Is Your MD Against Chiropractic?•

Recently I had an expectant mother come into my office for care. She said she was in her Lamaze class when one of the women started excitedly talking about how chiropractic care had helped her with back discomfort from her pregnancy. Robin went to her OB/GYN who flat out told her not to go. Instead, he recommended for her to take Tylenol for her pain. When she asked why she shouldn't see a chiropractor, his answer was that he didn't "believe" in it.

Well, my patient was desperate for relief. So she decided to follow her intuition and sought chiropractic care on her own. After a careful chiropractic evaluation, I discovered her fifth lumbar and sacroiliac joints were restricted. I gave her a conservative, pain-free adjustment. She got up off the table and even though she still was waddling, she felt incredibly better.

Stories like the above patient are heard every day in our office. One of the most frustrating aspects of being a chiropractor is hearing the myths about chiropractic care from the public. Chiropractic is not something you believe in like a religion. Its a natural way of helping the body heal. It also promotes a lifestyle that leads to better health and optimum performance.

Modern day chiropractors are getting a bad rap because at one time the American Medical Association had a well orchestrated agenda to destroy chiropractic.

The American Medical Association's opposition to chiropractic was at its strongest in the 1940s under the leadership of Morris Fishbein. Fishbein called chiropractors "rabid dogs" and referred to them as "playful and cute, but killers" He tried to portray chiropractors as members of an unscientific cult who cared about nothing but taking their patients' money. Up to the late 1970s and early 1980s, the medical establishment purposely conspired to try to destroy the profession of chiropractic. In fact, a landmark lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Illinois in the 1980s found that the American Medical Association was guilty of conspiracy and was ordered to pay restitution to the chiropractic profession.

In the 20+ years since, the opinion of most medical doctors has changed: several major studies have shown the superiority of chiropractic in helping people with a host of conditions, and medical doctors developed a better understanding as to what chiropractors actually do. Many people have returned to their medical doctors and told them about the great results they experienced at their chiropractors office. Hospitals across the country now have chiropractors on staff, and many chiropractic offices have medical doctors on staff. Chiropractors and medical doctors are now much more comfortable working together in cases where medical care is necessary as an adjunct to chiropractic care.

However, even with all the scientific evidence supporting chiropractic, old prejudice and ignorance continue to prevail. Only ten percent of Americans see chiropractors. It is my opinion the other 90 percent don't know about it, have a negative opinion about it, or feel they don't need it.