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What Medical Doctors say
about Chiropractic
Chiropractic treatment
for a variety of neuromusculoskeletal conditions is gaining wider
acceptance among the medical profession. Because students of
chiropractic spend significantly more time studying the spine than do
medical students, many medical doctors recognize the value of
chiropractors as the appropriate source for diagnosis of and first line
of treatment for functional disorders of the entire musculoskeletal
system.
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M.D.s now categorize
chiropractic manipulation with the highest rating: "Generally
accepted, well-established and widely used."
Spine, 1991.
North American Spine Society.
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"A majority of family
physicians (in Washington) admitted having encouraged patients to see
a chiropractor, and two-thirds indicated a desire to learn more about
what chiropractors do."
The Journal of Family Practice, 1992.
"Family Physicians and Chiropractors: What's Best for the Patient?"
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"Our trial showed that
chiropractic is a very effective treatment, more effective than
conventional hospital outpatient treatment for low-back pain ...
particularly in patients ... who have severe problems."
T. W. Meade, M.D.
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"The only difference
that I can see is that the patients at John F. Kennedy get
chiropractic manipulations. And in my experience, the patients at
J.F.K. almost without fail get out of the hospital in a week. At
Lutheran, it usually takes, oh, not uncommonly, 14 days."
Per Frietag, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, on why he
prefers to admit his patients with back pain to John F. Kennedy
Hospital, which has staff chiropractors, rather than Lutheran General,
which does not have staff chiropractors.
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"Manipulative medicine
is no longer a taboo topic."
Norton Hadler, M.D., self-described "cantankerous doctor who
would have never dealt with manipulation in the past," professor of
rheumatology, University of North Carolina Medical School at Chapel
Hill, Time Magazine, 1991.
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"Ten years ago if you
practiced manipulation ... you couldn't get published and were never
invited to meetings. Now I can't keep up with the invitations."
Neurologist Scott Haldeman. M.D.. D.C..
New York Times. 1991.
The Av-Med Study
This study included 80
patients, each of whom was previously treated by a medical doctor and
subsequently referred to the Silverman Chiropractic Center. Of these 80
patients, 21 % had been diagnosed with disc problems, 5% received
emergency room treatment and 12% had been diagnosed as requiring
surgery.
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Following chiropractic
treatment, no surgery was required. 86% needed no further treatment at
all. And the projected savings on the patient study group was
approximately $250,000.
The Av-Med Study, 1993.
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Evidence for the
Effectiveness of Chiropractic
Research conducted
throughout the world shows that chiropractic treatment for lower back
pain is both safe and effective. The following are excerpts from a few
of the more recent studies:
Quality of Results
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"...for the management
of low-back pain, chiropractic care is the most effective treatment,
and it should be fully integrated into the government's health care
system."
The Manga Report, 1993.
Versus Alternative Treatments
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"Chiropractic treatment
was more effective than hospital outpatient management, mainly for
patients with chronic or severe back pain."
British Medical Journal, 1990.
British Medical Research Council Study.
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"...spinal manipulation
applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than
alternative treatments for low-back pain."
The Manga Report, 1993.
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"...injured workers ...
diagnosed with low-back pain returned to work much sooner when treated
by chiropractors than by physicians."
The Manga Report, 1993.
Long-Term Effectiveness
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"Two and three years
after patients with back pain were treated by chiropractors, they
experienced far less pain than those who were treated by medical
doctors."
British Medical Journal, 1990.
"Low Back Pain of Mechanical Origin: Randomized Comparison of
Chiropractic and Hospital Outpatient Treatment."
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"...one of the
unexpected findings ...looks as though the treatment that the
chiropractors give does something that results in a very long-term
benefit."
T. W. Meade, M.D., CBC Radio.
Cost
Effectiveness of Chiropractic
Chiropractic treatment of
back pain is a perfect example of how health care expenditures can be
reduced while in fact increasing the quality of care. Not only is
chiropractic treatment significantly less costly than treatment managed
by a medical doctor, but because chiropractic care can get workers back
on the job more quickly, it can save business millions of dollars in
lost productivity.
Cost/Quality Analysis
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"The overwhelming body
of evidence shows that chiropractic management of low-back pain is
more cost effective than medical management, and that many medical
therapies are of questionable validity or are clearly inadequate ...
Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low-back
pain."
The Manga Report, 1993.
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"There would be highly
significant cost savings if more management of low-back pain was
transferred from physicians to chiropractors... Users of chiropractic
care have substantially lower health care costs, especially inpatient
costs, than those who use medical care only."
The Manga Report, 1993.
Mean Compensation Costs
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"The mean compensation
cost (not treatment costs) paid out by the Utah Worker's Compensation
Board for patients treated by medical doctors was $668.39; the mean
compensation cost paid for patients treated by chiropractic was only
$68.38."
Journal of Occupational Medicine, 1991.
"Cost per Case Comparison of Back Injury Claims for Chiropractic vs.
Medical Management for Conditions with Identical Diagnostic Code."
Medical Payments
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Total medical costs for
back-related injuries cost the Utah Worker's Compensation Board an
average of $1,665.43 per case; chiropractic costs for similar
diagnoses cost only $775.30.
D.C.. Tracts, 1989.
"Cost per Case Analysis of Utah Industrial Back Injury Claims:
Chiropractic Management vs. Medical Management for Diagnostically
Equivalent Conditions."
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Medical payments for
back-related injuries cost the Florida Worker's Compensation Board
$1,100 per case; chiropractic treatment for similar diagnoses cost
only $558.
ACA Journal of Chiropractic, 1988.
"An Analysis of Florida Worker's Compensation Medical Claims for
Back-Related Injuries."
Comparison of Compensation Days
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Of 1,996 low-back pain
cases studied, patients receiving chiropractic treatment averaged 6.26
compensation days compared to 25.56 compensation days for medical
patients.
Chiropractic Journal of Australia, 1992.
"Mechanical Low-Back Pain: A Comparison of Medical and Chiropractic
Management."
Chiropractics Increase
in Popularity
Because chiropractic
treatment of lower back pain is often more successful than medical
treatment, patient satisfaction with chiropractic care is generally
higher. As these successes mount, positive word-of-mouth spreads. Today,
the popularity of chiropractic is at an all-time high.
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Nearly 30% of the U.S.
population, aged 18 and older, have used chiropractic.
The Gallup Organization, 1991.
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Nine of ten
chiropractic users felt their treatment was effective.
The Gallup Organization, 1991.
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58% of those using
chiropractic considered it an essential part of their Heath insurance
package.
The Gallup Organization, 1991.
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"Chiropractic patients
were three times more satisfied with their care than patients of
family practice physicians."
Western Journal of Medicine, 1989.
"Patient Evaluations of Low-Back Pain Care."
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"Chiropractors are now
accepted as a legitimate healing profession by the public and by an
increasing number of physicians."
The Manga Report, 1993.
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"Chiropractic is a
growing component of the health care sector, and it is widely used by
the population."
The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, and
Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, January 1992.
"Mandated Health Insurance Coverage for Chiropractic Treatment: An
Economic Assessment, With Implications for the Commonwealth of
Virginia."
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