Patients Are Powerful

Posts Tagged ‘osteoporosis’

My patients are powerful and I listen to them. Though I like to think of myself as the Ultimate Chiropractor or the Preeminent Bone Man because I palpate, examine, and adjust bones all day long as part of my chiropractic treatment protocol, I have to say that my patients teach me every day that there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to the human body. Sadly, medical doctors often feel compelled to approach there patients as if there were. Though there are many, many case studies that prove my point, being a Bone Man, I was especially interested a new study that suggests that many women who get screened for osteoporosis (a bone-thinning disease in which bones become fragile and vulnerable to breaks) may not actually need such testing.

“Expert” guidelines suggest that women age 65 or older should get a bone scan, and many women feel that it is better to be safe than sorry. But in this case it’s not the case. There is a “downside” to unnecessarily exposing the body to X-ray. And, in addition, treatment is often given in “borderline” low bone density cases. In these cases medical doctors often feel “compelled” to treat these women, often unnecessarily, with risky bisphosphonate medications, hormones, and other drugs that carry extremely negative side effects such as increased odds of stroke, breast cancer, and heart disease, and in rare cases thigh bone fractures and even bone death of the jaw.

Researchers found that of 615 women who underwent osteoporosis screening at Connecticut clinics, 41 percent did not meet those criteria. Forty-one percent!! As an advanced chiropractor, I am dismayed at that percentage rate!  My suggestion? If you are in a high risk group of women, like those who smoke, ask for a bone scan. But, if you are a women who sees her chiropractor regularly to keep her musculoskeletal system in good shape, and you eat nutritiously with a well-balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, and you get regular exercise, you may be wise to just say “no!” to bone scan that you most likely don’t need.

Technorati Tags: bone scan, breast cancer, chiropractic, chiropractor, heart disease, menopause, osteoporosis, stroke

Most people have not heard of the Bone and Joint Decade, but it’s an important and valuable organization sanctioned by the United Nations/World Health Organization that deserves more recognition. As a chiropractor, I have been aware of it for several years now. It is an international collaborative movement whose mission is to improve the quality of life for people with musculoskeletal conditions and to advance the understanding, prevention and treatment of these conditions. The organization if open to a variety of traditional and alternative methods of prevention and treatment, including chiropractic, and is highly supportive of the role of the patient advocate. In that regard, the United States Bone and Joint Decade (USBJD) begins its exceptional program for its 2009 Global Network Conference to be held in Washington, D.C., starting today through Saturday, October 21-24. The conference will bring together the official Bone and Joint Decade National Action Network (NAN) representatives from 56 countries, members of the administration, government policymakers, health care providers, patients, and patient advocates for a two-day Patient Advocacy Meeting and a two-day Global Network Conference. Featured program participants include Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Congressmen Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Dave Camp (R-Mich.), and Charlie Melancon (D-La.), and Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary for Health of Canada.

The Global Network Conference is an education and strategic planning meeting intended to highlight the significant burden of disease posed by musculoskeletal conditions and why raising awareness and engaging in advocacy are important means of advancing prevention and treatment. On October 22, there will be a focus on raising awareness of musculoskeletal conditions on Capitol Hill for U.S. delegates, patients, and the leadership of USBJD participating organizations.

Among our successes, The United States Bone and Joint Decade includes among its successes the development of programs around osteoporosis and arthritis that have been presented to more than 200 audiences, as well as a grant mentoring program that has seen their graduates receive more than $20 million in research funding.

For more information, visit www.usbjd

Technorati Tags: arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions, osteoporosis, US Bone and Joint Decade