Some chiropractors are sources of vaccine misinformation

"At a time when the surgeon general says misinformation has become an urgent threat to public health, an investigation by The Associated Press found a vocal and influential group of chiropractors has been capitalizing on the pandemic by sowing fear and mistrust of vaccines," the AP reports. "They have touted their supplements as alternatives to vaccines, written doctor’s notes to allow patients to get out of mask and immunization mandates, donated large sums of money to anti-vaccine organizations and sold anti-vaccine ads on Facebook and Instagram, the AP discovered."

In many rural communities a chiropractor is one of the few specialists, and they may appeal to people who are wary of traditional doctors. It should be noted that many of the nation's 70,000 chiropractors endorse vaccination, but "the pandemic gave a new platform to a faction of chiropractors who had been stirring up anti-vaccine misinformation long before Covid-19 arrived," AP reports. Since 2019, "chiropractors and chiropractor-backed groups have worked to influence vaccine-related legislation and policy in at least 24 states."

It's unclear how many chiropractors are anti-vaccine, but a recent survey pegs it around 20%. And though there are no nationwide numbers on vaccination rates among chiropractors, Oregon tracks vaccination rates among all health-care providers. As of September 5, only 58% of chiropractors in the state were vaccinated, compared to 92% of medical doctors and 75% of the general public, AP reports.

Anti-vaccine chiropractors commonly say their care can help patients weather viral infection or even keep them from being infected, and at least one allegedly said the pricey supplements he sold would do the trick. "Public-health advocates are alarmed by the number of chiropractors who have hitched themselves to the anti-vaccine movement and used their public prominence and sheen of medical expertise to undermine the nation's response to a Covid-19 pandemic that has killed more than 700,000 Americans," AP reports.

"People trust them. They trust their authority, but they also feel like they’re a nice alternative to traditional medicine," Erica DeWald of Vaccinate Your Family, which tracks figures in the anti-vaccine movement, told AP. "Mainstream medicine will refer people out to a chiropractor not knowing that they could be exposed to misinformation. You go because your back hurts, and then suddenly you don’t want to vaccinate your kids."

Doctors trying to reverse course on opioid prescriptions can find it difficult because of addiction, shortage of good alternatives

The epidemic of opioid overdoses, 60 percent of which are blamed on abuse or misuse, "is changing prescribing habits, but there's still a lack of other pain medications, access to alternative therapies and knowledge among primary-care providers about multidisciplinary approaches to pain management," Modern Healthcare reports.

"The medical community turned to opioid prescriptions to address a condition many believed had been ignored or undertreated," Steven Ross Johnson writes. "And the dependence on fee-for-service payments also made it easier for providers to whip out their prescription pads rather than spend the time to help patients find alternatives. But experts now say the over-reliance on opioids for chronic pain, despite a lack of evidence on their efficacy and impact, was misguided and has distorted the public's concept of what pain is and what it means to be treated."

But reversing course can be difficult because many patients "have built up resistance to opioids and seek treatment while addicted or at risk of addiction," Johnson reports. He quotes Dr. Neel Mehta, medical director of Weill Cornell Medical College's Pain Medicine Center, which specializes in treating long-term pain as saying many come there because their doctor won't write them another prescription: “So we're sort of left with them expecting to get prescribed an opioid and we have to then calmly redirect that.”

In March the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "recommended doctors prescribe alternative treatments such as over-the-counter medications, cognitive behavioral therapy and exercise before resorting to opioids. Weeks later, the Joint Commission [which accredits health-care facilities] clarified its 2001 standards for pain management and treatment to stress that opioid use was neither required nor specified for treating pain."

Other alternative treatments chiropractic care and the use of anti-inflammatory and neuropathic medications and even vitamin supplements, Johnson notes. "The problem is that few carry the punch or, for some, the pleasure of opioids. . . . The use of medical marijuana, meanwhile, has increased in several parts of the country. It's approved in 38 states and the District of Columbia for patients with illnesses such as cancer and HIV. But only some of those states allow the use of marijuana to relieve chronic pain." Kentucky does not.

Chiropractors cite research recommending 'conservative treatments' for low-back pain before prescribing painkillers

Recent research has questioned the effectiveness of acetaminophen for the treatment of spinal pain. In response, the American Chiropractic Association recommends that patients and health-care providers take a conservative approach to back pain. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, the commonly administered painkiller isn't helpful for diminishing low-back pain.

According to a report released by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kentucky ranks among the top five states for opiate painkiller prescriptions written per 100 people, Deborah Highland reports for the Bowling Green Daily News.

"Research supports the use of more conservative treatments as a first-line defense against pain," said ACA President Anthony Hamm. "This sensible approach not only reduces healthcare costs but may also help some patients avoid riskier treatments altogether," he said in a news release that has exercise tips, posture recommendations and injury prevention techniques to help people maintain healthy backs throughout life.

Chiropractic clinic to pay $650K for Medicaid and Medicare fraud

A chiropractic clinic in Williamsburg will pay $650,000 to settle claims it improperly billed Medicare and Medicaid, reports Trent Knuckles for The News Journal of Corbin. (News Journal graphic)

Ho Medical Clinic, Kenneth Ho and Ana Moreno allegedly filed false claims when they billed for physician services, though they were performed by a chiropractor (chiropractors are not medical doctors); billed for unnecessary and unreasonable MRI and X-ray services; billed for work performed by unqualified personnel; and received funds for being a rural health clinic when it did not meet Medicare requirements.

Of the $650,000, $525,000 will go to the Medicare and Medicaid trust fund. The remaining sum will go to Danette Freeman, who sued the company under the False Claims Act. The investigation was conducted by the Kentucky attorney general's office, the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General and the U.S. attorney's office. (Read more)