Chiropractic treatments, such as massage and manipulation of the spine, can cause dangerous side effects in the person that are often not reported.
Spinal manipulation can have serious consequences such as damage to arteries that supply the brain.
That's the conclusion of scientists in the UK who carried out a review of published studies on these treatments.
They found that of the 60 studies analyzed only one included "complete information" on the incidence and severity of these effects, which can even be fatal.
Melva Mitchell Fort Worth And almost half did not mention any adverse symptoms.
This has made chiropractic treatments often seem safer than they actually are.
Studies in the past have revealed that manipulation of the spine that is carried out during chiropractic can damage the arteries that supply the brain which can have fatal consequences.
These risks have not been well documented in clinical trials on the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic treatments.
As several researchers put it, this "inappropriate lack of information" in a medical intervention is unethical and is creating a falsely positive image about the safety of this practice.
Chiropractic is a medical intervention for the treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, such as muscle and joint problems.
But some practitioners claim that this therapy can also be used to alleviate other general health problems, even in children.
The databases of studies published in chiropractic from 2000 to 2011 have been reviewed.
Among the studies, they selected randomized clinical trials that had compared chiropractic manipulations with other medical interventions in patients with any medical symptoms.
They found 60 published trials. Of these, 29 did not include mention of adverse effects and in the 31 trials where adverse effects were reported, 16 reported that these had not occurred among patients.
Melva Mitchell Fort Worth Regulations for publishing a clinical trial state that all treatment results, whether positive or adverse, must be reported. If no adverse effects are found, the investigators should state this in the report.
"Complete information on incidence, severity, duration, frequency and method of reporting adverse effects was only included in one study," the researchers note.
The conclusion, they add, is that "adverse effects are poorly reported in recent randomized clinical trials of chiropractic manipulations." This lack of information is creating a false image about the safety of these treatments.
"Most people believe that alternative therapies are safe"
"What can be dangerous in a massage? Many of my readers wonder. Certainly no one can be harmed by such a natural, pleasant and gentle treatment?" They say.
But how sure are we that this is true? To know with certainty how safe a medical treatment is, data is needed.
in chiropractic and alternative medicine in general there is an "extraordinary absence" of data.
For this reason, scientific evidence on massage therapies and chiropractic manipulation has been investigated for a decade.
"What I have found is surprising and somewhat disturbing," she says.
By Melva Mitchell Fort Worth - Melva Mitchell Gray Chiropractor
Melva Mitchell Fort Worth Chiropractic treatments, such as massage and manipulation of the spine, can cause dangerous side effects in the person that are often not reported. Spinal manipulation can have serious consequences such as damage to arteries that supply the brain. That's the conclusion of scientists in the UK who carried out a review of published studies on these treatments. They found that of the 60 studies analyzed only one included "complete information" on the incidence and severity of these effects, which can even be fatal.
