Two Professions Unite
To enhance understanding between two competing professions, faculty members from Northwestern Health Sciences University, Bloomington, Minn, presented chiropractic health care philosophies and treatment techniques to second-year medical students at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

“The idea that our responsibility of diagnosis in the state of Minnesota varied little from that of a medical doctor seemed to surprise the students,” says Kurt Wood, DC, professor and associate dean of the doctor of chiropractic program.

The event is a recent addition to the University of Minnesota’s medical school program, due to the fact that the relationship between MDs and DCs has been divided, and the 1987 antitrust suit (Wilk, et al v American Medical Association) found the AMA, the American College of Surgeons, and the American College of Radiology guilty of conspiring to destroy the chiropractic profession in the United States.

Northwestern faculty members were impressed by the medical students high level of interest in chiropractic.

“Despite the fact that the presentations were voluntary and that they took place the day after completing final examinations, the majority of the second-year medical class took part in the event,” says Wood. “With programs such as this, I see great potential for expanding future relations between chiropractors and medical doctors.”

Texas WC Costs Among Nation’s Highest A study conducted by the Cambridge, Mass-based Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that between 2001 and 2002 Texas’ workers’ compensation costs per claim were among the highest in the United States. “Overall, workers compensation costs remain high in Texas and continue to rise,” says WCRI Executive Director Richard Victor, DC. “Policymakers in Texas need to understand why medical costs per claim in particular are so high and growing at a rapid pace.” The study, CompScope Benchmarks for Texas, 5th ed, which compared workers’ compensation costs in 12 states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin) found that the average medical cost per claim in Texas was 76% above the median. Injured workers in Texas received temporary disability benefits 50% longer than injured workers in the other states (26 weeks on average versus 17 weeks for the median). According to the study, the major cause behind the increase in overall costs per claim was an 11% growth in medical payments per claim and a 7% increase in temporary disability duration of more than 1 week. The study also found that average payment per claim to defense attorneys has risen more than 20% per year for the past 2 years, even though the average defense attorney fees per claim in Texas are lower than the median of all the states. The rise can be related to the increase in disputes over medical issues. “Legislation is being considered in the next legislative session in Austin,” says Victor. “These metrics will help policymakers focus on the principal drivers of claim costs and provide baseline information for any future evaluation of legislative changes.”

Study Finds New Treatment for Back Pain
A study from the Medical Research Council (MRC) found that spinal manipulation (defined by MRC as a form of care provided by DCs to treat a range of musculoskeletal problems) combined with exercise is an effective treatment for those suffering from back pain.

“Lower back pain is one of the most common ailments treated in the United States,” says George McClelland, DC, chairman of the ACA Board of Governors. “It is exciting to read another study that confirms what we have seen in almost 50 other clinical trials—spinal manipulation offers cost-effective relief for patients who suffer from back pain."

The study included more than 1,300 patients whose back pain had not improved after receiving treatment from a general practitioner. The treatment options were a physical exercise program, spinal manipulation, or spinal manipulation followed by an exercise regimen. The study found that the greatest improvement in back pain was found in patients who were treated with both spinal manipulation and physical exercise.

“The ACA is pleased that research such as this is being conducted and brought to the attention of the public,” says ACA President Donald J. Krippendorf, DC. “With a report such as this, we can offer our patients the best care possible.”

Chronic Back Pain May Shrink the Brain
A study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill, has found that chronic back pain may age the part of the brain responsible for memory and information processing by up to 20 years.

“By definition, chronic back pain is a state of persistent pain associated with negative mood and stress,” says A. Vania Apkarian, PhD, lead researcher, associate professor of physiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and a researcher at the Northwestern University Institute for Neuroscience. “Therefore, one possible explanation for the decreased gray matter is that nerve cells are working overtime.”

According to Apkarian, loss in brain density is related to pain duration, indicating that 1.3 cm3 of gray matter are lost for every year of chronic pain. In addition, although chronic back pain negatively impacts quality of life and increases anxiety and depression, it is assumed that any changes to the brain revert to a normal state after the chronic pain stops.

In the study, Apkarian and colleagues used structural magnetic resonance imaging brain scan data and two automated analysis techniques to compare 26 healthy volunteers with 26 patients who were experiencing chronic pain in the lumbosacral region for more than 1 year. Researchers found that sufferers of chronic pain lost about 5% to 11% of gray matter per year (the same as 10 to 20 years of aging).

Researchers hypothesize that atrophy of brain circuitry dictates pain. As atrophy of the brain progresses, the pain condition becomes more irreversible and less responsive to therapy.

Survey Shows Need for Drugless Options
A recent survey (released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the US Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and the Harvard School of Public Health) found that nearly half of all Americans are concerned about the safety of medical care they receive.

“Americans too often choose to pop a pill or seek out elective surgery to treat health problems that could just as effectively and more safely be managed by less invasive and/or nondrug options,” says ACA President Donald J. Krippendorf, DC. “Even over-the-counter pain relievers can have dangerous side effects, such as liver damage, internal bleeding, or even death, which many consumers are unaware of. It is time for a paradigm shift toward safer and more natural health care.”

According to the ACA, chiropractic care is one of the safest health care options available today, boasts high patient-satisfaction ratings, and has been shown to be more effective than medication at treating conditions ranging from back pain to headaches.

A recent study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found chiropractic care to be more effective than medical care at treating chronic low back pain. Another study conducted by the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center found cervical or neck manipulations are appropriate for treating both tension and cervicogenic headaches, a tension headache that is associated with specific neck symptoms.

“If more patients with musculoskeletal complaints were encouraged to utilize scientifically supported interventions, such as those frequently utilized by doctors of chiropractic, many unnecessary hospital stays, surgeries, dangerous medications and high costs they generate could be avoided,” says Krippendorf.

New Partnership Between WSCC and CEUHS
Western States Chiropractic College (WSCC) has signed a new partnership agreement with the Continuing Education Universe of Health Services (CEUHS), which will offer chiropractors courses for continuing education (CE) accreditation, allow them access to more than 50 online accredited courses, as well as offer support for WSCC’s postgraduate program.

“We have seen a dramatic shift in online learning opportunities in chiropractic, from 0% to almost 25% in only a few years,” says Lester Lamm, DC, chief academic officer and dean of continuing education. “We choose to work with CEUHS.com because of its vast selection, strong validation process, and digital certificates of completion.”

Chiropractors can take CEUHS.com courses for all or some of their continuing education (CE) requirements in 36 states. CEUHS also offers CE courses for massage therapists, acupuncturists, and nurses as well as chiropractic assistant training programs.

“By fostering access to online learning, our state association partners are helping their chiropractors to stay current in health regulations, reinforce chiropractic philosophy, and explore new concepts for their practices,” says Angela M. Lombardi, president and co-founder of CEUHS.com.

ICA to be Featured on TV Show
Platinum Television Group has selected the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) to participate on its Health Forum series with a special half-hour show, The New Chiropractor, which will educate the public about chiropractic.

“Paul Zane Pilzner stated in his best-selling book, The Wellness Revolution, wellness will be the next trillion-dollar industry,” says CJ Mertz, president of The Waiting List Practice, Austin, Tex. “The New Chiropractor is the leader of the lifetime family wellness movement in their town, and the driving force of chiropractic's next revolution.”

Through the show, ICA seeks to teach some truths about chiropractic, the fastest-growing and second-largest health care profession, including its unique identity as a nontherapeutic, drugless, and surgery-free health science. In addition, spokespeople from ICA will discuss the advances chiropractic has made in the past decade as a primary health care provider.

The air date for the television show is pending.

Chiropractic Adjustments May Heal Anxiety
A study, published in The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR) found that a patient’s anxiety symptoms, including headaches, were reduced after chiropractic adjustments were made on her spine.

The study described a 19-year-old female experiencing symptoms of dizziness, trembling, sweating, heart palpitations, and sleep deprivation. She was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and was prescribed paroxetine hydrochloride by her neurologist. This medication produced side effects and minor relief, resulting in decreased quality of life.

“This young woman spent 2 years in crisis, going from emergency room to private specialist, spending thousands of dollars for tests and drug therapy without any resolution of her problems,” says Madeline Behrendt, DC.

A chiropractic evaluation conducted a year later, complete with exams and EMG scans, revealed evidence of chronic vertebral subluxations in multiple locations, and altered spinal curves in cervical and thoracic areas.

“A simple, noninvasive spinal screening ultimately provided the findings that made the difference: her spine was subluxated, impinging on nerves, and altering the proper function of her nervous system,” Behrendt says.

After a 4-month course of chiropractic care, including adjustments to specific vertebra to promote restoration of proper nerve function, the patient’s anxiety symptoms were reduced by 80%, including a 90% decrease in her headaches.