Setting the Record Straight
James Edwards, DC, video committee chairman of the KCA, said "Chiropractic Care: How Safe?" was produced to "set the record straight about manipulation and stroke." The video was a response to the news stories that surfaced last year3 following the statement made by the American Heart Association: "Stroke after chiropractic neck manipulation is a 'small but significant risk.'" The AHA's statement was based on a Stanford University survey of 177 California neurologists about the number of patients they treated in the past two years who had suffered a stroke within 24 hours of cervical chiropractic manipulation.
"Chiropractic Care: How Safe?" begins with the Wilk case, briefly describes chiropractic, and then discusses the risks associated with medical treatment and emphasizes that chiropractic is one of the safest forms of treatment. "The video concludes by challenging the media to tell the truth about chiropractic," KCA President Dr. Darrell Fore said.
Chiropractic -- Treatment of Choice
The KCA's other new video, "Chiropractic: The Proven Choice," is a powerful presentation of the research studies that document chiropractic care as the treatment of choice for low back problems. The video targets a large audience: legislators; workers' compensation policymakers, industrial employers; managed care executives; and insurance company personnel and patients.
Dr. Edwards said the video was produced to "demonstrate that current studies are proving that chiropractic care is safer, more effective and less costly than medical care." Dr. Edwards pointed out that handing out brochures and booklets is no longer the best way to get information out in this age of electronic information. The strength of the video, in Dr. Edward's judgment, is that by viewing the video, a policymaker can in seven minutes obtain "all the facts needed to make the right decision." This video presentation is a way to dramatically increase the number of people exposed to chiropractic information.
The heart of the video, "Chiropractic: The Proven Choice," is an in-depth presentation of the report by Meade et al. (British Medical Journal, June 1990); the Manga report4; and concludes with the recommendation for manipulation of the AHCPR guidelines.5
References
- "Chiro education video deliver to capitol hill," Sept. 12, 1994, "DC". In August of 1994, the KCA delivered their video to the 535 offices of every U.S. senator and representative in Washington, D.C., and made the video available to all chiropractic state associations, an effort to get the video into the hands of the 7,461 state legislators country-wide.
- Kansas Chiro. Assn. video wins film festival medal. Jan. 16, 1995, "DC".
- Stroke after chiropractic neck manipulation a 'small but significant risk,' American Heart Association says. March 11, 1994, "DC".
- Manga P: The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain, 1993.
- Clinical Practice Guideline: Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Dec. 1994.
Editor's note: The videos can be ordered directly from the Kansas Chiropractic Assoc. by calling (913) 233-0697.
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