Alternative Medicine Becoming Mainstream

The above was the headline of a July 1, 2005 story appearing in the Daily News Central from Las Vegas Nevada. A similar report also appeared on the June 30, 2005 WebMD website. The stories reported that a Consumer Reports survey of more than 34,000 of their readers were asked to rank the treatments that worked best for them.

According to those who responded to the survey, hands-on treatments, such as chiropractic, worked better than conventional treatments for such conditions as back pain and arthritis. Chiropractic was ranked ahead of all conventional treatments, including prescription drugs, by readers with back pain. Respondents also noted that chiropractic provided relief for neck pain as well.

In addition to chiropractic, people who responded to the survey also used such non-medical services as acupuncture, deep tissue message, and herbal remedies, but reported that these were less effective than chiropractic.

Many chiropractors however, resist being labeled as alternative, maintaining that chiropractic has become a mainstream service. According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The Doctor of Chiropractic can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The Doctor of Chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC's office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service."