Chiropractors: How much can they really heal?
Published: 2009-08-19 09:45:00
Author: Julie Deardorff | Chicago Tribune | July 23, 2009
Chiropractors are best known for treating back and neck pain. But can their hands-on manipulations of the spine also help with colic, asthma, ear infections, allergies and digestive issues?
Though it's a controversial notion, some chiropractors are aggressively marketing themselves as holistic, primary-care healers who can treat a broad scope of ailments ranging from acid reflux to infertility. Others in the field say chiropractors should focus on musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, where evidence for efficacy is the strongest.
The internal philosophical divide has given the profession a confusing image, making it difficult for consumers to know when, if ever, they should visit a chiropractor.
"We often hear from chiropractors that 'chiropractic is more than just back pain.' But is it?" Rhode Island chiropractor Donald Murphy asked in a commentary published last year in the journal Chiropractic and Osteopathy. "And more importantly, does it have to be?"
Though conventional practitioners have often scorned them for making unfounded claims, chiropractors are now established as mainstream health-care providers. Many health plans and Medicaid now cover their services, and they regularly care for clients ranging from the chronically ill to professional and Olympic athletes. An estimated 8.6 percent of adults in the U.S. use chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Chiropractors typically apply a sudden force to a region of the spine to help loosen a stiff joint, which they say allows the body's natural healing process to take over. During an initial visit, the chiropractor typically takes a health history and performs a physical exam, focusing on the spine. X-rays may be taken, and spinal "adjustments" may be applied with a patient lying face-down or sideways on a table.
Experts say there is evidence the treatments can lessen lower back pain, even if researchers have yet to figure out exactly why.
A non-drug, non-surgical approach, the manual treatments can be "a good adjunct to musculoskeletal care," said Dr. Joel Press, medical director of the Spine and Sports Rehabilitation Center at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which employs two chiropractors.
At Chiro One Wellness Centers, however, spinal adjustments are used to treat a wide variety of ailments seemingly unrelated to the spine. Moreover, anyone is encouraged to come in for regular maintenance to prevent disease from occurring.
Full story
Published: 2009-08-19 09:45:00
Author: Julie Deardorff | Chicago Tribune | July 23, 2009
Chiropractors are best known for treating back and neck pain. But can their hands-on manipulations of the spine also help with colic, asthma, ear infections, allergies and digestive issues?
Though it's a controversial notion, some chiropractors are aggressively marketing themselves as holistic, primary-care healers who can treat a broad scope of ailments ranging from acid reflux to infertility. Others in the field say chiropractors should focus on musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, where evidence for efficacy is the strongest.
The internal philosophical divide has given the profession a confusing image, making it difficult for consumers to know when, if ever, they should visit a chiropractor.
"We often hear from chiropractors that 'chiropractic is more than just back pain.' But is it?" Rhode Island chiropractor Donald Murphy asked in a commentary published last year in the journal Chiropractic and Osteopathy. "And more importantly, does it have to be?"
Though conventional practitioners have often scorned them for making unfounded claims, chiropractors are now established as mainstream health-care providers. Many health plans and Medicaid now cover their services, and they regularly care for clients ranging from the chronically ill to professional and Olympic athletes. An estimated 8.6 percent of adults in the U.S. use chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Chiropractors typically apply a sudden force to a region of the spine to help loosen a stiff joint, which they say allows the body's natural healing process to take over. During an initial visit, the chiropractor typically takes a health history and performs a physical exam, focusing on the spine. X-rays may be taken, and spinal "adjustments" may be applied with a patient lying face-down or sideways on a table.
Experts say there is evidence the treatments can lessen lower back pain, even if researchers have yet to figure out exactly why.
A non-drug, non-surgical approach, the manual treatments can be "a good adjunct to musculoskeletal care," said Dr. Joel Press, medical director of the Spine and Sports Rehabilitation Center at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, which employs two chiropractors.
At Chiro One Wellness Centers, however, spinal adjustments are used to treat a wide variety of ailments seemingly unrelated to the spine. Moreover, anyone is encouraged to come in for regular maintenance to prevent disease from occurring.
Full story