As Ferris Bueller said during his infamous "day off," "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Such is the case with the most recent events shaping the role of chiropractic in America's health care.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a long history of ignoring any solution to pain management that does not include drugs. But under the current pressure brought on by the opioid crisis, the FDA seems to be softening. Its latest draft1 on the management of patients with pain extends beyond opioids to include "complementary therapies" as one of the "components of an effective treatment plan" under "nonpharmacologic therapies."
While somewhat limited, the nonpharmacologic therapies section of the draft lists "Complementary therapies – e.g., acupuncture, chiropracty." (For who believed that the FDA couldn't even spell the word chiropractic, it appears you may have been correct.) Chiropractic could be left out of the final document (which wouldn't be anything new), but the inclusion in the draft is just another piece of evidence demonstrating a shift in the way people are thinking about pain.
Psychology Today Publishes Another Chiropractic Article
What also may have escaped your attention is the number of interesting and frequently positive articles about different aspects of chiropractic published in Psychology Today over the past few years. The most recent piece,2 "The Evolving Evidence on Chiropractors for Low Back Pain," examines reviews published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, the Cochrane Collaboration (2012), and the recent recommendation by the American College of Physicians.
Previous Psychology Today articles have examined the effectiveness of chiropractic for migraines, hearing loss, drug addiction and immune system improvement. One article even clarified a patient's belief that manipulations cause stroke by looking at related studies to the contrary.
Ohio Sues Five Drug Companies for Causing the Opioid Epidemic
Adding to the opioid crisis awareness trend, the Ohio attorney general has filed a lawsuit against five large drug makers for "violating multiple state laws, including the Ohio Corrupt Practices Act, and ... committing Medicaid fraud."3
The lawsuit is similar to one filed by the California counties of Orange and Santa Clara in 2014 which detailed the strategy of the drug makers in their quest for greater profits.4 And while these lawsuits will take years going through the legal process and likely result in monetary settlements with no admission of guilt, the fact that county and state attorneys are taking action speaks loudly.
Information Is Power: Pass It On
Speaking of fast-moving events, each edition of Dynamic Chiropractic is now available up to three weeks sooner on all of your devices. Our digital presentation has been enhanced so there is no need to zoom on your laptop or tablet. Each article also has a special mobile version that is easy to read on your smartphone, again with no zooming required. (Look for the "Read on Mobile" icon on the start page of this and all the other articles in this issue.)
As you can see by the above, our world is changing and chiropractic is (sometimes begrudgingly) becoming recognized more prominently as the safe solution for pain and a key to wellness. We need to share this with our patients and our communities. (This is a big reason for our digital editions, which provide 24/7, multi-platform access to the latest news and information on chiropractic care.) Many people may already be reading about these developments (FDA, Ohio, etc.), but your voice should be part of those conversations.
References
- "FDA Education Blueprint for Health Care Providers Involved in the Management or Support of Patients With Pain," May 2017. (Draft Revisions to FDA Blueprint for Prescriber Education for Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioids).
- "The Evolving Evidence on Chiropractors for Low Back Pain." Psychology Today, posted May 19, 2017.
- "Ohio Sues Big Pharma, Blaming Drug Makers for Causing Opioid Epidemic." NBC News, May 31 2017.
- "Not Another Typical Drug Company Lawsuit." Dynamic Chiropractic, Aug. 1, 2014.
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Click here for more information about Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h), Publisher.