The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep

I just saw a video on ABC on a boy suffering from pressure on the brain stem which caused a condition that did not permit him to sleep.

In chiropractic, the diagnosis of the brain stem is called a subluxation. What is frustrating to me is that it seems the family was not given any sort of alternative to this treatment (like chiropractic).

You may ask why I bristle when I see this clip-some people only see a horrible condition resolved-end of story. The problem is that in my view, this was a completely unnecessary (and radical) surgery.

• This boys cervical spine is now very unstable. Any slight trauma could kill him. I shuddered when the parents put him in a bunk bed.

• Had this been my child, I would like to have been offered choices as to treatment. I would always opt for the least invasive treatment first.

• The cost of the surgery. This seems to be a complete waste of resources. No wonder our country's healthcare costs are so out of line with the rest of the world.

• The recovery time. If you listen closely, you will see that it took eight months to recover from the surgery;

Granted, I dont know all the facts on this particular case. I realiize that Arnold Chiari Malformation is a congenital defect (from birth) , and that some type of surgical intervention may still have been necessary-I just don't think the family was ever given an option. That to me, is malpractice.