May 2004

I'm just under-appreciated... a true story

by Dr. Chad J. Rohlfsen

Imagine, if you will, that you are a pediatrician in my little town of Newton, Iowa. I know it's a stretch, but put yourself in this guy's shoes for a moment.

One day, you're going about your business of writing prescriptions as you have done so many times in days past, when you open your next exam room to find little three‑year‑old Johnny sitting on the exam table with his mother standing next to him.

You've been battling his ear infections for the last year and a half. During your last exam with Little Johnny, you stated the possibility of ear tube surgery if things didn't get better. As you greet them both, you notice that the mother is not smiling as she normally does. You think nothing of it and place your concentration squarely on Johnny.

It's been about six months since little Johnny's last visit so there must be something wrong with his ears again, although he doesn't appear to be in any distress.

You take out your otoscope and twirl it your hand like an experienced gunslinger from the Old West, and say to him, "Stick up your ears and reach for the sky pardner." Little Johnny smiles, and it's strange but this time you don't notice the nervous laugh from his mother.

Your well‑trained eye peers into little Johnny's right ear, and it's clear. You make your normal well thought out authoritative comment of, "Hmmm, I see." Then you proceed to turn his head to look into his left ear. By gosh, that one's clear as well!

You look at his mother with a big smile on your face and proudly state, "Well, it looks like the last round of antibiotics really did the trick with those stubborn ears." The mother states that it's been about five months since his last ear infection. "This is great," you say with surprise, "But, I'm a bit confused, why have you brought him in if he's feeling fine?"

The mother replies that she just wanted to make sure the ears were totally clear. You can also notice a bit of nervousness in her voice as she asks, "May I ask you a question?" You reply knowingly, "Of course!" The mother continues, "What do you know about chiropractic and kids?"

At this point, you feel a cold rush come over your body as you feel your adrenals kicking in. You state in a rather authoritative tone, "Chiropractors have no business treating children, there are just certain risks about it that you should really make yourself aware of."

"Really?" states the mother with a new tone of confidence you haven't heard before. "Dr. Rohlfsen has assured me that the chiropractic profession has never had a malpractice case involving a child in its 100‑ year history, and that if the medical profession can make the same claim, then he'll start listening to your claims. He also gave me these articles from the Internet that show how antibiotics are over used and misused in our society on a regular basis."

You reply in a defensive tone, "You can't take articles from the Internet seriously, there's so much garbage out there!"

The mother then reaches into her large purse and pulls out several pieces of paper which contains about six to eight current articles. "Well, I don't know about you, but all these Internet sources are from places like "ABC News," CBS, NBC and others like that. And they're all reporting on current medical research that states antibiotic use in kids with ear infections is useless. They also state that continued use makes the problem worse in the long run."

You try to maintain your composure especially in front of the child and reply that you would never let a chiropractor near your kids. The mother interrupts you and states that since the last visit after the discussion of ear tubes, she decided to give the chiropractor a chance, and that after the first two weeks of care, her little Johnny hasn't had a single complaint about his ears.

Without knowing what else to say, you stomp out of the room with the wise comment, "Whatever!"

I wouldn't like to be in that pediatrician's position. And this is just one of many stories I have about my practice members confronting their MDs with information that contradicts what they have regularly prescribed. The best thing about it is that it isn't just an opinion the patient confronts the physician with ‑‑ it's main stream media coverage of current medical research!

You'd think the MD would be glad for the end of the little Johnny's suffering. Yet, sadly, this is not the case. In this circumstance, ego took precedence over compassion, a common problem for many doctors, MDs and DCs alike. The best outcome is not only helping little Johnny, but empowering a mother with the care of her child.

In fact, this is always the best outcome.