21/06/2023
PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCACY BY CHIROPRACTORS INCLUDES ANTI-TOBACCO COUNSELLING. The effects of smoking and to***co use impact not only the respiratory and cardiovascular systems but also the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.
Chiropractors support and promote improved neuromusculoskeletal and overall health. As primary contact health care providers, their work involves highlighting public health concerns relevant to patients and their families. This includes the harms of to***co and ni****ne use, which kills over 8 million people each year. By alerting patients of the relevant harms to health and providing them with information for how to access smoking cessation programs, chiropractors can serve as important public health advocates.
There is strong evidence to demonstrate the negative effect that smoking has on neurological and musculoskeletal concerns, including lumbar radicular pain and sciatica [1]. Further research has shown that smoking accelerated cervical disc degeneration and that those patients also presented with more severe neck-shoulder pain.
Chair of the WFC’s Public Health Committee, Dr Claire Johnson DC, PhD stated, “Our duty as chiropractors includes educating our patients about the harmful effects of smoking and to***co use. We can use the clinical encounter as an opportunity to educate patients about the negative effects of smoking on spinal health and the benefits of quitting.”
The WFC has long supported WHO anti-to***co initiatives and continues to support efforts to help people live healthier lives. WHO resources you can share with your patients include its quitting toolkit https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-no-to***co-day/2021/quitting-toolkit. The WFC’s position statement on to***co and ni****ne use can be found at www.wfc.org/posn_to***co.
References:
[1] Shiri R, Falah-Hassani K. The effect of smoking on the risk of sciatica: a meta-analysis. The American Journal of Medicine. 2016 Jan 1;129(1):64-73. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26403480/
[2] Chen Z, Li X, Pan F, Wu D, Li H. A retrospective study: Does cigarette smoking induce cervical disc degeneration?. International Journal of Surgery. 2018 May 1;53:269-73. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29649666/
