While cervical disc pathology can unquestionably produce radiculopathy, many patients presenting with arm pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness do not exhibit the clinical behavior of true nerve-root compromise. In these cases, failure to differentiate the primary pain generator may lead to unnecessary spinal injections, nerve ablation procedures or surgical consultation despite limited likelihood of benefit.
Chiropractic Chalkboard
My gut estimate is that conventional medicine is appropriate for about 15 or 20 percent of the instances in which we're now using it. And I think if we restrict it to those instances, we wouldn't have an economic crises in health care. But doctors don't know anything else. Those are the tools they've been given.
-- Andrew Weil, MD
Interesting Quotes
Advice: One MD to Another"People are interested in alternative therapies, but they won't necessarily share their curiosity with you. Letting your patients know you're open-minded about alternative options will encourage them to tell you what they're doing. You may, in fact, find that alternative therapies provide you with some extra tools. And you may also discover, as some physicians have, that life is just a bit more interesting."
Manual therapy: Hands on healing. Patient Care, Dec. 15, 1997.
Public Demand
"Public demand combined with managed care pressures appear to be creating a growing role for chiropractors in staff positions at medical groups."
Primary nonphysician? American Medical News, November 10, 1997.
Congress Created a Monster
"Congress created a monster when it passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) in 1974. While the regulation of health insurance had historically been done at the state level, Congress preempted the rights of the states to regulate employee health benefits plans. Congress gave to itself the sole responsibility to establish protections for people enrolled in those plans. This is the environment that we have today."
-- Congressman Charlie Norwood, author of the PARCA bill.