The News:
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) announced a career-development award designed to diminish the barriers that prevent complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) clinicians from exploring a career in research. NCCAM, a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), created this award in partnership with The Bernard Osher Foundation through a grant to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. The Bernard Osher Foundation/NCCAM CAM Practitioner Research Career Development Award will promote the science of CAM through research training and mentorship. Awardees will receive up to 5 years of intensive, supervised career-development research training in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences related to CAM.

Your Views:
Thomas E. Hyde, DC, DACBSP, Miami, said: “The announcement that NCCAM and the Osher Foundation have announced a new career-development award is just one more step in bringing cultural authority to those who practice nonmainstream medicine. For many years, CAM providers have known what they do works, but because of certain barriers, they have not had the opportunity to receive long-overdue credit for their excellent care for that population who wishes to indulge in other, ethical, effective health care products. The opportunity to now have a chance to participate in research and mentorship programs is something we could only dream about in the past. Let’s all work together to encourage continued relationships such as this for the benefit of those we treat: our patients.”

The News:
A report from the Veterans Health Administration cites musculoskeletal injuries as the No 1 complaint from veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and many veterans believe that integrating chiropractic treatment into the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system would be cost-effective and would speed recovery time for those suffering from musculoskeletal pain. The ACA has been lobbying Congress to more fully integrate chiropractic care into the military and veterans’ health care systems. Currently, chiropractic care is available at only 42 stateside military bases and at 30 VA facilities across the country.

Your Views:
Robert Johnson, DC, Century City, Calif, said: “We have a responsibility to provide our military with the best tactics and equipment to assist them in their service to our country. Similarly, we have a duty to provide our troops with a health care system that is unsurpassed. American DCs are ready, willing, and able to step up to care for our injured troops and veterans. Just show us where you need us, and we’ll be there. If the VA bureaucracy is too bogged down and Congress can’t agree on how to fund it, then send them to my office and they’ll get the proper care and respect that they have earned.”

Frank M. Painter, DC, La Grange, Ill, said: “A recent report from the Veterans Health Administration reports that 42% of veterans returning from the Middle East and Southwest Asia have sought care for musculoskeletal ailments. This highlights the increasing need for the VA to place DCs in more (or all) of their treatment facilities. Pran Manga, a health care economist, was hired by the Province of Ontario, Canada, in 1993 to advise them if chiropractic should be added as a covered benefit within their national health coverage. After reviewing all forms of treatment for low back pain, he concluded that most forms of medical management were ‘untested, questionable, or harmful in nature.’ Manga said that research revealed that chiropractic care had demonstrated its ‘effectiveness and cost-effectiveness,’ that it was safer than medical care, that manipulation provided by nonDCs was less safe and effective, and that the chiropractic care generated higher patient-satisfaction scores. He also recommended that DCs be placed as gatekeepers within the workers' compensation system for musculoskeletal complaints, and if they did so, then the Province could save as much as $770 million per year in reduced medical expenses! Other studies have shown that chiropractic care is even better than opium for reducing pain.”