The largest database of chiropractic literature, MANTIS (formerly called Chirolars), has been available in its entirety on the Internet since August 1996 as a fee-based service.
The Internet has never been more valuable to the health professional. Now available on the Internet are two resources that provide free access to the biomedical literature. Medline and Chiroaccess add to the growing number of sites that provide free health-related literature. Other sites have offered free (although limited) access to Medline, but now a large volume of the chiropractic literature is provided free on the Web.
Chiroaccess has created information retrieval software using simple lists of the most commonly requested information by chiropractors. The doctor simply checks the subjects of interest. Currently, the list permits selection from a wide variety of clinical conditions: from headache or carpal tunnel syndrome, to professional issues like efficacy of chiropractic or managed care.
Chiroaccess selects the articles wanted by each doctor and notifies which are available when the user logs back to the site. Chiroaccess also uses this "push" technology to e-mail the doctor, if they desire, when new information is available. This ability to select what you want and have it "pushed" to you eliminates the need to conduct repetitive searches. NLM's web search engine called PubMed currently permits searching of all years of Medline as well as PREMedline. It also provides a limited number of links directly to the publishers so that the full text of an article can be obtained. NLM will add to these links in the future.
Chiroaccess does not currently permit retrospective searching through old literature, but screens for important contemporary research that meet the doctors' expressed needs.
The Internet's value to the health professions continues to grow as fast as the Internet itself. There are already plans by NLM to offer additional free information later this year. Chiropractors who are not taking advantage of this valuable health information are missing an opportunity to succeed in a world where access to the Internet is no longer a luxury, but a professional necessity.
Some of the Free Health Information on the Net
Chiropractic:
www.chiroaccess.com
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
www.healthgate.com
www.medscape.com
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
