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Studies Show Benefits of Chiropractic Care
by Dr. Steve Kulba
contributing writer

It is believed by many tfiat if we could control fraud, waste and improper use of health care, our nation could afford to provide health care for all Americans. The American health care system is not healthy, caring or a system. It is currently inefficient, wasteful and improper. Some corrective proposals being offered are like putting a Band Aid over a hemorrhage: They simply I won't work. Fraud in health care takes several forms, one of the most cruel being fraud by exclusion. If a doctor is aware of the advantages of alternative therapies and ignores them for selfish reasons, the doctor is not being honest with the patient. Doctors are morally and ethically bound to advise their patients of any options that might be better, safer or more cost-effective. Chiropractic is one major unwarranted exclusion. There are several reputable studies that back chiropractic science. RAND, the world-reknowned think tank, with the University of California at Los Angeles Deparment of Medicine and others completed a study in 1991 that found spinal manipulation was appropriate for acute lower back pain with no neurological findings and normal lumbosacral radiographs. In 1990, theBritish government completed a decade long study and found that chiropractic was clearly superior by as much as a 2:1 ratio over medicine in some areas of health care. The largest health maintenance organization (HMO) in the southeastern United States sent 100 of its medically unresponsive patients to chiropractors and found that 86 percent of the patients were helped. More importantly, 12 out of 12 people who had been told they needed disc surgery had their problems corrected within two to three weeks. This saved $250,000, not to mention pain, suffering and the potential complications of surgery. Imagine the national impact if the cost savings from this HMO were extended to all 7,500 hospitals and thousands of other HMOs across the country. It is mind-boggling. World-renowned medical orthopedist Kirkaldy-Willis joined forces with chiropractis doctor David Cassidy in a 1985 research report, "Spinal Manipulation in the Treatment of LowBack Pain." Two hundred and eightythree "totally disabled" patients were given spinal manipulations for two to three weeks. The results showed "no restrictions for work or other activities" for: -- 79 percent of 54 patients with posterior joint syndrome -- 93 percent of 69 patients with sacroiliac joint syndrome -- 88 percent of 48 patients with both syndromes -- 36 percent to 50 percent of patients with more serious disorders Another study, which examined more than 3,000 workers' compensation cases, showed compensation costs were 10 times less under chiropractic care. In 1988, the Italian government completed a two year study on more than 17,000 patients treated by chiropractors at 22 medical clinics. The university that conducted the study found that hospitalization was reduced by 87.6 percent and work loss was reduced by 75 percent through chioropractic care. An American study showed that hospitals using chiropractic care were able to send patients hjome seven days to nine days sooner than hospitals not employing chiropractic care. Projecting those figures to the 7,500 hospitals in America. the impacti on cost and suffering is awesome. However, less than 0.5 percent of American hospitals have chiropractors on their staff. The issue at hand is not chiropractic vs. medicine. Rather, it is a simple case of using the safest, best and most cost-effective therapy without bankrupting the nation or adding to economic recession. Together, Americans must create public awareness of.chiropractic and redirect our health care system into a rational and sensible direction. The country's health care and very well-being are at stake. This article is based on studies by Chester A. Wilk, O.C.. and Louis Soortelli. D.C.

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