CJA Vol.32 Issue 4Editorial: It Was a Very Good Year - p117 Hearing Loss, Otalgia and Neck Pain: A Case Report
on Long-Term Chiropractic Care That Helped to Improve Quality of Life -
p119 The Internet as a Resource in Chiropractic Care -
p131 Words as Weapons in the Politics of Power: A Commentary on Words,
Phrases, Language and Jargon - p135 The Best of Books for 2002: A Guide to Updating Your
Library - p99 Controlling Registered Practitioners: Another View - p151 Letter to the Editors - p118 ABSTRACTS ROBERT COWIN and PETER BRYNER Objective: to describe symptom reports, multiple chiropractic assessments and adjustments over 7 years with a patient experiencing neck pain and complex ear symptoms consistent with Meniere’s syndrome. Clinical Features: a 43-year-old female, injured years earlier in a motor vehicle collision, suffered recurrent exacerbations of otherwise continuous neck pain. Later she developed aural symptoms of severe otalgia, hearing difficulty, tinnitus and dizziness that increased and decreased in severity with her neck pain. Intervention and Outcome: The intervention was repeated application of chiropractic adjustments using a modified Pettibon adjusting device. Over 7 years of observation, the subject consistently reported reduction in symptom severity after adjustments, with relief lasting up to 2 months. Consistent with the natural history of Meniere’s syndrome, an overall deterioration was noted during the observation period. Hearing fluctuated in approximate synchrony with changes in angular displacements of upper cervical vertebrae during the treatment period. Conclusion: Observation over an extended period assists in understanding the progression of chronic disorders. This patient experienced substantially reduced symptoms with chiropractic care during the 7-year observation period. Of note is the repeated exacerbation of neck pain that often precedes exacerbation in ear symptoms, along with the relief of both following adjustment and an association between improved hearing and improved cervical alignment. INDEX TERMS: (MeSH): CHIROPRACTIC; NECK PAIN; TINNITUS; DEAFNESS; HEARING DISORDERS; WHIPLASH INJURIES; MENIERE’S DISEASE; DIZZINESS. The Internet as a Resource in Chiropractic Care JENNIFER R. JAMISON It is anticipated that sophisticated health care consumers will increasingly use the Internet as a health resource. This study explores the current use chiropractic patients make of the Internet as a health information resource and investigates the type of chiropractic information patients would like to see made available on the Web. Research Method: A case study was undertaken. Maximum variations sampling of 30 chiropractic clinics was used to ensure a broad range of participants. Convenience sampling of chiropractic patients was performed. Data was collected by questionnaire from a total of 804 patients, of whom 696 participated in phase 1 and 364 in phase 2 of the study. Results: Eighty-eight (88%) of participants in phase 1 had access to the Internet. Phase 2 found that chiropractic patients seldom use the Internet as a health promotion and disease prevention resource, but 1 in 5 participants did use the Internet to get information about a current health problem, and up to 1 in 2 expressed interest in having information specific to chiropractic available on the Web. The telephone remains the preferred clinic communication medium. Conclusion: While individual chiropractors may be prudent to canvass their patients before implementing web-based practice procedures, it is perhaps timely for the chiropractic profession to explore how use of the Internet may promote this profession. INDEX TERMS: (MeSH): CHIROPRACTIC; INFORMATION SERVICES. (OTHER): INTERNET; HEALTH INFORMATION. The Best of Books for 2002: A Guide to Updating Your Library PHILLIP EBRALL Reviews are presented of a number of books and a CD-ROM released to the Australian market during 2002. A variety of publications for the year were selectively sampled by the author as to whether or not they held relevance to the clinical practice of chiropractic and its contemporary understanding. Nineteen titles were selected for inclusion in this review. They address both clinical and professional issues and the review comments are contextualised simply as assisting the improvement of the quality of health care delivered by chiropractors. It is implicit that the continued provision of quality care requires the act of continuing self-development through critical reading of the profession’s contemporary literature. The conclusion is reached that perhaps any division in Australian chiropractic practice today can be seen as reflecting that there are those who read quality material and continue to improve their minds and their clinical skills for the betterment of their patients, and those who don’t. INDEX TERMS: INDEX TERMS: (MESH): CHIROPRACTIC; AUSTRALIA; PHILOSOPHY. |
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