An opinion Page for Chiropractors only 

Secret Drama

Federally, recent legislation banned the use of testimonials by registered health care providers. Please regard the following account as a case study and not as a form of advertising.

Although presented as being of public interests Australia’s corporate news media represents the interests of corporate Australia. Hence the public never know of many stories and issues.

Decades ago a video was played at a national chiropractors’ association meeting.  The video presented an ophthalmologist (the branch of medicine which deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye) ‘cranking’ a neck.  He used the term ‘cranking’.  

The anesthetised patient was lying on her/his back.  He took the patients head turned it as far as it would turn and then gave it a jerk so that the patient’s head was almost facing the floor. The audience of chiropractors cried out as one.  He repeated the manoeuvre the other way and again their was a loud outcry from the audience.

Then the chairman of the meeting asked the audience if the association should support the ophthalmologist’s research.  Because of the crudity of his manipulations, no one voted for that support.

The ophthalmologist went on to do research and his favourable outcomes were published.  He appeared on Sixty Minutes. Later at a conference, I had breakfast with him, he correctly predicted that he would soon be deregistered for something along the line of practicing in a manner not becoming of a medical practitioner.

His apparently good outcomes were not at issue with either the chiropractors nor with the medical Board.  The crucial point of this story is that the needs of patients who have subluxation related eye disorders were not the key issue. The following case study reflects the difference that appropriate care makes to these patients.

The Eyes Have it

By Gerald Clum, D.C, President of Life Chiropractic College  

My father continued to search to find me an alternative to a life of blindness. He discussed my condition with Dr. Cassan who offered to help. At the end of the summer, my vision had improved so much that the ophthalmologist proclaimed it a "miracle."  

When I was eleven, the problem began. My vision was failing rapidly and had deteriorated so much that I'd lost most of my eyesight by the time I was 12. My parents took me to a number of ophthalmologists in Buffalo, New York and Cleveland, where I was subjected to what seemed an endless series of tests. Some like the pneumoencephalograph, I remember as particularly painful; this test, now virtually obsolete, involved a lumbar puncture. The visits to these medical clinics continued, until finally I was diagnosed as having "bilateral optic atrophy," a gradual deadening of the nerves to the eyes. The medical prognosis was progressive deterioration that would lead, ultimately, to blindness. From the medical perspective, this was a correct prognosis. The doctors said nothing more could be done for me and recommended that my parents send me to braille school.  

This prognosis didn't seem realistic to me, regardless of what the doctors said. My parents, however, were shocked by the doctor's words, especially because he suggested that this condition is commonly a precursor to Multiple Sclerosis. My parents were told I might be developing MS and were offered no hope. My father was not one to give up easily. He continued to search to find me an alternative to a life of blindness. 

Refusing to accept the medical doctor's grim predictions, my father discussed my condition with Dr. Cassan, a chiropractor he had been seeing for a disc problem. Dr. Cassan made no guarantees, but said he'd look to see what he could do. He admitted it was a risk with no guarantees. At this point, my parents were in a panic over my condition and felt that Dr. Cassan might help me and certainly wouldn't hurt.  

Fortunately, my father decided to take a chance, and I began getting adjusted by Dr. Cassan when I was 12. Unlike the other procedures I'd experienced, I enjoyed the adjustments - they were pleasant and relaxing, a definite improvement over the earlier medical procedures I'd been through. And, because Dr. Cassan was tremendously personable and delightful to be around, I found myself looking forward to the visits with him. 

Gradually, my vision began improving. At the end of the summer, my father took me back to the first ophthalmologist who had examined me originally. "This is a miracle!" he exclaimed, after checking my vision this time. He was very curious about the improvement in my vision and asked what had happened since my last appointment. My father explained that I'd been seeing Dr. Cassan for chiropractic care.  

The ophthalmologist, upon hearing this bit of news, became quite upset. It seems that, rather than accepting that chiropractic had helped me, he preferred his own interpretation - that a miracle had occurred. Evidently, divine intervention was easier for him to handle than the possibility that I'd been helped by a chiropractor! Dr. Cassan had a very positive effect on my life. Not only did he help my vision but he presented me with a role model of what a health care professional should be like. Personable, helpful, and clearly concerned about his patients' well being, Dr. Cassan, unlike the other specialists I'd seen, offered hope and encouragement. 

Impressed by the way chiropractic care helped me, and by Dr. Cassan's positive and concerned manner, I decided, when I was 13, to become a chiropractor myself someday. 

After graduating from Palmer College, I served on its faculty until 1974 while maintaining a private practice in Davenport at the same time. The year after, I went to Life College in Marietta as a charter member of the faculty, where I remained for six years. While I was at Life College, my vision had finally improved to the point where I could get my driver's license. 

Over the years, I've maintained a close relationship with Dr. Cassan and his family. His daughter, Judy, is a student here at Life-West, and his daughter, Mamie and son, Steven, were my students at Life College in Marietta, and his son, Gregg, was a classmate of mine at Palmer,  

Today I can say, without hesitancy, that I'm grateful my father turned to Dr. Cassan for his professional help and I'll always be grateful to Dr. Cassan for the "miracle" he performed! 

COMMENT: Laws that deny patients access to this type of information may protect the commercial interests of those who profit due to that ignorance, but they betray the interests of patients who need this information.