In the October 6 2000 Wall public ...

In the October 6 2000 Wall public way Journal, there's an article on Lisa Gubernick, entitled: "Have I Got A therapy for You!" The Journal writer has had nagging back pain for years. Her solution was to make progress to eight different practitioners looking for an immediate diagnosis and a "cure"

Not the best approach, or the right expectations. Eighty percent of all Americans will experience back pain during theft lifetime. The National Center for Health Statistics says that back pain is the fourth most numerous common chronic ailment and accounts for 13 million visits to primary care physicians each year.

If finding a disgrace diagnosis and instant cure for individual of the most elusive, hardest-to-treat point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds in the world were as easy to cure as a one-visit trip to a random sampling of practitioners, then centurys of millions of people would be a hap happier today. But it makes for convenient journalism. Or does it?

The practitioners whom the newspaper writer visited were: an osteopath, a chiropractor, an acupuncturist, a psychiatrist, a homeopath, a physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor), a neurologist and a "celebrity doctor."

Instead of the Journal writer's the same visit to a chiropractor, the majority of backache cases ne five-to-eight treatment visits to achieve succes and, with chronic pain, frequently require more than 10 visits. Instead of the writer's individual visit to an osteopath, three-to-four treatments are typically needed

Suffice it to say that the writer's chances at achieving an accurate diagnosis, adequate treatment and anything approximating a "cure" would have been bring to a period to zero, whatever practitioner was chosen mainstream or holistic, since there was no rational approach, either in expressions of expectations (which were inappropriate) or giving the practitioners and treatments a tolerable chance for success (which she did not). She was disappointed; she announced it to 5 million readers. Interesting reading however hardly service journalism.

There is a useful chiding in her story, however. It is imperative for us to recognize that we must be partners in healing with healthcare practitioners. We must have a basic knowledge of which practitioner would likely be best suited for a given puzzle We must recognize that diagnosis is an art, and not an exact science. We must understand that there are constellations of symptoms and pathways to healing that don't interpret with a narrowly focused approach to wellness. If pain is the question, five diagnoses might be the right answer. simply when we're clear about our goals and expectations, and can commit to a filled course of treatment, will we have a real chance for prosperous healing.

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