consider strength, mode of delivery and patient needs. We like the metaphor of helping a thirsty patient. The treatment is water. But a single drop of water in the eye won’t do, when what they need is a whole refreshing glass of water to drink. A drop of five per cent menthol won’t quench the thirst of a patient that needs a glass of 16 per cent menthol. A field-side chiropractor who requires quick pain relief for her injured athletes needs a potent handheld 22 per cent spray, not a two-litre tub of four per cent gel back in the change room. Using a 46 per cent MS and menthol combination applied pre-game, which does not sweat off and lasts for hours, will deliver a much different result to a professional hockey player than an eight per cent water-based menthol cream that sweats off within minutes. Conversely, a patient on a blood thinner, with certain allergies or low levels of pain may benefit greatly from the five per cent products. The modalities used and treatment choices we make as allied health profes-sionals are critical to our decision mak-ing about new products. Are we using topical products in-clinic or out-of-clinic, alone or in combination with other products or treatments, applied by us or by the patient, as preventative or restorative care? Every modality affects choices for the best product. Sprays are great for field-side spot treatment; high strength solids manage pain over an entire workday; gels and creams are great for patients to self-apply. Person-ally, we don’t care to rub in any product with our hands. Doing so with products that have high concentrations of actives may be dangerous for you over time. Besides, if a product is highly effective then it doesn’t need to be rubbed in. There are, of course, many other considerations when looking at the many products available to us. Using topicals again as our example, we also need to consider cost per ml/actives, cost per volume, clinic demographics, regional variations in injury prevalence, insurance coverage, and customer ser-vice and support. What really matters is that we do our due diligence, so we can make informed assessments of the clin-ical value of products in treatment, and the commercial value to our businesses. When considering new products – when you try to sort the wheat from the chaff – we encourage you to consider the indicators of value we’ve outlined. Is it registered and legal? Does it contain what it says it does and at high enough concentrations to be clinically effective? Is it supported by research? Do you like it? Do patients respond positively to it? Find the answers to these questions and you will find the amazing products out there that deliver the clinical and busi-ness results you want. Check out Dr. David Leprich’s article on topical analgesics. Visit www. canadianchiropractor.ca and search “First do no harm”. BackSwing ‘16 British Columbia Tuesday, May 17, 2016 Richmond Country Club, Richmond, BC www.cmcc.ca/BCBackSwing Sponsors: Silver McQuarrie Hunter LLP Bronze Biological Botanicals Hammerberg Lawyers LLP NYRC Hole-in-one Media Gold Key Automotive Group Canadian Investors Group Chiropractor CMCC’s golf tournament fundraiser Alberta Thursday, June 23, 2016 Inglewood Golf & Curling Club, Calgary, AB www.cmcc.ca/ABBackSwing Sponsors: Friend of CMCC Optimum Wellness Centres Media Canadian Chiropractor 36 Canadian Chiropractor December 2015 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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