People concerned about the over use of pain killers or unwanted side effects from some common medications may find relief from complementary approaches according to The New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association.New research published in the latest issue of The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine reports that around four million Americans find relief from back pain through chiropractic every year.
Dr. Hayden Thomas, spokesman for the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association says: `There has been a lot in the news about people overdosing on common painkillers and unwanted side effects such as heart attack and stroke from anti-inflammatory drugs. It is important to realise that some musculo-skeletal conditions may be relieved through other safer options such as chiropractic care.
`This new study shows that back pain is the second most common reason patients seek medical care. Complementary medicine is used by 40% to 60% of the population yearly, and back pain is the most common condition for which people use complementary therapies, most of them consulting a chiropractor. Using a nationally representative survey, the researchers documented that the majority of respondents who used this approach for back pain perceived great benefit and identified specific factors associated with perceived benefit.’
On the other hand, supplementation with glucosamine, a widely used approach, may not be as effective as first thought according to chiropractic led research published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association which reported that glucosamine did no better than a cellulose placebo for the relief of lower back pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) of the lumbar spine.
Dr Thomas explains: ‘The study indicates that glucosamine sulphate is no better than placebo in reducing pain-related disability in patients with chronic low back pain. These results do not say anything about the effect of glucosamine on the joints themselves, only that they may not be as effective for symptomatic relief as commonly believed.
'The key findings from current research indicates that the best results for chronic low back pain come from improving function through exercise, manual intervention such as chiropractic care, stress reduction and taking a high quality omega 3 fish oil.'
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