Our Country Needs Us Between Elections, Too
Dear Editor:
I wanted to thank you for publishing the article by Dr. Gantner about getting involved in local politics. After my husband retired from the National Guard and running his own business, he was asked by two good friends to run for county commissioner. He ran and won. This not only gave him a new avenue in life to use his talents and energy; it also opened up the world of politics to both of us.
What Dr. Gantner said about meeting the "movers and the shakers" in your community is true. Even a $25 donation can make a huge difference during a primary, as can making phone calls, putting signs up, assisting with mailing lists, etc.
If you can be a delegate and really participate in the process, you will develop an entire new awareness of this arena called politics. Politicians are people and the process needs all citizens to participate to make it work better.
I want to echo what Dr. Gantner said: "Think about it, doctor. Make friends and get involved." Our country needs us between elections, too!
Cheryl Steen, DC
Woodland Park, Colo.
Continuing Care: We Aren't There Yet
Dear Editor:
After reading Dr. Anthony Rosner's article, "Continuing Care: Are We There Yet?" I say emphatically – no! I have been a member of this great profession for 31 years and during that time there has been no movement of the third-party-pay system toward reimbursement for true optimal or wellness care.
We are not there yet? Shouldn't we as a profession be outraged by this? Shouldn't we have been able to make some progress in the past 30 years? Why have we not been able to make progress?
I, for one, am tired of hearing what I am doing wrong (not documenting adequately for Medicare), when there has been no improvement in that system for 30 years. Medicare paid one code back then (A2000) and pays one code today (98940); and openly practices provider class discrimination by not paying me for services I perform, but paying Joe Blow, MD, down the street for the same service.
I realize the Medicare example all has to do with the classification of "physician" and DCs are classified as non-physician providers, but why can't we get that changed? Why can't we make some progress? Can't someone figure out what it is going to take and start all of us moving down the path to achieving change?
Milton W. Schultz, DC
Salina, Kan.
Our Associations Need to Do More
Dear Editor:
Your recent article on how the public views chiropractic care ["Chiropractic in the Eyes of the Public: 2nd Gallup-Palmer Poll"] was on the one hand encouraging, and on the other hand disappointing. It was encouraging in that so many reported a very positive experience at the hands of their doctors of chiropractic; but it was discouraging in that so few people are using our services.
After 38 years of active small-town practice, I place the blame for this squarely on the shoulders of the state and national chiropractic organizations and their lack of effort in the area of public education. Many have simply ignored their responsibility to advertise the merits and scope of our work.
As a result of this oversight and neglect, we have been relegated to the limited field of musculoskeletal pain in most people's minds, and the continued fear and distrust of our methods of treatment have yet to be adequately addressed through public education.
As to the possible health and healing potential our work has via its effect on the body's nervous system and organic harmony – well, to say this has been almost completely neglected is an understatement. How sad.
It seems that most state organizations have put all their effort (and money) into one basket: legislative redress – which, while having some limited success, ignores the much greater issue of public trust and understanding of the principles upon which the profession was founded.
It is a classic example of putting the horse before the cart; without strong public support for more resources being directed our way, efforts at legislation to that effect have only had limited success. (It is a sad statement really, that on a national level, the most effort directed at public education has essentially come from an orthotic manufacturer.)
I believe it is well past time for state and national chiropractic organizations to make a first priority of educating the public as to the safety of our work, its effectiveness in relieving pain and suffering, and its potential benefit in healing for any number of common human disorders.
Explaining the role of the central nervous system in controlling all bodily functions, and the potentially adverse effect of neural "impingements" from biomechanical impairments in the spine on one's health, would be a good starting point in the process.
John R. Bomar, DC
Arkadelphia, Ark.
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?
