S,R&CT creates little “books” that are both satirical and educational. That’s what got this thread started in the first place. But, as I continued, I felt compelled to expand this thread and address why alternative medical procedures like chiropractic can be more bad than good, in my opinion.
In the UK, there are lots of problems with homeopathy and chiropractic being considered equivalent to actual medicine. We have the same problem in the US, although for some reason chiropractic is seen as a mainstream way to address aches and pains. As more and more people accept that chiropractic is normal, it becomes more difficult for them to distinguish between actual benefits that they receive uniquely from chiropractors and the placebo effect, or to know when seeking professional medical advice would better serve them. It does bother me a great deal that the average person thinks “chiropractor” anytime they feel sore or fall down. In fact, when you get beyond common aches and pains, you’ll find that chiropractors are taught that myriad diseases can be “cured” by these adjustments (see below). I see the chiropractic community growing, with over 75,000 practitioners world-wide. This makes them a powerful political force to reckon with, when attempting to debunk their misinformation, as Dr. Simon Singh recently found out when sued for libel in the UK.
In my opinion, and that of most doctors and scientists, chiropractors are NOT medical doctors and what they do is NOT medicine. It is something like physical therapy in some cases, and in others they make outrageous claims that they can cure disease by pushing bones about. Silly, right? (Answer: Yes) Locally, we have the home of the Palmer Chiropractic empire, where the whole thing began. As some of you know, I’ve taught physics in the past at Palmer College. I’m not sure what to think of Palmer’s chiropractic training. I certainly don’t feel a chiro degree makes you a medical doctor. If anything it places you somewhat above the dental technician. I know this is a sensitive subject around here, with as many chrios as Palmer graduates.
You can make a lot of money by becoming a chiropractor. In fact, that’s primarily how they sell the degree, rather than extolling how you will benefit society. From Palmer’s website: “Chiropractic is a healthcare profession based on the principle that the body has an inherent striving to maintain and restore its own health.” – Of course, you could say the same about the placebo effect. Ergo, chiro exploits natural tendencies in the body which in turn allows chrio practitioners to profit.
“Becoming a doctor of chiropractic can give you the lifestyle of your dreams, and the profession is growing.” “Your income potential as a chiropractor can be healthy, too.” – - Seems that Palmer is appealing to those who want a profitable start-up business with little effort. (Or, much less effort than starting up a medical practice!) As I see it, the bottom line for chiropractic colleges and doctors is profit. It’s all about the Benjamins.
Next time you have a sore back, instead of chrio, try a good masseuse or physical therapist. I dare you to see if you can tell the difference. When I ask people why they go to a chiropractor, they tell me that they usually feel better afterwards. Couldn’t this also be a combination of things? The body naturally gets better, given time, and if you spent a lot of money on a treatment, isn’t it natural to give credit to that? Having your body touched by another person also releases endorphins, and can give temporary euphoria or relief. The characterization that a doctor just prescribes pills is wrong. Pain management is important, and medication can be one way to deal with that. Chiropractors can’t prescribe medication. I seriously believe that if people would see their physician, and engage in physical therapy, they would see better long-term benefits. I will admit, when you do have actual medical issues, merely getting a massage might help or make matters worse. Although, if you have knotted up muscles and tension, a good massage and rest may be all you need.
“An estimated 19.5 million people visit doctors of chiropractic in the United States each year.” That’s quite an income stream. Not quite what big pharma pulls in, by any stretch. We are overmedicated and under-motivated to take care of our own health. I dare say that the rise of chiro has coincided with our increasing lack of exercise and our tendency toward obesity. If your chiro, as Palmer claims, instructs you on proper exercise and nutrition along with their “subluxation” tinkering, there may at least be some modicum of value. Overall, I think it seems obvious that our bodies were designed to be much more active that most of us are. To be blunt, we are way too fat, and it causes stress on our frame and musculature. It affects our blood pressure, circulation and general health. Add to that our poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle, and we find we just aren’t operating at our best. Neither medical doctors or chiropractors usually do more than treat the symptoms, however. The real cure is too difficult to swallow, because it involves a change in lifestyle that most of us aren’t willing to accept. So, we’d rather take pills and transfer responsibility to somebody else. The distinction here is that medical doctors at least have the training and tools to better diagnose disease and prescribe a course of action than chiropractors, not that they always do, that’s where taking responsibility for your own health comes in.
It does worry me when chiropractors move beyond simple adjustments and claim to be able to affect the nervous system through subluxations and spinal manipulations. Wouldn’t this mean that out of 75,000 chiros, some would just basically screw up and make things much worse? If the secret of moving bone A to position B to “cure” one thing works, wouldn’t moving it to the wrong place be life threatening? Basically, I’m questioning the overall efficacy of their procedures, since all they offer is benefits with no risk. That doesn’t seem possible for a real medical procedure. Look at what one local chiropractic office has to say on what chiro can cure:
“These include published research documenting the results of chiropractic care on asthma, infantile colic, immune function, dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps), improving vision and brain function, lower back pain, one’s overall health status and many others.”
And, regarding chiropractic for children: “Many research projects show chiropractic care being helpful for colic, ear infections, erratic sleeping habits, bedwetting, scoliosis, “growing pains” and many other common childhood health complaints.”
Do we not see at least some parallel here between chiropractic and homeopathy (where science has clearly shown there is no actual unique benefit)? If all of these procedures performed by chiropractors were tried and tested and worked, then why don’t we incorporate it into real medical science? Why isn’t it taught to physical therapists and orthopedic physicians? I’ll tell you why, because it isn’t proven to work. It isn’t accepted as real science. It is at best an experimental science, being performed on 20 million lab rats a year.
Visit these sites for more information on why you should be skeptical of chiropractic care:
- Crispian Jago’s website is a good read.
- Quackwatch
- Chirobase
- WhatsTheHarm?
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6 responses so far ↓
1
John H
// Jan 19, 2010 at 8:32 am
Get a life, Chiros are taught that they can cure visceral disease??? Where ever you got that information, its wrong. As a recent grad I can tell you first hand that you are misinformed. Yes, there are DC’s out there that believe based on principals/theories established 100 years ago. However, the vast majority of practicing DCs do not believe, state or imply this by any means. Maybe patients with MS complaints should go see an MD for some pain meds, since MDs and their bogus prescriptions are the #3 cause of death in US. Not to mention the side effects the drugs have on the body.
Let me think about from a patients point of view, I am in pain, do I go to an MD who prescribes Meds, tells me if it gets worse come back and I will refer you to a PT. OR, I can go to a Chiro, get examined, diagnosed, treated with adjustments, physical therapy, active care, and get advise on current diet and nutrition research all without the risks or costs of the medical loop. I say leave it up to the patients, if you believe patients should just go to MDs, why are soo concerned. Could have something to do with revenue/profit streams?? I believe so, its like the pot calling the kettle black, chiros threaten MDs for profits, and actually address the MS complaints.
2
Null Session
// Jan 19, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Many chiros think they can cure all sorts of things. I happen to have taught at the premier chrio school in the country and feel I have a real perspective on this. As a recent grad, of course you want to defend your choice, but be honest, did you do this because you wanted to be a chrio, or because it was a quicker and easier way to make money than medical school? Just curious.
Chrios plan on a lifelong stream of income. Sorry, that’s a fact. Most are ethical these days, but have you ever heard of a person going to a chrio one time and then being cured or better, and not being asked to come back in a week? Also, the vetting process for chiropractic is not what it is for medical doctors. MD stands for medical doctors not because they prescribe medicine, but because they’ve had real medical training about how the body works, not how subluxation can cure things. If I have pain, I’ll go to a physical therapist because they can do a better job than the chiros, in my personal opinion. People are free to do what they want, and face it, my opinion doesn’t influence that many people.
Sorry if you have a vested interest. Sounds like you’re spouting off the typical stuff they teach new graduates to say to “refute” any doubters. Or, is it that you don’t like meds? That’s great, don’t take any, for many people that is the only way they can manage intense pain. Not through mystical processes of wiggling bones.
I have a life. I have never used a chiropractor. I am doing just fine. I didn’t visit a doctor once in 2009. But, in 2008 when my platelet count was zero, I had to check into the hospital and get a transfusion. Gee, it never occurred to me to just see a chrio!
By the way, I feel that people are way too over medicated these days, but I don’t see how that has any impact on my opinion of chrios. Any good MD should be giving diet advice, referring to a PT, etc. And, MDs don’t prescribe potions that have no proven effect, only meds that are approved and tested. Of course, there are unethical MDs, but I am not defending MDs or the American medical system, I am complaining about chiropractic. Don’t change the subject.
Since I am neither a pot nor a kettle, I really don’t feel your characterization of me is accurate. Thanks!
3
Liz D
// Jan 19, 2010 at 6:32 pm
You missed
ChiroTalk is an online discussion forum for the critical investigation of chiropractic topics. It was founded on March 12, 2004 by Allen Botnick DC, a former chiropractor who voluntarily surrended his chiropractic education in 1999 after realizing that the quality of his training was so poor that it was causing patients to be misdiagnosed and could be misconstrued as health care fraud by insurance examiners.
The board was prompted by the unwarranted censorship of skeptical posts by webmasters in chiropractic (www.chiroweb.com) and physical therapy (www.rehabedge.com) forums.
It aims to: encourage critical thinking, promote the detailed examination of chiropractic topics and prevent individuals (students and patients) from being taken advantage of by the many unethical individuals and organizations who disseminate misleading chiropractic information.
Participation in ChiroTalk is open to all, contingent on adherence to the RULES OF PARTICIPATION.
and the posts at Science-Based Medicine on chiropractic:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?cat=4
Chiropractors are now claiming to offer specialization in neurology. They earn this “specialization” by a few weekend seminars.
Read the board at Chirotalk on it
http://chirotalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=scopeexpan&action=display&thread=3259
4
lindsey
// Jan 19, 2010 at 7:23 pm
your not informed and putting out information that is incorrect is doing a disservice to entire on-line community. There is good and bad in all professions: is it ok for the medical doctor to prescribe exorbitantly high numbers of anti-inflammatory or pain killers when the person needs exercise or diet to control their symptoms…..get informed then get back on the web….
If your going to post the bad also post the good: the chiros that educate their patients on how to decrease pain without the deadly side effect of these “approved and tested” drugs not to increase revenue but to positively impact their patients life without drugs or surgery….
Keep an open mind and remember what works for you doesn’t work for everyone….
5
Null Session
// Jan 19, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Sorry, you’re not informed and you are not staying on topic. This is not a discussion of why good chiro is better than bad prescriptions. That happens. I happen to know of some good chiros, but the majority are NOT trained like a medical doctor. You have a strong and unfair bias, based on your belief that pills are bad.
So, you are basically saying that chiros are here to educate patients on how to decrease pain without taking pills. If a trained chiro is able to explain that and point to websites, then the patient need never come back. Is that fair? I don’t think most practicing chiros would agree. They would feel they NEED the customer to keep coming back. What you are describing is not a real DOCTOR, it is a therapist.
Yes. Probably most patients are willing to take pills and even surgery, instead of taking personal responsibility. I totally agree with personal responsibility and I am NOT saying that pills and surgery are good here. Each case should be ethically examined. But, chiros are paid an awful lot to just give advice on which bottled water to drink and how to “live healthy”. They DON’T advertise that they are there to teach you how to “control your symptoms”. They claim to have solutions. For the most part, that’s a lie.
People don’t need chiros. They can do the same thing, learn how to exercise and diet, with a therapist or coach and dietician, if that’s the “solution”.
If something works, it’s called medicine. You chiropractors keep working to get accredited as medical doctors, and publish in the same medical journals as actual doctors.
I can understand why chiropractors have a chip on their shoulders. It is in their best interest to make claims that all meds and doctors are fake and out to harm them, then they have their patients hooked. This is why patients who won’t go see a medical doctor end up dying because, guess what most diseases don’t benefit from sliding around bones.
Homeopathy and chiro are non-science based practices, and they need to be regulated. Things that are proven to work, repeatedly, will become accepted and the voodoo will be purged. I’m sure that voodoo works for some too. After all, you should be open minded. Just because voodoo doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else! LOL
Please go see a chiropractor and they can help educate you on proper grammar. You meant to use “you’re” (meaning YOU ARE) above, not “your” which is possessive.
6
Null Session
// Jan 19, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Here’s an article from a “doctor of chiropractic medicine”, who explains why subluxating and spinal manipulations are often no better than a deep tissue massage and are often no better than a placebo. In the worst cases, they are dangerous to your health.
Personally, I agree that individuals who come up with a good regimen of exercise and a restricted diet, can reduce their weight, and I stated above that I feel most of our aches and pains (some serious) come from being out of shape, having poor circulation and being too fat for our frames. If we won’t attack the root causes, however, paying someone to rub us once a week is a poor substitute.
Here’s that link: http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chiroeval.html
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