Re:Chiropractic

[neal sivula <rvvh@ncweb.com>]

Being a veterinarian who does animal chiropractic I think that I may have a
little to add to the discussion.  There are certainly two sides to this
issue.  There are both good and bad Doctors of Chiropractic who work on
people, as well as good and bad MD's, DO's, DVM's, etc.  The basic struggle
I think at the root of this debate is the lack of scientific evidence of the
presence of subluxation ("the dis-relationship of two contiguous vertebra
resulting in disturbance of normal function") in animals.  Some very good
people are working on this very basic question.  In the meantime, I continue
to use chiropractic on my patients with favorable results. To the
questioning mind, this string of successful case outcomes really doesn't
mean much.  These clients could have driven down the interstate to Delaware
and perhaps have been healed down there!  We need better clincal research as
well.  Believe me, all of this anectodal evidence should not be enough to
satisfy you as an owner or those of us who use this form of physical
medicine.  We hope to change all that.  

Chiropractic is no substitute for regular "allopathic" veterinary medicine.
As a consumer, you should know that the person who is doing chiropractic on
your horse (be it DVM or DC, depending on your state laws) has had some
additional training in this area. 

As an aside, I certainly did not need chiropractic to help me find a niche
in my community.  We do not suffer from an oversupply of veterinarians here.
Excellent small animal practices wait years to find an associate and I
myself cannot replace the associate I lost in my equine practice.  I may not
know the right people, but I don't know any veterinarian who does
chiropractic in order to make themselves more marketable.

Debate is healthy! I respect the opinions of those on both sides of this
issue.  I have learned quite a lot from this forum and thank you all.  Neal    
River Valley Veterinary Hosptial
Neal J. Sivula, DVM, PhD
2111 Windsor-Mechanicsville Road
Rock Creek, Ohio  44084
Tele:(440)474-4049  Fax:(440)474-4498
email: rvvh@ncweb.com