ajs@hpfcla.UUCP (06/15/84)
My wife has been hooked on seeing a chiropractor for several years. First it was twice a week, then weekly, then biweekly. It's gotten to where she goes about once a month, when she "feels the need". Regardless of whether he spends an hour or just five minutes, the fee is $18 (ouch). Oh, well, she claims she needs it and it's doing her some good. It certainly hasn't done her any harm. But it looks like it could be a lifetime addiction, never leading to a "permanent" cure.
dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (06/15/84)
I'd like the net's views on chiropractors. It seems to me that
most medical doctors think they are useless or, worse yet, can
do you harm. My wife has been seeing a chiropractor for 6 weeks
(since a couple of weeks after giving birth), and she thinks her
back feels a bit better. On the other hand, a good friend of ours
says he's seen a number of people harmed by them, and says we should
avoid them.
Well, people, what are your experiences? Are chiropractors useful?
Dave Sherman
Toronto
--
{allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!davekirk@ihopa.UUCP (Kevin Kulhanek) (06/21/84)
<.............................> I threw out my back playing basketball 18 months ago. I went to a chiropractor who took x-rays. My back was extremely curved due to compressed cartilage in the lower vertrebrae. Looking at the x-ray taken from the front the vertebrae at my neck was 3 or 4 inches off from where it should have been. I had problems getting in and out of cars and it was uncomfortable even to sit. The first adjustment felt great and "snapped" me back a little. The chiropractor also used AC and DC current on the affected area (lower back). The DC current felt like little needles poking in your skin. The AC current made the muscles in the back tighten in jolts much like the frog leg experiment in high school biology. The current applied never hurt and was used to loosen up the muscles. The chiropractor would then give me an adjustment which always felt great. The treatment took about 9 months with 3 visits a week. I have no problem with my back anymore, it feels great. My dad also used to take us to a chiropractor when we were kids if we had trouble shaking a cold. I don't remember if it worked or not but it was always fun hearing your joints and bones crack. Well, time to go ring the Notre Dame Bells again... -- Kevin Kulhanek ..!ihnp4!ihopa!kirk AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il. (312) 979-5308
kirk@ihopa.UUCP (Kevin Kulhanek) (06/21/84)
<.............................> I threw out my back playing basketball 18 months ago. I went to a chiropractor who took x-rays. My back was extremely curved due to compressed cartilage in the lower vertebrae. Looking at the x-ray taken from the front the vertebrae at my neck was 3 or 4 inches off from where it should have been. I had problems getting in and out of cars and it was uncomfortable even to sit. The first adjustment felt great and "snapped" me back a little. The chiropractor also used AC and DC current on the affected area (lower back). The DC current felt like little needles poking in your skin. The AC current made the muscles in the back tighten in jolts much like the frog leg experiment in high school biology. The current applied never hurt and was used to loosen up the muscles. The chiropractor would then give me an adjustment which always felt great. The treatment took about 9 months with 3 visits a week. I have no problem with my back anymore, it feels great. My dad also used to take us to a chiropractor when we were kids if we had trouble shaking a cold. I don't remember if it worked or not but it was always fun hearing your joints and bones crack. Well, time to go ring the Notre Dame Bells again... -- Kevin Kulhanek ..!ihnp4!ihopa!kirk AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, Il. (312) 979-5308
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (06/22/84)
As to Chiropractors, there are several kinds lurking about. There are the ones who can claim to cure anything from warts to cardiac arrest. They can best be recognized by having a large poster picture of a man on the wall of their waiting room that has all of the known ailments of man listed with the pressure points needed to manipulate in order to cure them. If you see such a poster, run, don't walk to the nearest exit. There are other Chiropractors who will tell you they can't cure anything, just make you feel better. These are the ones you may be looking for. Their stock-in-trade is the manipulation of muscles and joints to releive tension, thus easing some pain. A good Chiropractor will tell you that your problem should be refered to a medical doctor. I have found a few of them in my travels, and they were great. In the State of Washington, Chiropractors were required to pass part of the State medical boards before they could practice. This was quite a few years ago, but it did get rid of the con artists at that time. I have several Doctor type friends right now and they all are in the habit of reccomending certain Chiropractors for certain types of joint and muscle problems. If you want to know about the REAL Chiropractors, get to know a doctor that understands what can be done by one. BTW, there IS a medical degree that is recognized by the AMA et.al. that allows the doctor to practice the same thing a Chiropractor does. Can't think of the title right now. I have used Chiropractors in the past and fully expect to use one in the future. I was going to a old guy, near 80, who was able to manipulate the muscles in my back so that I could stand up again. He told me that I would eventually have to have an operation if I didn't exercise these muscles properly. He was right. I exercise now. The old guy is gone now so I will have to find a new Chiropractor if I need one. Shop around. Avoid like the plague anyone who says they can cure colds or anything else that really requires a medical doctor. There are a few good Chiropractors around and they can help with aches and pains caused by tension. Good luck. T. C. Wheeler
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (06/26/84)
I've heard of very few instances where people think they were harmed by
chiropractors. However, I've known a number of people who seem to go to
chiropractors on a more-or-less regular basis, from which I have to wonder
if the chiropractors may not be treating symptoms rather than real
problems. [In at least one case, I could label the patient a hypochondriac
without feeling guilty.] It bothers me to see people going for biweekly or
monthly treatments for years on end when the treatments are supposed to be
fixing a problem. It's hard to accept someone "getting better" from a
minor problem for two years.
One good indicator appears to be how the chiropractor regards other
branches of medicine, other therapeutic treatment, and science in general.
A chiropractor who has real disdain for MD's is suspect. The ones who
check your aura, put little vials on your chest (or aluminum on your ear!)
and pull on your arms, are on the outer edge and best avoided unless you're
doing a dissertation on fringe science.
My wife is a massage therapist. She has massaged people who had been
unsuccessfully treated by chiropractors - the chiropractor even cautioned
against massage. She has also massaged chiropractors. Now, there's
nothing magic about massage, and it doesn't conflict with what chiropractic
claims to do. A chiropractor in particular should understand therapeutic
massage; if he doesn't, he's being parochial for no very sound reason and
you have to wonder what he's up to.
--
Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086
...Relax...don't worry...have a homebrew.sle@ihldt.UUCP (Sandi Engelhorn) (01/23/85)
Not all chiropractors who take x-rays are quacks. Six months ago I was suffering from lower back pains and headaches. After looking through the yellow pages I chose a chiropractor. After talking to him and explaining my problems he gave me a complete physical and took x-rays of my neck and back. At first I was extremely skeptical because I also felt that he should be able to tell what was wrong from just feeling. However, he had an x-ray specialist look at the x-rays and tell him what was going on. Then he sat down and explained what was wrong, using the x-rays to show me. Then I went into therepy. My sessions started at one a day for two weeks and have increased to one every two months. The goal according to the doctor is for me to come back once a year for "maintenance". How do I feel? I feel great!!!! After about 3 sessions there was a definite improvement. My husband, a real skeptic, was even impressed because I was a much nicer person and a lot easier to get along with. (He said I had become quite a crabby person before.) So all this is to say give different methods a chance. Just because it's not what you've always had doesn't mean it's wrong. Sandi Engelhorn
gino@voder.UUCP (Gino Bloch) (01/25/85)
[placebo for the bug]
> Not all chiropractors who take x-rays are quacks.
In fact, since back pain can be caused by such things as tumors as well as by
bad alignment (whatever that is), to take an X-ray is the RESPONSIBLE thing
to do.
--
Gene E. Bloch (...!nsc!voder!gino)
Support Bulgarian gajda players.mef@wucs.UUCP (Mark Frisse) (01/31/85)
> [placebo for the bug] > > > Not all chiropractors who take x-rays are quacks. > In fact, since back pain can be caused by such things as tumors as well as by > bad alignment (whatever that is), to take an X-ray is the RESPONSIBLE thing > to do. > -- > Gene E. Bloch (...!nsc!voder!gino) > Support Bulgarian gajda players. It depends upon the type of xray. "Whole body x-rays" popularized by many chiropractors are rather WORTHLESS to evaluate the spine for tumors. In addition, giving a poorly-trained health professional (of any variety) a good x-ray is about as useful as giving a chimpanzee a good book. Mark Frisse
snappy@ihlpa.UUCP (Schulpiet) (03/17/86)
Regarding the reply to my posting of my son's experience with the chiropractor. I am sorry if you misunderstood the intent of my posting. I did not mean to say that all chiropractor services are "no good".... I, myself, have had treatments from a chiropractor as a young child..also a back problem that my husband occasionally had was cleared up several times by a chiropractor... BUT within a reasonable amount of time or treatments. The thing is...do not assume that every pain in the back is going to be cleared up with a visit or series of treatments from a chiropractor. See a good orthopedic man if your problem is not cleared up within a reasonable amount of time. As Craig Werner stated in his posting, not every pain the back is an indication of back trouble...it could be caused by something "up front" as was in my son's case. I know very well that chiropractors are well trained...working on cadavres (sp?) etc....but evidently the chiropractor that worked on my son did not "spot" the true source of his trouble even though several exrays were taken, etc. Well, we've learned to take each day as it comes and thank God that my son is not in a complete state of despair (being only 32 years old this coming September.) I only posted the facts of my son's experience as a precautionary measure so that someone else does not "assume" that chiropractors can solve all back problems. Sorry if I offended anyone on the net with my posting. God bless you all this beautiful St. Patrick's Day! Marge .