MS Patients Turn to Chiropractic

Many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) report benefiting from holistic therapies including chiropractic, according to researchers at the New Jersey Medical School in Newark.

Investigators pooled survey data on 3,140 adults with MS. Findings disclosed that 57.1% of respondents had tried at least one complementary modality. The longer subjects suffered from MS, the more likely they were to report less satisfaction with traditional medical care and greater success with complementary approaches.

Chiropractic was the second most commonly employed holistic therapy (used by 25.5% of subjects) after herbal therapy (used by 26.6% of subjects). A total of 23.3% had tried massage and 19.9% had experimented with acupuncture. Women were 25% more likely than men — and whites were 30% more likely than non-whites — to use alternative modalities.

Clinical Rehabilitation – March 2003;17:181-91. http://www.ingentaselect.com/