“Chiropractic” (a name that in my mind should really be “chiropracty”) is a form of treatment for various disorders in which the cure supposedly comes from mechanical manipulation of the body, especially the spine. It is considered “alternative medicine,” and, as Wikipedia says, is of dubious efficacy for everything:
Many chiropractors (often known informally as chiros), especially those in the field’s early history, have proposed that mechanical disorders affect general health, and that regular manipulation of the spine (spinal adjustment) improves general health. A chiropractor may have a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree and be referred to as “doctor” but is not a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). While many chiropractors view themselves as primary care providers, chiropractic clinical training does not meet the requirements for that designation. A small but significant number of chiropractors spread vaccine misinformation, promote unproven dietary supplements, or administer full-spine x-rays.
There is no compelling evidence that either primary or maintenance chiropractic adjustment is effective for any symptoms or diseases, including low back pain. A 2011 critical evaluation of 45 systematic reviews concluded that the data included in the study “fail[ed] to demonstrate convincingly that spinal manipulation is an effective intervention for any condition.” Conclusions about cost-effectiveness are limited by low-quality studies, uncertainty about efficacy, and insufficient evidence.
There is not sufficient data to establish the safety of chiropractic manipulations. It is frequently associated with mild to moderate adverse effects, with serious or fatal complications in rare cases. There is controversy regarding the degree of risk of vertebral artery dissection, which can lead to stroke and death, from cervical manipulation.Several deaths have been associated with this technique and it has been suggested that the relationship is causative, a claim which is disputed by many chiropractors.
Here’s the meta-analysis article referenced by Wikipedia, click to access:
Part of the paper’s abstract:
Results Forty-five systematic reviews were included relating to the following conditions: low back pain (n=7), headache (n=6), neck pain (n=4), asthma (n=4), musculoskeletal conditions (n=3), any non-musculoskeletal conditions (n=2), fibromyalgia (n=2), infant colic (n=2), any medical problem (n=1), any paediatric conditions (n=1), carpal tunnel syndrome (n=1), cervicogenic dizziness (n=1), dysmenorrhoea (n=1), gastrointestinal problems (n=1), hypertension (n=1), idiopathic scoliosis (n=1), lateral epicondylitis (n=1), lower extremity conditions (n=1), pregnancy and related conditions (n=1), psychological outcome (n=1), shoulder pain (n=1), upper extremity conditions (n=1) and whiplash injury (n=1). Positive or, for multiple SR, unanimously positive conclusions were drawn for psychological outcomes (n=1) and whiplash (n=1).
Conclusion Collectively these data fail to demonstrate convincingly that spinal manipulation is an effective intervention for any condition
Based on the reports of fatalities associated with this procedure (see here for one study of 26 deaths from arterial dissection associated with neck manipulation), I would avoid this therapy: as the paper says, “The risks of this treatment by far outweigh its benefit.”
A new article in the NYT, however, while warning people of using chiropractic for most things, says that it can be useful in alleviating lower back pain. Click below to read it and you may find it archived here (I can’t access it). We thus have a contradiction between the paper and the analysis above.
From the article:
While chiropractors often refer to themselves as doctors, their degree is different from medical doctors.
To practice in the United States, chiropractors typically attend a four-year program where they take courses in basic science and lifestyle and nutrition counseling. They also learn how to perform manual adjustments, which involve putting pressure onto the joints and creating a deep stretch in the tiny muscles that connect the spine’s vertebrae, said William Lauretti, a professor of integrated chiropractic therapies at Northeast College of Health Sciences and a spokesman for the American Chiropractic Association.
(The popping sound heard during this adjustment is a result of gas being released from the fluid that surrounds your joints. While satisfying, Mr. Lauretti said the sound is not the goal of the adjustment.)
After training, chiropractors must pass a national board exam to be eligible for state licensure.
What chiropractors can and can’t do depends on where they practice. For example, in Oregon chiropractors are legally allowed to deliver babies (though they do so rarely) and perform very minor surgery, like stitches and removing skin tags. New York, which has stricter laws for chiropractors, requires them to focus to spinal conditions.
Many insurers will cover many services offered by chiropractors, including adjustments, nutrition counseling and X-rays. Medicare coverage is more stringent, often only covering adjustments, though chiropractors are lobbying Congress to change this.
The paper does say that they’re of some use for lower back pain, in contrast to the Wikipedia article, but I would still consult a genuine M.D. for any pain. As for neck pain, I myself would stay far away:
Chiropractors advertise their services for a wide range of conditions: back pain, arthritis, diabetes, asthma and ear infections. But what the research says chiropractors are effective at treating is doesn’t necessarily match up.
There’s robust evidence that shows chiropractic adjustments can be mildly to moderately effective at managing lower back pain, said Christine Goertz, a professor of musculoskeletal research at the Duke Clinical Research Institute and a licensed chiropractor. An analysis of 47 randomized controlled trials — often considered the gold standard of scientific evidence — determined that manual manipulation was equally effective as treatments like acupuncture or massage therapy.
The article referenced above is from the British Medical Journal, and you can find it here. Back to the NYT:
And the risks of side effects are low compared to some other common interventions, like anti-inflammatory medications and corticosteroid injections. Fractures or other serious complications from spinal manipulation are possible but rare, occurring in roughly 1 per 2 million manipulations, according to one study.
For that reason, spinal manipulation is often recommended as a first line of treatment for low back pain, including in guidelines from the World Health Organization and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“It is at least as good as, or maybe a little bit better than, other care options for low back pain,” Dr. Goertz said. (Though, as skeptics note, treatments for lower back pain are not very effective in general.)
There is less evidence supporting the use of chiropractic treatment for neck pain. A review of six studies found that chiropractic adjustments did improve acute neck pain. However, the researchers noted that more research was needed to draw any firm conclusion, since many of the studies had only a small number of participants and other limitations.
Some doctors advise against manipulating the neck because of the potential risk of arterial dissection, in which vessels that supply blood to the brain are torn. This can lead to stroke or death. Some analyses have suggested an association between neck adjustments and this injury, but it’s not clear there is a causal link.
I don’t know of a causal link between the spine’s position and stuff like diabetes and ear infections, so I would never go to a chiropractor for anything. But I’m sure some readers have, and perhaps they’ve been helped, though there’s no blind test with individual readers’ cases. If you have experience with chiropractic, describe it below. Note: I am not touting this therapy; use your own judgement. As I said, I will never use it myself.
The article ends with a section on what you should look for if you’re shopping for chiropractors, but I’ll let you read that yourself.
I’ve seen chiropractors advertising the full menu–Come in and get an adjustment for your allergies! I consider it woo, not better than homeopathy, and would never go near one.
My one experience led me to a similar conclusion. His diagnostic equipment consisted of identical bottles of different substances. The
pigeonpatient holds one at a time in an outstretched hand, and the chiro presses down on the hand to sense the muscle resistance. Too little resistance (or maybe it’s too much) indicates the substance is toxic to the victim, which luckily can be treated by particular supplements. I think the technique is called “kinesiology”.After this I looked up the history and theory of chiropractic, which I am now loathe to remember much less relate here; something to do with subtle (i.e. invisible) “subluxations” of the spinal cord. It’s hogwash from beginning to end.
As for first getting advice from an actual Doctor of Medicine before trusting your spinal nerves to Doctor of Chiropractic, you can also get sound advice from a Doctor of Philosophy in evolutionary biology. Note that a chiro’s science education consists of “basic science and lifestyle and nutrition counselling” — very basic indeed, maybe covering Fudd’s First Law: “If you push it, it falls over”. Bah, humbug.
The risks may be low, but I would never go to a chiropractor. I know that the practice has changed over time, but I once looked through a textbook on the fundamentals of chiropractic—it was a book that a friend in chiropractic school was using. The principles espoused in the book were utterly unscientific and crazy. No thank you.
“equally effective as treatments like acupuncture or massage therapy.” This makes me wonder if at least some of the positive effects of chiropractic and other treatments that include hands-on manipulation (such as reiki) come from the stress-relief of human skin-to-skin contact. Would a deep hug be just as effective for asthma as spine manipulation? Also, from what I’ve seen in advertisements, many homeopathic treatment centers are designed to be stress-mitigating with soft music, comfortable chairs, sometimes even a fountain in the waiting room, while we all know what cold, uncomfortable, crowded and generally stress-inducing places medical practices can be these days.
I’ve had physiotherapy by trained physiotherapists, but they were ones I was advised to see from my doctor. The human body does get injured, and one often has to help it. But nothing silly, it usually just meant gentle exercises and the like. The physio mostly checked on progress.
Work and weightlifting injuries mostly.
I think the founder of chiropracty (I like that construction) started as a magnetic healer … lemmee see …
[ looks around …]
Hoo boy – this is a treat :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chiropractic
Or :
https://grokipedia.com/page/Chiropractic
…I’m not sure if “physical therapy” (100% legit IMHO) treats the spine as such – but physical therapists know what they’re doing so the muscles get tone they need that “back problems” are likely related to.
It’s complex, but not impossibly so, that the gestalt of muscle tone/strength can adjust overall bodily “aches and pains” or whatever.
Talk to a physical therapist to see!
And have a look at the physiotherapist McKenzie’s Treat Your Own Back.
Many decades ago I used chiropractic for back pain, plenty of cervical adjustments (!), and finally came to the conclusion it wasn’t helping. I also had a chiropractor do blood work for allergies that was totally bogus. I’m no longer a fan. Interestingly, around the same time, I lived where there was a chiropractic vet. She would adjust my Schnauzer’s back when he got out of sorts and it did wonders. He would go from being grumpy at being touched to jumping in the air in play after an adjustment. Go figure.
After an accident I was involved in a few years ago I was surprised to find out that my primary care doctor would not see me to check me for injuries from the accident. I learned that they do not get involved in “accident care.”
So I called my vehicle insurance company and they directed me to a company that specializes in accident care. I called, they set me an appointment with a location right in the town I live in. I arrived and only then learned that this accident care provider was a chiropractor.
I received treatment there for about a week while working to find a real medical doctor that handled accident care, but I never allowed them to adjust me. Good thing too. When MRI results came in they revealed that every single disc in my neck was herniated and three more in my lumbar.
As part of my treatment for those injuries I spent a lot of time with a physiotherapist. This truly did help me in two ways. First, the treatments (massage? manipulations? not sure what to call them) made noticeable, immediate improvements that lasted various lengths of time. Many were very uncomfortable and even straight-up painful, but within 15 minutes afterwards I’d feel wonderful for hours. Second, I learned many kinds of exercises and stretches to help me manage the pain myself.
My first appointment with the physiotherapist they took some pictures of me and showed them to me. I was astonished at my posture. I’d had no idea how my injuries had dramatically changed my posture. Within the first two months my posture was corrected. Took a lot of work.
I’ve never been convinced that chiropracty was legitimate and I was very surprised to discover that the “accident care” industry is basically a hustle that sends people that could be seriously injured to chiropractors, who are not medical professionals. It seems to be an industry that has been created to take advantage of the fact that primary care doctors won’t take accident cases. The underlying reason in both cases seems to be that accident cases involve lawyers, lawsuits and car insurance companies. Typical medical practices don’t like to deal with any of those complications, and the “accident care” industry is specialized to make money dealing with them.
When I was stationed overseas as a Navy physician years ago, I hurt my lower back. I was young and dumb, and decided to see if there was anything to chiropractic, and had three lumbar manipulations. The chiropractor was a dynamic, charismatic man who was building a sailboat to move to Australia. He manipulated my back, and it felt good for about 30 minutes, time enough for me to drive home, and then it started hurting again, so there was no long-term effect. I have to admit there was some placebo effect. It did feel good to have a provider actually touch my back, and I think that’s a big part of the draw. As far as manipulating my neck, I told him hands off. At least I knew enough about vertebral artery anatomy to realize how dangerous that is. I also remember taking care of a patient in medical school with a “locked-in syndrome” from a vertebral arterial stroke. A tragic case of a married man in his mid 30s with two young kids, who could only communicate by blinking his eyes; however, the cause of his stroke was not due to chiropractic manipulation.
I’m surprised that you (JC) gave time to a NYT article. I give it about as much credibility as Newsmax. My reason for saying this is the relentless NYT woke spin. It proselytizes religion (christianity, islam, wokeism, etc.) and refuses to publish news that is contrary to its woke ideology (evidence that DEI harms society, evidence that defunding the police leads to increased crime, evidence that “trans” is a craze and medical scandal, etc). Of course, the NYT has a ridiculous, uncritical, poorly-researched article about chiro-woo. What did you expect?
As you can read on the Roolz, I do not like readers telling me what to write about or not write about, and, in this case, I do not like them telling me what sources I can and cannot use.
Sorry, but despite the fact that I don’t like the venue either, there is also good stuff there, and you are simply remaining voluntarily ignorant by ignoring the whole paper.
Do NOT tell me again that you’re surprised where I get my sources. I wanted to point out the dangers of chiropractic and the disparity between what the NYT says and what other sources say.
I don’t think the other David here was doing that, trying to dictate your editorial process, PCC(E).
I think he’s just infuriated with the NYTimes. Which is.. understandable.
best,
D.A.
NYC 🗽
Umm. . . saying he is surprised I gave time to a NYT article, and saying that he gives no time to ANY NYT article, is in effect saying that he was surprised and disappointed that I dealt with a NYT article, even though it was not woke.
Sorry but I will not put up with anyone telling me that I cannot use this or that source because they are tainted.
I would also refrain from chiropractic care for neck ailments or the array of alternative therapies some of them push. That said, I did once consult a chiropractor, who was also an athletic trainer, for months of hip pain and a slight limp that I had developed after a possible injury while working outdoors. Every attempt to walk without the limp aggravated the pain. Moreover, something structural seemed to be preventing a normal gait. At 45, I wasn’t ready for the limping brigade!
I am notoriously loath to visit doctors, but I first saw a GP, who after an X-ray suggested a consult with an orthopedic surgeon. I passed. The chiropractor I instead saw surmised that I was dealing with sacroiliac joint instability, which is apparently hypermobility in the joint after injury (or congenital in some cases). He performed an adjustment, the effects of which I felt immediately as “something” shifted in my pelvis, and within days the pain was gone.
I went to him for two or three so-called maintenance treatments, during which he performed the same manipulation as at the first visit. I felt no effects from this. Whatever had moved previously wasn’t moving any further. I thus opted out of additional treatments. He did recommend useful exercises intended to strengthen core and pelvic muscles. He also cautioned against yoga-style stretching, as I was already quite flexible for a man of my age.
Data point of one, but I wouldn’t write off chiropractic care entirely. Interestingly, Grok tells me the following: “MDs (orthopedists, physiatrists, spine specialists) widely recognize SI joint dysfunction as a legitimate mechanical source of pain and accept manual therapy/manipulation as one tool—often referring to chiropractors or PTs for it. It’s not ‘woo’ for this use case.”
This mirrors my experience. I’ve been in good health my whole life without any significant ailments or back issues. I’ve never been to a chiropractor in my life and knew it was quackery as my father was a radiologist. However, in my 40’s I hurt my sacroiliac joint (not a true joint) and the stabbing pain was debilitating. Out of desperation I went to a chiropractor who said he could pop that joint. He did and the pain relief was instantaneous and unmistakable. I never went back as it was still mildly painful but healed normally after that. It happened again a decade later. Same thing – went 3 times, it absolutely helped immediately relieve acute pain. I haven’t been back since. Sometimes I’ll get SI joint pain but never to the level I experienced previously and it resolves on its own. I think there is plenty of evidence that cracking painful joints can provide temporary pain relief (and that is all chiropractics does) but that’s not nothing and I know it can help. Anecdotal? Yes. Placebo effect? No way. Would’ve resolved on its own (self-limiting)? No, I didn’t get treatment for 2 weeks after the first incident. While there are plentiful stories that chiropractic manipulation is quack science, I must disagree for the specific case mentioned above. I would never go to a chiropractor for any other reason than back pain because of the species claims…and haven’t.
I had an excellent result from a procedure performed by a chiropractor……but that was after he’d gotten an M.D., and did an Orthopedic Residency and specialty training in Spine Surgery. 😁
Good one!
There was the infamous case in the UK from about a decade back where the British Chiropractic Association sued the science writer Simon Singh for libel, the main issue seemingly his statement that the association “…happily promotes bogus therapies”. I just checked the Wikipedia article about the case to remind myself – ultimately the BCA withdrew its action.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Chiropractic_Association_v_Singh
I’ve been shouting about this for years. I’m glad you’re covering it.
Next stop “Traditional Chinese Medicine” and Ayauveda.
As you (all) know here, science isn’t supposed to be “traditional”.
It is rational.
D.A.
NYC 🗽
Indeed. My favourite John Kennith Galbraith quote (he has several good ones) is, “The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.”
I’ve gone to a chiropractor for 30 years for relief of lower back pain when necessary.
It’s always been helpful. My discomfort or pain has always been relieved and usually instantly.
I find the treatment very similar to the physical therapy I’ve had for athletic injuries.
I even went to my chiropractor once to receive therapy for a sprained ankle and it expedited the healing.
Maybe I’ve been lucky and had an excellent chiropractor all these years. It works!
I can now add my experience so as to make two examples of anecdotal evidence. I had hideous lower back pain some years ago. I saw my GP who prescribed pain killers and suggested I lie on the floor for a fortnight. After a few days I was in so much pain that I decided to approach a local chiropractor. I literally had to be driven to the appointment lying in the back of the car. On arrival at the practice I crawled out of the car and into the surgery. The chiropractor inspected my body, felt around, and exclaimed he’d found the problem in some misaligned vertebrae. He manipulated them for perhaps thirty seconds and, lo and behold, I was cured! It took some weeks for the associated tissue damage to recover, but the underlying condition was healed. I find he is unable to treat any other conditions especially well, but this is the only time in my life that I have experienced any kind of instant cure.
Thanks for your reply Geoff.
You cited one instance. I’d like to reiterate that I’ve had a plethora of positive experiences like that for the last 30 or so years.
I’ve never had a bad experience after treatment.
Years ago I was referred to a chiropractor for a pinched nerve at C7. I had my reservations, but the first one was fine in that she just did careful stretching exercises which lent temporary relief. Then she moved on and the 2nd one was a nutter. A complete wacko.
I’ve known two people who had devastating posterior strokes within a day of neck manipulation.
My niece’s boyfriend had neck manipulation, got home, lay down and went to sleep and woke unable to move. He lived alone so lay there for the better part of a day before the paralysis – fortunately – resolved.
Daughter’s then boyfriend was panicking about shotty lymph nodes up in neck, normal accompaniment to the mild cold he was sporting. His family had firm belief in the benefits of chiropractic so off he went, was xrayed including spine, shown a spinal alignment abnormality which was apparently the cause of his palpable lymph nodes and his spine was manipulated before he was told his nodes would settle in a few days, which of course is expected with a cold. He brought the films over to show me – complete fog-o-grams, almost impossible to even define the outline of the bones, god alone knows how old the X-ray equipment was or how safe it was.
Too many of them are dangerous charlatans, wouldn’t touch a chiropractor with a bargepole.
Problem is, many people would read what I just wrote and insist I must somehow be mistaken or lying because their belief in the benefits of chiropractic is so fixed.
I have been seeing chiros for over 30+ years for recurrent lower back pain (flares up maybe once or twice a year). My guy is excellent. Just works on the back – no promises to fix all kinds of other ailments. He is also upfront that there are back issues that need a medical doctor and not chiro. He does some deep tissue massage before the adjustment. Maybe that’s what helps, but anyway a couple of trips and the back pain is gone for another year or until I do something stupid again. No immediate miracles; just a glide back to being pain free. (Don’t tell me that’s what would’ve happened had I just waited a bit longer w/o treatment. Tried that, and no!) Anyway this is just an anecdote – singular version of the word ‘data’.
A few years ago I had some lower back discomfort (due I think to the weight I put on during the COVID lockdowns) and on my husband’s suggestion went to see a chiropractor that was helping with his shoulder. I have to say that the ‘adjustments’ helped my back feel better afterward but the effect was always short-lived, so after a few sessions, I stopped going. What turned out to be more helpful long-term was the stretching exercises he showed me how to do, and of course losing weight.
I go weekly to a “network chiropractor” who touches clients gently while they lie face down, only occasionally pressing hard or cracking a joint or bone. I usually go to sleep and wake up relaxed and refreshed. The work seems to tune my body somehow. He doesn’t claim to cure everything and admits that medical doctors are good for some conditions.
Stories abound of his clients who have been cured of various pains or had the pains lessened. However, I have to admit that nobody there knows when a one-timer fails to come back due to a bad experience like the ones detailed above. he also treats dogs.
No offence Jerry, but this is so poorly written and poorly thought out it does not represent you well. If you’re playing with a topic you don’t know much about, it may pay to ask around, or do a bit more thorough research before posting such a strong opinion…but hey, it’s your blog. The bit about a Doctor of Chiropractic not being a Doctor of Medicine is a strange argument. You could say the same for the other health professions legally allowed to use the title of Doctor: optometrists, dentists, clinical psychologists, podiatrists, or naturopathic doctors, and doctors of medicine. It’s a legal term signifying the training, right and responsibility to diagnose…not something unique or limited to those who are trained mainly in prescribing medicine.
The only serious risk you reference is for a specific upper cervical manipulation and it’s generally accepted as between one in a million and one in 4 million. Seriously? Look up the risk of driving to work! If you’re that concerned about a risk that rare, why not ask them if there is anything they can do to help without doing that one specific procedure? It’s like not going to a dentist because the risk of serious side effect, like a serious infection is roughly the same…that would be ridiculous.
And your line “I don’t know of a causal link between the spine’s position and stuff like diabetes and ear infections, so I would never go to a chiropractor for anything.” is about the most ridiculous sentence I think I’ve ever read from you. Sorry, but read it out load. It is ridiculous. I’d be like “I don’t like how SOME dentists promote expensive veneers (or whatever), so I’d never go to a dentist for anything.” Seriously? Sorry, a couple words over.
Do you not know that chiropractors claim to be able to treat many internal conditions by manipulating the spine? Give me a plausible way for that to work and I’ll consider it. I don’t much mind if chiropractors try to help mechanical conditions of the back (if they do no good then they are as good as I was at treating most backaches in medical practice: the only proven therapy is fast walking and lots of it), and they will probably do no harm. Vertebral artery strokes may be rare after cervical manipulation, but they are devastating. How would you feel if completely paralysed after such a treatment, especially if you were then told there is no proven benefit? Would the fact you were the unlucky one in a million make it alright?
Incredibly weak argument. Just because some make claims they shouldn’t doesn’t mean they all do, nor does it mean there is no other benefit of seeking treatment. Pick a profession and we can easily find it loaded with people saying dumb crap that others in the profession don’t agree with.
The how would you feel argument is also weak. We could easily list all the rare but associated risks of any of the medications that are prescribed regularly. Like increased risk with some psych meds (or getting off them), or the risk of falling, breaking a hip and dying of an embolism because of a high blood pressure medication. This list is almost endless. Properly prescribed medications is the 4th or 5th top cause of death in the US don’t forget! Let’s just look at malpractice insurance. In Ontario it’s around $1400 for the year. For a family practice MD it’s around $5000-15000…if they avoid the higher risk aspects like obstetrics and the ER. It’s hard to find exact numbers because it’s so high it is subsidized by the government! I despise insurance companies but one thing I’m sure of is they know their risks.
It’s a shame that people are not more open minded. But then again. If someone prefers to live in pain, I say, let them.
You must be a chiropractor!
Not going to opine on chiropractic but I do question your line of argument. The known failings of orthodox medicine aren’t a reason to add the failings of a competing discipline to the mix of iatrogenesis. The benefits and harms of chiropractic should be addressed on their own merits.
Physicians don’t claim that it must be OK to do fruitless surgery for back pain just because chiropractors cause strokes. We just say that low back pain with no “red flags” generally gets better by itself no matter what you do, unless the sufferer uses opiates or has a worker’s compensation or motor-vehicle crash litigation open. Don’t do any imaging right away no matter how painful because that just tempts some surgeons to operate on the MRI abnormalities that many healthy people with no symptoms will have, and reinforces in the patient’s mind that he has back “disease”. Doctors like Dr. Moss just say walk (and avoid bed rest). Chiropractors say, “Let me do this. I will make you better.”
Medicine does pay a lot of attention to iatrogenic harm and works to uncover treatments that don’t work when controlled with placebo. Maybe our PR would be better if we just swept it all under the rug.
You mislead about malpractice insurance in Ontario, which hurts your argument. It’s not a government subsidy. Rather, the profession and the government — which pays mandatory regulated fees for all medical services by all doctors — agreed in the 1980s that to provide some predictability to medical practices in the face of rapidly rising malpractice payouts, the government would fold this risk into the over-all physician compensation budget. Canadian doctors can’t pass on higher malpractice costs (or any other practice expense like rent and staff wages) to their patients because the fee they can charge is rigidly regulated. Every dollar in “subsidy” is a dollar that came out of the government’s global target for physician service payments.
There is nothing opaque or mysterious about how this works. Every member of the defence co-operative gets an invoice for annual dues with a note beside each risk category explaining how much the rebate will be later that year. But the provincial governments absolutely do “value” this rebate. They bring it out at contract negotiation time to remind us there is no free lunch. High or low it has no bearing on chiropractic.
I’m late to the party, but please see my polemic under #1 above. I invite your response.
The British-German academic physician and researcher Edzard Ernst discusses the dangers of chiropractic care in detail on his blog. He has documented and commented on numerous cases in which chiropractic treatment led to health complications or even death.
https://edzardernst.com/category/chiropractic/
Used Chiropractic for lower back pain to help with the twisting, turning high kicks I needed to do for my 2nd degree black belt test, and the high-kicks that TaeKwonDo is known for. Worked very well for me as I went to someone highly recommended by a good female friend. (A massage therapist whom I also used.) This was when I was probably 45yo, and he was excellent, but he retired a few years later. By then, I had moved onto Judo, which was easier on my back, and didn’t have the need of chiropractic. (And never found another whom I would have trusted, anyway.)
Off topic, but I think a lot of good would come from having self defence or a martial art taught as a core part of girls’ P.E. Boys too, for that matter — partly to learn the differences between honourable fighting and thuggery. (As a 40yo karateka I got several different physical and mental benefits from it, and wished I had started much younger.)
Of course! And Judo is great for little girls, as they can hold their own against boys in the early ages. Better late than never, I think those of us who started martial arts later in life appreciated it more than later generations who didn’t have to— literally, in some cases, fight for the right to attend a class and/or be taken seriously. Good for you, and… Hooray for us! 😀
Thank you. I didn’t have any difficulties joining a class. The local Shotokan dojo had classes for all levels and all ages, and the sensei were a married couple. Sometimes one gets especially lucky 🙂. Hái!
“The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in perfecting the character of the participant.” (Gichin Funakoshi).
Very nice!
My wife, a competent physician, tells me that there are some “good” Chiropractors out there, but most are not. It is hard for me to have much trust in anyone practicing forms of medicine where some components of their treatment system appear unscientific. If someone, just as an example, understands but still promotes homeopathy, I have to assume that lack of scientific rigor extends to other parts of their practice and philosophy as well.
I found the following article on the subject informative.
https://quackwatch.org/chiropractic/general/
At least here, Chiros are recognized by the workplace safety and insurance, vet. affairs, military, auto ins., and all extended health plans, and they are recognized and regulated by the government…would not happen without evidence of efficacy and safety. Not all chiros utilize the one form of treatment that is of risk concern, even though 1 in 2 million is rare compared to a lot of health interventions. This is reviewed on the informed consent that everyone signs. Anyone concerned can ask for that procedure not to be done. I would estimate that 50% focus mainly on spine related issues…low back pain, neck pain and headaches being the big three. The other 50% get into other MSK issues…sprains, strains, nerve irritation, etc., involving other body areas, and also use other modalities such as laser therapy, electro therapy, ultrasound, acupuncture (for pain relief), stretches, exercises, and lifestyle recommendations…what to avoid, change, and add more of. The same techniques/treatments used on the top level sports teams, most of which have a chiro on staff or on call…not recommending homeopathy or crystals or whatever other weird crap you can think up. I agree with your premise…if they do weird crap where you are, stay away. Some have long-time busy practices of patients paying out of pocket, where they could see their MD for free…some even driving and hour or two to do so. There is lots they do that overlaps with physios, MDs or any other docs give health advice in their area of training.
Where your wife says there are some good ones, I would say realistically, at least in Canada, there are some bad ones…as with every profession. The fact that there are some evolutionists that believe in god, does not mean we should discredit all evolutionists. Perhaps, we shouldn’t paint all with the same brush.
Since I seem to be the only one who knows much about this so I’ll list a few points. I wouldn’t normally bother but I enjoy Jerry’s blog and enjoy when I occasionally read the comments from you folks. Keep in mind that I am in Canada. Things may be different where you are. Here chiros are DCs, as I mentioned in a comment above, recognized by the government, ins. co.’s and patients as doctors of the health care area they are trained in. To represent themselves as doctors of anything else would be fraud and they would lose their licence. DCs are not allowed to make false or unsupported claims (to patients or in advertising), and they are also are not allowed to comment on vaccines…or they can lose their licence. They also have to sign off every year on licence renewal and on insurance renewal that they are not practicing any wacky crap not taught in the main schools and supported by evidence. If they did after signing off, it would mean they could lose their licence and would likely not be insured.
Chiros here have the same level of schooling as all the other primary “doctors” out there (listed previously), of course not compared to specialists like surgeons, neurologists, etc. The same core neuro, ortho, micro, path, embryo, etc. The difference is they spend more time on musculoskeletal issues like ortho, neuro, anatomy, (often taught by the same profs as the med. specialists) whereas others spend more time on their areas…depending on which doc they are training as. Most have degrees first, mostly science, as those were the prerequisites up until recently…some schools have lessened the prerequisites to allow more well rounded people in, following medicines lead on this one (not something I agree with). Just because there may be some on the internet somewhere that do wacky crap and make unsupported claims does not make them the majority. Most here communicate regularly with MDs. Some even have them, and specialists, as pts. Seriously. Sounds unbelievable given the majority of the comments posted, but true.
Try to be open minded and question witch hunts…there’s usually more to the story.