and anecdotal evidence is not enough to satisfy any critic. With this in mind, a conscious decision was made to prove the effi cacy and science of N-SSD by forming an international medical ad- visory board to provide guidance on developing and implementing short- and long-term clinical trials. The rationale was, if medicine can ultimately prove the effi cacy of N-SSD, then the likelihood that any chiropractor who utilizes this technology will come under attack for its proper use is virtually eliminated. THE CALL Clinical and case studies that have been published since October 2006 have defi- nitely generated interest among medical doctors. However, because this technol- ogy has not yet been accepted by the insurance industry, this interest has, for the most part, been purely academic. In ad- dition, most of the material that has been |published lists at least one chiropractor as co-author, indicating the technology can never be the exclusive domain of the medi- cal doctor. The time is now to aggressively embrace this technology that enhances the chiropractor’s ability to successfully treat those patients with disc pathologies. Canada is still in the emergent stage with respect to N-SSD, with the chiropractor be- ing the fi rst to adopt the technology. In fact, acceptance of this technology, within the chiropractic profession, has grown rapidly since Dr. Terry Yochum published his case report on Mr. Laurent Goldstein, the owner of Brican Corp., a Canadian business that services and supports the chiropractic pro- fession. (Mr. Goldstein’s pre-and post-MRI images can be found on page 24.) To date, use of the N-SSD is still domi- nated by the chiropractic profession. Domi- nance will prevail as long as the profession does not abdicate its right to treat patients with the technology. Dr. Yochum said it best during his lecture at the 2008 Parker Semi- nar in Las Vegas when he told his audience, “Years ago in the ’80s when MRI emerged, I answered a question, ‘Does chiropractic need to be utilizing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?’ I stated, ‘If chiropractic does not investigate or utilize MRI, then MRI will leave chiropractic behind. Perhaps prophetically I offer the following, ‘If chi- ropractic does not investigate, or utilize and/or research, true non-surgical spinal decompression, then this technology will leave chiropractic behind.”’• www.canadianchiropractor.ca For chiropractic stories, news, events, blogs and more, visit www.canadianchiropractor.ca CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | APRIL 2008 • 45
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor April 2008: Page 45
