Honest opinions about Chiropractic care, do you believe in it, yes or no?

Question

All you really need to say it that you believe in it or you don't. I'm just curious about how many people do believe in it versus the number of people who don't. Thanks

To SAMHARVEYMD I went and read some of your other replies and all I see is you bashing any type of natural health care no matter what it is. Since this is the case, I will throw your response out because it doesn't count in my eyes. Just so that you know, you must have a bachelors degree to enter into ANY Chiropractic school anywhere in the US.

Answer 1

There is a wide spectrum of practicing chiropractors. You have some that do some really weird stuff and then you have the new breed of chiropractors coming out of school now that are trained more medically. What I mean by that is that the newer chiropractors are trained to diagnose as well as treat symptoms using everything from adjusting techniques to physical therapy modalities and rehabilitation. When you are injured or in pain, you essentially have inflammation, tissue injury and muscle spasms that cause pain and dysfunction. Chiropractors use therapies such as ice, heat, electrical modalities to relieve the inflammation, heal tissue injury, and rehab you so that you return back you your normal state of health prior to injury. Chiropractic Adjustments are used mainly to restore RANGE OF MOTION and restore FUNCTION of the joints. Health is based on proper body mechanics and motion. If chiropractors would stop claiming that they can fix everything and just accept that we are good at mechanics of the human body, maybe we would not have so much controversy. This is rapidly approaching since many of the so called quacks are retiring and the newer breeds of science based chiropractors are replacing them. Doctors of Chiropractic have at least a Bachelors Degree prior to being accepted to a 4 year chiropractic program and complete a year of internship in a outpatient clinic training under medical and chiropractic doctors treating injuries and pain. That's 8 years of study and well over 120K in student cost to become a chiropractor, and then we have to deal with the controversy about the last remaining weirdos out there.

*SamHarveyMD is completely biased about alternative healthcare and has all his facts wrong. The website he claims is also biased and presents false facts about non-allopathic practitioners. There is more to chiropractic to which he is completely ignorant about.

Answer 2

No. The basis of chiropractic is false - there are no chiropractic subluxations and there is no innate intelligence. There is not one single jot of evidence or plausibility for either. Robust independent reviews of the chiropractic literature show it is only effective sometimes for temporary relief from lower back pain. Much the same as taking a pain killer. The idea you need regular chiropractic care is nothing less than a scam, given the unsubstantiated claims chiropractors frequently make. Much better to see a musculoskeletal doctor or pshysiotherapist. ------- EDIT: @lightning, even if you don't agree that subluxation complex is real?

Answer 3

I am a chiropractor, so obviously, I believe in it.

I would never say that chiropractic is a "cure all" for any disease or illness, but it definitely does not hurt. The "adjustments" help to realign the spine/bones so that the nervous systems works with no interruption, and the nervous system controls your whole body. When your bones are "out of alignment" the nerves can be irritated or even pinched. This can do everything from cause pain to preventing normal functions.

Some people do not understand why chiropractors have you return for more visits even after the patient feels better...a large reason for this is so the bones can be checked periodically to see if they maintained their alignment...and can be corrected before the patient feels more pain. My favorite way to put this is: if your car had something minor wrong with it (i.e. out of oil), you would correct the problem before it became worse (damage the engine). Granted, I'm sure there are a few chiropractors out there that have patients come back only because they want their money...but most understand that, in most circumstances, it took your body a long time to get that way (in pain), so it will probably take a long time for it to resolve. There is so much more to chiropractic, but here it is, short and sweet.

Also, there are many different techniques out there that chiropractors use, and no two chiropractors adjust the same way. Every patient needs to find one that they like and are comfortable with.

...and judging by the response below, not all chiropractors share the same ideas. At Palmer, the leader in chiropractic research and the founding school of chiropractic, the idea of SUBLUXATION (bone out of alignment) is NOT taboo or quackery by any means. Where, at Palmer, we learn physical therapy and how to work with muscles/soft tissue....but, most importantly, we also learn how to adjust well. As I stated above, there are many different techniques used by chiropractors. I believe that all of them have a time and place for particular individuals.

Answer 4

I started seeing Chiropractors over 20 years ago when I experienced neck problems. Initially I went once a week for a month, then once every two weeks and to this day I go once a month. My daughter had a slight curvature of the spine which caused her some pain and was cleared up after 8 treatments and she goes once a month for adjustments. My youngest son had to be born with via emergency c-section that caused him to develop colic even though he was being breast-fed. At 10 days of age I took him to the Chiropractor who readjusted his neck and after 6 over a week, his colic cleared up and he slept better. He goes once a month for adjustments, he is now 8. I swear by them. But I do agree that many try to rope people into "wellness" programs but there is nothing wrong with monthly adjustments. I am a proud Canadian, and the Canadian Chiropractic board exams are more difficult then the Americans.

Answer 5

It helped me but the guy wanted me to keep coming back and I didn't feel it was necessary.
I don't believe in that thing they do where they test your arm strength while you hold a bottle of something to see if ur allergic to that something.

Answer 6

I'm very skeptical about chiropractic care. Most of what they do is simply conventional physical therapy: heat, cold, whirlpool, massage, stretching, TENS unit. I don't really see why chiropractic "adjustments" would do anything, and may even hurt the person. In Canada, people with neck and back sprains are told to rest for a few days and take warm baths, as opposed to the sometimes abusive amount of therapy that Americans get for the same injuries. And, wouldn't you know it, Canadians report much quicker recovery times.

Answer 7

Never been to one. I'm not having any problems to go see one. I've heard mixed things about 'em. Some people it helps em' some it doesn't.

Answer 8

NO...and some chiropractic schools accept students who do not have even a high school diploma! Go to Quackwatch.com and read about it......I dare you!

Answer 9

sorry, i can't say yes or no. it really depends on the chiropractor. some are great, others make you dependent on their adjustments. unless i already knew a good one, i'd stay away and go with a massage therapist.

Answer 10

I see one, I think he's great. I have never felt better.