Whitby Fr.e Prees, Wednoaday, February 23,1994, Page 19 ~:1 [eJ; £ ; C U S ff'II; (eJ A;Td Y7é4 '(I I Services should be fully insured under OHI By Mark Reesor Ontario could potentially save «many hundreds of millions annually» if chiropractors took over treatment o f iower back pain (LBP). That's one of the findings in a study done for the Ontario governmnent by University of Ottawa health e conomist, prýofes- sor Pran Manga. Manga found "an overwhelm- inq body of evidence indicating chiropractic management of iow- back pain is more cost-effeotive than medical management.»'1 Worker' compensation stu- dies, for exampie, show injured workers with the saine specific diagnosis of LBP treated by chiropractors returned Wo work much sooner than if treated by physicians, according Wo the report. "Chiropractie services should be fuliy insured "s under the Ontario Heaith Insurance Plan (OHIP),» Manga recommends, Wo remnove the «economic disincen- tive" of going Wo a chiropractor -- OHIP currently covers only part of their fee for up Wo 22 visita a year. Lower back pain "may coat Canadians from $6 Wo $12 -billion per year (making it) one of the mont, if not the mont, costly diseases or disabilities in Canada," he found. Manga conducted the firat in- dependent, non-biased studyý done on chiropractie that was paid io by the government saya Witby chiropractor Dr. ihiP Smith. OWe couýn't have put out any- thing better'lourselves. When this came out,' I was jumping up and down.- Manga reviewed Canadian and international research on chiro- practic, inclucing a a 1-year study cf 741 patients by the British Medicai Research Coun- cil. He found «ch iropractie care was twice as effective (as other treatments), net oniy in the short terni but in the long terni,» says Smith. "People say that chiropractors don't have any research Wo sup- portwhatthey do, but Manga fond the opposite... a lot cf t h e medical procedures that (doctors) are using are actuaily hurting People... (and) wasting mone... "lefound that actual cio practic adjustmnents are safer than taking medicine.» "«Our profession wouldn't have survived and endured the amount of criticism we've had unlesa we got resuits,» saya another Whitby cioractor,Dr David MacAsldili. «Cliropractic works and geople ýet better from it and that s what s aliowed the profession tW survive. GAS/PROPANE FIREPLACES "S4qer than taking medicine" "*People cone to the office every ýaysng 'Ive been to my medical doctor, rve been Wo the specialist, Nve been Wo the phy- siotherapist -- and it'. been three or four or five years of treatment and I've not improved at all, ' MacAskill Baya. After two or three weeks of chiropractic treatment, often as a last resort, MacAskill says they tell him thyve agoten more benefit... than in th last ive years (and asIc) 'why aren't there more doctors referrin&lpaatients like myseif tW you? Why aen t there more open lines of com- munication between family phy- sicians, specialists and chiroprac- tors in connection with manage- ment of low back pan? » Chiropractors should be work- ing in cooperation with the other health professionais, says MacAskili. "Instead cf each claiming Wo be expert in everything, let each other be experts in their own individual fields and work together... in the best interests of the patient's health care." TheManga report %i probably the fourth-biggest thing that's ever happenedin* the historyo chiropractie," concludes Smith. '«If this were a new pili, what is found in this study, it wouid have been in ail the papers. Because cf the polities cf medi- cine, and the big boys that they have .» this wouid be front line news everywhere.» The Ontario Chiropractic Aso- ciation has a committee looking P: Manga at the report and they will make recommendations tW Ontario Health Minioter Ruth Grier An thM Md tomhope the govern- ment will decide Wo cover the ful cost of chiropractie services -- "it's an onoing_ source of stress and diffïculty in my off ic.>; as it is with all chiropractors, notes MacMkili. «Patients would love Wo be under our care... but aren't able Wo continue the therapy because of the out-of-pocket expense ini- volved above OHIP coit. «BuÎt I don't think itfs going t happen uniess people are asking for it,» warns Smith -- If the public demanda it, Our çovern- ment will provide the servce... «That' where chiropractic is ini a losing battie because we haven't educated the public (and) that's what we have Wo do.» HIGH-EFFICIENCY OIL/GAS FURNACES REDUCE HEATING 65% ÇQ~~SUP TO- I I FREE dw