Welcome to Ask Dr Bruce
 Welcome
to Ask Dr Bruce. My name is Bruce Humphries DC, and I have been a practicing chiropractor 16 years in Southern California. I became a chiropractor to help people, and I have enjoyed the opportunities to do so. Over the years, I have learned much that has helped my patients. I have also been frustrated with the poor health care many people receive from the physical medicine community. By “physical medicine community" I mean orthopedic M.D.s, chiropractors, physical therapists, podiatrists and other physical medicine practitioners. The purpose of this book is to help people find answers to their nagging problems. It is an opportunity for me to help more than just my local community.
Many complaints respond well to standard treatments. The chapters contained in this book are aimed at complaints that are not so easy to fix. These chapters are the culmination of years of experience of learning what works, and what does not. I have also written a book designed to help people with weight loss. There is so much competing information on this subject that people don’t know what to believe. I hope many will find the help that they need with these books. Additionally, I hope to pass on my professional experience. It is sad to have a doctor retire after 30 years and see all of his or her experience simply vanish.
Let me tell you a little about my philosophy and myself. It has always been my desire to be thorough and to seek to understand the various causes of injury so I can treat them correctly. Both as a student and later in private practice, I have worked at combining academics with my patients’ conditions. Let me give you an important example. There are four common causes of sciatic pain (a common pain that runs down the back of the legs). Each cause has a different treatment. (The details of sciatic pain are included in Chapter 4.) It only takes one or two minutes of an exam to determine which of the four causes is the correct one. However, so many practitioners don’t do a thorough exam. I can’t tell you how many patients have come into my office and said: “The doctor said I have an inflamed sciatic nerve.” The doctor hasn’t told the patient a thing! Inflamed sciatic nerve is not a diagnosis. It is a symptom.
You want to know why you have an inflamed sciatic nerve. Which of the four causes do you have? I’ll ask the patient: Did the doctor do any physical testing? In other words, did the doctor do any pushing and pulling on you? Did the doctor touch you? They always say no. When these patients come to me, I test for each of the four causes and prescribe the correct treatment. I’m confident that many physical medicine practitioners (chiropractors included) aren’t aware of all the causes of sciatica and aren’t looking for them. If the doctor doesn’t even know what is wrong with you, he’s not going to prescribe the right treatment.
I am always amazed at how many health conditions are missed because practitioners are taught these things in school. You may or may not get this information from a local heath care professional. It is said that doctors (chiropractors included) have their favorite 10 diagnoses, and if you present to a doctor with condition No. 11, you are out of luck. I don’t know if this is true, but I have found that many conditions taught in school are not being diagnosed in practice. Many of the most common missed diagnoses are discussed in this book.
There are practices out there that do a good job of healing these conditions. Their fortunate patients get better and they don’t need to search out my Web site and book. This book is for the rest of you, the ones who have not received the relief they need.
Now, I don’t claim to fix every person that comes to my office. Nobody does. But I feel I am very thorough, and if I can’t fix them I refer them out. I refer to chiropractors, M.D.s (such as neurologists, orthopedics and general practitioners), physical therapists, podiatrist, dentists, and I have massage therapy on staff.
Also, no doctor specializes in everything. You will not see chapters on conditions for which I don’t have a lot of extra insight. I also don’t include chapters about more rare conditions. The most common conditions are just that, most common. So I have tried to aim where I can help the most. Additionally you will not see chapters on neck or back pain. This is because there is plenty of good treatment available for neck and back pain. I have aimed my subjects at common conditions that are missed.
Next, let me tell my philosophy about alternative medicine. Alternative medicine is a big umbrella. It encompasses accepted medical treatments all the way to wacky treatments that are out in left field. The information in this book is mainstream, not out in left field. Furthermore, I don’t believe every crazy claim made by supplement manufacturers. Some supplements work, and many do not. The supplements I like are discussed in the book.
The information in this Web site and book is not intended to be a substitute for medical care. It is not meant to diagnose and or treat your health condition, and it is not medical or chiropractic advice. It is general information. To get medical or chiropractic advice, you must see a doctor for an examination and history and for any necessary tests. This book is not specific advice to any individual because I have not examined anyone reading it. It is simply general advice. I always encourage you to seek a diagnosis from your health care provider. In fact, I want you to take this book to your doctor and discus it with him or her.
Good luck and good health.
Bruce Humphries DC
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