Bad outcomes with OMM are not usually related to the practicioner at all.
It's impossible to know what a patient's reaction to OMM will be. I've seen some OMM jedi masters...OMM faculty types...people who have OMM-only practices....I've seen these people "hurt" patients.
Originally posted by moo
Chiros not only practice primary care medicine. They can be specialists too.
Ever see a "chiropractic pediatrician" or a "chiropractic neurologist?"
These guys exist and they're just as phony.
Originally posted by PublicHealth
For the chiropractors who have posted in this forum and are applying to osteopathic medical school, what made you decide to do this? Were you not satisfied with chiropractic or did you want to be able to offer patients the most comprehensive treatment possible?
Originally posted by coreyw
Moo old mate,
Yes there are problems with chiropractic, but your comment isn't very helpful and is pretty misleading.
I know some chiropractic paediatricians - graduates of RMIT University (here in Melbourne) - and they're not all froot-loops by a long shot.
Originally posted by moo
I don't think it's right that a chiropractor can take a couple weekend seminars by paying 1000 bucks and then getting the title "chiropractic neurologist." It's misleading to the public and it's dangerous.
Chiros in the US are very different from those in other countries. A lot (not all) claim to be "physicians" and this is where I draw the line between a "good" chiro and a "bad" one.
Originally posted by moo
I don't think it's right that a chiropractor can take a couple weekend seminars by paying 1000 bucks and then getting the title "chiropractic neurologist." It's misleading to the public and it's dangerous.
Chiros in the US are very different from those in other countries. A lot (not all) claim to be "physicians" and this is where I draw the line between a "good" chiro and a "bad" one.
It doesn't matter how phony you think Chiropractors are, if a big chunk of the general public believes in it, you're going to have to deal with it, you can't just dismiss it as "snake oil", or a sham.
Thank You, Corey! 
Originally posted by Buck Strong
Being fairly new to this forum, and only recently reading some of the threads outside allopathic, i've noticed some trends. MD's bash DO's, DO's bash chiropractors, and a combination of the aforementioned bash nurses and PA's, while in reality, none of us could completely function without those who we are trying to put down. Now, is it me, or are there alot of insecurities floating around? It seems that everyone getting bashed just wants to establish their profession as being seperate, and providing a different service, while those doing the bashing want to establish the dominance of their profession over the others. All you're doing is perpetuaing the same stereotypes you're trying to get rid of. It doesn't matter how phony you think Chiropractors are, if a big chunk of the general public believes in it, you're going to have to deal with it, you can't just dismiss it as "snake oil", or a sham.
Originally posted by uclacrewdude
i could completely function without chiropractors, and so will my patients.
Originally posted by uclacrewdude
i could completely function without chiropractors, and so will my patients.
Originally posted by Freeeedom!
Personally, my belief is that the role of the chiropractor is being somewhat pushed farther into the edge of health care...looking to find a nitch somewhere.
As more PT's offer manual medicine and push into the realm previously held by chiropractors...where does that leave the DCs except for nutritional advice regarding coral calcium and magnet therapy!! While I appreciate the healing properties of manual medicine, I fail to see the role of a DC when PT and DO (OMT) is readily available. THe comprehensive care by a DO with referral to PT for exercise therapy seems to cover bases rather well.
Where does the chiropractor fit in the modern health care model???
Originally posted by BackTalk
Chiropractic already has their niche and has for quite sometime. When people think of manipulation or "cracking", "popping" or whatever they want to call it, they think of a chiropractor and not a physical therapist or a DO. Maybe 50 years ago they also thought about an osteopath but not anymore. People associate "chiropractic" or "chiropractor" with spine or back pain as well.
Many states do not allow a physical therapist to perform any sort of manipulation. The laws would have to change and that takes time and $$$. Chiropractic is very strong politically and ALWAYS fights to protect their interests. Also, most states require a physician referral for physical therapy. Since most medical doctors think manipulation is voodoo or witchcraft they probably won't be prescribing it. This will lead their patients down the road to the DC.
Most DO's do not even practice OMT. The DO in my town sends me all his manual therapy cases. As far as PT and exercise therapy goes, well we do that as well, which eliminates sending the patient out to physical therapist. I think a DO or MD referring directly to a DC covers the bases rather well too. Also with our larger scope of practice we have the ability to send their patients out for lab work or imaging without having to keep sending the patient back to the MD to order additional testing. We also have a lot more training than a physical therapist. Many people think chiropractors and physical therapists are the same thing. This is not true. Some of our treatments may overlap but our training is completely different.
Many DC's nowadays are hiring a PT to work in their office. This is a great setup as the DC performs any necessary manipulations, screens the patient and prescribes PT as necessary.
As far as magnetic therapy goes, I would agree that we have some quack jobs doing that sort of thing. Where they learn these things is beyond me as they do not teach us about magnets or crystals or any other hocus pocus in chiropractic school.
Perhaps people are sick of taking 15 pills per day?
Originally posted by JKDMed
This is exactly how osteopathy was started in the mid 1800s. I find it funny that many people, particularly MDs, bash "alternative" forms of medicine such as osteopathy or chiropracty. These systems of treatment came about as a result of the inadequacy of allopathic medicine in 1800s American.
Allopaths seem to quickly forget their past, when an MD would prescribe toxic drugs to his patients, such as calomel, and use certain treatment modalities such as "bloodletting" to cure patients. Allopaths also used to be trained under an apprenticeship program, long before osteopathy came around. Even during this time, however, the impericism of allopathy attacked other forms of treatment during its day, including osteopathy, homeopathy, hydropathy, and the various other systems at work. This tradition continues today because it threatens the establishment of allopathic medicine as "the only medicine".
In the past, people chose something else over allopathy because the system injured them, shunned them, or wasn't able to cure them. People DO get tired of being poked, prodded, and drugged. Allopathy also cannot explain everything through science alone. Just look at how little we know about psychiatric conditions.
Whether these alternative systems are more than just placebo we don't know and may never know. We DO know, however, that patients treated with these systems are HAPPY and seem to be relieved. Isn't that what medicine is about?
Originally posted by Johnny69
In Australia i know it is a fact that the satisfaction rates of patients of chiropractic are very high. People have had some marvolous results from both chiropractic and osteopathy. Wheter there is a scientific study or not is often of little relevance to the patient whom has been helped where other modalities of care have failed.
Originally posted by coreyw
I know a study that shows high public satisfaction with chiropractic care in Oz. Unfortunately, the work I've seen did not assess patients who didn't come back after visiting a chiro, hence the results are probably skewed.
Before I go any further, I should say that personally (I've not see any studies to back me up here) I'm thoroughly unsatisifed with the care the community receives from GPs and medical specialists. (Won't go into specifics just now.)
And I'm not into chiro-bashing for its own sake - I hope my earlier posts show this clearly. (I've seen chiros and osteos for sixteen years, and have received good and not-so-good treatment from both kinds of practitioners).
Buuut.... I've spoken to a hell of a lot of people about manual medicine over the years and I have to say chiropractic does not have a great reputation when it comes to patient-centred care. I have no sound data to back me up, but Australian chiropractors ought to be awake and open to the anecdotal stuff...
I've also had several friends on the 'inside.' - i.e. friends in the profession, so I don't speak from complete ignorance at all.
With that said, and because I love manual medicine and don't like seeing it's practitioners get a bad name, here are some of the reasons why chiros get a bad rap:
A lot of chiros tend to (consciously or not) use scare tactics to keep patients coming back (the old 'killer subluxations' routine - I've known patients to break down and cry as a result of this approach... although the chiro never sees it).
Many seem to scare people with x-rays - often prescribed unnecssarily - that show wonky spines, when in fact x-rays rarely give a good indication of underlying functional spinal pathology and the body can cope with a hell of a lot of wonkiness without a problem.
There is a tendency amongst some chiros (especially those of the 'biophysics' ilk) to unnecessarily re-X-ray their patients at unnecessary expense (either to them or the public purse) and health risk.
There are too many chiros out there whose main aim in life, it seems, is to get bums on seats in the waiting room... in fact, there is a whole sales philosophy devoted to it: 'Waiting List Practice' seminars are very popular with chiros, esp. younger ones. Many chiros seem to measure success in terms of how many hundreds(!) of patient-visits their clinic has seen in the last week. There are too many stories of chiropractors flitting in to see the patient and flitting out again - the rack 'em and crack 'em approach to health care. I've heard more than a few stories (in all states of Australia) of chiros not even bothering to give more than a cursory glance at the patient's face!!! A lot of chiros exhibit a lot of 'rush-rush,' leaving the patient feeling like they can't get a word in edge-wise and generally feeling very uncomfortable.
Too few chiros employ soft-tissue and physiotherapy to aid in treatment and rehabilitation, and too many use heavy-handed high-force manoeuvres when there are alternatives (although this is changing thankfully). That said, too many use the activator instrument almost exclusively (where's the 'chiro' in that?!).
Too many still scare the pants off parents with anti-vaccination propaganda... and speaking of propaganda, Tedd Koren's stuff (which permeates chiros' offices in Oz) is particularly noxious and misleading, but by no means the only line of nonsense (probably comparable only with some of the worst excesses of the pharmaceutical industry!).
Many chiros still make outrageous claims about what SMT will do, and do differential diagnosis and co-management very poorly (BTW I do believe that SMT can be used to treat/co-manage some systemic disorders, but many chiros cross the line of science and ethical conduct IMHO).
Too many chiros ignore the patient's own take on their symptoms... even saying that chiropractic doesn't treat symptoms, only causes - what rubbish! symptoms are important to the patient and they should bloody well be important to their chiropractor too!
There ARE good chiropractors out there - I've known 'em, been treated by 'em, referred to 'em, even slept with 'em!!!. But the profession is simply its own worst enemy. There is a culture of odious religiousity and cold commerce in chiropractic that seems to emulate the worst of 19th and 20th century allopathic medicine rather than doing health care differently and better.
Now, I've known some hopeless osteopaths, but I would much rather refer people to someone who is going to treat them with respect, treat them humanely, spend some time with them, listen to them, not claim to be more than they are and apply the full toolkit of manual medicine (including some simple massage) as necessary.
Oh, and whilst science isn't all it's cracked up to be (ha! bad pun), it is the great bull**** sifter... and until chiropractic students are taught to embrace the spirit of science and critical thinking (not to the exclusion of other ways of seeing I grant you), the profession will continue to dig itself deeper into the poo.
Back in my foxhole now...
Originally posted by Johnny69
All very nicely said and all very valid, and i say this as a chiropractic student.
Originally posted by coreyw
Well then... er... now that we seem to have sorted that one out, let's all bugger off down the Corkman for a cleansing ale and spot of Irish reels.
Actually, whilst we're on the subject my dear chiro mates, what IS it - do you think - about chiropractic that seems to give rise to the kind of behaviour I allude to?
We should catch up for a beer some time Johnny69... you're at RMIT, yeh?
Originally posted by Johnny69
Nah, I study at Macquarie University in Sydney, our program is structured as a 3 year undergraduate degree followed by a 2 year masters Degree. Im not sure why it is set up like this because it just results in us having to pay much more money in our masters degree than in our undergrad degree.
Im not sure what leads to the behaviour, perhaps most of it is financially motivated, i guess. I dont think the state of chiropractic is the same as in the US.
Basically it is a problem for me to use the term subluxation, seriously, i have seen chiropractic do some marvoulous things for patients, however on the other hand i have to question things such as long term care as a preventative measure towards degeneration, since there is no evidence for this. Im pretty much in the middle, and thats most likely the reason why i will not complete chiropractic, but rather move into either medicine of dentistry.
Originally posted by coreyw
All chiro and osteo courses are now structured with the 3/2 year BSc/MSc.
Sad to hear you're giving up on manual medicine - sound slike you'd make a good chiropractor mate!
Gonna complete the BSc and then do grad Med? Don't you wish there was a school that offered yank-style osteopathic medicine? Be a hell of a lot cheaper than going over there, even if they do seem to have lost some of their distinctiveness!
There is a real need for longitudinal studies of the health impacts of long-term use of manipulative therapy... I"ve seen some bits and pieces, but certainly nothing to fully justify the lovely little five-phase subluxation degeneration models (with all the lights, bells and whistles) that you often see in chiro clinics.
I can't see the term 'subluxation' going the distance (except as a colloquialism)... the majority of the chiropractic profession will, sooner or later, have to come to terms with the need for a common language with the other health care professions.
it's not that I have so much of a problem with the idea that somatic dysfunction can have some profound systemic consequences (there are some pretty persuasive clinical studies and it makes sense intuitively)... just that I don't like it when people try to over-sell the idea... over-simplify it... and make promises they can't keep. The thing manual medicine is best at is treating pain syndromes - no doubt about it - and that in itself can make a hell of a difference to a life.
I'm much more at home with the osteopathic or a liberal chiropractic philosophy that manual therapies are mostly complementary to medical intervention (judicious or conservative use of drugs & surgery, emphasis on preventative medicine, etc.).
Someone, I can't recall who, once said that if you wake up one morning to find that you feel no pain whatsoever, you can be quite sure that you're dead.
And on that cheery note... I'm often in Sydney, so give me a bell on the PM thingo if you want to give me your details... I'll get my lawyers to speak to your lawyers and we'll do lunch.
Originally posted by Johnny69
I will hold you to the lunch, and since i am a poor Uni student, you will pick up the bill, no??
As far as my future is concerned, i am not sure what it holds for me, i may finish chiro and love practicing as a chiropractor and stay with it, or i may change to med or dentistry or practice chiro for a few years and then go back to Uni??? Who knows, i am only young.
As a potential future chiropractor, i would be highly likely to practice purely on a musculoskeletal paradigm. There will be no subluxation posters in my office or any of those flashy toys.
I will have to say the only conclusion i can come to is that i am very much complexed on the issue. I am worried that if i was to practice purely on pain and function management, i would not be able to survive.
What exactly is it that you do in your occupation correy?
Originally posted by Freeeedom!
What are you people talking about???
I would imagine if you gave each other your personal emails, then you could keep this penpal relationship of yours.
Or perhaps you could try www.chiroweb.com
I would imagine that there are more productive places for chiropractors to swap recipes than on a medical student website!
Originally posted by Freeeedom!
What are you people talking about???
I would imagine if you gave each other your personal emails, then you could keep this penpal relationship of yours.
Or perhaps you could try www.chiroweb.com
I would imagine that there are more productive places for chiropractors to swap recipes than on a medical student website!
Originally posted by azcomdiddy
I don't know enough about chiropracty to make an educated opinion. I don't know if there is huge distinction between OMT and chiropracty. And I will admit what many of my classmates are afraid to on here and that I'm not crazy about OMT and I doubt I will ever use it. In fact, I think it's a nuisance.
There I said it.
Originally posted by Freeeedom!
Hey why don't you guys try www.chiroweb.com if you wish to discuss the inane practice of subluxation and spinal manipulation for all disorders (o/w called chiropractic).
Perhaps www.rehabedge.com will also provide an outlet.
Have a nice day.![]()
Captain Freedom
tellin it like it is