Do you believe in Chiropractic Medicine?

[snug.bunny]

Has anyone had success with a chiropractor? I was in an auto accident years ago and I've had recurring back issues. Initially, I underwent physical therapy and electrotherapy and saw an orthopedic, had X-Rays and MRI's, etc. I was told I have a bulging disc. The worst it got, was every now and then when I walked, my right leg would give out and I would get a sharp "nerve" type of sensation towards the right side of my lumbar area and I could feel the disc moving around when I touched it. Over the years, with physical therapy, it got better.

 

 

But lately, I've been pulling muscles near my neck and shoulder area more often and I've started to have nerve sensations up and down my right arm, whereas my right hand becomes stiff. The chiropractor felt my neck, and said it felt like cement. Anytime he pressed a certain point in my neck, the entire right side of my body contorted inwards.

 

I'm going to be having a cervical spine X-Ray and he wants me to come back afterwards, but, I'm somewhat skeptical of chiropractors. As mentioned before, I've done acupuncture, but not chiropractic care.

 

So, I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons of both, before I choose my course of action. Thoughts?

[fucpcg]

A good one will change your life. A bad one will accomplish nothing and take your money for your troubles. Find a good one. Ask people for references, people who are avid athletes or bodybuilders, they will know the good ones.

[TaraMaiden]

yes.

A chiropractor is the reason I'm upright today.

 

stand outside a chiropractor's clinic and ask patients going in and out,

 

'Honestly - how good is this 'guy/gal'?

 

Get a profile of them, straight from the horse's mouth.

those who are happy with the treatment will keep you listening for hours....

 

do this with a couple of clinics.

 

I guarantee - find a good one, and you'll believe they can walk on water.

[snug.bunny]

A good one will change your life. A bad one will accomplish nothing and take your money for your troubles. Find a good one. Ask people for references, people who are avid athletes or bodybuilders, they will know the good ones.

 

Good advice, thank you!

 

yes.

A chiropractor is the reason I'm upright today.

 

stand outside a chiropractor's clinic and ask patients going in and out,

 

'Honestly - how good is this 'guy/gal'?

 

Get a profile of them, straight from the horse's mouth.

those who are happy with the treatment will keep you listening for hours....

 

do this with a couple of clinics.

 

I guarantee - find a good one, and you'll believe they can walk on water.

 

Glad to hear it's worked for you.

 

That good huh?

 

Well, I just brought a Tempur-Pedic into the bed and had a nice full body massage , it really helped a lot!

 

I'm still weighing over the pros/cons of the Chiropractor, I'll be doing a bit of research as well, so I'll see what happens.

 

[CarrieT]

I am so on the fence about Chiropractic medicine...

 

I herniated a disk (9mm) from the Northridge earthquake and couldn't walk for upright for almost six weeks. Years of pain brought me to see one (as well as Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, and more...). The Chiropractor made me worse.

 

A friend of 20 years works as a massage therapist in a Chiropractor's office and swears by the practice. My surgeon boyfriend informs me that the "real medical community" has not belief whatsoever in the practice and looks upon it as quack medicine.

 

I'm inclined to believe the latter based on my experience.

[snug.bunny]

I am so on the fence about Chiropractic medicine...

 

I herniated a disk (9mm) from the Northridge earthquake and couldn't walk for upright for almost six weeks. Years of pain brought me to see one (as well as Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, and more...). The Chiropractor made me worse.

 

A friend of 20 years works as a massage therapist in a Chiropractor's office and swears by the practice. My surgeon boyfriend informs me that the "real medical community" has not belief whatsoever in the practice and looks upon it as quack medicine.

 

I'm inclined to believe the latter based on my experience.

 

Eesh! That stinks.

 

So what course of action did you choose and worked best for you? The Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, etc?

[CarrieT]

Eesh! That stinks.

 

So what course of action did you choose and worked best for you? The Acupuncturists, Massage Therapists, etc?

 

For me, it was ultimately a combination of low-impact exercise (water aerobics), yoga and proper stretching, and massage therapy.

 

To this day, I can't participate in high-impact sports and have to be very careful about moving a certain way or lifting improperly.

[Feelin Frisky]

I neither believe in chiropractic medicine nor disbelieve it. I have turned to it for help and I got no sustainable benefit but my accident has caused such a complex set of symptoms that have plagued me every second of my waking life for 35 plus years that I sympathize with others desperate for help that "regular medicine" can't seem to provide. I did get some benefit out of it and I felt better but not sustainably. The same has been true of physical therapy (eletro stim), massage and acupuncture. One day I had such a response to acupressure that I thought someone finally found the issue. But it didn't last. It also mattered who did it and whether they touched the exact sames spots. I have turned to epidural steroid injections and surgery and I have a little better quality of life, but I suffer and have just learned to tune out this neurological mess as much as I can. I can run, walk, swim, drive, shoot hoops etc but I would never dare ski. play hockey or football, jump out of a airplane. Anything that might smash me hard into something is verboten. But I have to do everything feeling like I've been picked up off my center of gravity and set back down on it in the wrong spot and it barks at me constantly.

 

Perhaps I haven't stumbled across the right chiro. but watch out, these guys will find something--call it "subluxation" and treat it even if it doesn't bother you and try to convince you that this IS your problem. There's reason to be skeptical.

[fucpcg]

CarrieT I've had issues with herniated discs as well, and yes the Chiro helped me thru those times.

[writergal]

For me, it was ultimately a combination of low-impact exercise (water aerobics), yoga and proper stretching, and massage therapy.

 

To this day, I can't participate in high-impact sports and have to be very careful about moving a certain way or lifting improperly.

 

I empathize with you CarrieT.

 

After my terrible bike accident I was treated to warm pool therapy (low-impact water aerobics), physical therapy and some massage but told to stay away from yoga and chiropractors. I'm bummed because i used to be really athletic in my 20s and part of my 30s until the accident.

 

Once I tried a chiropractor and all he did was give me nausea and a stiff neck which scared me. So I don't trust them. Yoga also did a number on my digestive system which wasn't pleasant.

 

Stick with conventional physical therapy and warm pool therapy. Or try a chiropractor and see how that goes.

[TheBigQuestion]

Chiropractic as a practice of "medicine" is complete and utter sophistry. Pseudoscientific to the greatest imaginable degree, exceeded only by BS like "energy healing" or homeopathic medicine (why a smart guy like Steve Jobs would forego traditional treatments for crap like this is astounding to me). With that said, some chiropractors are proficient in decreasing pain. They are essentially glorified massage therapists. If you see them for what they are rather than legitimate medical professionals, I don't think it would be a bad idea to seek one out if nothing else has worked.

[TaraMaiden]

As a Shiatsu therapist myself, and having studied both western and eastern medicine, I find your statement biased and wholly inaccurate.

In order for a person to call themselves chiropractic, they undergo extensive training, education and study, and have to absolutely know precisely what they're doing in order to even lay a finger on you, because one wrong move on the spinal column could wreak irreversible damage.

So to state that -

 

Chiropractic as a practice of "medicine" is complete and utter sophistry. Pseudoscientific to the greatest imaginable degree, exceeded only by BS like "energy healing" or homeopathic medicine

- Is both ignorant and misleading.

 

And to call a chiropractor a 'glorified massage therapist' just goes to show how little you know.....

 

The reason a 'smart guy' like Steve Jobs goes for something like this is precisely because he is smart, and he has found it works.

 

Upon what research, evidence, proof and direct experience do you base your opinion on?

I'd be interested to know what study you've undertaken that qualifies you to make such disparaging and seemingly authoritative statements.....

[snug.bunny]

I like Yoga, but you do have to be careful with some of the movements and not over exert yourself (a couple times I must have moved into a few of the positions incorrectly and it caused havoc on my entire body for a bit ).

 

FF - I too felt the same after going to an acupuncturist. I feel completely rejuvenated afterwards and the few times I've gone, within a few days, the injury was gone. But, then a few weeks after, I'll pull another muscle in a different spot. I tried for the first time the suction cupping in addition to the needles, I'm not sure at this juncture the added benefit from it, and the skin on my back looked alien-like afterwards

 

Obviously certain treatments work better (or less) for everyone, so I suppose the goal is to find what works best individually. So, thank you for sharing your comments, some good information here.

[bean1]

My son was born with a collarbone fracture. 4 months later he was still in constant pain despite doctors saying he was fine. We used an osteopath and it was quite helpful. I"m not sure how/why whatever I don't care, just that it helped and was worth it.

[KathyM]

I think chiropractors provide a valuable service. My sister had a car accident several years ago and her spine was screwed up for a while. A chiropractor treated her, and she recovered fairly quickly after seeing him. My husband had a siatic nerve problem a while back, and went to all kinds of medical doctors, physical therapists, etc., who were unable to help him. He then went to a chiropractor, and the pain went away permenently after a small amount of sessions. They definately do provide a valuable service which medical doctors cannot provide. They are not, however, to be relied on in place of medical doctors, for issues that require a medical doctor, and people should always be checked out by a medical doctor as a first thing when experiencing pain.

[seren]

Snug Bunny, I have Lupus and Fibromyalgia, I also had a car accident in 2008 that left me with horrible muscle cramps in my side and chest, really, really awful. I was on opiates for pain relief and ended up in A&E as the pain was so bad. I tried an Osteopath, but found it no good for me, the usual chiropractor was too painful for my Fibromyalgia, then went to one that used the McTimmoney method. I had relief after the second treatment, continued for 8 treatments is total and no muscle cramps and a lessening of my limp when I walk for about a year and then it all came back. I cannot praise them enough, well my one anyway.

 

McTimmoney is a gentler form of manipulation. I went to a 'normal' one recently and was in agony, it did nothing for me so am looking for a McT one. I have disc damage in my Thoracic and Cervical spine, dammed pain. Try McTimmoney, but check it out with your doc first.

[snug.bunny]

Snug Bunny, I have Lupus and Fibromyalgia, I also had a car accident in 2008 that left me with horrible muscle cramps in my side and chest, really, really awful. I was on opiates for pain relief and ended up in A&E as the pain was so bad. I tried an Osteopath, but found it no good for me, the usual chiropractor was too painful for my Fibromyalgia, then went to one that used the McTimmoney method. I had relief after the second treatment, continued for 8 treatments is total and no muscle cramps and a lessening of my limp when I walk for about a year and then it all came back. I cannot praise them enough, well my one anyway.

 

McTimmoney is a gentler form of manipulation. I went to a 'normal' one recently and was in agony, it did nothing for me so am looking for a McT one. I have disc damage in my Thoracic and Cervical spine, dammed pain. Try McTimmoney, but check it out with your doc first.

 

So sorry to hear. I am unfamiliar with McTimmoney but will ask my Chiropractor about it when I see him next week. My chiropractor mentioned the Graston technique which he wants to apply on me. I'm anti-opiates, I will only take Ibuprofen. I haven't had pain that severe, thank goodness.

 

I have noticed a significant difference since I changed my bedding to the tempurpedic and after the massage, so we'll see.

[TheBigQuestion]

As a Shiatsu therapist myself, and having studied both western and eastern medicine, I find your statement biased and wholly inaccurate.

In order for a person to call themselves chiropractic, they undergo extensive training, education and study, and have to absolutely know precisely what they're doing in order to even lay a finger on you, because one wrong move on the spinal column could wreak irreversible damage.

So to state that -

 

 

- Is both ignorant and misleading.

 

And to call a chiropractor a 'glorified massage therapist' just goes to show how little you know.....

 

The reason a 'smart guy' like Steve Jobs goes for something like this is precisely because he is smart, and he has found it works.

 

Upon what research, evidence, proof and direct experience do you base your opinion on?

I'd be interested to know what study you've undertaken that qualifies you to make such disparaging and seemingly authoritative statements.....

 

Hey genius, Steve Jobs is DEAD because he turned down conventional treatment for homeopathic quackery. His form of pancreatic cancer was one of the few kinds that was actually curable, and he decided to forego conventional treatment until it was too late. His all-natural cures were failing miserably

 

Chiropractic is nonsense because the philosophies upon which it is based are pseudoscientific hogwash. If you had actually studied medicine, you would know that. Did you study medicine at Johns Hopkins or some online certificate program?

 

For a start, read this for a summary of why chiropractic should not be treated as a legitimate medical field, and why in most respects it still isn't considered such. The extent to which chiropractic has become legitimate is in spite of its foundational principles, not because of them. chiropractic - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com

[TaraMaiden]

Hey genius, Steve Jobs is DEAD because he turned down conventional treatment for homeopathic quackery. His form of pancreatic cancer was one of the few kinds that was actually curable, and he decided to forego conventional treatment until it was too late. His all-natural cures were failing miserably

 

Chiropractic is nonsense because the philosophies upon which it is based are pseudoscientific hogwash. If you had actually studied medicine, you would know that. Did you study medicine at Johns Hopkins or some online certificate program?

 

For a start, read this for a summary of why chiropractic should not be treated as a legitimate medical field, and why in most respects it still isn't considered such. The extent to which chiropractic has become legitimate is in spite of its foundational principles, not because of them. chiropractic - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com

 

Oh that is such a worthy article, I am simply in awe at how well-informed, authoritative and learned it is, of course, you must be right - even though I doubt you've ever tried it - and all the people who have - and found it worked - must be wrong.

how could I ever have doubted such an educated and obviously well-researched opinion?

How silly of me.

[snug.bunny]

Hey genius, Steve Jobs is DEAD because he turned down conventional treatment for homeopathic quackery. His form of pancreatic cancer was one of the few kinds that was actually curable, and he decided to forego conventional treatment until it was too late. His all-natural cures were failing miserably

 

Chiropractic is nonsense because the philosophies upon which it is based are pseudoscientific hogwash. If you had actually studied medicine, you would know that. Did you study medicine at Johns Hopkins or some online certificate program?

 

For a start, read this for a summary of why chiropractic should not be treated as a legitimate medical field, and why in most respects it still isn't considered such. The extent to which chiropractic has become legitimate is in spite of its foundational principles, not because of them. chiropractic - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com

 

It worked for Tara, so for her it was very beneficial. As well as others.

 

Many people I know IRL though are in agreement with you. If you don't mind me asking, what alternatives would you suggest?

[TheBigQuestion]

Oh that is such a worthy article, I am simply in awe at how well-informed, authoritative and learned it is, of course, you must be right - even though I doubt you've ever tried it - and all the people who have - and found it worked - must be wrong.

how could I ever have doubted such an educated and obviously well-researched opinion?

How silly of me.

 

I said in my first post in this thread that chiropractic can be useful in relieving pain for some people. I never once denied that it could "work." Unfortunately, as that article clearly points out, anecdotal claims about chiropractic being effective are about as reliable as reports of pastors in the Deep South curing people of blindness by miracle. Unfortunately, anecdotal evidence is not sufficient for making chiropractic a legitimate medical practice.

 

My criticisms of chiropractic were made in anticipation of people trying to defend it as a legitimate medical practice. It is not, and to whatever extent it is becoming more acceptable, it is because it is incorporating more from conventional medicine.

 

I also like how you conveniently ignored the point about Steve Jobs. Here was a guy who believed so much in "natural" cures that he delayed getting surgery for his pancreatic cancer for NINE months. How do you maintain with a straight face that natural treatments worked in his case? The natural route was his first line of defense and it failed miserably.

[TaraMaiden]

I had no idea who Steve Jobs was, I'm not American.

I'd never heard of him.

Or rather, when I discovered who it was, I knew of him, but didn't know his name.

This is what a report about him had to say:

 

Though it was initially treated, he reported a hormone imbalance, underwent a liver transplant in 2009, and appeared progressively thinner as his health declined.

 

It's therefore debatable that what killed him was an absence of conventional medicine, and as we will never know the ins and outs of it, I scarcely think one case proves all.

Besides, as you yourself pointed out, he was a smart guy, and the report states likewise.

I scarcely think he went into it blindfolded, ignorant and a sucker for a fairytale.

[TheBigQuestion]

I had no idea who Steve Jobs was, I'm not American.

I'd never heard of him.

Or rather, when I discovered who it was, I knew of him, but didn't know his name.

This is what a report about him had to say:

 

 

 

It's therefore debatable that what killed him was an absence of conventional medicine, and as we will never know the ins and outs of it, I scarcely think one case proves all.

Besides, as you yourself pointed out, he was a smart guy, and the report states likewise.

I scarcely think he went into it blindfolded, ignorant and a sucker for a fairytale.

 

Funny how you made a claim about Steve Jobs without even verifying who he was. There appears to be much you don't know about, the most important of which is thinking before you post and, upon recognizing that you have no idea what the person you're responding to is saying, reading up on it before jumping the gun.

 

 

Here's what happened to Jobs according to his Wikipedia article: In October 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with cancer,[184] and in mid-2004, he announced to his employees that he had a cancerous tumor in his pancreas.[185] The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very poor;[186] Jobs stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.[185] Despite his diagnosis, Jobs resisted his doctors' recommendations for mainstream medical intervention for nine months,[150] instead consuming a special alternative medicine diet in an attempt to thwart the disease. According to Harvard researcher Dr. Ramzi Amir, his choice of alternative treatment "led to an unnecessarily early death."[184] According to Jobs's biographer, Walter Isaacson, "for nine months he refused to undergo surgery for his pancreatic cancer – a decision he later regretted as his health declined."[187] "Instead, he tried a vegan diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other treatments he found online, and even consulted a psychic. He also was influenced by a doctor who ran a clinic that advised juice fasts, bowel cleansings and other unproven approaches, before finally having surgery in July 2004."[188] He eventually underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (or "Whipple procedure") in July 2004, that appeared to successfully remove the tumor.[189][190][191] Jobs apparently did not receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.[185][192] During Jobs's absence, Tim Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.[185]

 

You also just insulted the veracity of the article on chiropractic I linked without substantiating why. What claims from the article do you disagree with? I make my claims, I support it with an article that makes the same kinds of claims you could find on any objective informational article on chiropractic. Your response is to dismiss without argument or evidence. Learn how to have intelligent discourse or don't bother responding to my posts at all.

[TaraMaiden]

You make some good points - but unfortunately, no points can make up for first-hand experience.

I can locate/present/read as many 'pro' or 'con' arguments as you like.

I've had extensive chiropractic treatment.

It kept me upright and walking when all else failed.

That's really all I need to know.

 

Nothing speaks so much as having actually been there and done that.

Which, i strongly suspect, you haven't.

So you can go by written reports, articles and 'research'.

Which is basically "opinion in evening dress".

Let me know when you need and have treatment.

Then, I might listen to your report.

[TheBigQuestion]

You make some good points - but unfortunately, no points can make up for first-hand experience.

I can locate/present/read as many 'pro' or 'con' arguments as you like.

I've had extensive chiropractic treatment.

It kept me upright and walking when all else failed.

That's really all I need to know.

 

Nothing speaks so much as having actually been there and done that.

Which, i strongly suspect, you haven't.

So you can go by written reports, articles and 'research'.

Which is basically "opinion in evening dress".

Let me know when you need and have treatment.

Then, I might listen to your report.

 

Forgive me if I don't let my emotional attachment to a treatment that I believed helped me blind me to objective facts about chiropractic. You can believe whatever you want. Just do not pass off your beliefs as legitimate science or medicine.

 

This reminds me of a quote from the film Pi. - "Hold on. You have to slow down. You're losing it. You have to take a breath. Listen to yourself. You're connecting a computer bug I had with a computer bug you might have had and some religious hogwash. You want to find the number 216 in the world, you will be able to find it everywhere. 216 steps from a mere street corner to your front door. 216 seconds you spend riding on the elevator. When your mind becomes obsessed with anything, you will filter everything else out and find that thing everywhere. As soon as you discard scientific rigor, you're no longer a mathematician, you're a numerologist. "