Chiropractic medicine

INTRODUCTION: Complementary and alternative medicine research has relied primarily on survey data from community populations rather than from patient populations receiving these services in integrated health care delivery systems (IHDS). OBJECTIVES: To describe patients seeking chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy in a dedicated Center for Complementary Medicine (CCM) within an IHDS. METHODS: Patient surveys at the initial CCM visit included chief complaint, prior treatments, and relief with treatment (0% to 100% relief)...

Integrative medicine (IM) is a model of care which uses both conventional and nonconventional therapies in a "whole person" approach to achieve optimum mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and environmental health, and is increasingly popular among patients and providers seeking to relieve chronic or multifactorial conditions. The US Department of Defense (DoD) shows particular interest in and usage of IM for managing chronic conditions including the signature "polytrauma triad" of chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among its beneficiaries in the Military Health System (MHS)...

BACKGROUND: This article presents findings from qualitative interviews conducted as part of a research study that trained Acupuncture, Massage, and Chiropractic practitioners' in Arizona, US, to implement evidence-based tobacco cessation brief interventions (BI) in their routine practice. The qualitative phase of the overall study aimed to assess: the impact of tailored training in evidence-based tobacco cessation BI on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners' knowledge and willingness to implement BIs in their routine practice; and their patients' responses to cessation intervention in CAM context...

OBJECTIVES: A total of 75% of the chiropractic medicine students in the new program at the University of Zürich are women, which is in stark contrast to the traditional ratio of chiropractors in Switzerland, where 75% have been men. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare work behaviors between female and male chiropractors relating to workload, patient variety, and chiropractic treatment techniques. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of data from the Swiss Job Analysis 2009 study...

Health related absenteeism costs an estimated $153 billion annually in the United States (Witters and Agrawal, 2011).(1) Chronic conditions (major contributors to absenteeism) are often successfully managed by Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). As CAM becomes an increasingly visible component of healthcare, firms may wish to consider whether CAM therapies can help reduce illness-related absenteeism. This paper aims to extend the literature on healthcare utilization and absenteeism by exploring whether CAM treatment is associated with fewer workdays missed due to illness...

There is an increasing awareness, interest and acceptance of the biopsychosocial (BPS) model by all health care professionals involved with patient care. The areas of spine care and pain medicine are no exception, and in fact, these areas of health care are a major centerpiece of the movement from the traditional biomedical model to a BPS model of patient assessment and delivery of care. The chiropractic approach to health care has a history that is grounded in key aspects of the BPS model. The profession has inherently implemented certain features of the BPS model throughout its history, perhaps without a full understanding or realization...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this case study is to describe the presentation of a patient with plasmacytoma. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 49-year-old man presented with progressive neck pain, stiffness, and dysphagia to a chiropractic office. A radiograph indicated a plasmacytoma at C3 vertebral body. The lesion was expansile and caused a mass effect anteriorly on the esophagus and posteriorly on the spinal cord. Neurologic compromise was noted with fasciculations and hypesthesia in the right forearm...

Headaches, including primary headaches such as migraine and tension-type headache, are a common clinical problem. Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM), formerly known as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), uses evidence informed modalities to assist in the health and healing of patients. CIM commonly includes the use of nutrition, movement practices, manual therapy, traditional Chinese medicine, and mind-body strategies. This review summarizes the literature on the use of CIM for primary headache and is based on five meta-analyses, seven systematic reviews, and 34 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)...

BACKGROUND: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is growing. However the factors contributing to changes over time and to birth cohort differences in CAM use are not well understood. SETTING: We used data from 10186 participants, who were aged 20-69 years at the first cycle of data collection in the longitudinal component of the Canadian National Population Health Survey (1994/95-2010/11). We examined chiropractic and other practitioner-based CAM use with a focus on five birth cohorts: pre-World War II (born 1925-1934); World War II (born 1935-1944); older baby boomers (born 1945-1954); younger baby boomers (born 1955-1964); and Gen Xers (born 1965-1974)...

BACKGROUND: The regular update of the guidelines on fibromyalgia syndrome, AWMF number 145/004, was scheduled for April 2017. METHODS: The guidelines were developed by 13 scientific societies and 2 patient self-help organizations coordinated by the German Pain Society. Working groups (n =8) with a total of 42 members were formed balanced with respect to gender, medical expertise, position in the medical or scientific hierarchy and potential conflicts of interest...

This study estimates the effect of complementary private health insurance (PHI) on the use of health care. The empirical analysis focuses on an institutional setting in which empirical findings are still limited; namely on PHI covering co-payment for treatments that are only partly financed by a universal health care system. The analysis is based on Danish data recently collected specifically for this purpose, which makes identification strategies assuming selection on observables only, and on both observables and unobservables also, both plausible and possible...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of shoe orthotics with and without chiropractic treatment for chronic low back pain compared with no treatment. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Integrative medicine teaching clinic at a university. PARTICIPANTS: Adult subjects (N=225) with symptomatic low back pain of ≥3 months were recruited from a volunteer sample. INTERVENTIONS: Subjects were randomized into 1 of 3 treatment groups (shoe orthotic, plus, and waitlist groups)...

Introduction: Although effective treatments exist, most women who smoke during pregnancy neither seek nor receive treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments (eg, mindfulness, yoga, and acupuncture) may be attractive, low-cost options that can be used to assist a large proportion of pregnant women with smoking cessation. Methods: This study examined participant characteristics and treatment utilization among pregnant smokers in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) in order to explore the prevalence and predictors of CAM use for any purpose within this population...

Objective.:  Rhode Island Medicaid offers high emergency department utilizers the opportunity to take part in the Chronic Pain Program, an integrated treatment approach that includes free complementary therapies (massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture). The aim of the current analysis was to understand beliefs about the Rhode Island Chronic Pain Program from the perspective of the patient receiving services, the provider delivering services, and the administrator implementing the program...

INTRODUCTION: Insurance reimbursement for clinical services provided by complementary healthcare professionals in the United States likely differs by provider specialty. It is hypothesized that a lower likelihood of insurance reimbursement demonstrates that complementary healthcare services are not utilized to an optimal level and are not financially accessible to all who may need or want these services. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the likelihood of insurance reimbursement for complementary healthcare services compared with other complementary services and with conventional primary care medical services in New Hampshire...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to update evidence-based recommendations on the best practices for chiropractic care of older adults. METHODS: The project consisted of a systematic literature review and a consensus process. The following were searched from October 2009 through January 2016: MEDLINE, Index to Chiropractic Literature, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine Database), Alt HealthWatch, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Registry of Controlled Trials...

BACKGROUND: The philosophy of chiropractic has been a much debated entity throughout the existence of the chiropractic profession. Much criticism has been passed upon the historical philosophy of chiropractic and propagated by contemporary adherents. To date, a new philosophy has not been detailed nor presented that demonstrates principles by which to follow. AIM: The purpose of this paper is to expand upon the work of Russell Kirk (b.1918, d. 1994), an American political theorist, as a basis for principles to guide the formation of a philosophy of chiropractic medicine (PCM)...

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of conducting a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) examining whether an integrative care model combining spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) and acupuncture can lead to better outcomes for low back pain (LBP) than either therapy alone. METHODS: This study was conducted at a complementary and alternative medicine university health center. Participants with acute or chronic LBP were randomized to (1) acupuncture, (2) SMT, or (3) integrative acupuncture and SMT groups...

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have been shown to reduce mortality in high-risk patients. Despite several advances in programming ICDs, inappropriate shocks persist and continue to be psychologically and physically disturbing. External electromagnetic interference from electrocautery, welding, acupunctures, low-output transcutaneous electric nerve stimulators, and electronic muscle stimulators may result in inappropriate ICD sensing and shock. We present a 63-year-old female who presented to the emergency department after an ICD shock while undergoing electronic muscle stimulation in chiropractic treatment, during which light electrical pulses were sent through skin electrodes...

OBJECTIVE: While complementary medicine use among ED paediatric patients is common, the use of alternative therapies (ATs; physical or spiritual therapies) is unknown. We aimed to determine the 12 month period prevalence and nature of AT use among paediatric patients and parent perceptions of AT use. METHODS: We undertook a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of parents of paediatric patients in three EDs in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia (January-June, 2015)...