I was going back and forth with Dr. Christopher Kent about info I could send to my docs about this whole stroke issue.
If you have not heard, it has blown up in California; I am sure there will be a ripple effect.
As far as I am concerned there is no one on the planet who knows more about this and who I trust more than Dr. Kent. Below is an email that he put together and we wanted to forward it to you.
Here is an interview I did with Dr. Kent several years ago and although it is dated there is still tremendous information.
Much love and aloha,
Russ and Angie
P.S.
Here are a few other articles that some docs sent me:
- Here is the article about the girl who just died
- Vertebral artery strains during high-speed, low amplitude cervical spinal manipulation
- Risk of Vertebrobasilar Stroke and Chiropractic Care
- Chiropractic care and the risk of vertebrobasilar stroke: results of a case–control study
- Debunking the Myth that Chiropractic Causes Stroke
Email from Dr. Kent:
Dear Colleague—
Many of you have been trying to contact me regarding recent media coverage alleging that chiropractic care causes strokes. This e-mail is to address such requests. One of the latest and best papers on chiropractic and stroke was authored by a group of neurosurgeons. Their conclusion: “There is no convincing evidence to support a causal link, and unfounded belief in causation may have dire consequences.”
The paper is available free online. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Chiropractic Care and Cervical Artery Dissection: No Evidence for Causation. Here is the link.
The best available evidence reports that people may present to an MD or DC office with a stroke in progress. See this link.
Failure to recognize the signs of a possible stroke, chart them, and manage them appropriately can have devastating consequences. An excellent resource is a summary by the professional liability company, ChiroFutures. The link to the article is here,
At a minimum, you should study these materials carefully.
For those who would like to purchase an online course addressing types of stroke, mechanical forces affecting the vertebral arteries, what occurs during a dissection, the issue of causality, imaging, and most important, how to recognize a stroke in progress and what not to do, visit: this page.
Best Wishes,
Christopher Kent, DC, JD
With all this said gang… (Back to a few thoughts from Russ…)
The question comes up as to how to deal with this in your office if patients bring it up.
As always I would use the LAASR process.
Listen, Acknowledge, ASK, Solution and Resolution.
Don’t dive right into a sermon.
Instead I would recommend Acknowledging what a tragedy this persons death is.
Then start Asking questions i.e. what do they think happened? Do they think a chiropractic adjustment could cause that? Are they concerned that your adjustment might cause that for them?
Clarify THEIR concerns first.
Then address those.
Having the above studies will help in punching a hole in their faulty premise or belief system of, “Chiropractic adjustments can cause strokes.” But my experience is if you get defensive or offensive they cannot HEAR what you have to say.
Hope that all helps!
Much love and aloha and thank you for being on the front lines and for all you do!
Russ and Angie