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From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.consumers
Subject: My opinion of Chiropractors.
Message-ID: <2301@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Mar-86 00:26:25 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.2301
Posted: Wed Mar  5 00:26:25 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Mar-86 21:39:37 EST
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Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
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From the soapbox:
	I was recently asked my opinion on Chiropractors, so here it is.

	It's not that Chiropractors are inneffective at what they do.  They
aren't.  One cannot argue with the the fact that people who go to them by and
large leave feeling better.  However, I have several reservations.
	One: most complaints that Chiropractors are good at treating are
chronic conditions of the musculature.  However, most good studies have shown
that these conditions are most amenable to either "doing nothing - with
spontaneous remission" or "sham treatment - with remission."
	A far more serious reservation that I have is that most Chiropractors
by either training or disposition forget the Cardinal Rule of Back Disorders:
		"Every Back has a Front attached to it."
and therefore can miss serious pathology of the chest and abdomen that just
happens to present as back problems (this also occurs all too frequently
with regular MDs).

	So, they may miss medically treatable and potentially serious problems,
which is my main concern.  And my secondary opinion is tha whatever they can
do can be done much better and at far less expense to the patient by a 
licensed physical therapist -- if warranted.
	(BTW, Physical Therapy, a very valuable health activity, requires
 	 a referral from a doctor - MD or DO.)

-- 

				Craig Werner
				!philabs!aecom!werner
I'll also entertain gifts,knick-knacks,offers of money, & proposals of marriage