Continued from page 10 CC: But cannabis is just part of the solution to such a complex condition such as chronic pain. JB: It is certainly not going to cure pain. It may be part of a management strategy. Ideally, with chronic non-cancer pain, what we want to do is get people functioning and give them quality of life. It may be that for some people medicinal cannabis is part of their management strategy to accomplish those goals. CC: Where do chiropractors fit in this new and potentially bigger medical cannabis paradigm? JB: Patients may come in and ask – because they go on the internet, or they have a friend that has tried it, or they’ve seen something on a news program. I always think it’s helpful for chiropractors, even if they are not providing other forms of therapy. Maybe they’re not doing cognitive behavioural therapy themselves or prescribing cannabis – but if they are aware of the evidence behind these things, then they may be able to help their patients make better decisions in terms of looking into options for themselves. The more that we learn about chronic pain, it’s unusual that someone pursues a single, isolated therapy. They are usually sort of piecing together a number of components that will work for them. They may find that attending a chiropractor may provide some relief for their pain, and seeing a psychotherapist assists with some of the mood issues they experience as a result of being in chronic pain. Maybe for some of them, they find that adding medicinal cannabis of a certain type and formulation also helps them a little bit, too. It’s often different things work for different people and they put together a series of strategies that allows them to function at a higher level. Management of chronic pain is difficult and complex, and patients require more time and often multiple interventions. Chiropractors are going to have to get a little bit more comfortable assessing other aspects that are often associated with chronic pain. I think there needs to be more effort done for chiropractors to be part of teams as opposed to working in their particular silo. Finally, I think it would almost be essential that funding is made available to support that kind of integrated, multidisciplinary care. It’s going to take longer, and ideally that funding will be focused on results. There’s going to be opportunity for chiropractors to take a role, to maybe expand a little bit of their paradigms in some cases, become integrated with a range of treatment providers and ideally petition funders for reimbursement that supports effective strategies that are moving people forward. www.canadianchiropractor.ca CC_CMCC_CanMenorial_June18_CSA.indd 1 June 2018 Canadian Chiropractor 21 2018-05-16 1:03 PM
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor June 2018: Page 21
