-on care.
If you’re considering the DO path because of your love for movement, touch, and natural healing, it’s worth asking: will you genuinely be able to use those tools the way you envision?
Chiropractic: Built Around the Nervous System and Natural Healing
Chiropractic has consistently focused on a single, vital element: the nervous system. Chiropractors are trained to identify and correct vertebral subluxations, misalignments, or dysfunctions in the spine that disrupt the body’s ability to communicate and heal.
Rather than just treating symptoms or managing disease, chiropractic aims to restore normal function by removing interference in the nervous system. This enables the body to do what it’s naturally designed to do: heal, adapt, and thrive.
The chiropractic adjustment is more than just a manipulation. It is a intentional, precise correction that unlocks the body’s natural potential. At Sherman College, it forms the core of everything we teach.
If your goal is to practice hands-on care daily, chiropractic might not just be an option. It could be your ideal path.
Which Path Aligns with Your Purpose?
Choosing whether to become a DC or DO involves asking yourself the right questions.
- Do you want to work within the traditional medical system, or forge your own approach to natural health?
- Do you want to diagnose and treat disease, or remove interference so the body can heal itself?
- Do you want to use your hands occasionally or rely on them as your primary tool to provide optimal health to your patients?
Both professions make valuable contributions to the world. But for students attracted to vitalism, hands-on care, and boosting the body’s natural healing ability, chiropractic offers something uniquely powerful.
Sherman College: Preparing the Next Generation of Chiropractors
At Sherman College, we don’t aim to be everything. We focus on training the world’s most skilled and principled chiropractors. That means we concentrate on:
- Deep grounding in chiropractic philosophy and the science of the nervous system
- Mastery in the art of adjusting, from palpation to precision technique
- A curriculum built around the correction of vertebral subluxation—not just symptom management
And if you’re interested in additional modalities, such as soft tissue techniques, acupuncture, or rehab tools, many of these can be added after graduation. Our priority is helping you become one of the best in the world at what only chiropractors do: adjusting the spine to restore life and function.
Still exploring your options? That’s a good thing. Just make sure you explore chiropractic thoroughly before deciding.
Click here to learn more about Sherman College and see if this path matches your calling to serve, lead, and heal through the nervous system.