Maximizing patient outcomes with chiropractic and acupuncture

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun,” counsels the book of Ecclesiastes. Acupuncture and chiropractic are no exceptions to that biblical principle. While both disciplines emerged historically over a vast period of time as distinctly separate healing arts, the similarities between them are so striking that to call acupuncture and chiropractic simply complementary seems supercilious. The two disciplines are practically cousins.

Chiropractic interest in acupuncture dates back to the very origins of chiropractic as an organized, systematic healing art. DD Palmer discussed acupuncture treatment methods in The Text Book of the Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic, published in 1910.¹ Palmer also practiced a variety of energy healing techniques that included qi gong and reiki prior to dedicating his attention to the osseous structures of the spine in what he later termed chiropractic.¹ In the early 1900s, some chiropractic schools taught acupressure techniques and meridian therapy.¹

Terminology, techniques, and practice theories differ in chiropractic and acupuncture, but both disciplines share a similar fundamental art, science, and philosophy. Both disciplines emphasize highly refined manual palpation skills to assess the location and severity of lesions, knowledge of specific anatomical points used to effect therapeutic benefit by various manual means, and a basic goal of removing interference to the body’s innate tendency toward wellness. Acupuncture points have been used therapeutically for at least 5,000 years and correlate with many treatment points identified by later Western healing traditions.²

Notable mentions in Western healing traditions include the osteopathic contributions of Chapman’s Reflexes in the 1930s and Jones’ tender points (Strain/Counterstrain technique) in the 1950s, the chiropractic contributions of Nimmo and Vannerson’s Noxious Generative Points (Receptor-Tonus technique) in the late 1950s, and the virtually simultaneous medical contributions of Travell and Simmons with Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy.^2,3 Vannerson, Nimmo’s coresearcher in the area of chiropractic trigger point therapy, wrote a series of monographs exploring the neurophysiology of acupuncture, pain modulation, and common mechanisms among acupuncture, acupressure, and trigger-point therapy.⁴

Today, in response to increased patient demand, several chiropractic colleges now offer master’s of science programs in acupuncture. A growing number of medical doctors in the United States offer “medical acupuncture” in addition to standard allopathic approaches in their pain-management practices. An increasing number of chiropractors have included acupuncturists in their practices.

My first exposure to acupuncture occurred in 1998 when I attended a Parker Seminar. A lingering case of bronchitis, then in its third week, had left me congested, irritated, and exhausted in my hotel room. I had also exhausted the spectrum of almost daily atlas adjustments, a variety of homeopathic medicines and nutritional supplements, and even healthy doses of hot brandies at night, all seemingly to no avail.

The next day at the seminar, I took a continuing education class exploring the basics of acupuncture principles and practice. When the instructor, a dual chiropractic/acupuncture practitioner, asked for a volunteer, my hand shot up; after receiving a 20-minute acupuncture treatment, I indeed felt a good deal better.

Nothing, however, prepared me for what came out of my lungs later on that night—all the gunk that had congested my chest for those long 3 weeks. I was sold; acupuncture worked, and its basic principles mirrored chiropractic’s philosophy of a natural approach to health and healing.

After the seminar, I entertained periodic thoughts of pursuing postgraduate training and certification in acupuncture, but the additional time and money that I would need to invest in further education deterred me; however, a few years later, I had the good fortune to meet an acupuncturist, who, like me, was ready to leave his position as an associate practitioner in favor of opening his own practice. We both eventually wound up opening up separate practices right next door to each other in a professional building, and we soon developed a mutually beneficial referral relationship. Building on my prior experience with acupuncture, I soon discovered that chiropractic can obtain results that acupuncture cannot, but acupuncture can obtain results that chiropractic cannot; and when combined, the results are often powerful, safe, and effective.

The acupuncturist and I treat each other regularly for preventive wellness, and when necessary, for symptomatic care and therapeutic benefit. We communicate that message of regular natural wellness care to our patients by cross-referring many of our patients to each other. Invariably, we find that when patients avail themselves of both healing arts appropriately, not only do they get better quicker, but they also make our respective jobs a great deal easier.

From the patient’s point of view, the usually favorable and quick results of receiving combined acupuncture and chiropractic care build confidence and compliance because patients experience better outcomes.

Often, their positive results generate word-of-mouth referrals of their families and friends to our respective practices, a process that is facilitated by our next-door proximity to each other.

As Raymond Nimmo, DC, pointed out, the referred patient is the preferred patient, and those are the patients that we generally attract to our offices. Anyone can take out a yellow pages advertisement, but good results and positive patient relationships generate word-of-mouth referral practices.

By incorporating acupuncture into my low-force, soft-tissue-based chiropractic practice (my primary adjusting techniques are Nimmo, Positional Release Therapy, SOT blocking, and mechanical flexion-distraction), I have built a practice that yields predictably quick, favorable, and consistent clinical results, inspires patient confidence, and remains consistent with the done-by-the-hands philosophy of chiropractic to remove interference to the normal function of the nervous system. CP

Gerald A. Anzalone, DC, of Hudson Valley Neck and Back Care, Peekskill, NY, is a graduate of Fordham University and New York Chiropractic College. He has been in practice for 8 years, is a writer and lecturer on health care issues, and teaches CE classes. He can be reached at janzalonedc@hotmail.com.

References
1. Amaro J. Do chiropractors have the right to practice acupuncture? Dynamic Chiropractic. 1999;17:6,8,10-11.
2. D’Ambrogio K, Roth G, D’Ambrogio J. Positional Release Therapy: Assessment and Treatment Musculoskeletal Dysfunction. St Louis: Mosby; 1997:2-5.
3. Schneider M. Principles of Manual Myofascial Therapy. Pittsburgh; self-published; 1999.
4. Vannerson J. A neurological explanation of acupuncture: a theory for chiropractors to consider. In: Schneider M, Cohen J, Laws S, eds. The Collected Writings of Nimmo and Vannerson: Pioneers of Chiropractic Trigger Point Therapy. Pittsburgh: self-published by Schneider, Cohen, and Laws; 2001: 147-188.