LiveWell Chiropractic

An article discussing complementary care was published today in The Sydney Morning Herald in the Life & Style section. A summary of the article is below. See the entire article here.

Alternative treatments also need a fair go, says medical professor Erik Jensen

Medicine can focus too much on evidence-based research and risk stifling innovation, according to a former president of the Australian Medical Association.

Professor Kerryn Phelps, who is now the president of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, defended the surge in Medicare spending on chiropractic and osteopathic treatments reported in the Herald yesterday. She said taking away subsidies for alternative treatments that had limited research to support them would deny care to the poor, and favor more researched treatments backed by drug companies.

''I think we have to have a slightly cynical view of evidence, because there's a major skewing of evidence to pharmaceutical products … Not everything that we do as doctors is entirely evidence-based. It was only within the last year that anyone did a trial on appendicitis.''

The federal government of Australia has spent almost $30 million over the past five years subsidizing chiropractic and osteopathic treatments under the Chronic Disease Management program. Between 2006 and 2010 the government paid nearly $19 million in subsidies for chiropractic treatments alone.

Under the Chronic Disease Management program, general practitioners are required to refer patients to chiropractors...A spokeswoman for the Department of Health pointed to the referral process when asked how Medicare could justify funding therapies that had little proven efficacy.

''Under the Chronic Disease Management program, the treating general practitioner ensures that patients arereferred for clinically appropriate treatments … The GP receives a report from the treating allied health practitioner…''

Medical experts around the world are acknowledging the benefits of chiropractic care and the hazards of relying heavily on research backed by pharmaceutical companies. Hopefully this open-minded approach will spread as evidence of successful chiropractic care becomes more widely known. Talk to Dr. French about creating a personalized plan for your health and see the benefits for yourself!