Those of you who know me can attest to the fact that I am not a paranoid person. I do not feel that the world is out to get me, and I am not suffering from terribly low self-esteem. I without reserve can say that I adore my calling. I cannot imagine doing anything else. If I won the lottery I would still be a chiropractor. I also make every effort not to judge others until they prove to me that there is a reason to do so. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. In a Utopia, others would offer me the same courtesies. Let me tell you that this is not Utopia. I have had to endure the sneers of medical doctors whose patients I see time after time but only when I worked in Savannah did any of them acknowledge the good that was done for patients by chiropractors. Physical therapists seem to feel a need to knock what we do also. Do not judge so quickly.
In a recent article published be the American Academy of Spine Physicians, a positive patient outcome was reported and a chiropractor forged a friendship with the medical doctor of one of his patients. I have chosen to share this article with the hope of opening some eyes. It is entitled “Good Results Speak Loudly”.
“A 51-year-old male had developed low back pain with radiation down his left leg…Initially the pain was intermittent but then became constant. The patient’s family doctor placed him on muscle relaxants and analgesics (pain medication). This helped but did not alleviate his condition. The doctor ordered lumbar spine x-rays, which showed degenerative changes…The patient was referred to a neurosurgeon who found no weakness or sensory deficit. He placed the patient on two weeks of bed rest, which resulted in little improvement. When the neurosurgeon saw the patient at follow-up, he recommended more bed rest. Because the patient had not benefited much from the previous course of bed rest, he asked the neurosurgeon for a referral to a chiropractic physician. The neurosurgeon was upset. He said he knew nothing about chiropractors and chiropractic treatment, and recommended that the patient not go to a chiropractor. Several years prior, a friend of the patient had a similar problem treated successfully by a chiropractor and the patient got the name of his friend’s chiropractor. He then made an appointment and requested his x-rays from the neurosurgeon. The neurosurgeon would not give him his x-rays “to take to a chiropractor”. The patient went anyway. The chiropractor examined him, repeated the lumbar x-rays, and began therapy. Within two weeks, the radiating leg pain was gone; by the end of the month, the patient had no lower back pain. Enthusiastic about his result, the patient returned to the neurosurgeon who was impressed with what the chiropractor was able to do. He contacted the chiropractor and the two met to discuss chiropractic manipulative therapy. One week later, the neurosurgeon visited the chiropractor’s office to observe various types of treatment. From that time on, the two doctors referred patients to each other and enjoyed the results of cooperative spine care. They both benefited as did their patients.”
There is no reason in this world that this cannot be the case here. I hereby extend an open invitation to any physician or physical therapist in this town who would be willing to come in to our office and observe what we do. Make your judgments based on your own education and not based on hearsay. Find out for yourself, first hand, why and how chiropractic works. I am not seeking acceptance per se, but I am offering a chance to teach other doctors and health professionals what we do and why it works. I would love nothing more than to have doctors who would work in cooperation with us in offering the best possible options for our patients. I personally believe that if I cannot provide what my patients are in need of I will go to any extreme necessary in order to find it for them. I do and have. Many of my patients have gone to Columbus, Macon, and Atlanta to find physicians who are willing to accept referrals from a caring, responsible, and informed chiropractor. I chose to be a chiropractor for a reason, and that reason has nothing to do with having a hostile relationship with any other professional. From the standpoint of consumer, if my doctor would not be open-minded enough to explore all of the possible options that might benefit me I think I would run, not walk, in the direction of one who would. Keep your focus on what matters most. Treat your body well.