Medical Columnist's Fair Appraisal of Chiropractic

Most newspapers today have a medical advice columnist, a physician a la "Dear Abby." Unfortunately, such columnists rarely give chiropractic the respect it's due. (See "George McAndrews Takes Medical Columnist to Task" in the April 24, 1992 issue of "DC".)

We're pleased to report that not all M.D. columnists are out to belittle chiropractic like Dr. Gott. In a March 17, 1992 issue of the Naples (Florida) Daily News, their medical columnist, David Perlmutter, M.D., gave a very balanced view of chiropractic to his readers.

The article, "Chiropractic medicine effective alternative for pain, studies show" cites the British Medical Journal (BMJ) study and offers an array of positive statistics.

Dr. Perlmutter begins the article by referencing statistics from Prevention magazine: half the adult population suffers from back pain at any given moment; that back pain affects nearly 80 percent of all adults; and by some estimates, approximately $5 billion is spent annually on diagnosis and treatment of back pain.

He also explains that while 40 percent of Americans with back pain visit a medical doctor or osteopath, another 30 percent choose chiropractic care.

In an unusual gesture, Dr. Perlmutter cautions readers about back surgery. He writes: "Most doctors would agree that it should be reserved for those people who:

• have nerve damage resulting in muscular weakness and/or loss of sensation;

   

• have other evidence of actual nerve damage not responding to conservative treatment; or

   

• have had some loss of control of bowel or bladder function."

Dr. Perlmutter continues by quoting directly from the BMJ study. He also cites a Gallup study on chiropractic that reports "90 percent of the chiropractic patients surveyed found their treatment to be effective." In the same study, those who said they would seek chiropractic treatment again for a similar problem said they would do so because "the treatment was effective, chiropractic care offered an alternative to using drugs and the treatment helped them feel better."

Dr. Perlmutter does give one statistic that is at odds with the Gallup survey: He says that an estimated five percent of the U.S. population annually goes to a chiropractor. However, according to the Gallup study on chiropractic, 10.1 percent of the U.S. population 18 years and older have used chiropractic services in the last year, and 18.9 percent within the last five years.

One of the most positive sections of the article is the description of a DC's education. Dr. Perlmutter writes: "To become a chiropractic physician, a minimum of six years of college-level study in such areas as anatomy, physiology, pathology, spinal manipulation, and nutrition is required." He cites the number of DCs in the U.S. at 45,000 (47,752 at our latest count), and notes that chiropractic is recognized as an independent health service in all 50 states. He states that most major private health insurance carriers, many major industrial employers, and certain federal programs (Medicare) provide for chiropractic benefits.

Dr. Perlmutter's description of chiropractic itself is particularly apt: "Since its beginnings in the late 1800s, chiropractic has grown to become the largest non-medical health care system in the United States. A major premise of chiropractic is 'nature needs no help, just no interference.' Thus, by careful alleviation of abnormalities of structural alignment, chiropractic care can remove interference to natural healing abilities and produce well-being." Chiropractors could not ask for a better description of their profession. Further proof of that is these next lines from the article: "Chiropractic is a non-drug, non-surgical approach to the treatment of various health problems. The majority of patients seek chiropractic care for headache, neck pain, back pain and related complaints. Chiropractic teaches that these and other problems may be caused by irritation of spinal nerves and that this irritation can be alleviated with chiropractic spinal manipulation."

While the Consumer Reports on Health article (see April 10, 1992 issue of "DC") directs its readers to contact the National Association for Chiropractic Medicine for information on chiropractic, Dr. Perlmutter provides the address of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) for his readers.

Unlike the anti-chiropractic articles from Consumer Reports on Health and Dr. Gott, Dr. Perlmutter gives an open-minded and balanced assessment of chiropractic -- one that gives facts, not fiction, about the profession.

It is unfortunate that Dr. Perlmutter's column is not nationally syndicated, as is Dr. Gott's. Dr. Perlmutter's article is evident that that some MDs at least realize that chiropractic is a viable and growing health care profession.

Barbara Migliaccio
Second Assistant Editor