1 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms.

Caruso 1/21/2013

Version I Auto Inquiry Project

Health and Wellness is an important part of everyday Americans lives, and is a very controversial topic. Three topics that I have strong opinions towards and that are hot topics in todays world of Health & Wellness are: Chiropractic Medicine (alternative medicine), Pharmaceutical Drugs (companies), and Health Care policy making. All three, while their own separate entities, can relate to one another and are often times on opposite sides of the political fence. Chiropractic Medicine is an alternative form of medicine with the belief that our bodies have the innate ability to heal itself. Chiropractic Medicine does not use drugs or surgery to treat patients. Chiropractors adjust the spine to allow for full nervous system communication with the specific organs. Chiropractors believe that misalignment of the spine can cause the nervous system to not appropriately communicate with the target organ it is intended to communicate with. This of course is when disease occurs and we have problems with our organs. That by correcting this misalignment (called subluxation); you are allowing the nervous system to communicate with the target organ in an effort to cure it of the disease. There have been thousands of testimonials regarding its effectiveness, and nowadays the public associates Chiropractors with back pain, neck pain and headaches. Case studies have been conducted to prove the effectiveness of Chiropractic care towards those three symptomologies. Likewise strong case studies have been conducted with regards to one patient with x disease, and seeing

2 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

a chiropractor and have the symptoms, of x disease to, dilute. An example of one is Atrial Fibrillation case study of a woman who seen a chiropractor after being treated by her Medical Doctor. The Chiropractor noted a subluxation around the C2, C3 (cervical area of spine i.e. neck), and adjusted her for that subluxation. Sometime afterwards her Medical Doctor noticed a decrease in her atrial symptoms and reduced her medication. So as you may gather Chiropractors and Medical Doctors bump heads a lot. Medical Doctors feel that Chiropractors should only treat etiologies of back pain or neck pain, while Chiropractors feel as though they can treat a wide range of etiologies of pathologies. In my opinion I feel as though Chiropractor care should be used in conjunction with allopathic medicine. I feel as though the spine should be taken care of just as the rest of our bodies and that we should see regular maintenance care of that vital part of our body. Interference of nervous system communication can cause other problems or for problems in our bodies to not be taken care of by our bodies as effectively. I am against the use of pain management via prescription medication especially for chronic problems i.e. back pain. Prolonged use of prescription medication can damage our internal organs, and likewise can be used as a gateway drug to more illegal means of controlling pain. Chiropractic care in my opinion is a great alternative to prescription medication pain management. The political powers of the Pharmaceutical companies do not want to see this happen, or for any alternative be used to treat illness other than by the use of drugs. This would put them out of business, and in an effort to allow this not to happen they launch political

3 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

campaigns against alternative medicines like Chiropractic Medicine to sway the public away from using its care. How often do you see a commercial on television for some new drug? How many people do you know, especially geriatric populations, which are slaves to the pill? The pharmaceutical companies want us to continue to use pills so they can continue to make money and stay rich. They do not care if we destroy our bodies in the process. Now I will say this, I do feel as though medication is needed to regulate certain diseases such as diabetes mellitus. I am more so talking in regards to pain management. Medical Doctors do not want to see their pay decrease any that is why they continue to mass prescribe medication. Often times individuals are misdiagnosed with hypo/hyper-thyroidism, and are put on lifetime medications. Yet their T2 and T3 counts are still off, too low or too high? The Medical Doctors have rushed the diagnoses to push pills when the individual actually has Hashimottos disease, which can be controlled through proper diet, and in extreme cases hormone replacement. The Pharmaceutical companies are behind the scenes controlling the managed health care world. These companies do have a lot of political and lobbying power at the white house and use that to ensure that they stay in power. The U.S. health care policy is undergoing a change, and there is a mass shortage of primary care physicians (portal of entry physicians) to treat everyone in the U.S. Chiropractors can be used to fill this void arguing that if they cant solve the etiology of the pathology then refer the patient to a specialist (medical doctor) to treat the patient. Current policy does not include this detail and there is hope that it will. I feel as though this would be a good way to combat the shortage of primary care physicians in the U.S. and keep America

4 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

healthy. Obamas health care plan, with its government funded insurance, will need an army of physicians to handle the flood of recently uninsured to be treated. I feel as though the new health care policies that Obama is trying to put in pass are good in the sense that some care is better than no care. While the quality of health care may go down because the government has it hands in on how patients are treated, it is still better than no care. I am all for the new health care policies trying to be implemented. Americas health care policies, pharmaceutical companies, and Chiropractic Medicine need to get on a level playing field and worry about the important issue at hand which is the health of those in this country. They need to be looking out for the best interest of the American people and not the best interest of their wallets which has been the norm in our history.

5 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

Version II

Auto Inquiry Project

Health and Wellness is an important part of everyday Americans lives, and is a very controversial topic. Three topics that I have strong opinions towards and that are hot topics in todays world of Health & Wellness are: Chiropractic Medicine (alternative medicine), Pharmaceutical Drugs (companies), and Health Care policy making. All three, while their own separate entities, can relate to one another and are often times on opposite sides of the political fence. Chiropractic Medicine is an alternative form of medicine with the belief that our bodies have the innate ability to heal itself. The profession got its start around a hundred years ago, by a self-trained medical practitioner, named Daniel David Palmer. The profession fought for years to gain legal rights to treat people who sought out their care. Chiropractic Medicine does not use drugs or surgery to treat patients. Chiropractors adjust the spine to allow for full nervous system communication with the specific organs. Chiropractors believe that misalignment of the spine can cause the nervous system to not appropriately communicate with the target organ it is intended to communicate with. This of course is when disease occurs and we have problems with our organs. That by correcting this misalignment (called subluxation); you are allowing the nervous system to communicate with the target organ in an effort to cure it of the disease. There

6 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

have been thousands of testimonials regarding its effectiveness, and nowadays the public associates Chiropractors with back pain, neck pain and headaches. Case studies have been conducted to prove the effectiveness of Chiropractic care towards those three symptomologies. Likewise strong case studies have been conducted with regards to one patient with x disease, and seeing a chiropractor and have the symptoms, of x disease to, dilute. An example of one is Atrial Fibrillation case study of a woman who seen a chiropractor after being treated by her Medical Doctor. The Chiropractor noted a subluxation around the C2, C3 (cervical area of spine i.e. neck), and adjusted her for that subluxation. Sometime afterwards her Medical Doctor noticed a decrease in her atrial symptoms and reduced her medication. So as you may gather Chiropractors and Medical Doctors bump heads a lot. Medical Doctors feel that Chiropractors should only treat etiologies of back pain or neck pain, while Chiropractors feel as though they can treat a wide range of etiologies of pathologies. In my opinion I feel as though Chiropractor care should be used in conjunction with allopathic medicine. I feel as though the spine should be taken care of just as the rest of our bodies and that we should see regular maintenance care of that vital part of our body. Interference of nervous system communication can cause other problems or for problems in our bodies to not be taken care of by our bodies as effectively. I am against the use of pain management via prescription medication especially for chronic problems i.e. back pain. Prolonged use of prescription medication can damage our internal organs, and likewise can be used as a gateway drug to more illegal means of

7 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

controlling pain. Chiropractic care in my opinion is a great alternative to prescription medication pain management. The political powers of the Pharmaceutical companies do not want to see this happen, or for any alternative be used to treat illness other than by the use of drugs. This would put them out of business, and in an effort to allow this not to happen they launch political campaigns against alternative medicines like Chiropractic Medicine to sway the public away from using its care. How often do you see a commercial on television for some new drug? How many people do you know, especially geriatric populations, which are slaves to the pill? The pharmaceutical companies want us to continue to use pills so they can continue to make money and stay rich. They do not care if we destroy our bodies in the process. Now I will say this, I do feel as though medication is needed to regulate certain diseases such as diabetes mellitus. I am more so talking in regards to pain management. Medical Doctors do not want to see their pay decrease any that is why they continue to mass prescribe medication. Often times individuals are misdiagnosed with hypo/hyper-thyroidism, and are put on lifetime medications. Yet their T2 and T3 counts are still off, too low or too high? The Medical Doctors have rushed the diagnoses to push pills when the individual actually has Hashimottos disease, which can be controlled through proper diet, and in extreme cases hormone replacement. The Pharmaceutical companies are behind the scenes controlling the managed health care world. These companies do have a lot of political and lobbying power at the white house and use that to ensure that they stay in power. The U.S. health care policy is undergoing a change, and there is a mass shortage of primary care physicians (portal of entry physicians) to treat everyone

8 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

in the U.S. Chiropractors can be used to fill this void arguing that if they cant solve the etiology of the pathology then refer the patient to a specialist (medical doctor) to treat the patient. Current policy does not include this detail and there is hope that it will. I feel as though this would be a good way to combat the shortage of primary care physicians in the U.S. and keep America healthy. Obamas health care plan, with its government funded insurance, will need an army of physicians to handle the flood of recently uninsured to be treated. I feel as though the new health care policies that Obama is trying to put in pass are good in the sense that some care is better than no care. While the quality of health care may go down because the government has it hands in on how patients are treated, it is still better than no care. I am all for the new health care policies trying to be implemented. Medical Doctors view Chiropractors in a negative way for a number of different reasons. Medical Doctors claim that Chiropractic Medicine is not based on science but instead on a philosophy created by a self-trained medical practitioner a hundred years ago. They claim that it is pseudoscience, and a scam to trick people into buying into a lifetime chiropractic plan. The American Medical Association has launched lobbying efforts against the Chiropractic profession in hopes of swaying the public to not utilize their services. With that being said, either their lobbying efforts work or Chiropractic is more so than not more pseudoscientific because only 7 percent of the U.S. population visits a Chiropractic office annually. If this profession is as great as they claim, giving the body its innate ability to heal itself, and claiming to cure illnesses from ADHD to Atrial Fibrillation, then why dont more Americans utilize its care? Truth is that

9 Jonathan Ward English 1102-024 Instructor Ms. Caruso 1/21/2013

Chiropractic care is really only good for treating back pain, headaches, and other mechanical spinal problems and that is about it. Other claims of treating other illnesses i.e. certain nervous system disorders, are false because those disorders are highly subjective to placebo effects.

Americas health care policies, pharmaceutical companies, and Chiropractic Medicine need to get on a level playing field and worry about the important issue at hand which is the health of those in this country. They need to be looking out for the best interest of the American people and not the best interest of their wallets which has been the norm in our history.