NY Times article explores why chiropractic and exercise are better options than drugs for neck pain One of the common ailments seen in chiropractor offices is neck pain. The traditional wisdom that most people seem to have is that it is just a pain except when it does not go away. Most people will eventually call some sort of professional weather it is their chiropractor, primary doctor or therapist hoping that the problem is not serious and life threatening. The study had shown that chiropractic manipulation and exercises helped people improve much more than medication. More importantly, the medication group over time increased their dosages as the problem became more longstanding. The article also mentioned that as dosages and the period of time under the influence of medication wore on, serious side effects from the medications became a concern of many primary physicians. Those who used manipulation from chiropractors or did some physical therapy or in many chiropractic offices, both are offered in one facility, people had markedly better results. Perhaps this is because a mechanical problem will never resolve by treating the pain from the problem rather than the problem itself. The information in this article was extrapolated from the annals of Internal Medicine, a widely read journal of primary care doctors. While many doctors continue to offer medication, this article will likely change some doctors minds, considering there are better and proven options for the management of pain than the pill box. One more thing: New evidence in the book Cheating Mother Nature, what you need to do to beat chronic pain has been uncovered which shows neck pain often does not originate in the neck. You can find out more by ordering the book on amazon.com For Neck Pain, Chiropractic and Exercise Are Better Than Drugs By ANAHAD O'CONNOR Tony Cenicola/The New York Times What's the best treatment for neck pain? Seeing a chiropractor or engaging in light exercise relieves neck pain more effectively than relying on pain medication, new research shows. The new study is one of the few head-to-head comparisons of various treatments for neck pain, a problem that affects three quarters of Americans at some point in their lives but has no proven, first-line treatment. While many people seek out spinal manipulation by chiropractors, the evidence supporting its usefulness has been limited at best. But the new research, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, found that chiropractic care or simple exercises done at home were better at reducing pain than taking medications like aspirin, ibuprofen or narcotics. "These changes were diminished over time, but they were still present," said Dr. Gert Bronfort, an author of the study and research professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota. "Even a year later, there were differences between the spinal manipulation and medication groups." continue reading here