AS SOMEONE WHO RECENTLY SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF A CHIROPRACTOR, I WAS VERY INTERRESTED TO READ THIS ARTICLE ON JAMES RANDI’S EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION’S WEBSITE BY AN ‘EX-CHIROPRACTOR’ WHO SAW THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS, THOUGH PERHAPS TOO LATE.

BITTEN BY CHIROPRACTIC
A reader, formerly a chiropractor, and who wishes anonymity, writes:

I do not believe I will ever practice chiropractic again, because I see no ethical way to practice. Spinal manipulation has limited uses at best and some forms of manipulation can be dangerous, cervical manipulation, for example. The problem is that I now have over $150,000 worth of non-dischargeable student loans and it looks like my credit is ruined for the rest of my life.
I realize this is my own fault for taking out the loans. I was stupid and lacking in critical thinking skills at the time. But, just curious, what would you do if you were me? Would you try to hire an attorney and fight the school for fraud? Would you just move on and try to forget about it? Would you write a book to warn other potential students?

I often feel like I have ruined my life with this massive debt. I still have a lot of joy in my life: I have a great wife, a rewarding (non-chiropractic) job, and many wonderful friends. But I still feel like I was bamboozled by the chiropractic profession.

No rush to answer me, but I’m just curious about your thoughts on this subject. I cannot encourage you enough to continue warning potential students about the rampant quackery in the chiropractic profession. Many students take out massive loans when they are in their early 20s only to discover later that chiropractic is a fake, unethical profession. By then, it’s too late and they are in debt forever.


Dr. Randi's reply:

“Yes, my friend, you were certainly bamboozled ? as any victim of chiropractic is. As for writing a book warning others of your plight, I cannot see it becoming a popular read because it contains facts that the public just doesn’t want to know. Another problem here is that those who sign up for instruction in chiropractic, obtain diplomas, and start into practice, discover that the monetary rewards are so huge, that they can’t resist staying with the business, even if they recognize that they’re quacks.
You’re an exception; you care.”

I blog from personal experience in this area. After suffering with neck problems for several months I was persuaded to visit a chiropractor. Although I cannot claim that I felt worse afterwards, for all his clicking and cradking, I didn’t get better either. On top of that I was $400 lighter.
I later visited a neurosurgeon who recommended medication and physio. I asked the doctor what he felt about the ‘chiropractic profession’ and he said, ‘Well, if you’re young they can’t do too much harm to the lower backas its pretty strong. However they can, on occasion, do serious damage to the neck which can sometimes result in lack of circulation to the brain and ultimately a stroke.

I personally feel a fund should be established to allow ‘good chiropractors’ to embark on real medical careers…..

"That pathology is grounded upon the doctrine that all human ills are caused by the pressure of misplaced vertebrae upon the nerves which come out of the spinal cord - in other words, that every disease is the result of a pinch. This, plainly enough, is buncombe. The chiropractic therapeutics rest upon the doctrine that the way to get rid of such pinches is to climb upon a table and submit to a heroic pummeling by a retired piano-mover."

H.L. Mencken



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