“My medical doctor doesn’t think I need chiropractic, and even discourages me to see one, even though I have really bad back pain. What should I do?”
Although we’re well into the 21st century and there has been growing collaboration between allopathic doctors (MD) and “alternatve” practitioners such as chiropractors, acupuncturists, and naturopaths, bias still remains.
In my humble opinion, the main reason why a physician would not refer a patient (assuming the patient’s condition is treatable by chiropractic) to a chiropractor is misinformation. It’s quite likely that the physician formed an adverse opinion of chiropractic or chiropractors by one negative encounter with a chiropractor; or a research article about an adverse effect from chiropractic treatment. Another reason could be plain professional bias; where the MD “feels” that chiropractors aren’t “real” doctors. Never mind the fact that over 100,000 people die each year from adverse drug reactions and medical procedures, and MDs routinely over-prescribe harmful medications like Vioxx and Avandia, which have caused hundreds of deaths since their approval by the Food and Drug administration. Compared to these statistics, even when taking the larger number of physicians into account, chiropractic’s safety record is stellar.
I hope that physicians who hold a grudge against chiropractors regain some humility and acknowlege that they are not perfect, and that allopathic medicine is VERY far from perfect, and that if they have a patient suffering from low back pain who is NOT responding to medications, they should have the decency to refer that patient for chiropractic treatment. Not doing so, to me, is not doing your job as a health care provider– to make sure all available forms of therapeutic intervention are attempted.
So, my bottom line advice on this matter– you as a patient and as a health care consumer have the right and freedom to choose the type of care you feel might help you. With every health care procedure comes risk; some carry more than others. Chiropractic is statistically more safe than taking medicine and undergoing surgery. If your medical doctor doesn’t share this view, you don’t have to listen to him/her. Do what you feel is right.
Dan Perez, DC
(415) 627-9077
