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The Science of Chiropractic
Meeting Minutes for August 10, 2005; #191
Presented by Dr. Brian Mikula, Chiropractor, GRCC Professor
Announcements
On August 17, at 7PM, Jason Pittman will host the next Freethought Movie night
at his home at 740 Lockwood, NE GRMI. The featured film will be Eternal
Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. BYOB and a snack to pass. For more information or
to RSVP, call (616) 634-2471 or send email to jpittman@backpacker.com.
The Freethought Women's Group will meet at Jennifer Beahan's house at 736
Lockwood, NE, GRMI on August 20 (Sat.) at 10AM. E-mail her at
musiqueforlife@yahoo.com (also for more info on the Grassroots Action Fair- see
below) or call (616) 706-2029.
Rot on the Vine; The Many Dark Faces of Religion will be the topic of our next
regular meeting on August 24. Author of the book by the same title, J. Stenesh,
Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, Western Michigan University, will be our
guest speaker.
September 7 at 7PM: Freethought Movie Night, featuring the film: Primer. See
above contact information.
On September 9 (Friday), starting @ 7PM, John and Kathy will host another
SEE-TV Book Discussion gathering at their cologne and fragrance- free home at
826 Fairmount St., SE (GRMI). The book to be discussed is Blink; The Power of
Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell. For more information call (616)
459- 2373.
The Grassroots Action Fair was announced. This is an effort by the Progressive
Directory of Western Michigan, which connects groups for social change. The
Grassroots Action Fair will take place on Tuesday, September 20, from 7PM-9PM
at the Wealthy Street Theatre; 1130 Wealthy St. in Grand Rapids. There will be
a short program about current advocacy campaigns followed by desserts, music,
and information tables where one may connect with local causes. David Cleveland
offered to man a booth there that day for the FA and Jennifer Beahan is
involved and another source for further information on this event (see contact
info from the Freethought Women's Group listing above.)
Mark your calendars for a special meeting that our group is co-sponsoring on
September 28, with presenter Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who will speak on Our
Environmental Destiny. NOTE: This will take the place of our normal meeting at
the Yankee Clipper Library location and will be held instead at the downtown
G.R. Fountain Street Church. There is a ticket cost of $10 which is available
through Schuler Books & Music and from Fountain Street Church itself. We also
had tickets for sale at this meeting. For more information contact FSC at
www.fountainstreet.org or the FA info email address listed at the top
of these minutes. This is rather a coup for us to be involved in bringing R.F.
Kennedy, Jr. to Grand Rapids where “America's Foremost Environmental Warrior”
draws upon his experiences as a lawyer, taking on big corporate polluters, and
as an author/speaker who is a font of knowledge on the how the laws protecting
our environment are being sabotaged.
Please make note of the fact that our 1st meeting in October (on the 12th) will
be at our new location: the beautiful and accommodating (with ample parking)
Women's City Club at the corner of Lafayette and Fulton by downtown Grand
Rapids. Since this secretary has fielded this question a few times personally,
I'll mention in these minutes that there is a large lot on Lafayette, just
south of Fulton to use, in addition to the parking that is next to the WCC
itself. There is also possible use of the lot at the across- the- street
Masonic Temple, but we will not dependent on this additional parking for the
foreseeable future. Visit our website or send an e-mail to the info address
listed at the top for more information on this move and details. Meetings will
still begin at 7PM.
Also visit our website for the most up to the date calendar listing of events,
archived meeting minutes, links to related websites, volunteer opportunities,
area events of interest to freethinkers, to join our e-mail discussion list and
much more.
Gordon Matousek was acknowledged for his fine work in recording our meetings ;
the tapes of which he edits and prepares to air on GRTV, on Wednesday evenings.
These broadcasts reach a much larger audience than can be assembled directly at
our meetings and serve as an excellent archive of our group's shining and
eclectic roster of presenters.
We appreciate the delicious and aromatic coffees and teas brought in by Josh
Dunigan so faithfully at each meeting from Mainline Coffee.
We go to Vitales Italian Restaurant on Leonard St., NE after the meetings for
socializing. While alcoholic beverages are available for those who wish to
order such, it is not a bar but a restaurant, and we have a nice room reserved
for us every meeting Wednesday.
Presentation
The topic for this meeting was The Science of Chiropractic, presented by Brian
Mikula, Chiropractor and Adjunct Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Grand
Rapids Community College. He was introduced by FA Board member, friend and
colleague, Dr. Gregory Forbes, who is also a professor at GRCC (of zoology and
evolutionary biology).
Dr. Mikula, explained that the doctorate is a terminal degree in a given field
of expertise, not only the title for medical physicians. He gave us an overview
of what would be covered during his presentation, including where chiropractic
falls within the realms of art, medicine and science, what chiropractic is and
is not, a cursory look at its history and a review of the terms involved in his
talk. He wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page as to
terminology.
In establishing these terms, the word science was the first up for definition.
While it might be thought that most people know what this means, we still live
in a time where there are those who call themselves Creation Scientists and who
consider Intelligent Design Theory to be in fact a theory (in the scientific
sense of the word) and to be a scientific endeavor, neither of which is
correct. The success of science has been co-opted by many to bolster many an
unscientific enterprise, while utilizing none of the methodology, approach and
tools of science in their research-free agenda.
Science is a method of inquiry that provides a rational way to discover truths
about the natural world using observation and experimentation. Empirically
testable additional information can alter conclusions, which must then be
modified. One can make if-then predictions from science regarding natural
phenomena. Science is potentially falsifiable. Again, creationists make use of
claims of divine fiat creation using means no longer (if ever) observable in
the natural world and an agent that cannot be tested or rationally analyzed,
from which no predictions can be drawn, cannot be linked with other data to
produce a fruitful scientific theory, and their claims are immune to
falsification by natural means.
Facts, put simply, are events that are repeatedly observed and confirmed. He
gave a string of examples at this point. Laws, he pointed out, are scientific
generalizations that both explain and predict physical phenomena and are
descriptive of the natural world.
An hypothesis is a testable statement about the natural world used to build
more complex inferences and explanations.
Theory is a term that Dr. Mikula contrasted with its lay vernacular use. It is
not a hunch or a suspicion. This misunderstanding among too many in the
non-scientific population allows the term to be misappropriated by those with
an agenda to promote. Again using IDT as an example, promoters of such can
incorrectly call their non-scientific concept a theory and furrow few brows in
the lay community while referring to the theory of evolution, as just another
theory. If they are all just guesses, the inference goes, then they should all
be given equal status. This plays well with those who are not sufficiently
informed on what constitutes a scientific theory. The term theory in a its
scientific usage is a well established explanation of some aspect of the
natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences and tested
hypotheses. A couple examples are germ theory and heliocentric theory. There
are no alternative theories to these any more than there is to evolutionary
theory.
Clinical science, Dr. Mikula noted, derives its data from direct treatment and
observation of patients. Dealing with living, breathing people is difficult,
since one cannot ethically experiment, or test the efficacy of techniques that
have unknown outcomes, on them.
Health, he explained, pertains not only to the absence of disease or infirmity
but also to a state of physical, mental and social well- being. To maintain
this desired state, one should have regular check- ups and address symptoms
early on, before they are full blown and more difficult to treat. Even having
good thought processes helps stave off stress and the negative results on all
components of holistic health that stress brings about.
Chiropractic is a science, a philosophy and an art, Dr. Mikula stated. Its
major philosophical tenet has to do with the innate intelligence of the body.
This is believed to be in every living thing and helps maintain its properties
and existence. While this idea is based in a old discredited concept of
vitalism, it is now established in a more reputable way as homeostasis, or the
body's tendency to seem to strive toward its best proper levels for optimal
function.
Dr. Mikula made a distinction between straight and mixed chiropractic practice.
He (along with his wife, by the way) is a straight chiropractor, which means
that his focus is purely on addressing subluxations of the spine as a way of
unlocking the natural process of the homeostatic alignment of the vertebra,
which is believed to restore proper nerve flow and, therefore, health itself.
Mixed chiropractors use a variety of treatments and techniques and often make
claims for their work that extend far beyond what the straight chiropractor
will assert. He could make no comment on the efficacy of their various
techniques, as this is apart from his training and the scope of his practice.
Our presenter showed us a model of a human spine with its seven cervical
vertebrae; capped by the atlas (so-called because, like the mythic god Atlas
who physically held up the Earth, the atlas vertebra is the first one beneath
the globe of the skull and provides support the head and neck.) Then there are
the twelve thoracic vertebrae, which anchor the ribs; followed by the five
large lower back ones, called the lumbar vertebrae, which take on most of the
weight of the torso. These terminate into the fused vertebrae of the sacrum and
coccyx, or tail bone. There is a soft S- shape to the spine that helps it
support the upright bipedal human being. Each vertebra is separated by
inter-vertebral discs that serve as cushioning pads. This arrangement allows
both flexibility and bony protection.
All three major types of vertebra have a foramen space through which the spinal
cord runs. Starting at the brain as a thick braid composed of billions of nerve
fibers, it flows down inside the vertebral column, branching off at junctures
to spread out to the rest of the body. Nerve signals are sent back and forth
from the brain and the rest of the body along the spinal cord. Chiropractic is
based on the concept that misaligned vertebrae creates signal interference
which impairs the communication between the brain and body and thwarts the
system's homeostasis.
Most chiropractors do not hold that their adjustments pop the vertebrae back in
place as such but are rather unlocking them from their misaligned state, which
allows the body's innate intelligence to shift them back into their normal
alignment, restoring proper signal flow, communication and, ultimately, health.
The popping sound, by the way- the same one that is heard when cracking
knuckles- emanates from the release of tiny pockets of gas within the joints.
The sole purpose of the straight chiropractor is to locate and correct
subluxations. Chiropractic derives from chiros, meaning hand, and praktos
having to do with practice, but not all chiropractors, straight or mixed, rely
solely on manual adjustments. As an aside, chiroptera refers to the order that
includes bats and flying foxes and means wing hand.
While the body works toward proper alignment and function via its homeostasis,
or innate intelligence that our presenter referred to, when it is left too long
in a subluxated condition, the muscles connected to the vertebrae of body get
used to (so to say) being in that misaligned state, which can bring about
further health complications. One can be subluxated and not have a pain
response to inform one of this condition. There is sudden trauma that can
misalign vertebrae, but it can also occur through repetitive actions, and a
slow build up of daily stresses of all kinds. Dr. Mikula said at one point that
while it sounds self-serving, the only way to know if one is subluxated for
sure is to visit a chiropractor.
Dr. Mikula showed us a comparison chart for the relative number of hours of
study between doctors of chiropractic and medical doctors, as to the various
aspects of the physician's art. The two compared favorably with each other; in
some cases the hours were essentially the same, in some there was a slight edge
for M.Ds while there were some facets where chiropractic training, as to hours,
outstripped that of medical doctors. Doctors of chiropractic have ample
training in areas that their specialty does not cover, including dispensing of
medicines, which they do not do. Dr. Mikula said that there is a perception of
competition between his profession and medical doctors but that straight
chiropractors refer patients to seek medical treatment for any conditions not
within their sphere of expertise of dealing with subluxations and their
results.
The history of chiropractic was presented honestly, if briefly, by our speaker.
Daniel David Palmer who was born in 1845 in Ontario, Canada but moved to the US
was the founder of chiropractic. Interested in various alternative notions for
treatment of illnesses, including magnetic healing and phrenology, he first
came to the idea of the spine's influence on all body conditions when he saw
that a deaf janitor (Harvey Lillard) had a distorted posture. D.D. Palmer
convinced the fellow to undergo a spinal adjustment and afterwards claimed that
he had thereby restored hearing to the janitor as a (rather miraculous) side
benefit of aligning his vertebrae. While much of his belief system was based on
what today would be seen as very dubious concepts, he also concocted the idea
of subluxations and the innate intelligence of the body that Dr. Mikula and
other modern day straight chiropractors subscribe to. D.D. Palmer's practice
with its panacea of health claims might have died out had it not been for his
son, Bartlett Joshua Palmer, taking it up in 1902. B.J Palmer made use of
diagnostic techniques to determine where to make adjustments for beneficial
results. X-ray apparatus was first bought, in 1909, by the institution of
chiropractic that D.D. Palmer had established.
The Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations has a website (FSCO)
that explains what straight chiropractic does but also its limitations, or what
it does not address. As stated above, straight chiropractors deal only with
vertebral subluxations and the treatment of this condition. Biological function
is a manifestation of its structure. When the structural composition is
disturbed, the healthy functioning of the organism is hampered. Chiropractic
does not treat disease or any morbid process but only serves to correct
vertebral subluxations to achieve proper nerve flow and restore lost function
and health. The straight chiropractor does not use the spine as an instrument
to make a diagnosis or determine the presence of some illness or disease.
Dr. Mikula discussed the different systems of the body that can be affected by
a subluxation and the nature of these effects. Some are longer lasting in
duration, such as when the immune system is affected, for example. He described
some of the characteristics of different physiological responses to
environmental stimulation, what systems were in play and what occurs when they
are activated, as well as what happens when some are impeded by improper nerve
signal.
In the clinical model he discussed, there are three main things looked for—the
segmental, referencing the relationship of the juxtaposition of vertebral
segments; the postural, which takes in a more global and postural analysis; and
the tonal, which regards the changes in muscle tone depending on how much nerve
signal is getting through.
Techniques used in chiropractic may include the use of X-rays, leg checks
(relative length differences as the outcome of a subluxation), thermography,
palpation (static and in motion), posture evaluation, etc. Through these
techniques, the location of the subluxation is determined and an adjustment may
then be made.
Dr. Mikula presented the three paradigms regarding chiropractic. One holds that
this practice can cure all diseases which he said is laughable and even
dangerous if adhered to. The second is an adversarial one between itself and
the medical profession and puts chiropractic in with alternative medicine,
which is not the case, according to our presenter. The third one is about what
straight chiropractic actually is and does.
Subluxations may be caused from a myriad of experiences including stress where
muscles tense, attached to bone, pulling them out of alignment; trauma,
repetition of movement and even the birth process, and can have many effects,
including general degeneration, spinal kinesiopathology, neuropathology,
myopathology, histopathology, etc.
The chiropractic adjustment, Dr. Mikula said, is the application of specific
scientific procedures for the sole purpose of safely correcting a vertebral
subluxation. He contrasted the word adjustment with the term manipulation. The
latter he described as the forceful, passive movement of a joint beyond its
normal range of motion which is not used specifically for the correction of a
subluxation. Therefore, it is not synonymous with a chiropractic adjustment.
Dr. Mikula talked about the historical challenges and entrenched negative
beliefs that have conspired to keep chiropractic treatments from being included
in the mainstream of science. Medicine has historically been used to control a
pathology rather than to remove a specific disruption in the nervous system.
Also mixed chiropractic brings with it a lot of baggage that is vulnerable to
attack by mainstream science. Straight and mixed chiropractic tends to get
lumped together in the general perception. Until this meeting and a subsequent
visit to the FSCO website, this secretary was unaware that there were
distinctions within chiropractic care (mixed and straight). Dr. Mikula said
that while he cannot comment directly on the veracity of the various techniques
used by mixed chiropractors, he said that they may still perform adjustments
well, irregardless of whatever additional methods and means they may employ.
When asked by a meeting attendee how one knows when one should see a
chiropractor, he responded by asking the questioner if she had a spine and
nervous system or any stress in life. The homeostatic system is dynamic, so
there is always hope but the body is always subject to being negatively
affected by the small insults and injuries, stresses and traumas, in life that
all accumulate over time. Pain is often the last thing that occurs, so one is
wise (he recommended) not to wait until s/he is in pain before being checked
over.
While we were assured that there was an abundance of research out there to
support the scientific validity of chiropractic, no specific source was given
during this presentation in which to follow upon. I personally found little to
help me in my individual investigation of this topic, in preparation for these
minutes, as to specifics for adjustment techniques and how, precisely, they
work to create a verifiable mechanism that can be scientifically studied and
tested. Even the term subluxation is one that seems to be employed only within
the sphere of chiropractic.
The basic ideas make sense in a proximal way, but there is a dearth of
information on ultimate biological mechanisms involved- at least that I could
find. Phrases such as innate intelligence explain little. Chiropractic has
little hope of gaining a foothold in the scientific mainstream so long as the
straight practitioners, so- designated, countenance a whole host of
scientifically suspect (at best) approaches and techniques (including
homeopathic medicines and various apparatus not found or used in the toolkit of
medical science) that their mixed brethren employ.
Still, such uber-skeptics, as Dr. Michael Shermer employ the services of
chiropractors, and it may well be more an artifact of my own mere lay
understanding of the health sciences, as well as low-level research skills (in
finding supporting scientific evidence to bolster chiropractic terminology and
claims) that is the problem.
Secretary: Charles LaRue.
The Freethought Association of West Michigan provides a community
for freethinkers to explore ideas from a rational, critical and
non-theistic perspective.
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