[randog]

No need to fret...if your chiropractor damages your vertebral artery just dangle a quartz crystal over your neck and all will be well.

[pabianice]

But the lead author of that study, Dr. Wade S. Smith, swears that it's not his intention to drive chiropractors out of business.

R-i-g-h-t. And "Prime Minister" Abbas just stated that the PLO has no intention of killing any of the Jews in Israel...

[Taliesan]

Most manipulations of the spine are so quick, and performed with such care, he said, that it would be impossible to tear the artery. In some cases, he suggested, maybe patients whose arteries are already torn visit chiropractors because of pain, and a treatment results in the inadvertent dislodging of a clot.

Scary answer. This brain is not that of a scientist. The first sentence begs the question, the second ignores it.

I suppose it would be too much to ask the chiropracter to actually diagnose the specific cause of the pain before administering treatment?

[Imagine]

True Story, First person: After nearly three years of back pain agony from a baseball game injury, after seeing 3 nurologists and 3 nurosurgeons (from Yale to NY Hospital for Spec Surgery) and getting 3 DIFFERENT surgical solutions, I was at wits end and an impass in what I should do. I then (accidently) fell down the stairs -- big thud, flat on my face -- and the next morning ALL THE PAIN WAS GONE. Been essentially pain free for nearly 5 years (back pain that is.) Don't tell me spinal adjustments don't matter !!!

[Old Professer]

Anybody that would let another person wrench his neck ought to have his head examined.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

It was a chiropractic INTERNIST who probably saved my sister's life. She had severe rheumatoid arthritis plus other autoimmune diseases. She had been to nine medical doctors, including the great Mayo. Her condition would temporarily improve and then get worse.

Because I was afraid my sister would die, I went to the Internet. Kept finding references over and over to a condition called leaky gut syndrome. Her liver was severly damaged due to all the drugs. I gave the info to my sister. She thought it sounded possible. Through the info she eventually located her chiropractic internist. A chiropractic internist does lots of tests. The upshot of the story is my sister has been restored to health. She looks fabulous and is off all medication except a thyroid medication.

Some Freepers may remember us being at the Inauguration. We were pushing her in a wheelchair. No more wheelchair now.

[luckodeirish]

When I was in graduate school I dated a guy who was in Chiropractic College in Los Angeles. When they are in their last year, they attend "clinic" where they get friends and family to come in and be "adjusted" so they can earn clinic hours. This was not a pretty scene. After he graduated, he told me that there is a big secret in Chiropractic, that 85% is hocus pocus and 15% is probably worth something. He said that everyone at the college, including instructors, knew of this "secret" and talking about it was a big no-no. The students were told "as long as you get some movement and noise, the patient will think something is being fixed".

[Petronski]

Why does the mere mention of chiropractic make me want to laugh out loud? Is it their pretense to call themselves 'doctor?' Is it jealousy over the sweet scam they have going? Maybe it's the idea of getting neurologic help from a dude in sneakers next to the Chick-Fil-A down at the mall. I don't know, but in my mind they're just Scientologists with a really powerful political lobby.

[putupon]

There are DO's who are Neurologists and can also do manipulations.

[wideminded]

A woman I knew had been in a bad car accident. Her major injuries including a broken pelvis had been healed long before but she suffered from severe intermittent chronic pain and problems with her vision. MD's (including neurologists) had followed their usual shtick of saying it was all in her mind. But she had found a chiropractor in a distant part of the state who seemed to be able to offer her great relief usuing neck manipulation. To me this sounded very dangerous although it seemed like the guy was more careful than reckless amd I was very impressed with the results. The relief would last for a few months until some additional physical strain or injury aggravated the problem. To this woman it was worth a drive of hundreds of miles while experiencing severe pain because there was one person who could solve the problem.

I have always tended to look down on chiropractors, but they will never go away as long as they are able to offer people great subjective relief from conditions that MD's refuse to treat.

When a person is experiencing chronic pain it is very easy for an MD to "solve" the problem by saying that it is psychosomatic. There often is no test that can prove the pain is real or where in the nervous system it originates. The patient doesn't return to the same doctor, so the doctor sees the problem as solved and this encourages the doctor's feeling of self-righteous justification. There is also a "party-line" in medicine which doctors must follow to be a member of the club: 1. People with chronic pain are all just malingerers 2. Chiropractors are all complete charlatans; any perceived benefit from them is entirely psychosomatic.

If we had better technologies for locating and visualizing the sources of chronic pain, MD's might be able to actually help people more and thereby get some business back from chiropractors.

[aruanan]

It is the medical world's equivalent of the Hatfields and McCoys: Neurologists vs. chiropractors....

No, the Hatfields and McCoys were both hillbillies. Hmm, Dr. Oliver Sacks versus krodriguesdc.

[CARDINALRULES]

My chiropractor uses the Activator Method.
It is so much better than the "normal" adjustments.

It made such a difference, I had less lower back pain, could actually lay with my legs flat instead of bent, and I was taller after each treatment.
I also had electronic accupuncture done on my right arm for wrist/finger pain---from the extensive time I was on FR during late 2000...lol

I haven't been in a little over 2 years for one reason or another but I really need to make an appointment sometime soon.

My mom ,two sisters, and my youngest niece (she was a baby at the time), all had very positive results with the adjustments and also the electronic accupuncture.

[jetson]

I had a chiro massage my toes for a numb foot. It turned out to be a very herniated disc in my back. Chiros are laughing all the way to the bank.

[who knows what evil?]

But the lead author of that study, Dr. Wade S. Smith, swears that it's not his intention to drive chiropractors out of business.

ROTFLMAO! This clown lies like Clinton! It's ALL about money. There have been a number of "studies" lately debunking the benefits of alternative medicine. Why? Someone is getting hit in the pocketbook, and they do NOT like it. I injured my neck recently, causing me so much pain it became difficult to work with my PC. Off to the chiropractor...all fixed. Paid out of my own pocket. End of story. No goofy drugs with weird side-effects, and none of the risks associated with a trip to the hospital. (Why would I want to go to a hospital? Those places are just FULL of sick, infected people...yuck!) Some chiro screws up an artery or nerve? Oh, well. My call, my responsibility. Doctors and pharmaceuticals kill thousands and thousands of people every year...I'll choose my OWN poison, thank you.

[Dengar01]

I went to a chiropractor for a view months and the guy got greedy making up new BS as to why I needed my back cracked. I quit going after realizing he was worse than a lawyer.

[joanil]

If you ask me, they are both the same.
Semi-incompetent......
Both professions feature people that fart and burp just like all the rest of us.
The only exception is that little degree that says it is OK to work on (manipulate) people for a buck to pay for your chosen profession.
Sure some are good and caring, but the vast majority of these "pro's" are really quite bad and are just in it for the money.
They just look forward to the '2004' Lexus with extra comfy leather seating.


Most healing comes from within.

[ladyinred]

I was told years ago by a Neurologist that the most dangerous thing is letting these guys pop your neck. He said he had more patients because of this than anything else. This was about 12 years ago. I won't let them touch me!

[I_dmc]

I would suggest reading, At Your Own Risk: The Case Against Chiropractic. Its not the medical approaches that trouble me, as much as how chiropractics are trained.

[I_dmc]

Osteopathic doctors are trained in all the medical approaches that chiropractics are, including alternative medicines. Comparing the amount of actual medical training, versus marketing training, is informative.

[Lady Eileen]

bump...thanks for the post.