Letter of the Day

Editor, Index-Tribune:

I am disappointed that you would permit a mean-spirited, offensive and pejorative poem (“What Rhymes With Subluxation?” March 20) that would denigrate the chiropractic profession that was unrelated to the content of the previous letter. The quest for the truth has been hindered by your choice to permit an attack on a profession based on an apparent disagreement with some idea or concept expressed by chiropractic doctor Don Harte in a letter submitted previously to the paper (“Measles Schmeasles,” Feb. 13). Sadly, the poem from L.R. Waldman is not only mean-spirited, but grossly inaccurate.

The poem, suggesting that a spinal adjustment is the same as cracking a finger, is like suggesting that a squeak of a pencil on paper is like writing a good essay. I am hopeful that an honest exchange may help you to appreciate why your sharing this poem might be a disservice to your readers.

The poem discusses the historical record of Dr. Daniel Palmer (1845-1913, credited as the founder of chiropractic) providing an adjustment to the neck of Harvey Lillard and improving his hearing. Contrary to the poem, it was not the result of the auditory nerve being affected from the neck. It is well established the auditory nerve does not go to the neck, but remains in the cranium. It does pass into a central part of the brain called the thalamus through a relay of various synaptic junctions. The cervical vertebrae are blessed with large populations of movement receptors. When cervical vertebrae are moved those mechanoreceptor populations are activated sending a large barrage of activation also to the thalamus. There is then an increase in frequency of thalamic activity, which allows for improved transmission of auditory sequence to the temporal lobe of the brain, which can improve hearing. Not only can a specific adjustment improve hearing, it can also improve vision as the optic nerve has a relay through the thalamus, as do other senses.

Doctors of chiropractic diagnose subluxation. In fact, that is one of the main services that Medicare reimburses doctors of chiropractic. The diagnosis for reimbursement is conditional with radiographic evidence. Unfortunately, your paper is not the best forum to discuss these issues in detail, as a true qualification of each point would require considerable space.

Briefly, chiropractic is based on priori biological law that living things have the power to heal and maintain themselves in existence. Alteration in the nervous system can impair the control and application of vital forces of healing.

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify some points.

Robert W. Adams DC,

Sonoma

Editor’s note: Thanks for writing, Robert – and for clearing up some questions a lot of folks have about the intricate workings of chiropractic. As to the benefits of spinal adjustment, I cannot attest. However, allow me to address a point of contention in your letter – that Mr. Waldman’s poem lampooned a type of profession. In printing the poem, you and other chiropractors must think we’re out of our “thalamuses.” While we certainly try and keep the Letters to the Editor page clear of personal attacks and baseless cheap shots, our intent is also to keep it open to provocative opinions – and I’ve never seen a letters page worth its salt that held general “professions” as a protected class. Dr. Harte writes letters to the editor using his profession as the basis of his expertise on various medical matters (vaccinations in this case). So it’s perfectly reasonable for readers to respond with letters questioning his profession’s relevancy to the issue (and if they do it in a tongue-in-cheek rhyming scheme, so be it). People write in casting all sorts of aspersions about all sorts of professions – police are bullies, tort attorneys are ambulance chasers, CEOs are overpaid incompetents, etc. If I had a whack on the lumbar for every time my chosen profession – journalism – was held up in the media as the pinnacle of duplicity, I’d have more subluxations than ever diagnosed by the finest chiropractors in the world. Trust me. Or, rather, don’t. I’m a journalist. - J.W.