I think my father has gone off the deep end. He's quit taking all his arthritis medicine and says he's going to try naprapathy instead. We've never heard of this treatment. What's involved?

Naprapathy means to correct. It is a form of manual medicine. Manual medicine focuses on the evaluation and treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. Doctors of Naprapathy are connective tissue specialists.

Naprapathic doctors receive formal training but they are NOT medical doctors (MD). This type of treatment is an alternative to chiropractic care. The focus is the ligaments and connective tissue of the spine rather than the joints.

Some naprapathic doctors also include nutitional counseling and relaxation techniques in their treatment. There is some limited evidence from scientific study that naprapathic care helps with pain, disability, and perceived recovery from neck or back pain. There are no studies specifically reporting on the use of naprapathy and arthritis.