Healthcare spending and outcomes consume the political discussions and debates at the critical moment in election history. Candidates and political parties argue their points and lay out their plans to revolutionize one of the most important topics in any culture; healthcare. Costs, care, results and satisfaction are all major themes at the forefront of the healthcare debate. Chiropractic deserves to play a significant role in the discussion because of the value it brings to healthcare from a personal and global perspective.
Having only existed for less than 125 years, by all intents and purposes, Chiropractic is one of the newest and most proven forms of healing today. Unfortunately, the majority still believe chiropractic is only beneficial for the relief of neck or back pain. And because of this, chiropractic is rarely represented in a bright light for the value it can bring to entire society. The basis for some of the negative publicly is diverse, but a specific event uncovered one of the most revealing reasons for why chiropractic has not gained the most positive reputation over the last 40 years.
In the late 1980’s, the American Medical Association (AMA) was proven guilty by the supreme court for trying to eliminate and destroy the Chiropractic profession. Decades of false accusations were made by Medical doctors and the AMA to destroy the Chiropractic profession. An entire committee was created by the AMA in an attempt to spread lies and hurt the reputation of chiropractors and the profession. Supreme Court Judge Susan Getzendanner described the conspiracy as a “systematic, long-term wrongdoing and the long-term intent to destroy a licensed profession”. To this day, many Americans still believe that chiropractors are quacks, or not real doctors, because of the initiatives put forth by the AMA to destroy the profession.
Evidence Supporting Chiropractic
Fortunately, the results achieved by chiropractic patients worldwide on a weekly basis have helped prove the true value of chiropractic care. A study published in 2–7 spent more than seven years studying a group of over 800 people. The study divided the subjects into two groups. One group used their medical doctor as their primary care provider (PCP) while the other group utilized a chiropractor as their PCP.
The results revealed that those who used the chiropractor
as their PCP experienced:
60% Less hospital admissions
59% Fewer days in hospitals
62% Fewer outpatient surgeries and procedures
85% Less in pharmaceutical costs
These numbers are significant and occur each year for patients who utilize chiropractic care on a regular basis around the world. Chiropractic can help an individual or family save money while improving their health and wellness without the use of drugs or surgery. Education and awareness is the key. Awareness in the true value of chiropractic is necessary for more people to achieve the great benefits available to them through regular chiropractic care over a lifetime.