Chiropractors do more than just perform adjustments on their patients. As trained medical experts, Chiropractors are providing general medical advice more and more, from common cold treatments to non-surgical alternatives; health consumers are making the switch!
Why? That’s a question each individual has to answer themselves, but studied show that health consumers are taking a more active role in their health care, and with skyrocketing prescription drug prices, the natural cures most often provided by Chiropractors and other alternative care specialists are less expensive, and have zero side effects compared to their Rx competitors…An article in the January/February 2001 issue of Practical Pain Management magazine shows that chiropractic care costs substantially less than other means for treating back pain. While spine surgeries and spine-related anesthesia accounted for more than 50 percent of the high cost procedures, chiropractic treatment was only .7 percent. A study appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2004; 164:1985-1992), shows that having access to chiropractic care lowers medical costs. Back pain is the second leading reason for physician visits and hospitalization with an annual cost of about $100 billion. The researches analyzed data over a four-year period for health expenditures in 1.7 million health plan members. Of the group, 700,000 had chiropractic coverage and 1,000,000 did not. Those with chiropractic coverage had lower annual expenditures for health care than those without the coverage. The average cost per year for a member with chiropractic coverage was $1463, compared to $1671 per year cost for a member without chiropractic coverage.
The authors concluded that access to chiropractic may reduce overall health care expenditures. There are several reasons for the reduction in cost. Substituting chiropractic for medical care for spine conditions is less expensive. Those with chiropractic coverage were more likely to use conservative, minimally invasive treatment. Access to chiropractic care is not only good for patients clinically, it saves money.
Chiropractic is safer than drugs and surgery. According to a study by the Rand Corporation, a serious adverse reaction from cervical manipulation occurs less than once in 1 million treatments. The study also showed that on the rare occasion of an adverse reaction, it is often the result of the manipulation being performed by someone who is inadequately trained in spinal manipulation, rather than by a licensed doctor of chiropractic.
The number of serious complications from chiropractic treatment is extremely low when compared to the number of illnesses and deaths that will occur this year from the use of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. A study published in the April 15, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that more than 2 million Americans become seriously ill every year from reactions to drugs that were correctly prescribed and taken; 106,000 Americans die annually from those side effects.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, complications from commonly used pain medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are responsible for 16,500 deaths each year. To put this in perspective, approximately 16,500 people died of AIDS in the United States in 1998, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, a more recent study conducted by the Institute of Medicine revealed that nearly 100,000 people die each year from medical mistakes made by physicians, pharmacists and other medical professionals. Compared to drugs or surgery, chiropractic is very safe indeed.
Celebrities and athletes know the value of chiropractic. San Diego Padres players, Tony Gwynn, Trevor Hoffman and Woody Williams were featured in Chiropractic Products magazine. Two hours before a game several players receive chiropractic adjustments. U.S. Olympic speed skater Derek Parra, holder of three American records is a chiropractic patient. The ACA officially sponsors Parra who says, “I’ve always believed in chiropractic care. I’ve used a lot of other treatments for injuries and pain, but the problem doesn’t get fixed until I go to a chiropractor. I tell other athletes about chiropractic care, too.”
Three-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong is a chiropractic patient. According to USA Today, after a Tour stage, he’ll get fluids and amino acids, take a shower, get a massage and get a chiropractic adjustment. Singer Janet Jackson is a chiropractic patient. An article in the Chicago Tribune reports that Janet Jackson credits chiropractic for helping her to handle pressure.
Chiropractic is widely used by NFL players. According to JMPT, 77% of NFL trainers have referred a player to a chiropractor. Thirty-one percent of NFL teams have a chiropractor on staff. An additional 12% of teams refer to chiropractors but do not have one on staff.
To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, who praises the chiropractic profession, “Chiropractic is about health and fitness. Chiropractic is about natural, preventive health care. I have experienced this for the last 30 years myself on my own body, that whenever I have a problem or even if I don’t have a problem and I go to a chiropractor, my problems are gone for a long time.”
Chiropractic, as we know it, was developed in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer. In truth, spinal manipulation has been an effective healing art for thousands of years. In the 19thcentury there were “bonesetters” who practiced a healing art much like chiropractic. The ancient Egyptians and the ancient Chinese both practiced spinal manipulation as a healing art. Hippocrates also used spinal manipulation.
Usually when people say the word “doctor” they mean doctor of medicine. There are other kinds of doctors, doctors of osteopathy, doctors of dentistry and doctors of chiropractic. Every state in the union licenses chiropractors as one of the three major providers of health care, along with medical doctors and doctors of osteopathy. A chiropractor, after his undergraduate education, is required to have 4,500 hours of classroom study—comparable to the number of hours a medical doctor goes to school. Several board exams must also be passed for a chiropractor to obtain a license. Doctors of chiropractic and doctors of medicine must pass the same basic science National Board Examinations. In addition, each state administers its own State Board Examination which chiropractors must also pass.
The Council on Chiropractic requires 4,200 hours of education. The chiropractic colleges require between 4,800 hours and 5,200 hours for graduation (depending on the college). The average total number of hours of anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, public health, physiology, and pathology taught in the chiropractic schools is a little over 1,400. In three medical schools sampled, it was around 1,200. Chiropractors spend a significant amount of time with hands-on learning of adjusting and other manual therapy (a little under 2,000 hours on average). They must also spend time in a clinical internship.
To quote the American Chiropractic Association, “Doctors of chiropractic — who are licensed to practice in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and in many nations around the world — undergo a rigorous education in the healing sciences, similar to that of medical doctors. In some areas, such as anatomy, physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition and public health, they receive more intensive education than their MD counterparts
