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Interesting comment on the status of chiropractors compared to podiatrists, entitled How can chiropractic become a respected mainstream profession? The example of podiatry

http://7thspace.com/headlines/291723..._podiatry.html

toeslayer

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Hello
In Australia, I personally have great respect for the Chiropractic profession.
Interestingly enough here in NSW we have a certain health fund that unless you are in their highest cover Podiatry is not recognised however other therapies such as bowen therapy homeopathy, herbalism and massage are.
I personally am very concerned abot this and what this says about our profession.
Cheers Lorraine

How can chiropractic become a respected mainstream profession? The example of podiatry.
Murphy DR, Schneider MJ, Seaman DR, Perle SM, Nelson CF.
Chiropr Osteopat. 2008 Aug 29;16(1):10. [Epub ahead of print]

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Toeslayer thank you for that article. I agree that there is much yet for my profession to do to further our stature as a healing art. Unfortunately in my opinion many Chiropractors adhere to an antiquated and clinically unsubstantiated philosophy of practice that has tarnished our image and damaged our professional equity.

One big step would be for my colleagues to discontinue dispensing orthoses and especially "spinal pelvic stabilizers" without further training. Referring to the appropriate professionals who have this training and referring in general when it is in the best interest of the patient and becoming "team players" would further those goals and promote better relationships with the medical providers.

Also Chiropractic receives very little in research grants. Most of the money spent on research in the U.S. to validate Chiropractic has been generated privately and we need more well designed research and a stronger professional message to the public. Correcting 'subluxations' just does not cut it in today's managed care environment.

I applaud the Podiatric profession for their efforts to maintain a separate professional identity and further its cause, the goals and scope of its practitioners. I agree that DC's could learn a great deal from your example.

Regards

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David G. Wedemeyer, D.C., C.Ped.

The article in question is here as a .pdf file:
http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content...1340-16-10.pdf

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It's all heresay but I have found many Chiro's give diet advice and all sorts of outside mainstream musculoskeletal ideas.....and cannot point to any developmental process to support the validity of some of the things they do......also had good treatment from a couple too

Great Post,
Its good to see that we are being used as a model. But i think they're off the mark a bit when they say: "podiatric medical profession as a model for how a non-allopathic healthcare profession"
Podiatrists are allopathic health care practitioners. Whereas chiropractors aren't. And thats why i think their "market share is dwindling"

Great post,
Cheers

Hi guys,
Might be a little off the subject but I am blown away with some recent readings on the torque release technique and treatment of ADD/ ADHD. Maybe its been around for a while but now that I have a personal vested interest in the subject I reckon any treatment avoiding prescription as a form of management is a huge winner. Now if a chiropractor has researched nutrition as part of their treatment of a patient I don't think theres anything wrong with that. After all if a single parent with no private health insurance can be given accurate advice by a single practitioner without having to pay another initial consultation fee isn't that to the advantage of the patient and their family. After all I think its great to provide a wholistic approach to patient management. Of course if something was out of my scope of practice I would certainly refer on. For goodness sake I have in the past referred an infant to a far more experienced Podiatrist in another practice... because I felt it was in their best interest.
Cheers Lorraine
PS Any Chiropractors who have had success with the treatmet of ADD would love to hear from you. Many thanks

We forget that the precise mechanism by which many medications work is sometimes a mystery and yet these meds are approved, often being suggested for off-label use. Why is it such a stretch for some people to believe that food and supplements are efficacious (possibly a drug in therapeutic doses) given the amount of documented research on its effect in certain disease states and deficiency syndromes?

BTW Phil, in my course of training nutritional intervention was part of the curriculum, two full semesters specific to managing or co-managing patient's actually. There is also a post-graduate program in clinical nutrition offered to DC's. It is an integral part of what I offer my patients and afforded as first line therapy (and not just by DC's) to type II diabetics, burn patients, the obese, in malabsorption syndrome, syndrome X, iron deficiency anemia, scurvy, B-12 neuropathy etc.

I can be much more specific on how certain neutriceuticals have a major impact on just the resting state of skeletal muscle in acute or chronic low back pain or how nutrition effects tendons and ligaments in sprain injuries and how this benefits healing time if anyone is interested. It is science validated with clinical research not Chiropractic.

The subject was the Podiatric profession as a model for the Chiropractic profession to improve its professional standing. I believe there are many errors though in this article, the most glaring error is that Chiropractic is not allopathic in nature, which is obvious nor should they try to be. It is a distinct, natural healing art, non-invasive and effective when utilized in a manner consistent with its benefit and limitations. One of those limitations is being politically inept enough to distance themselves from mainstream colleges and the medical community at large and practice fringe philosophical elements with zero research to support it.

I do not wholly agree that our market share is dwindling, in fact visits to "complementary and alternative" providers is in fact on the rise and has been for several years. There are also demographic reasons why the data suggests a decline in utilization in the U.S., while there has been an increase worldwide.

There is one interesting statistic a colleague sent me in reference to this article. In one study 35% of the U.S. population is thought to see their primary care MD every year at least for a check-up. If the reported average of 7.5% utilization for the DC practitioner is correct and there are 11 times more MD's practicing in the country, than the DC providers actually sees more patients per annum on the average.

To respond to Lorraine I am proud to be able to personally point out many children that I have encountered in practice with ADD who have been able to abstain from taking stimulant medication to address their disorder. Many of these just by taking a high-dose Omega 3 preparation. I know that I may hear it for making this statement but I am also an ADHD sufferer who was helped greatly by nutrition and refused to take methylphenidate and amphetamine medication.

Regards,

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"If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance." - Orville Wright

David G. Wedemeyer, D.C., C.Ped.