Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor

NIH awards US$700K for research in integrating chiropractic care for veterans

By Canadian Chiropractor staff   

News

Oct. 23, 2014 – The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) commends the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, for awarding the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR), the largest research effort within the chiropractic community, and its partners in the Department of Veterans Affairs, a grant totaling $718,241.

The generous grant will support a three-year research-planning project
that addresses questions related to the integration of chiropractic
services into the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the
development of clinical practice guidelines for veterans with
musculoskeletal and mental health conditions.
 
“A significant
number of our nation’s veterans suffer from musculoskeletal disorders
combined with mental health conditions,” said principal investigator Dr.
Christine Goertz, Palmer College of Chiropractic’s vice chancellor for
research and health policy. “Chiropractic provides a non-pharmaceutical
option that may contribute to a multidisciplinary treatment approach.
This planning grant will be used to collect the preliminary data needed
to further evaluate the impact of adding chiropractic services to
already established military care models.”
 
Over the course of
the three-year study, the PCCR and its VA partners – University of Iowa,
Iowa City VA Health Care Systems, VA Connecticut Healthcare System and
Minneapolis VA Health Care System – will:

•    Develop an
integrative-care model that includes doctors of chiropractic in
multidisciplinary teams that treat patients with musculoskeletal pain
and mental health conditions in the VHA
•    Tailor existing chiropractic guidelines and best practices to fit with current VHA pain management initiatives
•   
Conduct a pilot clinical trial of the developed integrated-care model
in caring for veterans with musculoskeletal pain and mental health
conditions

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Enthusiastic about the research-planning project and
its promising outcomes, Dr. Gerard Clum, spokesperson for F4CP, stated,
“Doctors of chiropractic specialize in the management and care of
neuromusculoskeletal problems that can yield mental health
complications. We look forward to the outcomes of this research helping
us better understand how we can better support our troops and the
general population at large. I appreciate the NIH recognizing the
potential influence of chiropractic care and supporting activities
toward the development of best practices – an improved, more inclusive
care model for our military population.”


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