cdmguy

Dawn: DOs are what DCs dream of being when they grow up. Different animal entirely. DO practice is 99% science based. Manipulation is a good treatment for SOME problems. But when abused there are big problems.

I'm am really surprized that medically trained RNs are acutally supporting quackery. Sorry but I thought nurses were smarter than falling for this. Instead what I see is a lack of understanding and a heap of ignorance. I guess I was wrong The petition doesnt not "paint with so broad a brush". It is accurate. The statements quoted show that what I am protesting is commonplace and pervasive. So we are not talking about "a few quacks". We are talking about misinformation that is being promoted in US Dept of Labor career guides and in chiropractic colleges everyday. There is also the negative outcomes to consider. Chiropractors hide this but according to the Rand group, only 11% of chiropractic neck manipulations are appropriate. Only 50% of low back manipulations are appropriate. Many patients are not being accurately diagnosed and are being given inappropriate treatment. Outcomes of this include: death from strokes, wasted money, wasted time, herniated vertebral disks and injuries from delayed referral to medical physicians. So quit beating up the messenger and see how serious this problem really is. If you want some facts visit http://www.chirobase.org otherwise check chiropractic sources.

>Let us rephrase to reflect reality: You allowed yourself to be manipulated. Please take responsibility for your own actions. This isn't correct. I wasn't aware that I was being manipulated at the time. It was more subtle than that. This is the very point I am trying to make but I guess you fail to see. Chiropractors are using deception for recruitment. It is easy to recognize in hindsight but in the moments is something different entirely. Try to see it from a naive student's point of view. I am much better at spotting fraud now though.

On second thought I think it is Franco Columbo who is a DC not Lou Ferigno. He went to Palmer. It is scientifically proven that chiropractic manipulation has no long term biomechanical effect. All analysis for "subluxation" have failed to be validated, subluxations have failed to pass criteria as a real disease and manipulations failed to show they have a permanents effect on biomechanics. The whole thing is a sham. All the positive effects are easily explained as a neurological affect on certain disease conditions that has nothing to do with curing biomechanical problems or the spine. The only thing that keeps this from being more widely known is that chiropractors keep misleading the public. Yes that DC did manipulate me into attending chiropractic school by playing on my emotions (the crying and bill).

I've read comments by DCs that they are very unhappy that Schwartzeneggar (sp?) has vigorously enforced their workman's comp claims to save money. They expected him to do their bidding since he was affiliated with the pro-quackery ICA organization and is friends with former bodybuilder Lou Ferigno DC. Lucky for taxpayers that didn't happen.

Karen: >Your latest post shows that this is a personal issue based on care by 2 chiroprators and training issues at the Life University pprogram. This isn't true. Just because I had a bad personal experience doesn't make my criticisms invalid. You are jumping to conclusions. Judge the issue on the evidence not by the personal life of who is promoting it. >The same thing could have happened to anyone with any type of healthcare professional these days. Not really because in chiropractic students are taught that the quackery is legitimate. This is the key issue. >Instead of blaming the whole profession, you should be addressing the real issue: manipulation of patients for financial gain and fraud concerns to the state board that regulates such practice. It is impossible because the state laws actually legitimize the quackery by defining chiropractic practice around it. Look up the definitions of chiropractic in most states, all say it is to remove nerve interference by realigning vertebra. Further, the boards are run by practicing chiropractors and are notorious for protecting their own. >If citizens DON't report concerns, how are the regulators ever know about problems and able to take corrective action?? While I agree that consumers need to file board complaints, the misinformation that my petition concerns needs to be stopped by the Dept of Labor. No chiropractic board has the power to do this.

Lisa, I had the same experience. A chiropractor initially told me the quackery that chiropractic adjustments could help my astma. I was dissappointed with the medical approach which couldn't cure it and gave it a try. That DC couldn't help so he referred me to another one who was closer to my home so I could be treated more frequently. Not only did the second one not help but she ran up a large bill experimenting on me. When I quit care she tearfully told me that I had hurt her feelings and that if I did not follow through on attending the chiropractic school she suggested she would hold me responsible to pay the balance. Otherwise she would forgive it. I made the mistake of responding to this manipulation and attended the school, Life University, which recently lost accreditation because it refuses to teach the differential diagnosis course required by accreditation, instead substituting a health insurance fraud system where everyone is diagnosed as having subluxations no matter what their complaint is. Returning to the asthma, years of treatment had no effect and chiropractors were not even able to show their manipulations had realigned my vertebra. I now know that this is impossible and that chiropractic has been proven ineffective against asthma in a large controlled clinical trial (Lancet). So please sign the petition to keep other students from falling for this. http://www.petitiononline.com/ajb2/petition.html And tell others.

There are many unscientific practices in chiropractic Vicky. For a good summary check out http://www.chirobase.org.

>Hum... feeling a little shafted that you didn't get in to Chiro school? Nobody doesn't get into chiro school unless you don't have a pulse or have a criminal record. >Chiro care is an ART. And it DOES WORK. Manipulation works. Correcting subluxations is nonsense.

I just wanted to let US residents know that there is a hot new petition available online to get the US Dept of Labor to remove unscientific statements promoting chiropractic quackery as a career to unsuspecting college students. Please sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/ajb2/petition.html and tell everyone you know (friends, family members, MDs, RNs, PTs, discussion lists, etc). Hopefully with enough support we can protect many students from wasting their careers and becoming future enemies of scientific healthcare. Petition http://www.petitiononline.com/ajb2/petition.html Thank you