What happens when a chiropractor decides to go to medical school? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Richard Schoonmaker, a former chiropractor turned osteopathic medical student, to talk about why he made the switch, what he learned about evidence-based care, and how chiropractic and medicine can actually work together when done responsibly.

What We Discuss:

Why Dr. Schoonmaker left chiropractic to pursue medicine

The difference between chiropractic and osteopathic training

How to spot red flags in online chiropractic content

The truth about chiropractic care for babies and kids

What evidence-based, collaborative care could look like

How modern medicine can build trust by listening better

To connect with Richard Schoonmaker follow him on Instagram at @richs_oms2 and TikTok at @rich_oms2. 

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00:00 – Intro

02:00 – Meet Dr. Richard Schoonmaker

03:00 – From Chiropractic to Medicine

07:15 – What He Took From Chiropractic Into Medicine

08:15 – Evidence-Based Chiropractic vs. Online Myths

10:00 – Why Some Chiropractors Go Viral (and Off the Rails)

16:00 – How Chiropractors Are Trained (and Where Gaps Exist)

21:20 – The Lack of Oversight in Pediatric Chiropractic Care

24:00 – The Supportive (Not Substitutive) Role of Chiropractic

28:30 – Common Reasons Parents Seek Chiropractic Care for Kids

33:10 – What the Research Actually Supports

36:30 – Understanding OMM in Osteopathic Medicine

40:00 – Why Context Matters: Symptom Relief vs. Causation

43:00 – The True Meaning of Holistic Care

45:00 – Calling Out Misinformation Responsibly

48:00 – The Real Reason Patients Seek Alternative Care

49:40 – Building a Better Relationship Between Chiropractors and Physicians

51:45 – How Parents Can Find a Safe, Evidence-Based Chiropractor

54:50 – Final Thoughts and Where to Find Richard

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