Why is it cheaper to become an MD than an acupuncturist or herbalist?

Question

Tuition for a Master's or Doctorate Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine must be paid out-of-pocket or with a loan. In contrast, there are multiple sources of funding for students interested in becoming MDs. http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/medical.phtml

Acupuncturists must attend four years of graduate education from an accredited university (the same amount of schooling required for an MD degree), and they must pass a licensure exam that is accepted by virtually every state in the U.S. now (California and New Mexico distribute their own separate licensure exams). Obtaining the doctorate portion of the degree (an extra four years or so) is similar in hours to a residency, although this portion is also paid for in tuition. For licensed acupuncturists, that's eight years of college, national and/or state licensure exams, plus a "residency" that they pay for on their own.

Answer 1

1st question: It is not cheaper.

2nd question: There are a lot more sources of funding and loans for doctors because after graduation they generally make a lot of money and are a sound investment for any loan company.

Answer 2

I don't know the answer to the primary question but I do know that it is expensive to become an acupuncturist. As for the rest of the comments: anyone who says alternative therapy is "worthless" or "bogus" has not encountered an ailment that allopathic medicine is useless against. Most of the treatments offered at the doctor's and hospital are symptom relief not a cure. Chinese medicine has a much better track record on chronic illness, women's difficulties etc than "traditional" medicine. Our medical system is only 100 year old. Chinese and Ayurvedic systems are thousands of years old....so which is the traditional system? I say use the medicine system that has the best track record for what you are dealing with. My experience is that most disorders taken to the doctor I am told I either have to live with it or there is no help.....but down the street at the health food store or acupuncturist...a solution (usually involves a lifestyle change) is not far away.

For myself I stay away from drugs and doctors and employ a acupuncturist and a massage therapist routinely - although they are not covered by insurance - it seems to be the best use of my money as I get a better value - they solve problems often the first time and I feel better afterwards....not just a big bill, no solution and often no diagnosis either.

Answer 3

The average post-medical school education debt for a physician, as calculated about half a dozen years ago, was $150,000. I'm sure it's higher now. Keep in mind that this is the average, so those that went ot medical school on military our public health scholarships are factored into this.

Then also keep in mind that these "multiple sources of funding" all have some sort of payback obligation. Usually, this is payback through service, not monetarily. However, each year of your life spent in payback has to be worth something.

I spent an additional five years in graduate education getting my PhD, in addition to my MD, and this helped greatly with expenses. On the surface, this sounds like a great deal. However, it extended the length of graduate education to nine years, instead of the usual 4 for the MD. This is five less years I'll be earning a salary. Suddenly the math doesn't look so great, does it? What I am saying is - count the long-term cost, as well as the short-term savings, when contemplating other methods of funding medical education.

Answer 4

It's more expensive because it's more difficult to be a true acupunturist or herbalist. You can read and study all the books and graduate from a Herbalist school, but it will take more money and more years of experience to be a good acupunturist or herbalist. The same things may be said about MDs, but they have general recognition and formal procedures to train the doctors. Moreover, current American system favors MDs. That may be a health care problem too. Some people who are sick from flu don't need to see a doctor, if they have lots of liquid and rest, and some herbal teas. No doctors, holistic or not, will help a patient if he or she continues to live dangerously and practice unhealthy living. What we need is a healthy lifestyle - exercise regularly, eat proper diet, fresh air, relaxation, enough sleep and positive thinking.

Answer 5

I've noticed that too. I think that because this is a medically dominated society, the governemtn provides more funding to medical schools than alternative schools, and because it is more acceptable to society, these doctors will make more money than acupuncturist etc. As a result when these old doctors die, they leave money to the schools, which also helps to keep costs down. Whereas there is not as much alumni support from alternative schools because the graduates many of them have to struggle in practice and can not juist walk into a hospital and get a job for 100K, so less money is left to the schools, therefore the primary way to get money is trhough tuition.

Answer 6

I would suspect that the lack of financial aid for alternative medicine degrees is due to the limited usefullness/acceptability of those degrees. I myself am a hypnotherapist, and have had to pay everything up front, and out of pocket. The same would apply for being a behavioral therapist, herbalist, etc.

In fact, here in California, most of the degrees I would have sought out such as Naturopathic Doctor, are not even recognized by the state, and are therefore not allowed to be used in any way, shape or form, short of maybe writing books on the subject. Due to that limited nature of acceptability, and the number of sceptics who insist it is all "quack medicine", very little has been done to make attaining that sort of education more available to the masses. Plus, since no aid is available, and most schools are really working in a grey area to a degree (at least in my state), your tuition expenses have no real ceiling on them at all, as they are not controlled by any external agency. For hypnosis, as an example, you can pay over $5k for a 3 day class. Granted, many other profesionals such as IT specialists, etc. pay outrageous fees for training as well, but it still doesn't make any better.

Once we can get alternative medicine to be more "complimentary" medicine across the US, we can also get financial aid and lower prices as well. Until then, c'est la vie....

Answer 7

I don't know where you are getting your information, but you can become a master herbalist for about 1500 through Global College of Natural Medicine. I don't think you can go to med school for 1500. :)

Answer 8

Why should the government have to pay for herbalists and acupuncturists? Traditional Chinese "medicine" doesn't work, isn't based on sound science, and is a placebo at best.

Answer 9

Acupunctrurist perhaps has to learn more to find trigger points of the body to put the needles

Answer 10

Could be because both of the degrees you mentioned are bogus.