Abstract This paper explores the world of Chiropractics, focusing on the history, delivery system of care, a description of traditional services, schooling and licensure and regulatory issues of chiropractics. This paper discusses and compares the different types of Chiropractors available: straights, mixers and those considered treating cause vs. effects.
From the Paper "Chiropractics is the second largest form of healthcare delivery system, second to traditional medicine. "9.8 million patients made 135 million office visits during 1983." (National Council Against Health Fraud [NCAHF] Position Paper, n.d.) That level continues to grow. This paper will investigate chiropractic care from various perspectives, including: history of chiropractic, description of traditional services, schooling, licensing requirements and regulatory agencies. History of Chiropractics: While most individuals credit Daniel David Palmer as being the father of chiropractics (Phillips, n.d.) when he performed his first spinal manipulation on September 18, 1895 in Davenport, Iowa, spinal manipulation and associated therapies can be traced back to the times of Hippocrates (NCAHF Position Paper, n.d.) and early osteopathic physicians."
Abstract This paper discusses how during the past few years, a growing interest in natural and holistic healthcare has caused a growing interest in the field of chiropractic therapy. More patients seeking drug and surgery-free alternatives for their ailments are increasingly turning to natural therapies such as chiropractic therapy which specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are caused by mechanical dysfunctions of the joints and their effects on the nervous system. It studies the relationship between chiropractic therapy and the traditional healthcare system, through a critical study of various literature regarding the benefits of chiropractic therapy using the hypothesis that the traditional medical community is gradually recognizing the benefits of chiropractic therapy. In the near future, both healthcare fields will complement each other, resulting in a more holistic healthcare approach that better-serves the needs of the community.
From the Paper "Chiropractors work with a wide variety of patients, from children to the elderly, from injured athletes to accident victims. A growing number of chiropractors are increasingly specializing in the treatment of children and pre-teenagers. Lately, more and more children are taking extra-curricular activities such as soccer and karate. In addition, they are also lugging heavier backpacks. These factors subject the spine to an inordinate amount of stress. Backpain, once a bane of the middle-aged, now afflicts young children at an alarming rate (DeMarco 2002)."
Abstract Chiropractic therapy specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are caused by mechanical dysfunctions of the joints and their effects on the nervous system. The paper shows that in the past few years, a growing interest in natural and holistic healthcare has caused an increased interest in the field of chiropractic therapy. The paper examines chiropractic therapy as a career, including the types of personalities it attracts. It looks at procedures, treatments, typical patients and therapists' relationships with traditional medical doctors. The paper also looks at the disadvantages of this growing trend such as fraudulent practitioners and lawsuits.
From the Paper "To be eligible for the state licensure tests, a student must be a graduate of a chiropractic college accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education or CCE (Lyons 1997). Chiropractic students log the same number of total hours of education as medical students. A fulltime program takes four academic years of professional training. During these four years, students receive training in five areas of specialty, namely: adjustive techniques and spinal analysis, chiropractic principles and practice, physiological therapeutics, and biomechanics. Students also take supplementary classes in orthopedics, neurology, diagnostic imaging, radiology and nutrition (Novey 2000)."
Abstract The paper discusses the history of chiropractic medicine in general. The paper then looks at Herbert Reaver's career and describes his singular willingness to stand up against the established medical community and assert the legitimacy of chiropractic. The paper details how Reaver fought both for the legitimacy of chiropractic and against the legal practices that actively discriminated against his profession.
From the Paper "Like many medical pioneers, Herbert Ross Reaver was persecuted, reviled, and harassed by the public, the press, and the medical establishment. Indeed, he even holds the distinction as the most arrested and jailed chiropractic doctor in the history of the practice. What marks Reaver's career as unique was his singular willingness to stand up against the established medical community and assert the legitimacy of chiropractic. While the history of chiropractic medicine extends to slightly before Dr. Reaver's time, his strident position, his challenges and assertions, and his constant championing of chiropractic throughout his entire life and career map nearly directly with the ascendancy and recognized legitimacy of the practice. Indeed, Herbert Reaver's history is that of chiropractic."
Abstract This paper explains that chiropractic care consists of acute injury management, rehabilitative care, maintenance care, and supportive care. The author points out that lifelong chiropractic care primarily consists of maintenance care, which is designed to allow a person to feel well and to function at a high level. The paper relates that, when the problem is poor body mechanics, posture and ergonomic interventions are provided. The author underscores that geriatric chiropractic care is important because of a rapidly aging population as the baby boom generation grows older. The paper states that one of the main reasons that people of middle age and older adults visit chiropractors is because of low back pain complaints.
From the Paper "The results of a Northern California survey showed that "the majority of respondents perceived the benefit of alternative therapies as very beneficial or somewhat beneficial." In addition, when people do visit a chiropractor, it is normally because their family physician will recommend taking that course of action. The most common question that people have about chiropractic care is related to how effective it might be. People who make use of chiropractic services tend to return again for those services later."
Abstract This paper presents an in-depth discussion on the development of the field of Chiropractics. The writer outlines the history, discusses the controversy that surrounds it and talks about various aspects of the industry.
From the paper:
"Each year millions of Americans go to a chiropractor to have adjustments to their body performed. They are sure the procedure helps them feel better and they re eager and willing to pass out the name of their practitioner to anyone who needs it. This translates into millions of satisfied customers each year. There has also been an ongoing controversy regarding the use of chiropractics in medicine today. While the field was getting started those who chose to become chiropractors were often called quacks and accused of manipulating people 's wallets as often as they manipulated the body. Today however the field seems settled firmly in the middle. While the medical community will admit that there are useful purposes for the treatments, there is still controversy on exactly what those treatments are capable of doing."
Abstract This paper explains that the FTC acts as a watchdog to protect Americans from abuses otherwise possible in our free enterprise system; by preventing monopolies and price-fixing, the FTC encourages free trade and a fair marketplace. The author describes the case against the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association, which represent 90% of the chiropractors in Wisconsin, of conspiring to force health care providers to pay higher rates for chiropractic services than they had previously paid. The paper relates that the settlement forbids the WCA from participate any further in any kind of price fixing, as well as telling others to engage in price fixing.
From the Paper "Specific limits were placed on what the WCA could and could not do, including careful control of any surveys taken, since a survey had been used to help the conspiracy meet its goals. Specific protections were put in place to make it easier for the FTC to make sure the WCA complied with the terms of the agreement. It should be noted that the fact that the parties agreed to the FTC ruling did not mean that any individual acknowledged any actual guilt."
Abstract This paper discusses manipulation under anesthesia for a chiropractic doctoral candidate in fulfillment of sports medicine advanced licensing. This paper discusses the efficacy of the technique, applicability to sports medicine, issues with insurance coverage and how although the technique has been in use for over 70 years, insurance companies still refuse coverage stating it is experimental. This paper also talks about learning the technique from a CCE accredited chiropractic college.
From the Paper "Manipulation Under Anesthesia (MUA) is a common technique for providing more rigorous manipulations in a pain free manner to effect muscular and spinal subluxation corrective treatments when all other modes aimed at effective pain management and or the revitalization of structural integrity have failed. MUA is particularly relevant to the field of Sports Medicine. Most athletes are conditioned to accept a high level of pain and develop a high pain threshold. When this high pain threshold is pitted against what a chiropractor, osteopath or other medical professional can do during the performance of manipulative therapy, unless the surrounding musculature is relaxed, although the athletic patient might not complain, his physiological constrictive musculature will give him away; causing even more difficulty in achieving the goals that the practitioner is trying to achieve. "
Abstract This paper explains the role of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in protecting consumers against anti-competitive or anti-trust behavior especially in fields, such as health care and health insurance. The paper presents a case study of the Wisconsin Chiropractic Association (WCA), which was penalized by the FTC for creating a conspiracy amongst WCA members to increase prices for chiropractic services and to boycott third-party payers for the purpose of obtaining higher reimbursement rates from health insurance companies. The paper considers the actions of the FTC to be justified.
Table of Contents:
The Role of the Federal Trade Commission
Conduct of the WCA: Anti-competitive behavior
Penalty: Fair or unfair?
From the Paper "The misconduct did not simply end there: the WCA also circulated fee surveys to facilitate coordinated pricing by its members, thus demonstrating when certain members were 'undercharging' customers, which meant they would be contacted and encouraged to charge more. It aggressively pursued all its members and encouraged them to charge more money, urging chiropractors not only to squeeze more money from client's pockets but also to negotiate higher fees with health insurance companies."
Abstract This paper explores the history, foundations, health benefits, controversies, and the opportunities that chiropractic practice offers.
From the Paper "To be a chiropractor is something that takes great discipline and dedication. One must love to help others achieve rehabilitation through the adjustment of the vertebrae. By definition, chiropractic is the "form of health care that prevents disease and maintains a patient's health and well-being through spinal manipulation, which involves adjusting the vertebrae in the spinal column, without the use of drugs or surgery" (Maurer). To discover what chiropractic is exactly, one must explore its history, foundations, health benefits, controversies, and the opportunities that chiropractic offers."
Abstract This paper discusses the need for alternative approaches to health care. While maintaining a commitment to providing quality health care, a limited budget demands that change be made in the way that health care services are provided, and which treatments are made available. Appropriate level of care for patient need is discussed. Alternative approaches not currently in widespread use, such as acupuncture and chiropractic medicine, are proposed. The need for an improved joint effort on the part of community groups and health care providers is raised.
From the Paper "Realizing that because of the high cost associated with health care and the limited availability of traditional hospitalized treatments an alternative approach is needed in the treatment of less severe health ailments that can be treated by alternative means. This reformed approach conserves hospitalized care for members of society who have a higher demand for these specialized services and equipment, such as organ transplant patients."
Abstract The paper shows how there exist written records that date back to 3500 years ago on the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The writer shows that although called traditional, it actually went through a series of changes and adaptations to various influences, such as politics, economics, science, technology and social and cultural alterations, to a point that Western medicine almost replaced it particularly with the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. From its restoration in the middle 50s and it has continued to serve and benefit the Chinese people, as well as the rest of the world today. The paper shows how TCM is used to treat modern ailments, especially mental disorders such as alcoholism and schizophrenia.
From the Paper "Another stress-reducing, relaxing method is massage which manipulates the soft tissues in restoring normal health. It "stimulates blood circulation, relaxes tense muscles and aids the movement of lymph fluids which carry toxins out of tissues. This technique does not only relax the body and mind but also induces the release of endorphins, which are bodily produced pain-killers in and from the brain, for overall well-being (Allina). Meditation is a popular practice of calm concentration that gradually eliminates the effects of external stimuli and produces a stress-free state and inner harmony. Alcoholics can benefit from this technique by daily practising it and regaining self-control, proper perspective and sobriety (Allina)."
From the Paper "One method in chiropractic medicine for the relief of back pain is spinal manipulation, a treatment that some find beneficial and effective and others find a form of quackery. Vernon (1998) states that in the state of Delaware, which is typical in this regard, chiropractic has been regulated since the 1930s, with a battle ongoing between medicine and chiropractic on both the political and clinical fronts. Chiropractic is defined in the dictionary as a therapeutic system based upon the premise that disease is caused by interference with nerve function, with the chiropractic method being to restore normal condition by adjusting the segments of the spinal column. According to chiropractic, the deviation of the body segments of the vertebral column from their normal juxtaposition that interferes with nerve transmission and..."
Examines legitimacy & effectiveness, clinical research, scientific basis, professional standards, challenge from medical establishment & recommended responses. Includes theories and laws of the practice.
2,925 words (approx. 11.7 pages), 11 sources, 1997, $ 103.95
From the Paper " The Problem of Chiropractic
Throughout this century the question of whether or not chiropractors are legitimate health care providers has been hotly debated. Today, in a rapidly changing health care environment, chiropractic is more widely acknowledged than ever. Recent changes in modes of health care provision, reimbursement, and regulation have not, however, ended the debate. Instead they bring with them even greater challenges to chiropractors. As emotional opposition to chiropractic is put aside it is replaced by rational questions which the chiropractic profession must be prepared to answer. The basic thrust of the anti-chiropractic argument is that the practice is based on unproved, perhaps untestable, hypotheses and that the general theory of chiropractic is based on mystical beliefs about the functioning..."
