naturopathydigest.com -- Letters to the Editor

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Letters to the Editor

Time to Stop Devaluing Physical Medicine

Dear Editor:
Dr. Leon Chaitow's article, "What's Wrong with Naturopathic Medicine," in the December 2006 issue of Naturopathy Digest was valuable.

I appreciated his candor and his observations; and I agree with most of his conclusions based upon my experience as an instructor of physical manipulation.
My background includes being an instructor at Bastyr University (1980-1986, 1993); and also at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine (1994-1998) where I also was the department chair for physical medicine (1998). Further, I wrote a textbook: Manipulation Therapy for the Naturopathic Physician.
In my view, the reticence regarding this subject breaks with one of the tenets of naturopathic medicine: "First Do No Harm." Ignoring the reality of biomechanical factors in evaluating and treating patients is, in my opinion, doing harm; because it allows biomechanical and certain neurological conditions to remain unresolved.
Dr. John Bastyr told me years ago: that if he "could only have one modality to use to treat [his] patients it would be manipulation." Nevertheless, after having taught several hundred students, it is my opinion that most failed to grasp its importance in a "whole person" approach to caring for patients.
Most seemed to hold a basic attitude that manipulation is "too violent" and they prefer more "gentle therapies." From my observation, it appears that about 75 percent of my students never intended to use this modality in their practices. They only did the necessary classwork because it was required by the curriculum.
In his article, Dr. Chaitow wrote: "The solution may be to lengthen the time spent training." I'm not convinced of that. It appears to me that increasing hours of instruction in an already overburdened class schedule is probably not effective. Sadly, as newer graduates become faculty members, the prejudice appears to be perpetuated.
The solution is more likely to be found in eliminating what I perceive to be the prevailing attitude: devaluing physical medicine. Perhaps one day, the general population in the naturopathic profession will realize the value of what most so diligently avoid. Hopefully, it will be before they lose the privilege of using it.
Thank you again for publishing Dr. Chaitow's article.
David J. Shipley, DC, ND