Kemper KJ, Vohra S, Walls R. The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Pediatrics. Pediatrics; 2008;122;1374-1386

While the chiropractic profession goes blindly on its way pouring the limited financial and other resources it has for research and political endeavors into neck pain, back pain and headaches and lobbying to make sure Obama will pay us for hot packs and muscle stim - the American Academy of Pediatrics is advancing its own agenda regarding CAM and chiropractic.
 

Through its Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Provisional Section on Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics states it is “dedicated to optimizing the well-being of children and advancing family-centered health care.”
 

Once again we see an example of how other groups are taking a leadership role towards wellness and bio-psycho-social models of health and healing while some in our leadership keep us mired in the 19th century.  

The American Academy of Pediatrics is no longer in denial about the role that CAM and chiropractic is playing in the lives and health of American citizens. In fact they state that they:  “…recognize the increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine in children and, as a result, the need to provide information and support for pediatricians.”

For two years their Task Force on CAM developed resources to educate physicians, patients, and families. One of those resources is the recent report they published describing complementary and alternative medicine services, current levels of utilization and financial expenditures, and associated legal and ethical considerations.

Why do we care? As the waves of evidence based health care relentlessly make their way to our shore the legal and ethical issues related to chiropractic care for children are not going to be avoided. We saw the first shot across the bow when Blue Cross and Blue Shield adopted their policy that spinal manipulation for children under 12 is experimental and investigational.

Other than the efforts of the ICPA, and a few other individuals within the profession, can you identify what our profession has done to address the issue of evidence when it comes to the chiropractic care of children?  One would be hard pressed to come up with significant progress in this area since the Blues 2007 proclamation. Three years have gone by and our profession has made little, if any, progress.     

Gotlib and Rupert conclude in a recent systematic review of chiropractic pediatrics that in the last three and a half years there has been no substantive shift in the body of knowledge related to the application of manipulation for pediatric conditions. They state: “The health claims made by chiropractors with respect to the application of manipulation as a health care intervention for pediatric health conditions continue to be supported by only low levels of scientific evidence.”

Take some action today and demonstrate your commitment to furthering the chiropractic pediatric research agenda. If you are not a member of the ICPA – join today. And then sign up to participate in the ICPA’s Practice Based Research Network (PBRN).

Take the time to write up one of the miracle cases from your office and submit it for consideration to publish in JPMFH.

If you need help - just contact me and/or check out a guidebook I prepared to help you. 

And last, but certainly not least, subscribe and support the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal and Family Health - Chiropractic.

As always I look forward to your feedback, comments and suggestions.

Matthew McCoy DC, MPH

matthewmccoy@comcast.net

Editor – Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health

Chiropractic