October 2006

DCs a natural for 'Optimal Health Management Project'

by Dr. David A. Jackson

The Center for Health Transformation ‑‑ which describes itself as "a collaboration of transformational leaders dedicated to the creation of a 21st century intelligent health system in which knowledge saves lives and saves money for all Americans" ‑‑ has launched what it calls the "Optimal Health Management Project."

Using language very similar to that employed by chiropractors for decades, the Center says that the mission of the project is to "move the American health care system away from a model of reactionary, crisis‑driven care to a transformational model of personal health management that is information‑rich, incentivized, individually based, and focused on prevention, wellness and self‑management."

That's what we've been working at ever since DD Palmer first adjusted Harvey Lilliard. Today, that same work is being done by DCs who know that true health care is more than just treating diseases and conditions. We're correcting subluxations because they can have a negative impact on wellness.

It's an important distinction and one that must be reflected in the language we use to educate patients and the public. The Center for Health Transformation understands the importance of correct terminology. "Terms such as disease management or chronic care improvement psychologically miss the target," the Center explains. "We should not focus solely on mitigating chronic conditions, but should aim to help individuals stay active and healthy regardless of their disease state. Active people living with chronic heart failure, arthritis, asthma, or diabetes who are watching their diet, complying with their prescription regimen, and exercising do not talk about managing their disease. They are managing their health."

Like everyone involved in health care, the Center puts a high premium on research. While it acknowledges that nutrition, lifestyle and attitude all play important roles in maintaining health, it warns that "modern medical schools neglect the importance of these components in favor of a more surgery and prescription drug focused provider culture." It goes on to say that the Center "seeks to integrate new medical knowledge around nutrition‑activity‑attitude into a transformed healthcare system, including impacting medical schools, continuing education for health professionals and lifelong learning of the individual."

That "new medical knowledge" should also include information on chiropractic but right now there is a paucity of scientific research addressing the role of subluxation correction in maintaining wellness. Just as the medical industry focuses on surgery and drugs, it has a powerful incentive to limit chiropractic to "treating" low back pain in adults. Drug companies and the medical establishment don't want people going to chiropractors instead of MDs.

If chiropractic was part of everyone's routine wellness regimen, the number of prescriptions and surgical procedures would very likely plummet (just as it would if everyone began eating properly and exercising regularly). Right now, the worldwide market for products to combat the flu is estimated at more than a billion dollars annually. Vaccines of all kinds are big business.

An article in the Medical Sentinel, noted: "In the past ten years, vaccines have become very profitable for drug companies. At one time, the DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) vaccine sold for 10 cents per dose, and the drug manufacturers were dropping out of the market because of low profits and liability problems. But in 1986, Congress sheltered the drug companies from liability. Those injured by vaccines can make claims against a special government fund. There is also a lot more money in the vaccine business. New vaccines are usually patented, and can sell for hundreds of dollars. Aggressive new vaccine requirements have made the market even more lucrative." ("Official Vaccine Policy Flawed," by Roger Schlafly, PhD, Medical Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 3, May/June 1999, pp. 106‑108, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.)

In 1997, Robert Blanks, PhD, studied 2,818 individuals undergoing chiropractic care and the incidence of colds and flue was reduced by an average of 15%. (Blanks et al., Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 1997.)

Fifteen percent doesn't sound like a very high percentage but 15% of a billion dollars is a lot of money and frankly, I won't be surprised to find out that the percentage is actually higher for many population groups. After all, researchers reported that during the 1917‑18 influenza epidemic, out of 93,590 patients treated by medical doctors in Davenport, Iowa, there were 6,116 deaths ‑‑ a loss of one patient out of every 15. Chiropractors at the Palmer School of Chiropractic adjusted 1,635 cases, with only one death.

Outside Davenport, chiropractors in Iowa cared for 4,735 cases with just six deaths ‑‑ one out of 866. During the same epidemic, in Oklahoma, out of 3,490 flu patients under chiropractic care, there were only seven deaths. Chiropractors were called in 233 cases given up as lost after medical treatment, and reportedly saved all but 25. In another report covering 4,193 cases by 213 chiropractors 4,104 showed complete recovery.

Is it any wonder why industries that depend on disease treatment want to restrict chiropractors to low‑back pain? Making chiropractic a universally accepted part of wellness care could mean a massive disruption in the medical profit picture.

Unfortunately, we play into the hands of our critics when we refuse to support research that can provide irrefutable scientific evidence of the subluxation's effect on the human nerve system and overall health and wellness. Too often, our researchers prefer to go for the easy grant money and study back and neck pain over and over rather than explore fresh territory.

Fortunately, Dr. Blanks, through RCS ‑‑ Research & Clinical Science ‑‑ is expanding his ground‑breaking efforts to explore the impact of chiropractic on wellness. Working closely with Matthew McCoy, DC, editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research as well as an International Scientific Advisory Panel made up of PhDs, MDs and DCs, Blanks is compiling a massive database of self‑reported health and wellness data from research volunteers around the world. The population being analyzed will include people who have never had a chiropractic adjustment, as well as those who receive regular care. The research will also analyze comparative "before and after data" on volunteers who receive chiropractic care only after their initial recruitment as volunteers.

Once sufficient data is collected, analyzed and published, there's no reason why chiropractic cannot take its place as the leading "Optimal Health Management" approach!

(Dr. Jackson is chief executive officer of Research and Clinical Science ‑‑ RCS ‑‑ a private sector research program exploring issues of subluxation correction and chiropractic care as they relate to health and wellness. Previously, he served as president of the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance and Creating Wellness Alliance and was owner/operator of several private practice offices in California and Idaho that specialized in high‑volume, family wellness‑based care. For more information on RCS, call 800‑909‑1354 or 480‑303‑1694, or visit the RCS website at www.rcsprogram.com. Doctors of chiropractic may log on to a special limited‑access area of the site by using the username DC1 and password RESEARCH.)