Chiropractic Medicine - Research Paper Example

? CAM PROFESSION: CHIROPRACTIC MEDICINE Submitted by: Submitted Institute: This paper is based on a literature review and it attempts to explore the history and techniques used by the CAM profession namely Chiropractic Medicine. The paper also compares it with relevant western medicine. A review of available research body comparing both forms of medicines is included, followed by a detailed discussion and conclusion. 1. INTRODUCTION Complementary and alternative medicine is a broad term which is used for a number of medical treatments and procedures which do not fall under the criteria of western medicine (Edwards, 2006). This form of medicine has ancient roots in Chinese and Indian traditional medicine. Chiropractic medicine is one of the relatively new developments in Complementary and alternative medicine. 1.1 History of Chiropractic Medicine The history of chiropractic medicine can be traced back to 1985, when a magnetic healer, D.D Palmer cured the hearing impairment in a boy by manipulating his spine (Kaptchuk & Eisenber, 1998; Coulter, 1999). The term ‘Chiropractic’ stands for ‘By hand’ (Novella, 2009). Palmer defined chiropractic as a natural way of curing the cause of a disease by adjustments in the spinal articulations. The discovery of chiropractic took place in an era where other forms of CAM like homeopathy, Christian healing, bone setting and magnetic healing were already struggling for a position against the western medicine (Kaptchuk & Eisenber, 1998). Chiropractic also faced a lot of criticism. The theory that Palmer had given for the mechanism of chiropractic was that when the vertebrae are moved beyond the elastic threshold but before the point of causing damage, they become mobilized and at this stage, the brain uses its innate intelligence to place it back in the right position as if in a rebound (Kaptchuk & Eisenber, 1998). Advocates of western medicine have criticized this innate intelligence strongly; however, despite the criticism Chiropractic Medicine today constitutes a major part of CAM. As soon as the discovery of chiropractic medicine, different persons who practiced it started making their own contributions to the profession. Today, chiropractic medicine has many alterations available making chiropractic a diverse field; however all focus on the same underlying technique of adjusting the vertebras (Kaptchuk & Eisenber, 1998). 1.2 Chiropractic Theory and Technique As per Palmer, all systems of a body nourish from a flow of energy from the brain to all body parts via spinal cord. If a spinal subluxation (which is a misalignment in the vertebras) occurs, this flow is disrupted (Kaptchuk & Eisenber, 1998). Chiropractic techniques involve manipulation of vertebras usually by hand (Farr, 2002), though many variations are found in the technique. There are many devices also that assist in this technique. Farr (2002) has outlined the following techniques which are unique to chiropractic treatment: Gonstead technique is used in chiropractic medicine. It uses a detailed x-ray analysis of the spine to identify the correct adjustments to be made in the vertebras. Activator technique uses a small tool which delivers light and gauges the force needed for correct adjustments. This is a painless and gentle way to adjust the vertebras. Bio Energetic Synchronization technique (BEST) is a technique which does not use force, while hand pressure is applied and physiological interference in balancing the sensory signals in the central nervous system is reduced. Flexion technique involves stretching the spinal cord so as to rectify the faulty position of vertebras. Applied kinesiology is a technique that also works on the muscles surrounding the faulty positioned vertebras. In Thompson terminal point technique, the whole spine is worked on, using a drop table. Recoil technique is often used in chiropractic treatment in which hands and elbows are utilized to provide sudden pressure. As it is clear from the above description, chiropractic medicine relies basically on healing with help of hands, though it uses various techniques to assist in the possess by managing and controlling the magnitude and exact location of the force being applied. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Some research studies and articles were reviewed to gain an insight into chiropractic medicine as opposed to the western medicine. A review of findings from these studies follows: Labdar (2010) explains the difference in the philosophy of conventional medicine and chiropractic medicine as follows: Chiropractic medicine views the body as holistic and believes that treatment has to be given to whole to body to cure a specific disease, while the western medicine focuses on the area of dysfunction and attempt to treat it in its smallest possible part. Meobus and colleagues (2006) conducted a study in which a sample of 1221 chronically ill patients was studied before and after they were given a long term intermittent therapeutic treatment in chiropractic medicine. The outcome of treatment was compared via the variable of sick leave. The researchers concluded that the patients’ sick leaves reduced considerably after they were given this treatment. This shows that chiropractic medicine is effective in treating long term chronic illness. Another study by Kanodia and colleagues (2010) revealed the effectiveness of chiropractic medicine in treating back pain. These researchers also concluded that acceptance of chiropractic is increasing with time in the USA and recommended that sufferers of back pain must be made more aware of this technique and it must be offered to them as first option for treating back pain since it has been rated as highly effective during their study. Dr. Morris (2003) has highlighted a comparison of chiropractic treatment and western medicine treatment in terms of absent work days. Dr. Morris (2003) points out that according to FCER study, patients with back injuries who were under chiropractic care showed 50%less absenteeism as compared to those who were undergoing western treatment for back pain; The Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics reported that chiropractics are better able to handle pain patients and the western journal of medicine reported that the average hospitalization days for the chiropractic treatment are considerably lower than those of western treatment. A study revealed that spinal manipulations are more effective in long term reduction of headaches as compared to western, medication based treatment (redwood, 2010). Another study by the North American Spine Society cited in the same article (Redwood, 2010) reported spinal manipulative therapy as highly rated, most effective and applied in treating lower back pains. In an FCER (2002) based study, the Dr. Hayek and colleagues divided patients of asthma into different groups. Each group received different forms of treatment for the same condition, namely: asthma. The researchers reported that only one group showed an improved condition on the analysis at the end of treatment and that group was the one which underwent chiropractic treatment. This study shows that chiropractic has a potential in treating asthma as well. According to Kaptchuk & Eisenberg (), patients are becoming increasingly favorable in their attitude towards chiropractic treatment, especially when it pertains to lower back problems. An Utah study, cited in Kaptchuk & Eisenberg reports that patients treated with chiropractic techniques were 3 times more likely to report being ‘very satisfied’ as compared to those who were given other forms of treatment. Throwing light on the adverse effects of chiropractic medicine, Kaptchuk & Eisenberg point out that majority of the serious complications that resulted due to chiropractic treatments were those involving the cervical region of the spine. In one study Carrie and colleagues (1996) concluded that chiropractic treatment is not only more effective when it comes to neck and lower back pain treatments but is also more cost effective than the western medicine. Patient satisfaction after the treatment was found not to differ among groups who had received different forms of treatment and the researchers concluded that chiropractic treatment gives the same beneficial outcomes as other forms of medicine, but at a much lower cost. 3. DISCUSSION The literature review has revealed and highlighted many studied that are in favor of chiropractic treatment over the western medicine especially prescription based treatment. Since the technique is directly applied to the spine and vertebras, back related pain disorders are very effectively cured. This form of CAM has also proved to be effective in treating some other diseases including asthma. Some adverse effects of chiropractic treatment involve risk of damage to the spine. Such cases have been reported mostly in treatments that involved the upper part or the cervical vertebras in the spine. However, chiropractic treatment is gaining popularity day by day, especially for curing back pain disorders. Research has also shown the effectiveness of this form of treatment in headaches. According to redwood (2010), this field of CAM is gaining popularity very quickly and it previously lacked research but now research is being conducted to evaluate chiropractic techniques and their risks and effectiveness and the field is almost ready to be mainstreamed. Western treatment for similar disorders is less effective and also requires a greater number of hospitalization days. Patients are opting for chiropractic medicine these days since the conventional medicine is highly impersonal and relies heavily on medical prescriptions (Labdar, 2010). Another reason for preferring the chiropractic treatments is their cost effectiveness. Authorities are also thinking on the lines of including this kind of treatment in the health services for general public. 4. CONCLUSION Chiropractic treatment is a growing field of CAM in many countries including USA. The treatment is based on manipulating the spinal vertebras to fix a disease. It is most effective in curing back related pain and it is a relatively cheaper means of treatment. A growing body of patients is opting for chiropractic treatment these days, due to its cost effectiveness and superior results specifically in case of back and neck pain. Patients are more satisfied and their pain relief is long term after chiropractic treatment as compared to other forms of medicine. REFERENCES Carrie, M; Ilava, C & Roy, A. (1996). Cost-effectiveness of chiropractic care in a managed care setting. The American Journal of Managed Care. Vol: 2, p. 280-282 Coulter, I.D. (1999). Chiropractic: A philosophy for alternative health care. London: Biddles Ltd. Edwards, T. (2006). Complementary medicine. Net Wellness. Retrieved from: http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/alternative/introduction.cfm on January 24th, 2011. Farr, G. (2002). Chiropractic techniques: An explanation. Become Healthy. Retreived from: http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/chirotechniques/663/ on January 23rd, 2011. FCER. (2002). Spinal manipulation may benefit asthma patients. (Abstract). Chiro org. Retrieved from: http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Manipulation_May_Benefit_Asthma.shtml on January 23rd, 2011. Kaptchuk, T.J & Eisenberg, D.M. (1998).Chiropractic origins, controversies and contributions. Arch Intern Med. Vol: 158 (20), p. 2215-2224. Kanodia, A.K & Eisenberg, D.N. (2010). Perceived Bene?t of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Back Pain. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Vol:23 (3). Labdar, S. (2010). Chiropractic controversy. Retrieved from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Chiropractic-Controversy&id=4899868 on January 23rd, 2011. Moebus, S; Lehmann, N; Bodeker W & Joeckel KH. (2006). Chiropractic. BMC Public Health. Vol:6 (1), p.28 Morris, R. (2003). Some of my patients have become annoying. Retreived from: www.wevegotyourback.org/.../Someofmypatientcanbeannoying1-04.doc on January 23rd, 2011. Novella, S. (2009). Chiropractic medicine: Psuedo science. Retrieved from: http://getbetterhealth.com/chiropractic-medicine-its-history-and-pseudoscientific-practices/2009.07.02 on January 23rd, 2011. Redwood, D. (2010). Chiropractic: An alternative healing art enters the mainstream. Healthy Net. Retrieved from: http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.aspx?Id=937&xcntr=8 on January 23rd. 2011. Read More