Chiropractic Instead of Opioids: Million-Patient Study
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
Could 1 million patients help end the opioid crisis, position chiropractic as a front-line pain-relief service and in so doing, effectively change the face of health care? The Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP) / Clinical Compass certainly hopes so. With one study already completed and pending publication, a second, significantly larger study is about to get underway that, like the first, will investigate how chiropractic care impacts opioid and medication use.
Dr. James Whedon, director of health services research at Southern California University of Health Sciences and recent appointee as co-chair of the policy committee of the Integrative Complementary Traditional Health Practices section of the American Public Health Association, will serve as principal investigator on the second study, as he did on the first. Performance Health is providing significant financial support to the Clinical Compass, with funds earmarked for this second study, which is set to begin by year’s end and should yield reportable data within 18 months.
"This second study will have a massive impact on patients, providers of health services, payers and policy makers," said Jay Greenstein, DC, chairman of the Clinical Compass. "We will not just be moving the needle with this study, we will be changing the game on how healthcare is delivered in our country, and be a major force in reducing opioid addiction."
The first study, conducted last year and involving more than 12,000 LBP patients, found that patients who visited a chiropractor were significantly less likely to fill an opioid prescription and accrued dramatically lower annual charges for opioid prescriptions compared to non-recipients of chiropractic care.
To learn more about the Clinical Compass and access research-based clinical practice guidelines spearheaded by the Compass, visit www.clinicalcompass.org.
New York's highest court of appeals has held that no-fault insurers cannot deny no-fault benefits where they unilaterally determine that a provider has committed misconduct based upon alleged fraudulent conduct. The Court held that this authority belongs solely to state regulators, specifically New York's Board of Regents, which oversees professional licensing and discipline. This follows a similar recent ruling in Florida reported in this publication.
Adjusted Reality, the new book by Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) President, Dr. Sherry McAllister, promoting chiropractic and whole-being health, is already making waves as a Barnes & Noble and Amazon bestseller. As of mid-November, the book ranked #1 and #2 in the Barnes & Noble Top 100 Bestselling NOOK eBook lists in the Diet, Health & Fitness and Medicine & Nursing categories, respectively; and in multiple categories on Amazon.
Keeping our eyes smoothly focused while moving is no simple task because even the simple act of running produces head velocities in excess of 550° per second with head accelerations up to 6,000° per second. Failure to properly stabilize our eyes to compensate for rapid head motion could allow our eyes to over- or undershoot specific targets, which can result in blurred vision, nausea, impaired balance, and a greatly increased risk of falling.
