You can bet the farm that their pain is real. However, bone manipulation does nothing heal anything. Think about it. Does it even make sense that someone’s back is out of alignment? Do you think that if that were the case that you’d have a bit more of a problem than some pain? Why is it that in the last 30 years there has been an outbreak of back pain? When did the human spine become so fragile? Studies show that the vast majority of back pain occurs between the ages of 25-50. If the back was degenerating (as many chiro’s say) then wouldn’t you expect that back pain issues would continue to increase with age? But it doesn’t. Like I posted earlier...for everyone with back pain (not those with real back damage, but the other 85% who have pulled muscles, pinched nerves, sciatic, etc.) do yourself a favor...buy the Dr. Sarno book, Healing Back Pain.
Well your book advice is worth a try, but I’m not going to win over the people I know who love their chiropractor. It works for them.