At no time in history has there been so much uncertainty in medicine. The medical paradigm of health is crumbling right before our eyes just like the Berlin Wall. Each week an article appears in USA Today, the New York Times, and other local papers throughout our nation informing the American public that drugs and surgery are not an effective method to live a healthy life. Recent medical outcome studies clearly indicate that the traditional medical treatment of antibiotics for otitis media, bypass surgery for cardiac arteriosclerosis and many other medical treatments are not clinically indicated. Even the revered MRI of the spine has been shot down as an all-reliable diagnostic procedure. There is also a movement among many progressive MDs towards a more natural treatment approach.
As the medical paradigm of disease care crumbles, the mainstream of society is moving closer to a wellness paradigm of health care. As this shift occurs, where is chiropractic moving? The fact is it should not move anywhere. Unfortunately some in our profession would abandon our 99+ year wellness paradigm to move towards disease care. One of the most recent and insidious developments is a new degree program from Western States Chiropractic College: the doctor of chiropractic medicine (DCM). The program basically proposes one year of additional training in diagnostics and pharmacologic therapeutics. Fortunately the degree must be approved by the Council on Chiropractic Education, and Western States' student body consists of only 200+ future chiropractors. But don't fool yourself, unless there is a unified effort to keep drugs out of chiropractic, those who truly do not understand chiropractic as a wellness paradigm will persist until chiropractic is a bastardized form of medicine just as the road travelled by osteopathy.
The American public is ready to accept the truth of the chiropractic paradigm. Let us insure that it endures long enough to meet the needs of our society. So I ask you, the guardian of chiropractic, to take a stand and decide what kind of chiropractic do you wish to pass on to your children and their grandchildren. Help me to keep drugs in their rightful place, not in chiropractic. I ask that you take the following action immediately:
Stephen Simonetti, DC
Whitestone, New York
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?
