In the past, research has proven some of the best treatments for back pain. One of these treatments for back pain has over thirty scientific studies and is published in several Medical Journals. The conclusion from some of the findings state that the average patient receiving this type of treatment is better off than fifty four to eight five percent of the patients receiving other common and accepted medical back pain treatments.

Additionally, fourteen of these studies showed that this treatment that we will refer to later costs less and was up to twice as effective as most common medical treatment. Seventeen of the studies showed a decrease in disability at work from chiropractic care and less back pain symptoms. Unfortunately, many of these studies were done in the eighties! I am referring to chiropractic care. So why isn't this treatment plastered all over the front pages and headlining the nightly news on a regular basis? How could something so great and proven to be this effective be kept out of the spotlight for so long?

The answer to these questions is simple. But first, you have to understand the real facts about back pain. The following are some shocking statistics about low back pain. First, eight to ninety percent of all adults will suffer from low back pain at some point in their life. Second, low back pain is the primary cause of disability in people under forty five years of age. Third, low back pain is the second leading cause of visits to the doctor. Forth, low back pain is the third leading reason for hospital admissions. Fifth, the annual cost of low back pain in the United States ranges from $20-$75 billion, and as much as one hundred billion dollars worldwide. The sixth is that according to the Met Life Insurance statistics, the average back treated medically without surgery costs $7,210, and the average back treated with surgery costs an astonishing $13,990. And finally the seventh statistic indicates that fifteen to twenty percent of the population has low back pain in any given year, approximately twenty three million cases.

So, here's a question for you. Do all epidemics kill? The answer is no, and it's a good thing they don't. Because if they did, most of us would be dead from this back pain epidemic.

Before we get to the #1 treatment, let's talk about other "common" treatments and the facts about how good they really are. The first is anti-inflammatory drugs, also known as NSAIDs. These drugs, such as Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve and Advil are often the first and most common treatment for back pain. Well, let's see what 2 prominent medical doctors have to say about them.

The first was Dr. Julian Whitaker, M.D.. He reported saying that in our attempt to escape the throbbing of an occasional headache, the muscular ache of being a weekend warrior, Americans spend over six and a half billion dollars each year on prescription and over the counter pain relievers. And we do this at tremendous cost to our health. The side effects are that these drugs can damage the stomach, liver, kidneys, and even some of the tissues they are designed to support. Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which are sometimes taken on a daily basis by arthritis sufferers, may speed up degeneration of the joint by restricting cartilage synthesis and speeding up cartilage destruction.

Another doctor known as Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D. in the Department of Health Policy and Management of John's Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health said that researchers say aspirin and related drugs kill almost as many people every year as the disease AIDS and are responsible for a silent epidemic. About twenty six billion over the counter pills are consumed each year and the number of deaths caused by medicine is large. Some research estimates that approximately sixteen and a half thousand deaths occur annually in the United States from ulcer related complications associated with their use. If those deaths were given their own category, the toxic effects of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs would amount to the 15th most common cause of death in the United States. Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs are probably the most dangerous drugs that medicine uses because of their widespread use. As a group, it is likely that they account for the largest amount of deaths of any drug group. The bottom line about NSAID drugs is that they kill sixteen and a half thousand people every year and damage the joints they are supposed to treat.

The next discussion is very common. I am referring to surgery. Understanding just one statistic about surgery is very important. By understanding the statistic, it just may shock you. According to the official Clinical Practice Guidelines put out by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, surgery has been shown to be helpful in only one in a hundred cases of low back problems. Even having a lot of back pain does not, by itself, mean you are required to have surgery on your spine. But many people think that it does.

If only one percent of back problems are helped with surgery, is it really worth the risk associated with it. Some the risks are infection, paralysis or even death. This is something that needs to be seriously considered.

Unfortunately, that was the bad news. But with all bad news there is usually good news. Many of the studies I talked about show chiropractic care to be the best, safest and least expensive treatment for back pain. Since you might not believe it coming from a chiropractor in San Diego, I'm going to give you one more thing to consider. This quote is from the well respected Pran Manga, PhD. Dr. Manga is a medical economist from Ontario Ministry of Health who studied this subject very thoroughly. The conclusion was that there is an overwhelming amount of evidence indicating that chiropractic care of low back pain is more cost effective than well known medical care. Chiropractic care of low back pain is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction rates.

These are the statistics. And these stats are from some very prominent figures in the medical community. There is one problem though. Dr. Manga published his findings back in 1993 and many people still have not heard this before. The reason that many have not heard it before is of course profit.

To review the statistics again, you'll discover that the average medical non-surgical back costs a little over seven thousand dollars in treatment. On the other hand, the average surgical back costs almost fourteen thousand dollars in treatment. It is also important to understand that $6.6 billion is being spent every year on medication. These are the real astounding facts. I'm sure you also realize whose commercials pay for the news you watch every night anyway and controls what is revealed to the public.

So next time your back and neck hurts, or you experience a nasty headache, you now have something to consider. Try chiropractic first before drugs and surgery. It may be the best decision you ever make.