The role of chiropractors during this time is crucial in supporting the medical health care providers in allowing them to prioritize care and concentrate on the emergent situation, while not neglecting patients who have debilitating conditions that are not related to the COVID-19 or other illnesses.
Chiropractors and nutritionists teach patients to build their immune systems to protect from viruses. Panic increases cortisol and that lowers your immunity; missing out on sports and other activities, plus the uncertainty of the times, works against building immunity. Being able to visit your chiropractor during these times of “lockdowns” could prove to help keep your immune system strong.
The Veterans Health Administration, the American College of Physicians, and the White House over the last year have recommended that patients try conservative treatments commonly delivered by doctors of chiropractic instead of prescribed opioids. Published guidelines from the American College of Physicians now recommends non-pharmacologic treatment as the first-line approach to treating back pain, with consideration of opioids only as the last treatment option, or if other options present substantial harm to the patient.
Health care practitioners who provide alternative pain care to opioids and drugs have made dramatic impacts on the opioid epidemic over the last year. A recently-published study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine shows that adults receiving treatment for low back pain are 55% less likely to fill a prescription for an opioid if they are receiving chiropractic care.
“Chiropractic providers treat musculoskeletal cases which would otherwise overload physician offices, urgent care facilities and hospitals even more than they will be,” said Michael Harbison, DC, speaking to riverbender.com in Illinois. “Chiropractors are one of the few places that can treat these conditions in a non-infectious environment. Most offices have followed the CDC guidelines to ensure proper sterilization of equipment and treating the environment to ensure that patient and staff exposure is reduced as much as possible. Additionally, most offices have increased their hours or spread out the treating times and reduce the number of patients in the office at one time.
This post summarizes an article in Chiropractic Economics. Image and text credits: Rick Vach. Read full article HERE.
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