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For patients living with chronic illnesses, chiropractors can use a variety of holistic techniques to alleviate their suffering.
By Holly Andren
It’s a tune heard many times over by chiropractors: Patients come to see
them when they have nowhere else to turn, and it’s especially true for
those living with chronic illnesses.
“The majority come to us as a last resort,” adds Carrie Wheeler,
D.C., who practices in Sacramento, Calif. “They’ve been medically
managed, and they’re on all these medications.” While there is a
place for medications, many can have negative side effects, often masking the
symptoms and not treating the disease at its core.
Such was the case for Harma Gorter. Gorter, who lives in the Netherlands, first
sought alternative treatment in 1990 at the suggestion of her neighbor. “I
was in a wheelchair,” Gorter recalls. “I couldn’t walk, and
I couldn’t speak that well.” Gorter, her husband, and her neighbor
first saw a doctor in Canada, who said that although he could help Gorter to
a point, she would be better off seeing Dick Versendaal, D.C., who developed
contact reflex analysis (CRA) as a way to determine the body’s emotional,
physical, and structural needs. For two weeks, Versendaal treated Gorter every
day with adjustments and nutritional supplements. “I walked right down
the aisle of that plane after two weeks,” Gorter says. “And I’m
still walking.”
Gorter is one of the thousands, if not millions, of people living with a chronic
condition who has reaped the benefits of chiropractic care. “The chiropractic
profession is replete with individuals suffering from chronic illness responding
to care,” says Tedd Koren, D.C., of Gwynedd Valley, Penn. Though Gorter’s
case is remarkable, even the slightest improvement in symptoms can make a world
of difference to someone living with the pain and challenges of a chronic illness—and
chiropractors are finding unique ways to seek and treat patients with such conditions.
Defining Chronic Illness
Chronic illness is a disease or condition that lasts for a long period of time
(often for the rest of a person’s life) and/or is marked by frequent recurrence.
One in three people lives with a chronic condition, the most common of which
include allergies and asthma, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic
fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and even obesity.
Many of these diseases are debilitating; in fact, arthritis, back and spine
problems account for more than 30 percent of cases of disability in the United
States, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. And even
for those who are not disabled, their conditions affect their quality of life.
If you haven’t considered adding patients with chronic conditions to your
practice, it’s time to reconsider. Chiropractic is a natural answer for
treatment. “Someone suffering from a chronic illness needs a body functioning
as best as possible, with no interference,” says Koren.
Techniques and Treatment Options
There are a variety of techniques for servicing chronically ill patients. Despite
the differences in approach, two common themes emerge: The techniques that work
are the ones that elicit the most positive results from a patient, and a patient
needs to be treated holistically to elicit such results.
“Not all chiropractic techniques are created equal,” Koren says.
“Some techniques nurture the expressive side not by forcing the body into
a predetermined place (‘straight’ or ‘good posture’)
but by releasing vertebral subluxations and permitting the body to perform its
dance of healing.”
One particular technique that employs a holistic approach to healing is contact
reflex analysis (CRA). CRA is a method that uses the body’s reflexes to
determine the causes of a health problem. More specifically, CRA evaluates the
combination of mental, physical/nutritional, and structural needs within the
body. “We [chiropractors] are supposed to be holistic doctors,”
says Dick Versendaal, D.C., who developed CRA. “The human body should
be treated as a whole. If a chiropractor truly does this, he can take care of
chronic disorders.”
At its core, CRA promotes a triad of proper health: good mental hygiene, good
physical hygiene, and good structural hygiene. Versendaal cites the original
premises of both D.D. Palmer and BJ Palmer in terms of treating the body as
a whole. “BJ Palmer said that when people would come to you, they would
be tired, dehydrated, burned out, fried. You first have to hydrate these people;
give them good waters to help their tired nervous system. The second prerequisite
was to rest that body, let that patient meditate. BJ Palmer would give them
good food out of the garden. Today, the chiropractor would supplement the body
with nutritional supplements to help upgrade its physical needs. After you have
hydrated these tired bodies and allowed these persons to rest, and after the
patient has been [nutritionally] supplemented, then you can adjust them, realign
them. Never adjust a patient on the first visit,” advises Versendaal.
“Get to know their pains, their hurts, their lifestyles.”
Koren agrees. “A chiropractor can ‘crack’ a person’s
back two or three times a week for months or years and be doing little more
than rearranging or breaking up stress patterns that will reform soon enough,”
he says. “Without releasing the specific area of stress interfering with
the body’s natural healing ability, chiropractic care will provide limited
benefit for those suffering from chronic conditions. It’s better than
a drug, but it’s not really healing the patient.”
All three components of CRA are important for everyone, but it’s particularly
essential for people with chronic conditions because their bodies are always
in catching-up mode, says Versendaal. “These are people whose bodies are
literally behind, like a car that never catches up to get to the airport on
time,” he says. “These people are overworked. Sometimes they come
from mothers and fathers who were already diseased when they were in the womb.
[As a chiropractor], you have to have the ability to help that body catch up.
That doesn’t mean we alone take care of them. Chiropractors should have
the ability to examine a body and make a decision that a person needs a dentist,
an audiologist, an optometrist, a podiatrist.”
Another technique that is especially helpful for people with fragile bones or
joints is the Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique (AMCT), in which the
Activator adjusting instrument gives consistent (and gentle) low-force, high-speed
chiropractic adjustments. This technique is ideal because it’s quick and
usually adjusts before the body has a chance to tighten up and resist the adjustment—which
is particularly true for those whose bodies are already tight from the stress
a chronic illness can produce. Cox flexion-distraction and tonal, or torque
release, are other techniques chiropractors have used on chronically ill patients
because of their low-force nature.
As with any type of technique used, the fundamental premise is that a chiropractor
should know his or her patient. “If a patient has advanced osteoporosis
or osteoarthritis, you may want to modify and use the Activator,” Wheeler
says. “If the bones are more fragile and prone to fracture, you wouldn’t
want to adjust someone’s mid-back. You’re always going to take into
consideration integrity of the spine and its condition.”
Recruiting Chronically Ill Patients
Even though one in three people (and likely more) live with a chronic illness,
chiropractic care, unfortunately, is not likely to be their first stop on the
path to wellness. Thus, chiropractors need to educate those living with chronic
conditions that chiropractic care is a holistic, non-drug, long-term way to
be well again.
Most chiropractors rely on word of mouth to recruit new patients, but never
has this been more true than with chronically ill patients. Ask your current
patients if they have anyone close to them who is suffering from a chronic condition—then
ask what kind of care regimen they’re receiving. Chances are, they’ll
be open to the idea of chiropractic. “Many times patients make it into
my office after several failed courses of allopathic treatments,” says
Fred Clary, D.C., of Advanced Injury Rehabilitation in Roseville, Minnesota.
“Not only do I have to ‘fix’ the side effects of the failed
care but then treat the underlying cause of the chronic disease.”
Another distinctive recruiting method is to distribute materials—or even
be a guest speaker—at support groups. People living with chronic conditions
like MS, arthritis, lupus, Lyme disease, and many others tend to seek out others
like themselves for emotional support and meet with each other, either formally
or informally. A chiropractor can present the benefits of care to a captive
audience, whose members are likely more open minded than “healthy”
people when it comes to best managing their disease. Working with a support
group is especially beneficial if one of your existing patients is already a
member and can invite you to be a guest speaker; after all, she is your live
testimonial.
Fortunately, there are some patients out there who take the initiative to find
you. “The majority of people have computers and can look up alternative
methods for themselves,” Wheeler says. “They’re not waiting
for their medical doctor to refer them. They can research articles and go on
discussion boards to hear what’s worked for other people. People want
results. They want to feel better.” If you specialize in treating chronic
conditions, be sure to list this on your advertising and marketing materials,
especially on your website.
Continuing education is another important facet for the chiropractor who treats
patients with chronic conditions, says Corey Cameron, D.C., who practices in
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “The more you know, the more you can draw into your
practice the patients that are right for you,” she says.
Knowing your patient translates into properly educating your patient as well—and
hence retaining them. “A chiropractor is a doctor (which means teacher)—a
coach, to use the modern vernacular—a coach for the patient to reach their
potential in life, not just hide the symptoms,” Clary says.
For Harma Gorter, this holistic, patient-centered approach has made her a true
believer in the benefits of chiropractic care. “They see the holistic
person and address your total self, your physique, your psychological, your
balance,” says Gorter, who now flies to the United States several times
a year to seek treatment with Cameron. “They make you aware. They want
to be a good doctor for you, but they want you to be responsible. They don’t
rush it…it’s always patient first. They take the time, they educate,
they explain a certain situation, why you feel that way.” However, Gorter
still understands the realism of living with a chronic disease like MS. “Your
body gets polluted or has accidents or tragic events. It’s how life is,
so you can’t expect…your body to heal itself in a couple of weeks.
You do feel better after treatment. You feel relief, and you feel it’s
possible [to be well] again.”
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Today's Chiropractic