Page 17 - Phoenix Vol 10 No 9

BILL GALLAGHER, DC, CMVI | Chiropractor Zürich
InOctober, I had the distinct honor of serving as Chair of the 7th International Con- ference and Exhibition on Pain Re- search and Management in Zürich, Switzerland. ere are several factors
that made this honor so special. About ve months ago, Nelson Hendler, MD was the rst doctor in- vited to speak at this conference. He has done considerable research at Johns Hopkins on pain and failure to diagnose. is includes three studies showing that between 40 and 80% of patients involved in litigation are mis- diagnosed and half of those require a
surgical procedure.
Upon accepting the invitation, he
advised the organizers that if I was available to speak, they should grab me because, “he is the best chiro- practic speaker.” While even I could debatethattherearebetterspeakers, there was no way I could pass up an invitation such as this.
A month prior to the conference. I was asked if I would be available to be the keynote speaker, a position to which I quickly answered. yes. A week later, I was asked if I would be able to present on both days of the confer- ence and eventually to provide the closing remarks.
When I met with Dr. Hendler in Zürich my rst question was, “What did you tell them that led them to ask me to co-chair the conference with you?” He was puzzled at the question and told me that he had not spoken about me with them, and anything they were asking me to do was based entirely on my own credentials.
What made my appearance at this conference even more notable is the fact that I was the only chiropractor in attendance. Outside of a few research- ers it was a room full of surgeons,
anesthesiologists, and pain specialist. I made it clear that as a chiropractor there are things, I can do for the pa- tient that they could not do. I also as- sured them that when I reach a point where I can no longer help a patient am glad to be able refer to doctors who can.
Despite the nine-hour jet lag I was able to present on “Understanding the Mechanism of Injury: A Means to a Better Diagnosis” and on the second day, “Failure to Diagnose Concussion/ TBI Due to a Lack of Understanding the Mechanism of Injury”.
Of the 13 speakers at the conference all of whom received polite applause a er their presentations, my presen- tations were greeted with the loudest applause. Clearly, I had impressed this roomful of surgeons.
Despite the divergent approaches to pain between chiropractic and pain specialist the surgeons were im- pressed by learning how much they were missing in their own patient care. e remarks I heard during the breaks ranged from; “I never thought to look for that”, and “I had no idea how those injuries occurred” on up to “You have at least one very embar- rassed MD in the audience because I have never done that part of the ex- amination.”
A video presentation by my col- league Lois Laney on her Dynamic Functional Cranial Nerve Assessment Tool® was received with equal enthu- siasm.
at led to my closing remarks in which I stated, “We need to work to- gether. We need your research. We need your new pharmacology. We need your innovations in surgical procedures. But you all need to know that not every patient su ers from a de ciency of medication.”
...threestudies showing that between 40 and 80%
of patients involved in litigation are misdiagnosed and half of those require a surgical procedure.”
Scottsdale chiropractor, Bill Gallagher has taught personal injury seminars in ten cities this year through the Ameri- can Academy of Motor Vehicle Injuries. He also offers support to attorneys with Phoenix Medical Legal Services and the Concussion Recovery Center. He can be reached at [email protected] or 480-664-6644.
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