June 14, 2006

To: David Klein, DC
Seaside Chiropractic

Dear David,
          It has been over 5 years since I have been referring patients to you for the treatment of chronic pain and I want to express my gratitude for the care you have provided my patients. In addition, as patients of yours, I have witnessed first hand the value of chiropractic care for me and my family. I have a long history of chronic back and neck pain and your treatments have almost eliminated this problem. My son has frequent headaches, a problem that runs on both side of his family, and your treatments have significantly decreased the frequency of the headaches. He looks forward to his weekly adjustments and highly respects you as a person and doctor.
          The most striking observation I have made is how successful we have been in integrating allopathic treatments with chiropractic treatment for chronic pain. This is truly a milestone as traditional allopathic medicine has largely shunned chiropractic medicine. There is a movement toward “evidence based medicine” in the field of medicine. Interestingly, many of the therapies we use in allopathic medicine for the treatment of chronic pain have no more scientific evidence than chiropractic care and in some cases there is less evidence. Yet doctors continue to prescribe these therapies and deny many patients the value of chiropractic care.

          Evidence based medicine is important to the advancement of both allopathic and chiropractic medicine. However there are also dangers in that evidence based medicine forgets that we are dealing with humans and it takes the intuition and art out of our professions. I am impressed that you are constantly striving to look for the “evidence” in your field as you always provide me with the most current literature on chiropractic care. However, in the same breath, you do not forget the human nature that we deal with on a daily basis and never give up the intuition and art of your practice. This is a very admirable quality.

          There are many patients that cannot be helped with allopathic medicine and likewise, there are many patients that cannot be helped with chiropractic medicine. However, I feel that the two fields working together will be more effective in reaching successful outcomes. I am a living example of this. I had a herniated disc in my neck causing pain in my neck and numbness and weakness in my left arm. I waited 9 months before I sought care from you. With just a few treatments, my neck pain disappeared and my arm numbness and weakness was dramatically reduced. However, I had some residual numbness in my arm and d ecided to have an epidural steroid injection. My symptoms then completely resolved. The treatment effects were about 80% from chiropractic care and 20% from allopathic. But the end result was 100% resolution.

          I look forward to our continuing collaboration in treating pain patients. Also, my family and I look forward to your continued care. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mark S. Wallace, MD
Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology
Program Director, Center for Pain and Palliative Medicine
University of California, San Diego








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