Nutritional counseling in the chiropractic practice: a survey of New York practitioners

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the quality of nutritional counseling that the chiropractic patient receives, for what conditions, and the need to establish easy-to-use protocols for nutritional counseling.

Chiropractors practicing in the state of New York were surveyed and were asked if they valued the use of nutritional counseling, if they used it, if they charged for it, what are the barriers for not doing more of it, and what types of counseling they put into practice. Information regarding what types of conditions the chiropractors treated with nutritional counseling and the level of interest they had in furthering their education in the field of nutrition was also collected. There was no statistical validation of the survey, but demographics were included to determine if the sample was representative of practicing chiropractors.

Eighty percent of the respondents used some form of counseling in their practices but desired to have more knowledge in the area of clinical nutrition. Most preferred online courses to obtain this knowledge. Chiropractors treated a variety of chronic disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system.

With 80% of the doctors who participated in the survey reporting they incorporate some form of nutritional counseling into their practices, it is suggested that the chiropractic physician is interested in a holistic practice. The next step is a comprehensive survey to determine the needs of chiropractors in the United States, so standardized protocols can be created that suit the needs of practitioners nationwide.