Chiropractic care: Risky or not?

  Chiropractic is often accused of being harmful, that benefits out weigh the risk, and that we are sub-class doctors.  I'm going to address the harmful accusation, which in turn addresses the benefit/cost ratio.

We are all familiar with insurance.  Most of us have it.  When we sign up for insurance, regardless of the type, we have to pay a premium of some sort.  Most of us are aware that the premium is not the same for everyone.  The insurance company determines who are at a high risk, those people the insurance company will be paying lots of money for, and those who will be low risk, the people who won't be using much of the insurers money but will be putting money into the insurer's pockets.  Low risk individuals typically pay a lower rate than the high risk individuals.  The rates are a fairly good measure of risk assessment.

So I went looking for rates to compare.  Felt like a super sleuth, minus the trench coat and wide rimmed hat.  It was really hard finding a site that would give me quotes without being a doctor of some sort but I came across another blog of a chiropractor who did the math for me.  I looked at his malpractice rates and the rates of the other doctors compared to his on his blog and he was paying way less per year.  The post was from a little over two years ago but I was able to find some articles about the high rate of malpractice insurance as well as the average cost of insurance for the medical profession. For a chiropractor the average chiropractic malpractice insurance rates was around $1500 per year while for the medical doctor it was $10,000-$20,000 per year (This is influenced by where and what they practice).

Well like all criminal drama's say "follow the money."  Cheaper average rates means there are fewer malpractice cases files against chiropractors.  Which means the average chiropractor is in fact safer than the propaganda would have you believe.

Chiropractic and infant care

I know I used to think of chiropractic care involving some big guy applying lots of force on the back getting it to go snap, crackle and pop. When I heard of people taking their infants to chiropractors I still had that image only a smaller force was applied. I was wrong. Not only was I wrong about the forces applied during pediatric chiropractics but I also thought the wee ones didn't need care. They have young and fresh spine in their little bodies why how on earth could they need them.

I wasn't really thinking the whole thing through. Birth is a traumatic yet wonderful experience. I look forward to having children of my own someday and both my wife and I are excited about it. Delivery just isn't the kindest thing on the neck of a new born though. The skeleton of infants are not fully hardened at birth, add to that that muscle needs to be built up fully and you have a body that can be easily be thrown out of alignment. I have a friend who told me they were having troubles getting their child to sleep through the night. I believe the term colicky was used. They took their kid to a chiropractor and after a single adjustment the problem was solved.

The amazing thing about pediatric care from a chiropractor is the amount of force needed for an adjustment. In children not much is needed. The amount of pressure applied to an infant is the same amount of force you apply when gently poking your own hand with a finger. Not much at all but the bone just slides back into place. As a chiropractor I can specialize, just like medical students can, and I may choose to specialize in pediatrics. I can't think of a more rewarding area to be in.

The important thing to remember is that Chiropractic care maintains proper nervous system function which is essential for prober development, growth, and health. Children growth fast which probably makes them ideal candidates for chiropractic care.

A little hope...

A few posts ago I made mention about a woman who got the flu vaccine and experienced a tragic side effect. Her name is Desiree Jennings. I was reading through my e-mails and I catching up on some of the newsletters I signed up for. One news letter again pointed out the tragic events in Desiree's life. I decided I would see what was going on in her life and I googled her and found a story about her recovery process. I know I am a chiropractic student and I know that the recovery method was not chiropractic but I think we should rejoice in any person's recovery regardless of our school of thought. As you will read in that article Desiree is regaining much of her motor control and the prospects of a near complete/full recovery are good. All it will take is time which I'm sure she now feels she has plenty.

The thing that is important about health care is hope. We need it. No one wants to go to a doctor to find they have no hope. We don't want to live our lives on pills for the rest of our lives. We don't want to have to live with chronic symptoms. We live in a system that gives us just that here in the states. It is a system that has too many doctors holding the book cases as absolutes and remaining inflexible. and it isn't just medical doctors who lack the ability to innovate. We need to unite together in the health care field so we can better serve those looking for hope.

The united states is going through a so called "health care" reform. Don't let the wording fool you though it isn't really a reform of health care service but rather a reform in health care costs. We want the same service, we just want it cheaper. At least that is what we are saying. Change will come from the reform, but it may not be exactly what we all are hoping for.

I look at the tumult and thing to myself "why the heck did I jump into this field now? What is going to be left of it for me when I get done with school?" I don't know what the future holds but I know that what I am doing is valid and is helpful. I know chiropractic can help people. I've been under care now for a few weeks and I have noticed that I am sleeping better at nights. I assume so because I don't feel tired in the middle of the day and I haven't changed my sleep schedule. It works for me it can work for others and I am excited to see what other benefits I will reap from my care. All I know for sure is I have high hopes for what is to come.