Chiropractors

[bleedinblue]

/Soap box

Anyone else think they're a complete sham?  My wife is hooked, and since she started going it seems like she is ALWAYS complaining about some sort of pain in her neck/back/shoulders, and she just has to slip in for yet another adjustment.  I went once a few months ago because one of my arms has some pain when I rotate it.  Whatever she did made it feel OK for about five minutes, then later it felt the same.  The next week my back hurt real bad for no apparent reason...my wife's answer?  I should go back to the chiro.  No thanks.  I swear once you start going you open yourself up for more aches and pains that you "have" to go to the chiropractor for.

I am reminded of this topic because I just found out my wife made an appointment for us to take our 13 month old for an adjustment, which is supposed to help her sleep better at night...along with about ten other things my wife rattled off that I tuned out because it's nonsense. 

Don't even get me started on essential oils...

 

[wdwerker]

I have learned that the truth is in moderation. Chiropractors will try to get you to come back often and for all sorts of reasons. But when you have a kink in your neck or back a good chiro can straighten it out and you feel better immediately. For chronic issues you might need to go back a few times, but usually far less often than they recommend.

Unfortunately finding a good chiropractor isn't quick or easy. But if you find a good one it's a handy tool to have when you need it. Just treat it like a controlled substance useful in moderation but prone to abuse.

[Pondhockey]

Not a complete sham.

What they are is a bit mysterious (to me.)  

The standard medical profession does not do much "hands on" other than surgery.  The exception is physical therapy, which is usually very stereotyped and even bureaucratic (you get x number of sessions.)   Hence the void/niche that is filled partly by chiropractics.

I don't use them, but they've immeasurably improved my spouse's life at certain times when physicians were of no help.  

That said, their MO is to be a continuing part of your life (which naturally fits the void left by the medical profession.)   That includes pushing alternative therapies, supplements, etc., which I am uninformed about and are just an annoyance to me.

 

[Edit:  I would resist bringing a child for chiropractics.  Personal bias.]

[Llama]

I used to think they were all crooks, now I think that most of them are crooks.

I found one that is awesome. Most of them will try to pitch this new way of life, and meetings/classes and nonsense. All you need is a chiro to give you a quick adjustment, and you're out the door. It isn't rocket science. If they are saying that she needs to keep going in (barring serious medical issues), or she isn't getting better then you are being scammed.

I had some serious pinching in my back for years as a result of some surgeries. After three visits, one was 45 minutes with the next two being 15-20 minutes and my lower back pain is gone. He was also able to fix a kink I had in my upper back by my shoulder blade (that took one pull, and I'm cured). I've never slept better.

It is easy to get into the "my back hurts, call the chiro"... I'm guilty of that too. I have recently began playing pool competitively again, and I'm feeling some aches. Yep, you guessed it... I'm going to call the chiro. I look it like Steve said. Just another tool in the box... Moderation is the key, and if your guy didn't fix you... I'd find someone else fast. 

[Rex Edgar]

I was always skeptical of the profession. I worked as an auto and truck tech for most of my career. One day after working on some system located at the rear of the engine bay on a Ford diesel truck, something in my back let me know that it wasn't happy. It was almost impossible to walk. Someone talked me into seeing a chiropractor and after some convincing, I agreed. When it was my turn, I was placed on an articulating table that had hinges and joints all over the surface. Looked like some medieval torture device. Anyway after some 'adjustments' I walked away from the office in much better condition than I arrived in. This is not a ringing endorsement of the profession, just that a onetime visit was a success. I have never seen another in the twenty years since. As with most professions, there are good and not so good practitioners.

I have experienced other businesses (don't get me started on dentists) where they seem to think by looking in your mouth they are liooking into a precious metal mine and they look to hit the mother lode. My past profession gets a bad rap as well.

I wonder about the exposure of a toddler (13 months) to a chiropractor; whose best interests are served, the toddler or the chiropractor?

[Da Hammer]

My life long best friend is a chiropractor.  When I screw something up he can simply work miracles.  I have only used him and have only gone when 3 in 1 oil and WD-40 won't help my back and he can fix it pretty well.  

 

I Have no other chiropractors to compare to and it could also be that when something is screwed up I go to his house with a six pack and things are better when I leave.....

[Eric.]

I'm neutral on chiropractors.  I don't get adjustments but I do believe in the "eat right and exercise" way of life to prevent disease, rather than sitting on my ass and dumping prescription drugs on my ailments.  They lose me with acupuncture and some of the more...uh..."esoteric" remedies they offer.  In general though I think their philosophy about health is the way to go.

If you wanna talk about crooks, look no further than those who run modern medicine.  I mean if you break a bone or get cancer, thank god they're there for you...otherwise, stay far far away.  IMO.

 

[bleedinblue]

I think she loses me when she says "to fix this, it'll take about six visits..."

She's also into acupuncture.

My wife came home last week with an essential oil that we are supposed to rub on the soles of our feet to prevent us from getting our kid's day care germs. 

[Llama]

8 minutes ago, bleedinblue said:

My wife came home last week with an essential oil that we are supposed to rub on the soles of our feet to prevent us from getting our kid's day care germs.

You are being scammed. That is not real.

Also 6 weeks? For what? Unless she got hit by a bus, 6 weeks is insane.

[davewyo]

6 minutes ago, bleedinblue said:

My wife came home last week with an essential oil that we are supposed to rub on the soles of our feet to prevent us from getting our kid's day care germs. 

Um... I'm not extensively schooled on the subject, so maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's how one most effectively prevents viruses from spreading.

Plus...wouldn't it be more effective to put the oil on your kid's feet and prevent the germs from ever coming home?

[bleedinblue]

8 minutes ago, Llama said:

You are being scammed. That is not real.

Also 6 weeks? For what? Unless she got hit by a bus, 6 weeks is insane.

Of course it isn't real.  And I got "the look" after I rolled my eyes when she told me about it.  Naturally I didn't use the stuff and ended up with another chest cold a week later.  Just my luck.

 

 

[Llama]

3 minutes ago, bleedinblue said:

Of course it isn't real.

Exactly. Point being, there are chiros that can really help. Seems like she found a bad one, and wants her feet to smell like mint or whatever. 

[Eric.]

26 minutes ago, bleedinblue said:

My wife came home last week with an essential oil that we are supposed to rub on the soles of our feet to prevent us from getting our kid's day care germs. 

Yeah that's where they lose me completely.  And this is why people call them quacks.  They need to stick to the basics.  Absolutely ridiculous.

My likely future brother in law is a chiro.  He's a good dude and he's honest.  He won't sell your wife anything she doesn't want or need.  If you want his number I'll get it for you.

[Guest]

No one wants to hear the truth:

Eat less

Eat better

Exercise more

All of sudden your needs for chiros, physical therapy and medical doctors will go down dramatically.  I know, there are exceptions and perfectly fit, healthy people injure themselves and do have chronic pain.... But statistically speaking, our country is fat and out of shape and that is why we have so many health problems.  

I took a new job - it is a 1.5 mile walk to the train station each way - about 7000 steps total.  I try to do 3000 steps at lunch.  Just walking 10,000 steps a day for a month and A LOT of my aches and pains are gone.  Your body was built to move.

OP - this is not directed at you specifically, but our country in general.

Essential oils are a scam - straight up snake oil.  

My wife does yoga and occasional acupuncture, I think those things do help.  

 

 

[bleedinblue]

9 minutes ago, Llama said:

Exactly. Point being, there are chiros that can really help. Seems like she found a bad one, and wants her feet to smell like mint or whatever. 

You wanna know what it smells like?  Vick's.  No joke.

7 minutes ago, Eric. said:

Yeah that's where they lose me completely.  And this is why people call them quacks.  They need to stick to the basics.  Absolutely ridiculous.

My likely future brother in law is a chiro.  He's a good dude and he's honest.  He won't sell your wife anything she doesn't want or need.  If you want his number I'll get it for you.

Thanks, but I doubt I'll ever convince my wife to leave this chiropractor.  To be fair, we aren't losing a ton of money.  This lady is very pro-police and only charges my wife every once in a while.

[Llama]

4 minutes ago, Mike. said:

Your body was built to move.

 

[ClassAct]

Another word for chiropractic treatment is "massage." It is a massage. A focused one, but still a massage. Massage can do many things: loosen up tight ligaments, encourage better muscle movement, improve blood flow to injured areas. It will not cure cancer, prevent the flu, or align your chakras with the ley lines running through your chi. Saying that you feel better afterward is like saying you enjoy breathing. Well, duh.

Chiropody *can* fix some musculoskeletal problems. Sports medicine, physical therapy, movement training, and yoga can also do the same thing. But the key word is fix. Repeated visits because you slipped out of alignment is total crap. If the underlying problem isn't fixed, then you need to get another diagnosis from a different medical field. Repeated temporary "fixes" aren't fixes at all.

And in no way does a 13-month-old need a chiropedic treatment. That crap can be dangerous to a newly-forming body. Too many tissues and systems are fragile or newly-grown. I wouldn't let anyone, no matter how well-intentioned, start torquing or twisting on my kid's body to "fix" sleeping problems.  If there really are sleep deprivation issues, schedule a visit with a pediatric specialist who can do a broader diagnostic evaluation. Otherwise put your foot down.

[Gilgaron]

Keep your poor kid away unless your pediatrician thinks it'd help something that you've not mentioned... a chiro can be a good substitute for a physical therapist sometimes, from my understanding, but there's lots of quackery about adjustments to prevent allergies and other nonsense.  Essential oils are good for scenting candles, but that's about it.  My wife and I are both scientists and she gets on the crunchy side sometimes with the kids, but follows it up with real research into whatever ingredients had her worried. 

[drzaius]

I've tried chiropracters, 3 or 4 of them, & they never helped at all. Message therapy does help though.

[Pondhockey]

28 minutes ago, drzaius said:

I've tried chiropracters, 3 or 4 of them, & they never helped at all. Message therapy does help though.

Are we doing message therapy right now? ;-)

 

[Woodenskye]

I went once and never went back.  The pain went away for a day or 2.  I would never take my 13 month old kid to one, not unless every pediatrician in town said it was the only option. 

[legenddc]

I recently tweaked my back and had to go to one. Fortunately he's good and isn't like so many of those other scammers who make you sign up for a certain number of visits a year. A few visits and I can walk again without back spasms so bad I almost fall to the floor. This guy was nuts, but has been fixing my family for years anytime someone gets injured. We only go when something happens, not on a regular basis. Last time I went was 12 years ago.

No way I'd let my 2 year old go.

Easiest way to avoid kid germs is to put them up for adoption. If not, plan for a few sick days a year.

[bleedinblue]

I swear I'm sick every other week now.  I used to maaaaybe get sick once a year.  Lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor-ish diet, plus day care germs = sick daddy.

I'm going to get more details on what my wife expects the baby's appointment to be and contact our pediatrician before.  Googling shows its a very polarized topic...of course what isn't now days?

[Eric.]

22 hours ago, Woodenskye said:

not unless every pediatrician in town said it was the only option. 

I stopped taking pediatricians seriously after several of them turned my kid into a steroid depository and made him a million times worse.  Their only solution is medicate, medicate, medicate.

Turns out all we had to do was STOP the medication and feed him better food.  Who woulda thought?

[Gilgaron]

When I've got a cold from the kids I find they can't survive an adult fever, so I lay off the advil, take a hot shower or bath and bundle up with an electric blanket and those germs will only give you one more hallucinatory sleep night.  That and keep in mind that gin & tonic is medicine.  Lime for scurvy, tonic for malaria, gin for making you not care you're sick...