Feds on board with chiropractic!
The following excerpt was taken from:
Chiropractic in the United States: Training, Practice, and Research This project was supported by grant number HS07915 from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research
Excerpt from Chapter XII Synopsis, by Daniel C. Cherkin, PhD. and Robert D. Mootz, D.C.
“Despite nearly a century of adversity that included multiple efforts by organized medicine to eliminate the profession, chiropractic has thrived and attracted a large patient following. In recent years, increasing numbers of other health professionals have become supportive of chiropractic treatment. As a health care resource, chiropractors have established a presence that appears to have filled a void left by the limited success of the more traditional approaches to musculoskeletal problems.
In contrast to medical treatment of musculoskeletal problems by primary care physicians, a chiropractic encounter often includes more time listening to patients’ concerns, extensive hands-on evaluation, clear and concrete explanations that make sense to patients, hands-on treatment that often feels good and is sometimes associated with an immediate improvement in symptoms, and repeated follow-up with the doctor (Mootz, 1995b). It is not surprising that such an approach is viewed as more satisfying than standard medical treatment (Cherkin, 1989; Carey, 1995; Coulehan, 1985). Chiropractors infrequently use high-cost diagnostics, specialist referral, and hospitalization. Further, chiropractic’s principal intervention, spinal manipulation, has at least as much evidence for effectiveness as any other conservative treatment for back and neck pain. Thus, there is a clear rationale for policy planners to identify efficient strategies for incorporating chiropractic services into the health care system.
Given the chiropractic profession’s history of survival and growth, its consistent political and legislative successes in adversarial situations, and its dedicated effort in recent decades to upgrade its education, research, and practice activities, both the profession and policymakers should pursue greater incorporation of quality improvement strategies in care delivery, dedication of appropriate resources for research, enhanced exposure to appropriate residencies and fellowships (e.g., in radiology, rehabilitation), and greater efforts to facilitate multidisciplinary practice. These actions will help policymakers determine the most appropriate roles for chiropractors in the health care system and will ensure that chiropractors are well prepared to serve in these roles.”