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Why do people think chiropractors are quacks? I never quite got that-I mean they are able to make people feel better and relieve pain. "Lack of home training crosses all boundaries." | |
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I've seen a chiropractor for about two years. I have any old whipash and slight curve in my spine. No More Haters on the Internet. |
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What do you mean, "I have any old whiplash"? "Lack of home training crosses all boundaries." | |
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I don’t think all chiropractors can be dismissed as quacks because there are many different practices that fall under their umbrella. What can be said I think is that the history of chiropractic, the thing that Daniel Palmer (a grocer) invented, is pseudo-scientific and not based on any evidence, and there is little evidence that many of the things that are done under the banner of chiropractic today are effective, and in some instances they have been shown cause greater risk than benefit.
Chiropractors think that by adjusting the misalignments they can thereby restore the nerve Palmer claimed that he cured a deaf man, Harvey Lillard, who was a janitor by trade, by manipulating his spine. As Dr. Harriet Hall comments: "This makes no anatomical sense." Palmer also thought he cured a person of heart problems by spinal manipulation. He then leaped to the conclusion that he'd discovered the key to all disease. He wrote a textbook and opened a school. The rest, as they say, is history. ('Chiropractic' was coined from the combination of two Greek works, cheir and praxis, meaning "done by hand.") Based on who-knows-what evidence, Palmer boldly proclaimed that "Ninety-five per cent of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrae."
There’s a very good two part article on the history of chiropractic and summary of current practices here:
http://www.sciencebasedme...ew-part-i/
http://www.sciencebasedme...w-part-ii/
Conclusion The chiropractic profession has its roots firmly planted in pure pseudoscience, but despite this there happens to be a plausible role for spinal manipulation for the limited indication of uncomplicated lower back strain. Further research is needed to explore subgroups, cost effectiveness, safety, and whether or not there is any legitimate role for neck manipulation. Due, it seems, to the personality and personal beliefs of B.J. Palmer, the chiropractic profession has had an ongoing hostile relationship with mainstream scientific medicine. This is unfortunate. Also, the profession has expanded its philosophy and practice to the point that there are now many separate professions all practicing under the banner of chiropractic, leading to much public confusion and poor to nonexistent maintenance of a standard of care within chiropractic. The chiropractic profession is in need of serious reform. They are unlikely to accept the recommendations of an outsider like myself, but I am going to give them anyway. First, the profession needs to clean house. Much like the Flexner report did a century ago for medicine – closing most medical school because they were substandard, the chiropractic profession needs to go through a similar purging. - This means rejecting completely subluxation theory, including the notion of innate intelligence and the existence of mysterious chiropractic subluxations. - Along with subluxation theory, chiropractors should condemn the use of manipulative therapy to treat medical conditions and diseases, including asthma, ear infections, ulcers, migraines, and other conditions. - The chiropractic profession should endorse the principles of science-based medicine and dedicate themselves to high standards of science and transparency. This includes subjecting their treatments to more clinical research, changing their practice based upon the evidence, exploring the risks as well as the benefits of their own treatments, and internally policing their practitioners in order to maintain an adequate standard of care across their profession. - Chiropractors should seek to align themselves with other science-based professions. This includes endorsing science-based public health measures, like immunization. They should not foster hostility toward science-based practitioners, and they should refer patients to other specialists when appropriate. - Chiropractors should not seek to expand their scope of practice beyond their training and ability. They should not present themselves as primary care providers, nor lobby for regulations to allow them to do so. - Chiropractors can thrive as a health-care profession as experts in back care and physical medicine. This would provide them with a sufficiently broad scope of practice to be viable, in an area where there is a great need for expertise and symptomatic management. In fact, many science-based chiropractors do just fine within this scope, and provide a best-practice model for their profession. - The chiropractic profession should purge from their training and practice modalities other than spinal manipulation that are pseudoscientific – including iridology, applied kinesiology, homeopathy, and nutritional pseudoscience. Of course, the medical profession now needs to do this too, as pseudoscience has infiltrated mainstream medicine, but that is a separate article. Also, the percentage of chiropractors using such methods is far greater than within mainstream medicine, and is therefore much more of a problem. - Chiropractic colleges should change their curriculum so that they are more uniform and more in line with modern scientific concepts and practice. I harbor no illusions that anything like what I have described above will happen anytime soon, if ever. I hold out a little hope, as there is a small minority of chiropractors who also endorse what I have outlined and are trying to reform their profession from within. I wish them well, and I eagerly await the day that I can feel comfortable with the average chiropractor as an allied science-based health professional. Until then, in my opinion, public criticism of pseudoscientific claims and practices within chiropractic is the only ethical response.
[Edited 2/12/13 4:39am] | |
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signals and cure health problems. This idea was first propounded in 1895 by I blame 2,5 men. 99% of my posts are ironic. Maybe this post sides with the other 1%. | |
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My mum is a physiotherapist, and somewhere along her educations she was taught that any treatment where you have to keep going to feel good (instead of being cured) is quackiness. She passed this knowledge unto me, BUT one of my childhood friends who is a chiropractor invented something awesome:
(here is with the Prince of Sweden
"Elektrodress" the suit he developed is for people with cerebral palsy.
"Electromagnetic Dress receive more support and new research prize ARTICLE | November 15, 2011 - 14:44 Frederick's super suit is taking the world by storm Vinnova is committed to helping Inerventions to get a fast break by Electro Dress, its unique garments for increased mobility. And the inventor, Fredrik Lundqvist, also honored a research prize.
Electromagnetic Dress is like a garment with integrated electrical muscle stimulation to help people with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke and other neurological disabilities.
The suit reduces spasticity in the muscles and increases mobility. So far, more than 200 patients tested costume with good results, said Inverventions in Solna.
The man behind the invention, Fredrik Lundqvist, also received an award during the year, namely the Chiropractic Association of Swedish science prize."
http://foraldrakraft.se/a...kningspris
(this is how I remember him)
I'm the mistake you wanna make | |
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)
When I had my first son in 1993, my husband was seeing a chiropractor for something. He was trying to convince my husband that we could bring our newborn in for adjustments from the trauma of birth, and then we wouldn't even need to get immunizations! Quackery. | |
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I went to one after an injury, and the pain got worse before it went down. I wish I knew not to let them crack my neck, cause I developed facial numbness and chronic stress for months after and it affected life around me and my mental state. | |
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chiropractors really can do some good.
BUT it is REALLY important to know the difference between something that can be addressed by a chiro and something you need to see a doctor for, have an xray and maybe even an MRI to find out what is wrong.
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alot of good responses .
my grandfather was an eye ear nose and throat doctor back in like the 40s and 50s... I think to older people - - and specifically DOCTORS - they had a negative view of chiropractors ... same goes with osteopathic doctors ... i think somewhat ....
my parents would never let me go see a chiropractor and i have not .... (never really had any issues with back etc ) .
but as a relatively young man - i have an open mind and have talked to many people about "what they do at a chiropractor" etc and it does seem that it is one of those things that ONCE YOU GO .... you have to keep going forever .... altho .. the old saying ... hey if it helps .... Colonel Angus may be smelly. colonel angus may be a little rough . but deep down ... Colonel angus is very sweet. |
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I've gone a few times in the past - mostly for back issues that felt like, "If I could just move the right way, the pain would be gone." Sometimes, things do get "stuck" and a back is hard to get unstuck by yourself.
I have to say, though, that when stuff like that happens, massage (and acupuncture) work even better. Unfortunately, chiropractic is covered by insurance, where massage and acupuncture aren't. We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves. | |
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Oh - and chiropractors who want to sell you vitamins and shit like that? Snake oil salesman. We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves. | |
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They tried that with me after I was complaining of pain, and I'm glad I had the sense to say no, cause I was afraid of getting addicted to them. | |
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The practitioners themselves have cause people to think they are quacks.
For decades there was no formal training or licensing for chiropractors. Anyone could throw up a shutter, crack bones and call themself a chiropractor. It took serious injury, charges of fraud and an organized official protest to regulate the field.
That type of reputation lingers.
Not all chiropractors are quacks, but there are several very good examples already listed here that highlight why the general public does not trust chiropractors, their practices, philosphies or methods. Just like in any profession, there are good and there are bad.
[Edited 2/12/13 10:58am] I'm firmly planted in denial |
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People think they are quacks because they think everything can be cured by alignment. That comes off as a Jesus complex. All knowing all powerful. That being said I have some back problems and go from time to time. Only to fix the problem, no on going maintenance crap that they want to sale. 99.9% of everything I say is strictly for my own entertainment |
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Someone from my own family said "THEY AREN'T REAL DOCTORS! There! I said it!"
But damn if a treatment don't help. It can't cure everything but it sure beats bitching and moaning all month long due to a misalignment.
I found out massage therapists (muscle) and chiropractors (bone) are like oil and water, because muscles and bone pull at each other and they don't agree which pulls the other.
For me, I enjoy a good chiropractor a few times a year as much as a deep tissue massage, and I know when each is appropriate! | |
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The Prince of Sweden is HOT!!! The Most Important Thing In Life Is Sincerity....Once You Can Fake That, You Can Fake Anything. |
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I had a friend who swore by her chiropractor. She described how the "doctor" would twist her neck and crack it. I thought she was nuts for allowing someone to do that to her. I've heard that if the "adjustment" is done incorrectly, it could render one paralyzed or severely physically impaired. I wouldn't go to one. Just the thought of someone twisting my neck halfway around my shoulders makes me shudder. | |
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Shyra said: I had a friend who swore by her chiropractor. She described how the "doctor" would twist her neck and crack it. I thought she was nuts for allowing someone to do that to her. I've heard that if the "adjustment" is done incorrectly, it could render one paralyzed or severely physically impaired. I wouldn't go to one. Just the thought of someone twisting my neck halfway around my shoulders makes me shudder. But it feels sooooo good!  Rhythm floods my heart♥The melody it feeds my soul | |
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Heroin for your back. It's great for a little while but you have to keep going back. | |
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Shyra said: I had a friend who swore by her chiropractor. She described how the "doctor" would twist her neck and crack it. I thought she was nuts for allowing someone to do that to her. I've heard that if the "adjustment" is done incorrectly, it could render one paralyzed or severely physically impaired. I wouldn't go to one. Just the thought of someone twisting my neck halfway around my shoulders makes me shudder. I allowed it sometimes naively and would develop facial numbness but an MRI showed I was okay and my gp said to stop going to one | |
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yes he is I'm the mistake you wanna make | |
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Some of y'all kind of shut this thread down with your responses.
These are what has been said that I agree with...
They have been shown to sometimes cause harm and there is no proof that they fix (all) the issues they claim to fix.
If you have to keep going back, they aren't fixing anything.
Massages, baths, relaxation and a good bed can fix nearly all of those problems and all of them feel great, too!
I understand that some people really enjoy how it feels. If they're comfortable with the procedure, cost and risk, who am I to tell them not to go?
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I meant an old whiplash from a car accident back in 1999. I also don't need three pillows to sleep now. No More Haters on the Internet. |
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