It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better

Dear Editor:

I read your column every issue and generally enjoy your editorial commentary. In your latest article ["Serving Your Community During a Recession," May 6 DC], you make mention of the recession and chiropractors serving their communities during a recession.

On paper, it sounds plausible and honorable. I'm not sure what your economic qualifications are, but in the article you make the statement, "The recession won't last for long." I wanted to ask you how you arrived at that conclusion. By most experts' testimony, this recession hasn't even begun in earnest yet, and it will be deeper than anything we have seen since the Great Depression. In this context, I highly suspect that even though your intentions are commendable, they are not realistic and many of the people who will be in dire need will be the chiropractic community itself.

I sincerely don't mean to cast a negative pall over your editorial, but we get enough whitewash from the mainstream media about the current economic situation. As a profession, we need to be telling the hard truth regardless of how unpleasant it may be.

Paul Grenier, DC

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Treating Fibromyalgia: A Few Clarifications

Dear Editor:

An article in the June 3, 2008 issue, "Fibromyalgia Patients: A Real Pain in the Muscle and Fibers," by John Bomar, DC, highlights the need for stricter editorial oversight by the Dynamic Chiropractic staff. Dr. Bomar's article about fibromyalgia contains some inaccurate and misleading information. He refers to the "triggerpoints" of fibromyalgia; however, all current references discuss "tenderpoints" of fibromyalgia to distinguish them from myofascial triggerpoints.¹ In addition, he describes the diagnostic classification as including 11 of these 18 points without indicating this system has been refuted by the lead author of the original 1990 American College of Rheumatology classification system.²

In addition, I don't mind Dr Bomar exercising liberties on potential treatments for patients who seem to have a constellation of symptoms/signs we might call fibromyalgia, but please note these proposed treatments (e.g., a series of colonic irrigations for supposed "autointoxication" should be stated as speculation. There certainly is no data supporting that fibromyalgia patients have "autointoxication" and certainly no data to indicate a "series of colonic irrigations" will help fibromyalgia.

Our profession needs to be held to a higher standard and the misleading information in Dr Bomar's otherwise-interesting article lowers the bar instead of raising it.

References

1. Schneider MJ, Brady DM, Perle SM. Commentary: "Differential Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Ð Proposal of a Model and Algorithm for Patients Presenting With the Primary Symptom of Chronic Widespread Pain." JMPT, 2006;29(6):493-501.
2. Wolfe F. Editorial: "Stop Using the American College of Rheumatology Criteria in the Clinic." The Journal of Rheumatology, 2003;30. 

John M. Ventura, DC, DABCO
Clinical Instructor, Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine
Assistant Clinical Professor, New York Chiropractic College

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The Best Way to Make National Unity a Reality

Dear Editor:

I believe the chiropractic profession should be represented by a single national association. The best way for this to happen is for all chiropractors to join the ACA. The ICA just does not do much anymore.

George Ruddell, DC
Lewiston, Idaho

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