3 Reasons Why a Pharmaceutical Solution can’t Solve a Mechanical Problem

We’re talking about health here but the principle applies everywhere in life. If you have a problem or challenge the only effective solution is to correct whatever is causing the problem. On the surface that should make perfect sense. No tricks here. 

Maybe you have experienced chronic or recurrent back pain or neck pain or headaches. Maybe you’ve done a search for a chiropractor near you but are unsure of whether chiropractic is right for you. Let’s take a step back and explore how to match a problem with a solution.

According to the National Cancer Institute western medicine is defined as:

“A system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacists, and therapists) treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery”.

This system looks at the body as a collection of parts and searches for the part that isn’t working or is broken. There is value in this approach. In fact it shines in acute conditions such as trauma and infection. 

This has led medicine to develop a wide range of specialties that only “treat” a single organ or system. Examples are cardiology (heart), gastroenterology (digestion), nephrology (kidneys), urology (bladder), and so on.

Let’s go back to the primary tools of western medicine:

  • Drugs
  • Radiation
  • Surgery

And, for the purpose of this discussion let’s focus on the use of drugs. We are a culture that widely uses drugs in healthcare. The US is one of only 2 countries in the world that allow direct to consumer drug advertising. 

Some interesting statistics before we move on.

Clearly Something Isn’t Working

I could list many other statistics to reinforce the failure of our system. One other striking fact is that medical errors are the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. 

Let’s shift back to problems and solutions as this seems to be a significant source of these challenges. 

You’ve likely heard the saying “If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”. I believe this is part of the challenge in our healthcare system. Physicians are trained to treat symptoms and diseases using drugs. 

Rarely does it seem they pause and ask if the drugs are actually a solution to the problem. Even when they seem to solve the symptoms, are they really solving the problem? For instance:

  • Antibiotics kill the bacteria of an infection but do they really address why the infection occurred? Do they do anything to correct the imbalance that allowed the infection?
  • High blood pressure meds lower blood pressure but do they address why the blood pressure is high? And, they routinely lead to multiple medications. 
  • Medications like Prilosec ease the pain of acid reflux but do they do anything to address why acid reflux exists?

All medications are subject to causing secondary problems. We like to call these “side effects” but there really are no side effects. They are just effects the drug industry doesn’t want to emphasize. 

3 Reasons Why a Pharmaceutical Solution Isn’t a Solution

Let’s shift to something that I can speak with decades of experience about. As a chiropractor many of the people who come to me are seeking relief from pain. It ranges from headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, low back pain, sciatica, to tension and fatigue and even anxiety. 

They are all imbalances causing symptoms that are interfering with their ability to fully function in life. 

My job is to determine if the function of their spine and its influence on the nervous system is responsible for their symptoms. 

The spine is composed of 24 vertebrae and 3 pelvic bones. All these bones have joints between them and the function of joints is to provide movement. Altered movement or biomechanical function causes a cascade of outcomes over time including:

  • Joint pain
  • Muscle spasm and pain
  • Nerve pressure with pain, numbness, tingling, weakness
  • Joint inflammation 
  • Joint degenerative arthritis

The vast majority of these people who come to me are experiencing pain along with some degree of inflammation. From a medical view the problem is the pain and inflammation.

But, how often is the most important question asked?

What is causing the body to become inflamed and painful?

I’ll bet you aren’t aware that the use of NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has been shown to accelerate joint breakdown in osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease). Another crazy example of a drug causing a worsening of the condition it is used to treat!

Reason #1: Pain and Inflammation Don’t Exist in a Vacuum – What do I mean by this? Rarely is pain and inflammation the cause of the problem. They are always caused by something else and if that underlying cause is not addressed the risk is in covering up something that progressively worsens.

This is highlighted above by the prescription of NSAIDs to treat arthritis pain only to have the medication accelerate the progression of the arthritis.

Reason #2: Covering Up Symptoms Causes Worsening – Nobody that I know enjoys being in pain and I understand the desire for relief. However when we relieve pain without correcting the cause we risk doing more damage. I see this all the time with people who have experienced chronic neck or back problems and treated their periodic flare-ups with meds. X-rays almost always reveal joint degeneration that is far worse than it needed to be. 

Reason #3: Mechanical Problems are Problems of Movement – The joints of the body exist to provide movement. Properly moving joints rarely cause pain without trauma. When joints lose full mobility or move improperly there is always eventual pain and inflammation. 

There is no pharmaceutical drug that exists that can restore altered mechanical movement back to normal. 

If that were all there is, it wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that…

  • Every drug has risks as evidenced by the example of NSAIDs worsening the very condition for which they are prescribed.
  • It is documented that mechanical problems are a leading cause of joint degeneration causing degenerative arthritis producing pain and inflammation.

It’s time we put more attention on seeking to solve the problem or imbalance that is causing the issue. 

With the spine the problem is almost always mechanical in nature.

And, guess what? Mechanical problems need a mechanical solution. It really is pretty simple and it works best when the issue is addressed early on. 

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