Don'tcha think?

When it comes to  health care one should investigate the alternatives with the same vigor as when purchasing your automobile.  Don'tcha think?

Allow me to offer here several opinions, none of which are my own, concerning complementary alternative medicine (healthcare) (CAM) in general and Chiropractic in particular.  Presented here are reports on studies published in major Medical journals relating what medicine is finding out about Chiropractic. 

The Journal of Family Practice for the American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians. Published  an article where the article’s authors, whose work was funded in part by NCCAM, recommend "Physicians usually should advise patients to remain active, educate them about Low Back Pain and self-care options, and consider nondrug therapies such as spinal manipulation."

 In the 2007 guidelines, the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society included spinal manipulation as one of several complementary treatments to consider when  discussing low-back pain that does not improve with self-care with their patients. They further state that,   "clinicians should consider the addition of non- pharmacologic therapy such as spinal manipulation which was found to have proven benefits for acute low back pain, chronic or subacute low back pain."

In the prestigious Annals of Internal Medicine- The researchers observed, "significant short-term and long-term improvements in participant-rated pain in the spinal manipulation group compared with those receiving medication." At 12 weeks, additionally, the spinal manipulation group reported greater global improvement, participant satisfaction, and function than the medication group.

A 2010 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) report noted that, "complementary health therapies, including spinal manipulation, offer additional options to the conventional treatments which often have limited benefit in managing back and neck pain". The Agency continued to state that, "Reviews of the scientific literature have concluded that spinal manipulation for low-back pain is relatively safe when performed by a trained and licensed practitioner". They also stated that, "the most common side effects are generally minor and include feeling tired or temporary soreness". In sharp contrast to the myriad of serious side effects of the standard pharmacological therapy.

Journal of Primary Care 2002- Stated that, " Doctors of Chiropractic receive training that is focused on the treatment of Neuromusculoskeletal conditions through manual and physical procedures, such as manipulation, massage, exercise, and nutrition. Most patients present to chiropractors with low back pain, neck pain, whiplash, and headaches. Numerous studies and expert panel reviews have supported the use of chiropractic and manipulation for these complaints. Satisfaction with chiropractic care for low back pain typically is good. Chiropractic, in general, offers safe and cost-effective procedures for selected musculoskeletal problems."

This is what your Primary Care Practitioner is supposed to have read concerning back and neck pain.  Are they suggesting  non-drug alternatives? Do they suggest you see a chiropractor?  Some may,  but most do not. As I have written in a previous blog, The Journal for Primary Care has found that "most primary care practitioners, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants do not think complementary therapy is  even relevant to the patient's health."   Now that you have read what they were supposed to have read, do you see the need to inform yourselves?

If you go on line to read about your options this is what you will find. MedlinePLUS- "Chiropractic is most effective for treating subacute back pain, flare-ups of chronic back pain, and neck pain."  NIH.gov (National Institute of Health)- "A 2011 review of 26 clinical trials looked at the effectiveness of different treatments, including spinal manipulation, for chronic low-back pain. The authors concluded that spinal manipulation is effective for reducing pain and improving function."  As well as A 2010 review that looked at various manual therapies, such as spinal manipulation and massage, for a range of conditions and  found, " strong evidence that spinal manipulation is effective for chronic low-back pain and moderate evidence of its effectiveness for acute low-back pain."

It is true that the internet can be a slippery slope with much misinformation. However, with some perseverance and finding sites that do not have ulterior agendas, enough sound information on reliable sites  can be collected to make an educated decision concerning health care.

Here I have provided several sources of sound unbiased information that you may rely on in the future.  You may also contact us, Barron Chiropractic,  through the Patchwork  and let us know if you need further assistance. Our motto is ,"If we cannot fix it, we will refer you to someone who can."