Chiropractic school angers FSU professors

St. Petersburg Times ^ | December 29, 2004 | By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer

[Spirited]

"...more than 500 faculty members have signed petitions against it."

I figure since there are that many ignorant faculty it isn't a good place for anyone I know.

[investigateworld]

Thanks for the Mencken read on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

[elfman2]

Reply #273 misdirected.

[FormerACLUmember]

This is a criminal major waste of medical resourses in a state in crisis. People are needlessly dying in Florida due to the on-going collapse of trauma care. " That’s awfully closed minded of you. Maybe more chiropractors would heal the pain that fuels the rage that sparks the violence that floods those trauma centers with victims.

The chiropractors are now going to treat surgical trauma cases? I am think you are confused.

Neurosurgeons and other trauma surgeons are in exceedingly short supply (and often now absent) in Florida.

Despite what chiropractors claim, snapping the neck is not recommended for treating the bloody messes wheeled into Florida ERs.

[Ditter]

My parents lived in a small town in south Texas at the time. This DO was the only doc in town so my parents went to him not knowing he was not an MD. In fact when I went down after mother had her stroke I asked my dad why he went to a DO instead of an MD. He had never realized that he was not an MD. Then after dad ruptured his discs carrying mom he went back to the same DO. He was badly in need of surgery but the DO could not perform it and wasn't willing to tell dad to go to someone who could correct his problem, hence he spent 2 months giving him whirlpool baths and NOTHING else.

[Ditter]

So a DO who was considered "lower level" could not work in regular hospitals but he still had DO after his name. Is that correct?

[Uncledave]

Thats BS I am currently a med student. I have friends who are chiropractors. They did not take pharmacology and the courses they were taught were not in the detail as were expected of me in med school.

No, it's not to the level of deatil of med school. Chiro's in their work don't require much of the detail that MD's do, certainly not pharmacology (why would they need that?). And MD's don't learn much of what chiro's learn. I know a bit about this as my fiancee is a chiropractor and my two brothers are MD's.

My point in the earlier post is that chiropractic school is not some degree you're handed in 6 months - it's not massage school. They learn what they need to do their jobs well, just as MD's do.

Listen, nobody has all the answers. Try to have an open mind.

[rlmorel]

Sigh.

Guilty as charged. Self inflicted victim of too many revisions to posts before posting.

Kind of reminds me of..."What have the Romans ever done for us..."

[rlmorel]

Fair enough, I will buy that. Of course, with my extensive "ahem" experience in all matters legal (count...none...) I would think any Chiropractic Doctor on the stand for pain and suffering would be subjected to a rigorous cross examination...something along the lines of:

Beginning with:
"What is your educational background?"

Ending with:
"YOU'RE NOT A REAL DOCTOR! ADMIT IT! YOU JUST SAID THAT TO GET THIS POOR WOMAN INTO BED! ADMIT IT!"

Well, maybe not that dramatic...:)

[Uncledave]

But don't get hooked in to the Chiropracty Scam - they have no way of even SEEING (with real medical technology) what's wrong with you!

My fiancee is a chiropractor. She's got an xray machine in her office and takes pictures of all her patients. Is that real enough medical technology for you?

[mountainlyons]

Actually the numbers came form the liberal media in Denver. I think Consumer Reports had some similar results. A friend of mine had two surgeries because the company doctor said he was ready to go to work after two weeks and he blew out the disc again. If the spinal cord is pinched by the bulge in the disc surgery works.

[rlmorel]

If you worked in a hospital for 20 years as I have, you would know why.

In short, ignorance, prejudice, politics and "pie-slice" grabbing.

And that is is. Period. Any Physician worth his salt recognizes that Çhriropractic has a place in the spectrum of treatments.

As I said in an earlier post, Blue Cross+Blue Shield would NEVER EVER pay for it if it did not have some value. Take that to the bank. Believe me, I work with Radiology billing, and we have to use big tongs and nuclear weapons to get the money we deserve for mainstream radiology exams that are performed. If they could deny Chriropractic, believe me, they would.

[rlmorel]

Veto,
Where are your stats on statement #1?

If there are no stats, could the statement be:
"1. MOST chiropractors have good training and do good work. SOME are charlatans. If the State of FL can control the training, perhaps all Florida chiropractors would do decent work"

Nothing personal, and maybe things are different here in Massachusetts, but My experience with three different chiropractors is the polar opposite of your statement.

[Ditter]

I never said I thought chiropractors were of no use, what I said is, I have heard people say that their chiropractors promised things that you know they can't deliver, total wellness if you will just keep coming to them. In other words *some* of them are quacks.

[rlmorel]

Well, given that 80% or more of college faculty nationwide are dyed in the wool Democrats...are you surprised???...:)

[rlmorel]

Fair enough...and after working in a variety of hospitals for many years...exactly the same can be said of physicians. Exactly the same thing. Sure, the bad ones eventually have things catch up to them. But I guarantee you, it doesn't happen overnight. No one will ever be able to give you a total number of fouled up patients by a given bad apple MD. But they are out there. Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of health care professionals including physicians do their jobs superlatively, and genuinely care about their patients, and it is a pleasure and privilege to work in the profession. But like everything, there are bad apples.

[Hot Tabasco]

As long as they don't try to treat allergies with spinal manipulations or advocate coffee enemas, they're fine with me.

I agree with you. However, having gone to Chiros on and off sporatically over my lifetime, I have encountered only one, the sister of a dept. manager at the plant where I work. No x-rays, no nonsense.

My last serious bout (and chronic I might add) was with the nephew of a "friend" of mine. he gave me some sort of test with sensors stuck on my back that they said would be covered by my insurance. Never happened. Cost me $350 hard earned bucks! Stupidly I returned for several more adjustments and then said the heck with them.

With all the chronic back problems I have had over the years (all of which would easily be cured if I were to stop doing the athletic things I do- which will never happen)my suggestion would be to utilize the services of a very good Masseuse. My niece was having chronic lower back problems at one time which were alleviated by the manipulations of the masseuse she went to see. From what she told me, he put her thru some contortions during the massage that no chiro had ever used.

In terms of insurance coverage, some insurances cover a chrio, most do not. My insurance does not which is why I will go to a masseuse the next time my back acts up.

[Kenny Bunk]

Best Doctor I ever went to was a DO, who worked his way through Medical School as a ...... CHIROPRACTOR!

[Steve Eisenberg]

As I said in an earlier post, Blue Cross+Blue Shield would NEVER EVER pay for it if it did not have some value. Take that to the bank.

Did they pay for Vioxx, Seldane, Hisminal, Rezulin, and all the other pulled from the market medications? Did they pay for all those useless childhood tonsillectomies surgeons used to do? Did they (and do they still perhaps) pay for hysterectomies done by OBGYN's who did the operation on every one of their long-time patients without exception?

I would say that the only thing worse than relying on the government as a judge for what medical treatments are safe and effective would be to rely on Blue Cross.

[RFEngineer]

"I would think any Chiropractic Doctor on the stand for pain and suffering would be subjected to a rigorous cross examination..."

I think it's more along the lines of documenting the "pain and suffering" where Chiropractors come in. On the stand they can say they are licensed by the state to provide a service.....then just say "Mr. Jones came in every week for 18 months for that nasty whiplash pain....and is likely to require regular adjustments for the rest of his life"

Of course, Mr. Jones gets a nice massage, a bit of attention, so he doesn't mind going, because in the end he's gonna win the legal lottery.

I had a neighbor that did this.....until the case was settled, she had to take her son to the chiropractor a couple times a month. Once settled, no chiropractor. That's how it works.