A blog *about* chiropractic and ADHD

http://www.chiroblog.com/

Blogs by chiropractors or students

Yes, chiropractors also have blogs:

The Chiropractic Blog 

The Way to Chiropractics

We've got $70 and a pair of women's panties ... we're good.

a life worth living

Anti-intellectual quote from B.J. Palmer:

A typical anti-medical, anti-intellectual, anti-education quote from B.J. Palmer:

"I would rather be a chiropractor with one simple principle and practice that works, and get people well, and be called 'ignorant,' than be a supraeducated medical man with millions of arbitrary and empiric theories, none of which work or get sick people well... The dividing line is sharply drawn -- anything given, applied to, or prescribed from outside-in, below-up, comes within the principle and practice of medicine. None of this Chiropractic do! Our principle is opposite, antipodal, the reverse, for everything within the chiropractic philosophy, science and art works from above-down, inside-out. Anything and everything outside that scope is medicine, whether you like it or not." - B.J. Palmer

 

 

Your subjects: an invitation to post here

Do you have a subject you'd like to air or discuss here? Fine. Post it as a comment here, and if I consider it appropriate I'll make it a thread of its own. Consider this message as your gateway for new subjects.

 

 

Dansk skeptiker: Sidsel Larsen

Sidsel Larsen er ligeledes skeptiker, og har en interessant blog:

Sidsels sted på nettet

Blog quoting Theresa Neilsen Hayden

Another blog entry. This one quotes Theresa. It's from a blog site run by several people.

http://www.weblog.nohair.net/archives/000293.html

Theresa Neilsen Hayden's blog entry about chiropractic

Another good blog. This one deals with chiropractic. It's run by Theresa Neilsen Hayden

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/002522.html

Check it out.

Blog by Alan: Victims of Alternative Medicine

Here's another good blog. It's run by Alan:

Victims of Alternative Medicine

Check it out.

Great blog by Liz Ditz

I just discovered a great blog with a section on quackery! It's operated by Liz Ditz, a fellow Californian. She writes about vaccination and homeopathy, among other things. Check it out:

http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/quackery_/

G. Douglas Andersen, DC - An Exceptional Chiropractor

G. Douglas Andersen, DC, DACBSP, CCN, is a chiropractor for whom I have much respect. He practices in Brea, California. More information about him is at the bottom.

Here is a selection of Andersen's articles & Letters to the Editor. While most of his articles deal with nutrition, I have primarily chosen those that have to do with his opposition to dubious practices within his profession. A couple others of interest are also included. I have attempted to place them in chronological order, so we can follow the development of his views.

His articles are well worth reading. They represent the views of a serious, reasonable, and respectable chiropractor. He is definitely not typical! If other chiropractors would listen to him, take his warnings to heart, emulate him, and support him, instead of persecuting him, they would receive more respect from the rest of the healthcare system.


Food for Thought - July 19, 1991

"20/20" Examines Manipulation under Anesthesia (MUA) - Nov. 11, 1991

Food for Thought, 1993 - Jan. 1, 1993

Another Perspective on MUAs - Jan. 15, 1993

Food for Thought 1994 - Jan. 1, 1994

Food for Thought, 1995 - Jan. 2, 1995

Flabbergasted - Dec. 4, 1995

Food For Thought 1996 - Jan. 1, 1996

Food for Thought 1998 - Jan. 1, 1998

Food for thought 1999 - Jan. 1, 1999

Proposed AK Experiment - 1999 - Sept. 20, 1999

Food for thought 2000 - Jan. 25, 2000

Questionable Interpretations of the Literature - The Lipoic Acid Example - Nov. 30, 2000

Food for Thought 2002: How to Choose a Chiropractor - Jan. 28, 2002
(or the Eight Warning Signs that You May Need a Different Chiropractor)
-- Letters in reply 1 , 2

Food for Thought 2003: Insurance - Feb. 24, 2003

Food for Thought 2004: Improving Our Public Relations - Jan. 29, 2004

Clinical Nutrition Has an Anniversary, Too - July 29, 2004



More about Andersen

Website

Bio

Articles

Chiropractic Services (very interesting reading!)

About Dr. Andersen (Dynamic Chiropractic bio)

Dr. Doug Andersen began his practice in Brea, California in 1986, after graduating magna cum laude from Pasadena College of Chiropractic, with a Bachelor of Science degree in human biology. and doctor of chiropractic degree. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from California State University, Fullerton. As a sports chiropractic specialist, he holds two postgraduate board certifications from the American Chiropractic Association, and is a Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner and a Diplomat of the American Board of Chiropractic Sports Physicians. Additionally, he is a member of the postgraduate faculty of Southern California University of Health Sciences, in Whittier, Ca.

A certified clinical nutritionist, since 1990, Dr. Andersen has authored a monthly column on clinical and sports nutrition for Dynamic Chiropractic, and has also also written for other magazines, including Muscle & Fitness, Volleyball, Volleyball Monthly, Surfing, The American Chiropractor, and Today's Chiropractic. His published papers and abstracts on sports injuries and sports nutrition have appeared in professional journals; including Medicine and Science in Sports, Exercise, Journal of Sports Chiropractic and Rehabilitation and the Natural Medicine Journal.

In 1996 and 1997, Dr. Andersen won a national award for best peer review abstract at the Annual Sports Chiropractic Science Symposium, and in 1998 was appointed to the editorial board of the Natural Medicine Journal. He recently contributed chapters to the upcoming 3rd edition of The Principles and Practice of Chiropractic, edited by Scott Haldeman, DC, PhD, MD, and the recent Strength Conditioning and Injury Rehabilitation for Hockey by Joseph Horrigan, DC.

From 1990 to 1999 Dr. Andersen was employed by the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) as the medical director for their two-man pro beach volleyball tour, and he traveled with the athletes on weekends in the spring and summer, coordinating all aspects of health care for the tour. He was also employed by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) from 1995 to 1999, treating the world's top surfers on four continents.

Dr. Andersen's knowledge regarding sports nutrition spread to major professional sports when in October 1998, he was invited to Wisconsin to consult with the Green Bay Packers and their strength and conditioning coaches on sports nutrition. He designed a hydration program, which solved the cramping problems the team had during their first six games.

From 1999 to 2002, as the team nutritionist for the Los Angeles Kings, Dr. Andersen watched as the team made the playoffs 3 seasons in a row - a first in the franchise's history. In 2003, he was named Sports Chiropractor of the Year by the American Board of Chiropractic Sports Physicians. The USA Triathlon invited him to be a part of its medical staff for the 2003 World Championships in New Zealand, and in July 2004, he is again serving Team USA at the long course World Championships in Sweden.



Office:
Andersen G Douglas DC
916 E Imperial HwyBrea, CA 92821-5612
Phone: (714) 990-0824



Search: "G. Douglas Andersen, DC"

Search: "G. Douglas Andersen, DC" "Dynamic Chiropractic"

Search: Dynamic Chiropractic On-Line archives

Chiropractic: Science or Religion?

From my Chiropractic Position Statement & Disclaimer :

Chiropractic is the most divided profession of any kind that I know of. This division is just one of the myriad ways it resembles religions and cults. What can one expect when the founder himself, D.D. Palmer, considered his creation a religion? It has been described as a biotheological cult, and I can't think of a better description. "The Big Idea" is where it's at. If you don't understand IT, you can't understand chiropracTIC.

Chiropractic is to science, what Scientology is to religion. It is just as much a pseudoscience, as Scientology is a pseudoreligion.

Since D.D. Palmer considered chiropractic to be a religion on a par with Christian Science (but it has usually pretended and aspired to be scientific), we must conclude that it is something like a religion, but it's masquerading as a science.


Let's start with Old Dad himself:

D.D. Palmer's Religion of Chiropractic - D.D. Palmer, DC
http://www.geocities.com/healthbase/chiro-religion.html

Chiropractic Health Care: Science or Religion? - David Mills
http://www.geocities.com/forbidden_area/chiro.html

Congregation of Universal Wisdom: A religious order (a chiro antivaxchurch - see II. 5. )http://www.chirobase.org/14Misc/universal.html

Chiropractic Ethics - Professional Religion - Linda S. Elyad, DC
http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/12/16/17.html


Search:chiropractic religion
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=chiropractic+religion


There are plenty more related searches at the bottom of this page:

ChiroLinks
http://chirolinks.quackfiles.com/

Chiropractors and Immunization

Chiropractic opposition to vaccination originated with the Palmers, and is still a very pervasive attitude in the profession. Here are a few links:

 
Chiropractors and Immunization 

Chiropractors and vaccination: A historical perspective 

Attitudes toward immunization: A survey of American chiropractors 

Attitudes toward vaccination: A survey of Canadian chiropractic students 

Chiropractic students' attitudes about vaccination: A cause for concern? 

Congregation of Universal Wisdom: A religious order (a chiro antivax church - see II. 5. )

Chiropractors for and against immunization 

 

 
Interestingly, one of the best pro immunization websites is made by a chiropractor:
Issues in Immunization - Lon Morgan, DC

 

Here is my vaccination information page:
VaxLinks: Vaccination / Immunization Resources


 

Chiropractic Admission Standands Lowest among Health Professionals

Chiropractic Admission Standands Lowest among Health Professionals
Stephen Barrett, M.D.

A survey comparing U.S. chiropractic colleges with five other types of professional schools has found that chiropractic schools had the lowest standards. Publications and telephone inquiries were used to compile information on (a) the percentage of the previous year's entering class with a bachelor's degree, (a) the minimum grade point average (GPA) required for admission, and (c) the average GPA of the previous year's enrollees. The researchers noted that although the degree of undergraduate success may reflect the potential for professional success, further research would be needed to confirm this. The study found: 


Type and                       % with               Avg.              Avg. GPA of
Number                       Bachelor's        Minimum             Enrollees
of Schools                     Degree        GPA Required 

Medical (17)                   99.35%             3.16                      3.56
Optometry (16)               76.88%              2.55                      3.30
Osteopathic (16)            97.00%               2.68                     3.26
Dental (15)                    66.87%                2.79                     3.13
Podiatry (7)                    89.40%               2.76                     3.06
Chiropractic (16)            42.25%               2.38                     2.90

 http://www.chirobase.org/03Edu/adm.html 

  

 

The Famous ChiroPediatric Top 7

This is a blatant example of a typical chiropractic ploy to brainwash parents into believing that chiropractors are qualified to be considered children's doctors. Heck, they don't even qualify to be considered "physicians" in any legitimate sense of the word (except legally in some states, where practically anyone can call themselves a physician)! Learning to walk the walk and talk the talk isn't enough.

Here the authors teach chiropractors how to instill doubt about MDs, particularly pediatricians, and to thus win patients. They know that once they can start treatment on the children, they will often have them and their family as customers for life.

______________________________________________

The Famous ChiroPediatric Top 7

Top 7 Questions to Shift the Credibility
from the Pediatrician to the Chiropractor

Drs. Theresa & Stuart Warner

When most parents bring their children in for chiropractic care, they are faced with a pediatrician that is not supportive. Many times the parents trust in the allopathic system interferes with their chiropractic care. This list is part of a process that will more than level the playing field. It will plant doubt in the parents mind of their medical beliefs and increase their confidence in chiropractic. The thrust of this approach is to ask questions, be subtle and direct, not condescending and use proper timing.

1. When a parent is holding a prescription for an antibiotic for their child's first ear infection ask this question. "Is your pediatrician following the federal guidelines published by our government that suggests that antibiotics should not be the first approach?" Pause and let the parent answer the question. Then respond, "Why do you think that your pediatrician did not share that with you?"

2. After the parent fills out the new patient pediatric history form and your asking a few follow up questions, ask a question such as this, "Did your baby nurse equally from one breast as to the other?" (suggesting subluxation and range of motion). Pause and let the parent answer the question. Then respond, "Did your pediatrician ask you this question?" The answer is always no and then move on.

3. Another question to ask during the history is one like this. "Did your child ever fall off their bed or take a tumble down the stairs?" Pause and let the parent answer, then respond, "Did your pediatrician ask you that? After the answer move on.

4. When performing a surface EMG (subluxation station) pediatric chiropractic examination ask this question. "Did your pediatrician perform this test on your child?" The answer is always no, then move on with the next test.

5. When checking the child's A-P and lateral posture ask, "Did your pediatrician check your child's spine this way?" After they answer move on to the rest of the exam.

6. When performing a skin temperature measurement, ask the same question, "Did your pediatrician do this test." Respond, "Interesting" then move on.

7. When a parent is frustrated that their child is on their 7th dose of antibiotics for reoccurring ear infections ask this question. "Is your pediatrician aware of the JAMA article that demonstrates that children that take antibiotics for otitis media have 2-6 times more reoccurrences than the children that took the placebo?" After the parent responds no ask, "Does your pediatrician keep up on the latest research and information concerning your child?"

You will appreciate that the parent will see that you do something very different than their pediatrician and that what you are doing is logical and makes sense. The parent will realize that you are very thorough and informative compared to their pediatrician who did not ask the appropriate questions nor perform the necessary tests to detect vertebral subluxation. Remember, keep rapport with the parent and don't over do it. In our practice after parents get over the frustration and expense of having their kids sick and on drugs frequently, and now as a result of chiropractic care their kids are healthy and off the drugs, 75 percent of our patients never go back to their pediatrician unless it is for a life threatening situation. When parents answer questions instead of being lectured to, they begin to shift and own the concepts. These strategies will help parents adopt the chiropractic lifestyle for their children's health care. Obviously after a couple of weeks, chiropractic results will speak louder than anything but this will help get you there quicker.

===================================

For more by this chiro pair:

Pediatrics To The Max training program

Here they teach chiros how to brainwash parents and how to streamline their practices for treating more children and their families for a lifetime.



===================================

Here are some links regarding chiropractic pediatrics:
Pediatric Chiropractic - Warnings to parents

Webster Technique: An Offshoot of "Chiropractic Pediatrics"

Spin Doctors II: Manipulating Children - Paul Benedetti and Wayne MacPhail
"Pediatric Chiropractic: Bogus Diagnoses, Illegal Machines and Useless Treatments." "Chiropractors treat infants and children, and most of what they do to them is quackery." "They use illegal and unlicensed (Editor's Note: Since the publication of these stories, the devices have been licensed for use in Canada.) devices to diagnose and treat a variety of childhood illnesses. Some of their diagnoses - including misaligned vertebrae, childhood osteo-arthritis and unequal leg lengths - are bogus. And the treatments they use to correct these so-called problems - spinal adjustment by hand or machine - are useless."
Chiropractors and Immunization

How Chiropractors Sell Themselves to Parents

Chiropractic care for children

Attitudes toward immunization: A survey of American chiropractors

Attitudes toward vaccination: A survey of Canadian chiropractic students

Chiropractic students' attitudes about vaccination: A cause for concern?

Congregation of Universal Wisdom: A religious order (a chiro antivax church - see II. 5. )

Chiropractors for and against immunization

Chiropractors and vaccination: A historical perspective

Interestingly, one of the best pro immunization websites is made by a chiropractor:
Issues in Immunization - Lon Morgan, DC

The 33 Chiropractic Principles

1. The Major Premise - A Universal Intelligence is in all matter and continually gives to it all its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence.

2.  The Chiropractic Meaning of Life - The expression of this intelligence through matter is the Chiropractic meaning of life.

3. The Union of Intelligence and Matter - Life is necessarily the union of intelligence and matter.

4. The Triune of Life - Life is a triunity having three necessary united factors, namely: Intelligence, Force and Matter.

5. The Perfection of the Triune - In order to have 100% Life, there must be 100% Intelligence, 100% Force, 100% Matter.

6. The Principle of Time - There is no process that does not require time.

7. The Amount of Intelligence in Matter - The amount of intelligence for any given amount of matter is 100%, and is always proportional to its requirements.

8. The Function of Intelligence - The function of intelligence is to create force.

9. The Amount of Force Created by Intelligence - The amount of force created by intelligence is always 100%.

10. The Function of Force - The function of force is to unite intelligence and matter.

11. The Character of Universal Forces - The forces of Universal Intelligence are manifested by physical laws; are unswerving and unadapted, and have no solicitude for the structures in which they work.

12. Interference with Transmission of Universal Forces - There can be interference with transmission of universal forces.

13. The Function of Matter - The function of matter is to express force.

14. Universal Life - Force is manifested by motion in matter; all matter has motion, therefore there is universal life in all matter.

15. No Motion without the Effort of Force - Matter can have no motion without the application of force by intelligence. 

16. Intelligence in both Organic and Inorganic Matter - Universal Intelligence gives force to both organic and inorganic matter.

17. Cause and Effect - Every effect has a cause and every cause has effects.

18. Evidence of Life - The signs of life are evidence of the intelligence of life.

19. Organic Matter - The material of the body of a "living thing" is organized matter.

20. Innate Intelligence - A "living thing" has an inborn intelligence within its body, called Innate Intelligence.

21. The Mission of Innate Intelligence - The mission of Innate Intelligence is to maintain the material of the body of a "living thing" in active organization.

22. The Amount of Innate intelligence - There is 100% of Innate Intelligence in every "living thing," the requisite amount, proportional to its organization.

23. The Function of Innate Intelligence - The function of Innate Intelligence is to adapt universal forces and matter for use in the body, so that all parts of the body will have co-ordinated action for mutual benefit.

24. The Limits of Adaptation - Innate Intelligence adapts forces and matter for the body as long as it can do so without breaking a universal law, or Innate Intelligence is limited by the limitations of matter.

25. The Character of Innate Forces - The forces of Innate Intelligence never injure or destroy the structures in which they work.

26. Comparison of Universal and Innate Forces - In order to carry on the universal cycle of life, Universal forces are destructive, and Innate forces constructive, as regards structural matter.

27. The Normality of Innate Intelligence - Innate Intelligence is always normal and its function is always normal. 

28. The Conductors of Innate Forces - The forces of Innate Intelligence operate through or over the nervous system in animal bodies.

29. Interference with Transmission of Innate Forces - There can be interference with the transmission of Innate forces.

30. The Causes of Dis-ease - Interference with the transmission of Innate forces causes incoordination of dis-ease.

31. Subluxations - Interference with transmission in the body is always directly or indirectly due to subluxations in the spinal column.

32. The Principle of Coordination - Coordination is the principle of harmonious action of all the parts of an organism, in fulfilling their offices and purposes.

33. The Law of Demand and Supply - The Law of Demand and Supply is existent in the body in its ideal state; wherein the "clearing house," is the brain, Innate the virtuous "banker," brain cells "clerks," and nerve cells "messengers." 

_______________________________


Index of the 33 principles:
http://www.myrcc.com/index_of_33_principles.htm 

Here they are with comments:
http://www.myrcc.com/33_principles_of_chiropractic.htm 

Discussion of this subject:
http://chirotalk.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=belief&action=display&num=1090664816 


For more about the religious nature of chiropractic:

D.D. Palmer's Religion of Chiropractic - D.D. Palmer, DC

Chiropractic Health Care: Science or Religion? - David Mills
 



 

No justification for the existence of chiropractic

Allen Botnick DC wrote:

Jeff-

It seems to me that there is little justification of having an entire profession devoted to manipulating lesions that don't exist. Other scopes such as pain management can be easily co-adopted by having physical therapists take postgrad training in manipulation for the few legitimate conditions where it would be indicated.

What unique important niche do you see for chiropractors that would justify an entire profession?


My reply:

I couldn't agree more. My contention is that the success of the individual, ethical, science-based chiropractor, is not a sufficient counterweight in the scales to justify the continued existence of the chiropractic profession. Its faults are just too heavy. I may refer to such a chiropractor, but I wouldn't dare to recommend that one of my patients "try chiropractic". The risk of them falling into the hands of a typical chiropractor is far too great.

DCs often use the invalid argument, that patient satisfaction, in and of itself, justifies their existence. But quacks use the same argument to justify their use of voodoo, witchcraft, homeopathy, iridology, reflexology, healing, and many other forms of so-Called "Alternative Medicine" (sCAM) and quackery. All of these practices can count millions of followers. Which only proves that millions of people can easily be fooled.

No, other arguments must be used to justify the right to exist as a profession, just as a number of questionable practices commonly used by most DCs today nullify the right of their profession to exist. It also justifies using the term "quackery", when describing the practice of those who use these questionable practices.

Some of these wide-spread practices and attitudes are: invalid philosophy; misuse and overuse of manipulation; spread of misinformation; use of indoctrination and suggestion; uncooperative; unethical marketing; exploitation of the confusion regarding their "doctor"/"physician" status; attempting the treatment of organic illness; anti-vaccination propaganda; treatment for colic, otitis media, allergies, diabetes, etc.; delayment of effective and necessary treatment by MDs; avoidable and unnecessary treatment of those who would improve anyway without intervention; unnecessary treatment of asymptomatic individuals; misuse of x-rays; use of alternative therapies, etc.

Chiropractic is an illegitimate profession. It was conceived in ignorance by a misguided megalomaniac and developed by his son into a self-aggrandizing marketing machine that could only produce a flood of quackery. With such a start, the history and development of the profession has been doomed to be problematic, and that's putting it mildly!

To make matters even worse, it considers itself to be the only correct and complete healing art, and thus the rightful heir to the position as leader of the health care system. Other systems of care have always been ridiculed by chiropractors, except those with a similar, bioenergetic, biotheological view of things. (It would be stupid to criticize someone else who shares one's own faulty views!) But since it is illegitimate, its attempts to achieve acceptance have looked more like what they in reality have always been: attempts to push the rightful heirs aside and usurp their rightful positions in the health care team, since, as a chiropractor wrote to me: “The only team chiropractic knows is a chiropractic team.” But no matter how much it tries, chiropractic can’t be legitimized. It is genetically defective.

It may be asked: "Aren't there some redeeming qualities about chiropractic?" No, not as a profession. It is troublesome and expendable. As individuals, DCs are just as different as any other professionals. While most of them are experts at SMT, and when it is truly [rarely] necessary can perform it properly, that does not justify the existence of their profession.

Since chiropractic is now becoming more similar, in some respects, to Physical Therapy, any possible excuses for justifying the continued existence of chiropractic as a unique, separate profession anymore are totally nullified.

Since that which is unique about chiropractic is negative, what can justify its continued existence as a separate profession? Even as a "separate" profession, I see no justification for its existence at all.

The fact that chiropractic has, by intense lobbying and the use of political manipulation by chiropractic-friendly legislators, won legal recognition in many states and certain nations, should not - by DCs, the public, or legislators - be mistaken for real acceptance and respect from other health care professionals. Such acceptance and respect can not be legislated. It can only be earned through admirable, cooperative behavior and scientific credibility. The chiropractic profession has yet to meet both of these criteria. As long as it does not do so, it has no right to exist.

A reality check reveals that chiropractic, as it now exists, would not have much of worth, scientifically speaking, to contribute to any merger or affiliation between the chiropractic and Physical Therapy professions. Its "uniqueness" and one-sidedness are neither needed nor wanted. That which is left, is already provided byPhysical Therapists.


I once wrote this comment:

"IMHO, NACM-minded DCs need to abandon the old "ship" completely and find another name for their new "ship"."


To which a reform-minded chiropractor responded:"

They can't... it's already called 'physical therapy.' In fact, PTs represent perhaps the greatest potential threat to 'chiropractic' and chiropractors that I can think of (besides insight, that is). If they as a group ever decided to 'embrace' manipulative therapy by adding to their baseline requirements for graduation, after the battle-dust between the professions cleared, there would be no requirement for a separate profession called 'chiropractic.' IOW, whatever it is that chiropractors CLAIM is valid biomedically about what they do, the so-called (and much overrated) 'baby' in chiropractic's turbid bath-water, would ALREADY be a part of what physical therapists could offer. And that, as they say, would be that."

But, this is wishful thinking on _my_ part ;')".


I think he's right. While I still support all attempts to reform the profession, I also think that it is ultimately futile effort. I have never yet seen a truly succesful attempt to make significant reforms. The reactions to reform attempts have usually been attempts to save face, not reform. What reform attempts can do positively is to make the public and susceptible chiropractors and students aware of the dangers and deceptions of the profession as it is now. Attempts at reform should be seen as a rescue mission, not for the profession, but for the individuals caught up in it. They need to get out while they can, before the ship gets sunk, and the situation IS going to get much worse than it is now.

Another, more realistic, possibility, would be to re-educate willing DCs, using a tailor-made, shortened education designed to transform them into Physical Therapists. This would demand extensive re-education and re-programming, tantamount to un-brainwashing. This would constitute an absorption by the Physical Therapy profession of the best chiropractic candidates.

In light of the high educational standards and opportunities which PTs already enjoy, this should not be seen as a step down for DCs, especially since their claim to be equal with MDs is unjustified, as well as confusing to the public. For those who still desire to be called "Doctor", it is possible, as a Physical Therapist, to earn a legitimate Doctoral degree in Physical Therapy (D.PT), as well as PhD and ScD.

The best option, as I see it, is for DCs to either start over and become MDs, or become PTs.

************************

A few quotes to ponder:

"Unsupported by science, chiropractors must either fall back upon Palmer's pantheistic views or admit that the "subluxation" theory is erroneous. Without the subluxation theory, chiropractors are reduced to manipulative therapists practicing a very limited modality shared by osteopaths, physiatrists, sports trainers, physical therapists and others. Without the theory, chiropractic's claim that it is a unique and comprehensive "alternative" to standard medicine is lost." - William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.

______

"B.J. Palmer considered chiropractic to be a business, not a profession. He advised DCs to advertise and to sell their patients on the philosophy of chiropractic. Chiropractic education is proprietary (i.e., a business of its own). Unlike physicians, DCs do not go into residency programs after graduation. They are dumped on the marketplace to survive by whatever means necessary. Having been taught to be entrepreneurs, many sell whatever they can to make money. DCs regularly invade fields of health care in which they have no real skill (e.g., dietetics, physical therapy, sports medicine, pediatrics, and even veterinary medicine). Despite the obvious conflict of interest involved, many DCs sell dietary supplements, homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies, and other items directly to their patients. DCs take formal courses in practice-building that teach methods of deception. Consumers are often no match for the schemes and scams DCs invent." - William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.

______

"....chiropractic, without its unique philosophy, is just another therapy... an inferior therapy at that... a watered down duplication of services already being rendered by better trained personnel. Chiropractic without its philosophy is unnecessary... it serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever, in which case it should be absorbed or dissolved by the medical profession. . . . . .

But I have already pointed out that these chiropractors are duplicating services (inferiorly) that are already provided by better trained personnel.

Orthopedics? Chiropractors practice it inferiorly to orthopedists.

Physical therapy? Chiropractors practice it inferiorly to physical therapists.

Neurology? Chiropractors practice it inferiorly to neurologists.

Sports medicine? Chiropractors practice it inferiorly to medical doctors.

Locating, analyzing, and correcting spinal subluxations? All health professionals are practicing it inferiorly to most chiropractors. (I say most chiropractors because some health professionals... PT's, DO's, even some MD's, are better at palpating spines and offering corrective forces than some DC's I know.)"

"The actual practice of chiropractic without its philosophy, or disregarding its philosophy, is indeed nothing more than an inferior therapy." - Robert Lincoln, DC


Rarely have I found a subluxation-based chiropractor expressing the truth so clearly.

______

A chiropractor who doesn't believe in the unique chiropractic subluxation philosophy, is a chiropractor in name only. Without the philosophy, an "adjustment" is merely a manipulation. A chiropractic "adjustment" is for the purpose of "correcting a subluxation". Only a "real" chiropractor can "Locate And Correct Vertebral Subluxations" (LACVS). All others merely manipulate, since a manipulation performed by an MD, PT or DO, is never performed for the purpose of correcting chiropractic subluxations. They stick to verifiable dysfunctions, and don't claim to manipulate imaginary biotheological "lesions".

______

"Unfortunately, I do have to say that I do understand why academics would be concerned about chiropractors "preaching nonscience to gullible undergraduates." Our profession is full of technique gurus, acupuncturists, and chiropractic philosophers preaching nonscience to gullible chiropractors! . . .

"You indicated that you are interested in how "we as a profession" should handle this. We as a profession can't handle this, because we are not willing to commit to a science and evidence-based paradigm of practice. . ." - Dr. Fred Kourmadas, DC, MS

_______

"The closer I look at chiropractic, the more it slips through the grasping fingers of my mind. It is maddening, there's "no there there". A huge edifice built on less than sand. So visible, so present, so vocal, that it just looks like "there must be something to it", yet, like gods and unicorns and subluxations, I can find no reason for chiropractic except as a self- perpetuating fancy. I think the tiny minority of rational chiropractors should cut their losses and quit trying to reform this quagmire of quackery and cultism. " - JeanneE Hand-Boniakowski

______

"Chiropractic is to science, what Scientology is to religion. It is just as much a pseudoscience, as Scientology is a pseudoreligion."
______

"Since that which is unique about chiropractic is an illusion; What right does chiropractic have to exist? Unique illusions are the legitimate tools of magicians, not of health care professionals." -

http://www.geocities.com/healthbase/chiro_illegitimate.html

ChiroLinks: Chiropractic Resources, Articles & Links

Part of the ChiroLinks page:


SKEPTICAL LINKS

On-Site Links

• ChiroLinks: Chiropractic Resources, Articles & Links
• ChiroQuotes
• What is "Real" Chiropractic?
• D.D. Palmer's eligion of Chiropractic - D.D. Palmer
• Chiropractic Assistants as Whistleblowers: An Invitation to Activism
• Chiro Position Statement & Disclaimer
• Manipulation "to correct a subluxation" (Discussion at CANOE)
• H.L. Mencken on Chiropractic - H.L. Mencken
• Letter to a chiropractor regarding Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT) - Harriet Hall, MD
• "Turf war," my tush! - John Badanes, DC, PharmD
• Objective Straight Dentistry (satire on Objective Straight Chiropractic) - "Prometheus"

There's plenty more!

ChiroLinks: Chiropractic Resources, Articles & Links

What is "Real" Chiropractic?

Since I am a Physical Therapist and chiroskeptic, I am often accused of opposing chiropractic because of a turf war. Not true. My skepticism began already as a youth, far before I became a PT. My skepticism is primarily because of ethical and scientific issues. Being a PT only puts me in a better position to understand chiropractic.

That's why I like to use quotes from chiropractors themselves. They, after all, often understand their profession best. Here is a very precise and extremely accurate description of what "real" chiropractic is all about, and this chiropractor finds it repulsive:

"Imagine how hard it is for a wellness chiropractor to convince a
new patient that they need 20 treatments a year when that
patient's previous DC had a "treat and release" practice.

Conversely, how many thousands of people have been turned off
by those who practice with a "philosophy" geared toward
overutilization driven by greed? Where is the literature to
support the "catastrophic effects" the vast majority of the
people on this planet supposedly suffer because they are not
receiving regular manipulations? Where are the insurance
studies to prove that people who go to the chiropractor 15 or 20
times a year, whether they have pain or not, have fewer injuries,
less illness, longer lives, or lower health care costs?”

After listing a number of things he would and would not do as a responsible DC (in contrast to the irresponsible ones), he continues:

"I understand there are many who feel that a "real" chiropractor
would not practice this way. Fine. If being a real DC means
wellness care, asymptomatic care, excessive x-rays, poor
working relationships with MDs, rejection of scientific data,
bizarre techniques, outrageous claims, and the same treatment
each visit regardless of the problem, then I don't want to be a
"real" DC.” The only thing "real" DCs and I agree upon is that
we would both like the public to look at our title and have an
idea of what we do. Maybe all DCs would benefit if those of us
who reject pseudoscientific subluxation-based philosophical
chirobabble (designed to addict the world to manipulation)
had a different title. I would proudly introduce myself as a
medipractor, a treatipractor, a physical medicine therapist, a
doctor of chiropractic medicine, or whatever it would take to
inform the public there is a basic difference."
- G. Douglas Andersen, DC

Andersen is not a typical chiropractor! He isn't afraid to tell the real truth about his "profession". Unfortunately, sensible chiropractors like him are rare, and they are viciously attacked and persecuted by their colleagues. Reform seems to be impossible.

Read the whole article!

Chiropractic Position Statement & Disclaimer

Chiropractic is the most divided profession of any kind that I know of. This division is just one of the myriad ways it resembles religions and cults. What can one expect when the founder himself, D.D. Palmer, considered his creation a religion? It has been described as a biotheological cult, and I can't think of a better description. "The Big Idea" is where it's at. If you don't understand IT, you can't understand chiropracTIC.

Chiropractic is to science, what Scientology is to religion. It is just as much a pseudoscience, as Scientology is a pseudoreligion.

Since D.D. Palmer considered chiropractic to be a religion on a par with Christian Science (but it has usually pretended and aspired to be scientific), we must conclude that it is something like a religion, but it's masquerading as a science.

Since it has brainwashed its own practitioners and its disciples into believing it is a science, and most practitioners focus on it as a business, while still others are attempting to make it scientific, the result is that it has become a pseudoscientific business.

The unhealthy combination of false metaphysical philosophies, unscientific practices & beliefs, mass marketing, brainwashing, cultish behavior, greed, and little self-regulation causes it to be an illegitimate profession.

It must be constantly monitored and regulated from the outside. It cannot be trusted to do the job itself. If it (legislatively speaking) is given an inch, it will take a mile. No other healthcare profession even comes close to it in negative aspects. It is in a class for itself, and, fortunately, that's where it wants to be. It just needs to be kept there, because its ambitions are expansionistic and unhealthy.


DISCLAIMER:

My criticism is not directed at ethical, science-based chiropractors. It is primarily directed at the profession itself, that keeps producing and protecting the "real" chiropractors who are traditional, "straight" and "subluxation-based". They are like dinosaurs, who should have been extinct a long time ago, but are still being educated in even the largest chiropractic schools. Many of the newer and younger chiropractors are even worse than their forefathers.

I do not hold the extreme views of certain chiro skeptics, who seem to consider all DCs as crooks, and manipulation as having no value at all, etc. While their criticism is often correct, I believe that they go too far and thus impede the efforts of reformers. It's not that black and white an issue, and is often based on a lack of understanding of physical medicine.

*****

There's more!

Chiropractic Position Statement & Disclaimer

Treasure Chest of Quotes & Jokes

Here are a few quotes from the beginning of my quotes pages:

"There cannot be two kinds of medicine - conventional and alternative. There is only medicine that has been adequately tested and medicine that has not, medicine that works and medicine that may or may not work. Once a treatment has been tested rigorously, it no longer matters whether it was considered alternative at the outset. If it is found to be reasonably safe and effective, it will be accepted." - Angell M, Kassirer JP, "Alternative medicine--the risks of untested and unregulated remedies." N Engl J Med 1998;339:839.

***

"There is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking. Whether a therapeutic practice is 'Eastern' or 'Western,' is unconventional or mainstream, or involves mind-body techniques or molecular genetics is largely irrelevant except for historical purposes and cultural interest. As believers in science and evidence, we must focus on fundamental issues-namely, the patient, the target disease or condition, the proposed or practiced treatment, and the need for convincing data on safety and therapeutic efficacy." - Fontanarosa P.B., and Lundberg G.D. "Alternative medicine meets science" JAMA. 1998; 280: 1618-1619.

***

> It is apparent to me that the simply black and white view of> alt-med (AM)/evidence-based-med (EBM) is dysfunctional and> often leads to quack busters and skeptics looking silly."Recently we on the list have begun to use the term evidence-based medicine instead of "traditional" medicine. Of course, the opposite of evidence-based medicine is not "alternative medicine," but "unproven medicine." Dr. Dean Edell was the first person I heard divide medicine in this manner: what is known to work, what is known not to work, and what is still unsatisfactorily investigated."Now, can you honestly say that if you were a physician, you could, in good conscience, recommend that a patient take a substance or undergo a procedure which was either known to be ineffective or the efficacy (and dangers) of which were unknown?"Lauren Eve Pomerantz

***

"Evidence-based methods are effective, and effective methods should be evidence-based. If a method appears to be effective, then it should be possible to prove it. If the research has not been done yet, it should be. We must remember that 'Absence of proof is not the same as the absence of fact; it simply demonstrates the lack of adequate research.' - Robert Sydenham. 'Lack of evidence in the literature is not evidence of lack of effectiveness.'" - Paul Lee

***

"Science is a way of thinking, much more than it is a body of facts." - Carl Sagan

***

"Science is not a body of information. Science is a method of investigation."

***

"The medicine that I use has two things that distinguish it from some other forms of "medicine:"1. It appears to work anywhere on the planet. 2. I don't have to believe in it for it to work."David Ramey, DVM

***

"Scholars are trained to scrutinize, to insist on adequate evidence, to ferret out logical inconsistencies and weak arguments. We are naturally suspicious of claims that go beyond our experience. Scholars are trained skeptics. Our professional motto is 'show me'. Where's your evidence? If you can't prove it, you shouldn't believe it!...If trust is the natural disposition of childhood, doubt is our disposition as adults. Academic training cultivates an ethic of suspicion, if not unbelief....we've learned to put every aspect of life through the fire of critical reflection....[But] the fact we don't know everything doesn't mean we don't know anything." - Richard Rice, Ph.D.; Spectrum, v. 28:1, pp. 39-40.

***

"The mind may find unique ways to express what it conceives of reality, but reality remains unchanged by the mind's efforts." - David Haas

***


There are plenty more!

Treasure Chest of Quotes & Jokes

"Turf war," my tush! - by John Badanes, DC, PharmD

On Feb. 27, 2002, there appeared an article in the National Post
Online:

Pediatricians warn against chiropractors
Latest salvo in turf war: Children are being treated
for asthma, colds, bedwetting

Brad Evenson
National Post, with files from The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - The Canadian Pediatric Society has advised
doctors to warn parents not to allow chiropractors to
treat their children for ear infections, bedwetting,
asthma and other problems the alternative healers
say they can cure.

In fact, the society said there is no scientific evidence
that chiropractic methods should be used on children
for any reason. . .

The statement, released yesterday, is the latest salvo
in a turf war between chiropractors and medical doctors.
Recently, a group of 60 Canadian neurologists warned
that neck manipulations can lead to strokes in an
alarming number of cases. In response, chiropractors
dismissed the allegation as "junk science."

The debate will escalate yet again when an Ontario
coroner's inquest in April looks into the 1996 death of
Lana Dale Lewis, who suffered a fatal stroke after
visiting a Toronto chiropractic clinic.

Copyright © 2002 National Post Online


************

When the article was commented upon on the Healthfraud Discussion List, John Badanes, DC, PharmD, came up with an excellent reply to the comment:


* Note the same tired arguments from the Chair of the Chiropractic
* Association. Sadly, some sub-editor decided this was a "Turf
* War", rather than a struggle between real science and a marketing
* lobby group for a questionable product.

It's difficult to defeat a "turf war" claim just as a jury can't easily disregard remarks made that are NOT accurate -- even as the judge instructs the panel not consider them when an argument isn't relevant to the question. Incredibly, and predictably, in the court of public opinion, if you merely SUGGEST "turf war," any substantive discussion that follows is immediately dismissed or diminished by an uncritical peanut gallery, sullied by the self-interest implied by a "turf war."

It's a very successful diversionary tactic that's always invoked, not surprisingly, by those for whom it really IS a "turf war." After all, what OTHER convincing argument CAN be made by the colonic therapist who wants to treat hospital patients for their asthma, CHF, and TB meningitis ... that removing colonic "toxins" reliably treats each of these diagnoses? Obviously, it's a "turf war" that keeps colonic therapists out of hospitals, along with other practitioners of medical quackery. Those MDs (not the Alt-Med therapists) just want all the money and are conspiring to keep the Alt-Med cure for cancer under wraps :-

When someone claims it's a "turf war" or let's you believe it is by NOT explaining why it isn't, then you know they're holding an empty medical "hand" -- bluffing, as it were. Unfortunately, it seems that no one ever checks to see what ACTUAL biomedical cards are being held, "folding" prematurely in the face of this "turf war" bluster and bluff. After all, if you can convince someone it's [just] a turf war, you never have to talk about the actual practice or medicine in question.

"Turf war," my tush. Very disheartening.

~TEO.

John Badanes, DC, PharmD
Feb. 27, 2002

Chiropractic Assistants as Whistleblowers: An Invitation to Activism

Are you in doubt about the chiropractic profession? Are you a CA who has doubts about the ethics of what is happening where you work? Has your employer attempted to enlist your support in getting patients to receive unnecessary treatments? Has your chiro sent you to Dynamic Essentials seminars, or the A.C.E. (Assistants for Chiropractic Excellence) Program? Are you the victim of practice building thinking? Are your morals and ethics becoming eroded? Is your chiro into wellness care, maintenance treatments, weird and unscientific practices, fraudulent billing, insurance scams, etc.? Does the "Description of a Practice in The 500 Club" below look familiar?

If so, Chirotalk has started the Chiropractic Assistant Forum just for you.

You can start cleaning up the profession by blowing the whistle on such unethical chiros and their practices. An honest CA is a chiroquack's weakest link. You are a potential ticking bomb in that chiro's practice. You know what's really going on. Here you can publish the incriminating facts. I would very much appreciate it if you would write your experiences and discoveries. Describe the types of scams and tricks being used.

You may think that your boss is a rare and exceptional "bad apple". Unfortunately that's not true. The chiropractic profession of today has so many “bad apples” that it can’t be the result of chance. It is the inevitable result of fundamental flaws in the profession: its birth, history, philosophy, attitudes, techniques, marketing and education.

Unfortunately the majority of DCs are affected by these fundamental flaws. These flaws give rise to unorthodox, unscientific and unethical beliefs and practices, without it being possible to accuse all of these DCs of having criminal motives. They simply believe and act in accordance with their faulty education.

Though it may be claimed that they just do not know any better, they should and could. The ignorance of many is voluntary and therefore inexcusable. When given the opportunity to see both sides of the story, they often get nasty and refuse to look at the evidence, especially if it comes from Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch and Chirobase fame.

They must be stopped, and you may be the key to such efforts.

This is not an invitation for CAs that are simply disgruntled or upset with a boss who is a jerk. This is about exposing unethical and unscientific practices, not about settling ordinary labor disputes.


A few words of advice before you get started:

We already have a CA who has discovered what's going on and is getting out. Read her posts before proceeding. Read and follow the threads in the CA Forum section.

For further information and education about chiroquackery, start reading the resources posted at ChiroLinks. It will help you to recognize things you may have been exposed to, but not noticed. Then your recollections will take on a new meaning.

The Chirotalk board has many lurkers, and not all of them are friendly or benign. Your boss could be one of them. If your identity is revealed, you could get in trouble with your boss. Be careful. Make sure your identity and email address are hidden.

Even though it is the chiroquack who is doing something ethically and professionally wrong, it may not be illegal, and therefore you could lose in a court case, even though you are ethically on the right side. The law doesn't look at the ethics of the case. Make sure what you write now can't be used against you in the future. If you do write such things, be prepared to defend yourself with good evidence. If you're not prepared to face your boss in court, don't mention names or places.

Write all you want in an anonymous fashion, and save the identifying information as your trump card. Your chiro won't dare to openly attack you, as long as that information is safe. Just the fear of being publicly exposed is your protection, and that fear will likely keep such a quack's mouth shut. But once you play your trump card, you can risk difficulties, since the quack has nothing more to lose and will be forced to defend himself or herself. If that happens, make sure the quack loses big!

If you are in doubt about anything, contact the Administrators or Moderators at Chirotalk privately.

While carrying on investigations at your place of work, make sure you don't do anything unethical or illegal. If you can get evidence of actual illegal activities, collect the evidence very carefully. It may be useful in legal proceedings at a later date.

Maintain the confidence of your boss. If you can work as a mole, your efforts will help clean up the profession. Since unethical, unscientific and unprofessional practices are so rampant in chiropractic, it may result in a dismantling of the so-called "profession" (it's actually, for the most part, just a "business"). If that's the case, the sooner the better! Your ultimate allegiance must be to consumer protection, good ethics, scientific integrity, public safety, and to busting the quacks who are giving sensible and honest chiros a bad name. They don't deserve that, and neither do you. Don't allow yourself to become part of the scam.

There must be a lot of other CAs who are honest and who have wondered if what was happening all around them could really be right. This new forum is the place to start exploring the issues. Here you can find out if what you are being asked to do is reasonable, or if you are unwittingly getting entangled in a scam.

If you are a CA, chiropractor, family, or friend who knows a CA, contact them and let them know about this forum. Encourage them to get active and do their duty.

======

A Description of a Practice in The 500 Club

(This describes a very typical practice. Notice the key role a CA has in this shallow type of so-called "high volume practice". Thanks to the high pressure "patient education" (brainwashing), some chiroquacks and several CAs can "treat"(scam) hundreds of patients a day, and they or their insurance company actually pay for this! Incredible.......! - PL)


TC: Was it your goal to have a 500+ practice?

Dr. DA: It was actually a goal that I had. First I worked for one of the Dynamic Essentials (DE) doctors, so I learned a lot of the ins and outs of running a busy practice. So basically I learned pretty much what he did and I applied it to my office about 20 years ago and it has worked for me.

TC: How did you get there?

DA: We do a lot of promotions where we go out into the community and talk to a lot of people. We do a lot of spinal screenings at different community events that has helped me build my practice. We do lectures; I think lectures are basically the key to educating the patients and basically getting them to understand what chiropractic is. We go to the schools, we do career days, we also do radio shows. We just tell the story, very simple, very to the point. It has worked quite well for us.

TC: Explain how your office processes work.

DA: I start at seven in the morning and all I do in my office is adjust. I don’t do any X-rays or anything else. I have an X-ray technician. All I do is go from room to room and do adjustments. I have the CAs set up everything for me, and I have the technicians do everything for me. All I do is walk in, the patient is lying face down and I just adjust them. I go from room to room; I have little doors between rooms, so I don’t even have to go in the hallway. I just go back and forth, back and forth. It is really simple [in terms of the] procedures that I use; I just do the adjustments. It is nothing really fancy; it is really not impressive at all, I just adjust people and I go in the next room. My lay lecture is very strong, so when patients come into my office, they know that all I am going to do is adjust them.

TC: Do you talk to your patients when they need special attention?

DA: We sit down with them and we talk right there and then if they need to talk to me. But most of the time my patients know what we need to do is adjust them and they really understand that because we explain it to them during the lecture.

TC: Do your patients feel like they get quality care?

DA: Most of my patients, I would say 40 to 50 percent, have been with me about 10 and 15 years, they are long-term patients. Most of them are patients that have been very satisfied with my care, and they consider us like family members. They don’t really want to stay in the office a long time, they like getting in and out. They know I am not going to keep them waiting in the waiting room more than five minutes.

======

ChiroLinks

Chirotalk(SM): The Skeptical Chiropractic Discussion Forum

The Memory of Water: Homeopathic Musings

Does homeopathic water "remember" its origins? That's what is claimed! I've done a little thinking about the implications of this idea.

A lot of it has been through the gastrointestinal tracts of a lot of people. Thereafter a lot of toilets and sewage treatment plants, before finally ending up as pure, distilled water, ready to be brainwashed into forgetting its past. First then is it prepared to selectively remember only its contact with the active, healing substances it was brought into contact with for a short time in the apothecary's lab.

Is homeopathic water actually reincarnated piss? Can a regression therapist help it remember its past lives? What tales could it tell? Of course it probably will remember passing through a famous historical person and actually being in a royal toilet! Homeopathic water isn't just ordinary water. It comes with a royal pedigree.

Does the longer passage time for men than for women (men therefore succuss the water looonger than women ..... ;-) result in accounts from reincarnated piss of its origins from famous men, more frequently than from famous women? (I'm assuming that more succussing results in longer and better memory-retention.)

But what happens if the water has amnesia? If it has a defective memory function, how will it then be able to remember its contact with a healing substance? Again, it'll need to go into therapy. Maybe then the regression therapist can help it recall its birth and other traumatic experiences. Can water be psychotic or neurotic? Maybe psychotherapy is what's needed. Can water have split or multiple personalities? We're really getting in deep water here!

This all sounds quite hypothetical. If, if, if.... Like Roger Whittaker sings, "If's an illusion". Just like homeopathy. And illusions can be powerful things. Just like faith, they can move mountains - mountains of money!

It's been said that there's more between heaven and earth than meets the eye. Maybe. But most of it is free fantasy. And when free fantasy gets run through the alt. med. spinning wheel, it becomes an elaborate, sometimes enticingly beautiful fabric, which can be sold. It's no longer free. Now fantasy costs! And since nobody in their right mind would dream of paying for fantasy, their cognitive dissonance plays them a trick. They excuse themselves for doing something so dumb, with the rationalization: "It worked for me. That's proof enough".

Another singer, Enya, has recorded a great CD called "The Memory of Trees". Maybe she should record one called "The Memory of Water".... ;-)

We need to get Bill Cosby & Jerry Seinfeld to work up a series of homeopathic jokes!

Sorry folks, but sometimes I just have a hard time keeping a straight face when thinking about homeopathy.... ;-) It just proves that even totally nonsensical and illogical ideas can get swallowed by otherwise intelligent people. Intelligence is not always an effective vaccine against foolishness!

The acid test of the ability, or lack of it, to experience cognitive dissonance, is homeopathy. On the condition that the way it works is known (by its own definitions), anyone that can believe in homeopathy is, by definition, very seriously illogical. They are most likely immune to logical arguments regarding other forms of quackery. (But try discussing their financial affairs, and they can suddenly become very logical! Especially if they can turn a quick buck.)

The above are some of my own homeopathic "insights" from the previous millennium (I DO understand how homeopathy works! That's why I'm just a little sarcastic).


=====

John Stone replied to the above with the following comment:

"I once saw the calculation .... but am too busy at the moment to recreate it, but in every cup
of water (8.4 x 10^24 molecules) there is at least one molecule that has passed through the body of every famous person that ever lived --- Jesus, Aristotle, etc --- which is one more molecule than what it is claimed to contain ... think about that the next time you go to communion."

=====

And Robert Imrie, DVM followed with this one:

"I see a sketch wherein a cigar-smoking, spectacle-wearing, goateed, lab-coat-clad Sigmund Fraud look-alike is conducting a "psycoanalytical session." His "patient," an eight-ounce
tumbler full of tap water, is resting on an over-stuffed Victorian couch. A couple of "homeopathic
detector electrodes" lead from the tumbler to a computer/monitor setup next to the good Doktor Professor. Dr. Fraud pensively presses his fingertips together and asks "Und, how long vood you say you've been suffering from zis 'memory loss'? The computer monitor crackles
with homeopathic static, and the tumbler's answer prints out across the screen. Eventually,
the good Doktor Professor pulls a gold pocketwatch from a vest pocket and swings it in front
of the tumbler assuring it that it's "getting shleeeeepier und shleeeeepier." He then proceeds
to employ post-hypnotic suggestion to implant false memories, because, as we all know, "false memories are better than no memories at all -- even for a glassful of water."

=====

Timothy Gorski, MD, gets the prize for saving mankind! He's figured out how to spread it around the world.....;-):

"I drank a homeopathic remedy. I urinated and flushed. Soon the remedy will spread throughout the world, becoming ever more powerful as it becomes more diluted."

****I think Dr. Gorski deserves a Nobel Prize!

This means that the contents of the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian oceans can be used as homeopathic remedies for anything we wish. One poor duck's life can be saved, since
it won't have to offer its liver and heart to make a homeopathic potion that is enough to supply the entire earth's needs for an entire year. But the manufacturers won't be happy. They'll
miss the profits. "U.S. News & World Report noted that only one duck per year is needed to manufacture the product, which had total sales of $20 million in 1996. The magazine dubbed that unlucky bird "the $20-million duck." There's big money in quackery! "Quack, quack",
said the duck!

=====

Homeopathy is God's way of thinning the flock. - dpr

=====

This last insightful quote from Peter Dorn kind of sums it all up:

Homeopathy is bullshit. Only very, very diluted. It's completely safe to drink.

=====

HomeoLinks: Homeopathy Articles & Links

HomeoWatch

Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake

Homeopathy and Science: A Closer Look

Craniosacral Therapy (CST)

I have long since stopped reading promotional literature and so-called "research" for CST. Back when I did it (as well as studying the skeptical literature and talking to colleagues who took the courses), I learned enough to cause me to lose my appetite. Consequently I have never taken any courses that could lead to certification.
 
My position is the skeptical one. I require extraordinarily strong evidence before even considering extraordinary claims that go against current scientific and medical knowledge. If such evidence is provided, then I must reconsider my position. I have no obligation to debunk the claims. It is the responsibility of the claimee to provide the evidence for it, and so far the emperor has no clothes. Plenty of people, including researchers who are much more knowledgeable than I, have concluded this, and I agree with their line of reasoning.
 
I have also learned enough about the dangers of placing too much confidence in empirical evidence (IOW, personal experience). When it's the only thing we have, then we have no choice but to use it, but when good science speaks against it, then we must be willing to discount our own experiences as being self-deceptive. We can't always trust ourselves. We must also use the experiences and research of others.
 
The links here represent my current views on CST:
OsteoLinks  

This summary is pretty good:
 
"We assess the mechanism purported to underlie the health treatment regime labeled "cranial osteopathy" or "craniosacral therapy." We then summarize all published reports on interexaminer reliability associated with this modality, reanalyze some previously published data, and critique Upledger's often-cited study. Our own and previously published findings suggest that the proposed mechanism for cranial osteopathy is invalid and that interexaminer (and, therefore, diagnostic) reliability is approximately zero. Since no properly randomized, blinded, and placebo-controlled outcome studies have been published, we conclude that cranial osteopathy should be removed from curricula of colleges of osteopathic medicine and from osteopathic licensing examinations." - Steve E. Hartman and James M. Norton

YOUR subjects for discussion

Do you have a subject you'd like to air or discuss here? Fine. Post it as a comment here, and if I consider it appropriate I'll make it a thread of its own. Consider this message as your gateway for new subjects. 

 

Eva Cassidy - legendary singer

I have copied this blog to its own site:

Eva Cassidy: Legendary Singer

There you will find more blogs and information about Eva.


______________________________


Eva Cassidy's story is an ironic paradox of great proportions. For most people, death is their final conqueror. For Eva Cassidy, death became her catapult to artistic immortality. Instead of causing her to be forgotten, it made her not only internationally known, but positively unforgettable. She has become a legend. What is usually a curse has turned out, in spite of itself, to be a blessing to the world. This time death has freed the way for the world to become a better place through her discovery.


My first Eva CD

Let me tell you about the first Eva Cassidy CD I bought. A 30 minute TV documentary about her was shown one evening. I was so touched and impressed by it that I said, "I've just got to buy her music."

The next day after work I went to a local music shop and was lucky enough to find the only CD of hers that they had. It was the one called "Imagine" (she sings Lennon's classic on it). I then took it home and did what I like to do with a new CD - sit down and read the insert while listening to it. I usually read the lyrics and descriptions, or whatever is written there.

Well, I was sitting at the dining room table with Grethe sitting on the other side, and we listened while I read to myself. Suddenly, while the last song was playing, she looked at me and said: "Are you crying?", and then I startled her by laughing through my tears. It was an odd "happening", and here's why:

The last song is the old Irish ( although not originating in Ireland ) song "Danny Boy". It's a song of one who is going to die, and her lover will come to her grave. Well, Eva Cassidy also died, and her story is very heartwrenching. While having just read her story, and then listening to her singing those words so beautifully and sensitively, my eyes became moist, and my soul was really moved. Then while I was also reading the short comment on the song, Grethe asked her question, and I started laughing. Why? Well, it was really a coincidence that everything coincided so perfectly. Here is what I read at the moment Grethe spoke:

"..... and Eva's "enough to make a grown man cry" rendition of the traditional Danny Boy to close the album."

Bingo! I wasn't the only man that had experienced the same thing when hearing her sing that song. And it's not the only one that can do that. There are a few other songs that are also in that category. Her rendition of "Over the Rainbow" is already becoming a classic in some circles, so some people sing the original Judy Garland version, and others sing the Eva Cassidy version.

Other songs I just love:

Fields of Gold
Oh, Had I a Golden Thread
I Know You By Heart
Fever
Tennessee Waltz
Cheek to Cheek
Fine and Mellow
True Colours
You Take My Breath Away
I Wandered By a Brookside


Search: Eva Cassidy


I'll no doubt write more about Eva later. Her music is very inspiring. I encourage you to go out and buy her music. You won't regret it!

____________

I have copied this blog to its own site:

Eva Cassidy: Legendary Singer

There you will find more blogs and information about Eva.

Blog Search Engine

Blog Search Engine -Search Engine and Directory of blogs. Looking for blogs? Find them on BlogSearchEngine.com 

Blogarama - The Blog Directory

Blogarama

 

Bekæmpelse af kvaksalveri i Danmark

Jeg vil gerne opmuntre danskere til at bekæmpe de vildledende påstande vi læser og høre i medierne. En anti-kvaksalveri netværk skal dannes. Vi må arbejde sammen. Her er indgangen til den danske del af min hjemmeside:

Dansk introduktion,

Danske links.

Den trænger til udvikling, og jeg herved solicitere artikler og indlæg. Send mig dine kontributioner, links, og ideer.

Sidsel Larsen er ligeledes skeptiker, og har en interessant blog:
Sidsels sted på nettet 

 

 

D.D. Palmer's Religion of Chiropractic - D.D. Palmer letter, May 4, 1911

Once in awhile quacks provide the very best examples of self-incrimination. This is just one of them. It states very clearly the religious viewpoint of the founder of chiropractic. It also provides a good example (of many) of his nearly boundless self-glorification. Needless to say he didn't state such views publicly. In fact, most chiropractors aren't even aware of this letter, or the real basis for their so-called "profession".

********************************************************************************


D. D. PALMER
SCHOOL OF CHIROPRACTIC
PERSONALLY CONDUCTED BY THE ONE WHO DISCOVERED THE BASIC
PRINCIPLE OF CHIROPRACTIC, DEVELOPED ITS PHILOSOPHY,
ORIGINATED AND FOUNDED THE SCIENCE AND ART OF CORRECTING
ABNORMAL FUNCTIONS BY HAND-ADJUSTING, USING THE VERTEBRAL
PROCESSES AS LEVERS.

D.D. PALMER gave CHIROPRACTIC to the WORLD.
___________________


Santa Barbara,
Cal., May 4, 1911.
P.W. Johnson, D.C.;

Yours of April 26th at hand. It contains an interesting and financial question, one which I think Old Dad hold the key of. Stop right now and read two sections in this enclosed circular, on pages 2 and 8 marked, and see if you cannot grasp the way out, that which I see that we are coming to. I want you to study those two items marked. The same ideas are in my book, altho not put out quite so plain as found in these two sections.

I occupy in chiropractic a similar position as did Mrs. Eddy in Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy claimed to receive her ideas from the other world and so do I. She founded theron a religioin, so may I. I am THE ONLY ONE IN CHIROPRACTIC WHO CAN DO SO.

Ye, Old Dad always has something new to give to his followers. I have much new written for another edition, when this one is sold. It is STRANGE TO ME WHY EVERY CHIROPRACTOR DOES NOT WANT A COPY OF MY BOOK.

You write as tho you did not know of my change of location. I lived in this city nine years ago and have always had a hankering for its climate, fruits and flowers. I can edit, publish and place my book on the market as well here as elsewhere. I have not been teaching or practicing since leaving Portland, but have today placed an add in the city paper, of which I am sending you a copy, and will instruct by book or in person as the way opens.

I have been and continue to watch your rights with "The American Octopus". I want you to STUDY the religious move.

California has an organization with Miss Michelson as our attorney.

Please drop me a few lines as soon as your trial is over, so that I may know how matters proceed.

You ask, what I think will be the final outcome of our law getting. It will be that we will have to build a boat similar to Christian Science and hoist a religious flag. I have received chiropractic from the other world, similar as did Mrs. Eddy. No other one has lad claim to that, NOT EVEN B.J.

Exemption clauses instead of chiro laws by all means, and LET THAT EXEMPTION BE THE RIGHT TO PRACTICE OUR RELIGION. But we must have a religious head, one who is the founder, as did Christ, Mohamed, Jo. Smith, Mrs. Eddy, Martin Luther and other who have founded religions. I am the fountain head. I am the founder of chiropractic in its science, in its art, in its philosophy and in its religious phase. Now, if chiorpractors desire to claim me as their head, their leader, the way is clear. My writings have been gradually steering in that direction until now it is time to assume that we have the same right to as has Christian Scientists.

Oregon is free to Chiropractors. California gives Chiropractors only one chance, that of practicing our religion.

The protective policy of the U.C.A. is O.K., but that of religion is far better. The latter can only be assumed by having a leader, a head, a person who has received chiropractic as a science, as an art, as a philosophy and as a religion. Do you catch on?

The policy of the U.C.A. is the best that B.J. can be at the head of, BUT THE RELIGIOUS MOVE IS FAR BETTER, but we must incorporate under the man who received the principles of chiropractic from the other world, who wrote the book of all chiropractic books, who today has much new matter, valuable, which is not contained in that book.

If you will watch my book closely as you read, you will find it has a religion contained in it, altho I do not so name it.

If either of the Davenport schools would take advantage of practicing our religion founded by D.D. Palmer, it will make the way of chiropractic as easy as it was for the S.C.'s.

I have given you some special hints on the question which is uppermost in your mind, will you please give it consideration -- never mind if it is new.

Truly,
(Signed) D.D. Palmer.

*******

Copyright by Joseph C. Keating, Jr., Ph.D

PalmerDD's_Religion-of-Chiro.pdf

(all emphasis original)

********************************************************************************

Chiropractic History Archives - Joseph C. Keating, Jr. PhD
These documents are some of the data files written by Dr. Joseph C. Keating, Jr. as information references for developing his many published articles and books. Readers are free to use and re-publish these files, however they must be accompanied by a notice of copyright by Joseph C. Keating, Jr., Ph.D

Chiropractic Health Care: Science or Religion? - David Mills

Google searches:
chiropractic religion
chiropractic religion philosophy
chropractic religion philosophy vitalism
chiropractic vitalism
chiropractic biotheology
chiropractic philosophy


********************************************************************************

• D.D. Palmer's religion of Chiropractic - by D.D. Palmer, DC
• HOME
• ChiroLinks
• CHIROPRACTIC INDEX to all entries here
• The Quack-Files
• Anti-Quackery Ring
• Skeptic Ring

Please link to these sites and join the webrings, if you have a relevant site or blog.

My latest satirical (exasperation) comment at Chirotalk

Topic: The Chiropractic/Homeopathy/Acupuncture Combo.

Reading this guy's web site is like reading a "Who's Who of Quackery"!

Let's play a guessing game.

Tell me, can anyone here name ten chiropractors who aren't involved in some type of quackery?

About half of them are here at ChiroTalk.

Who are the other five?

V

V

V

V

V

Seriously, this so-called "profession" never ceases to amaze me. The only explanation I have for the strong propensity to gravitate towards quackery, is that quackery begets quackery. DD and BJ were first-class quacks, and what else could they beget?

It's a miracle that any chiropractor can exist in the profession for more than ten years without getting involved with some weird idea or practice building scam.

Fortunately miracles do happen. We have proof right here, since half of the ten non-quacky chiros in existence are here on this board!

 

 

Newest pages at The Quack-Files:

Tourists in Altmedland - JeanneE Hand-Boniakowski,

Quackwatch Sites and Affiliates
Health care consumer protection when it is best!,

Rules for Debating "Alt-med" Believers - James R. Laidler, MD,

Objective Straight Dentistry (satire on Objective Straight Chiropractic) - "Prometheus", (I have added an Appendix with more information.).

My web site now has 114 pages, and is slowly growing over my head.....;-)



 

The Quack-Files: Introduction

Confessions of a Quackbuster is one of many Quack-Files projects.



INTRODUCTION

Warning! This is a skeptical and biased website (*)

The fact that this website focuses on one side of the coin, is an acknowledgement that there is another side which has been investigated. This website has a definite and conscious bias, which isn't the same thing as a negative "prejudice", which is defined as "an opinion or leaning adverse to anything without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge."

I see an informed and conscious bias as something positive & desireable, in contrast to prejudice. If one doesn't have a bias, one doesn't have an opinion worth defending. I see it as the result of an analysis of the issues, resulting in the taking of a standpoint more in favor of one side than of the other side. In other words, I am biased for objective evidence, and biased against a lack of such evidence. This naturally results in a bias for Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and modern medicine, and a bias against so-Called Alternative Medicine (sCAM). I'm not interested in anything that is just "so-called". I don't want to base my clinical decisions and my consumer protection efforts on something that is anecdotal, tenuous, unproven, speculative, and often deceptive.

As a former true believer in so-Called Alternative Medicine, even using it to treat terminally ill patients, I have experience from the "inside". I have seen too many deaths, including among my own family members who were believers in sCAM, and can no longer close my eyes to this situation.

I am not interested in making all forms of sCAM practices illegal. What I want to see is truth in advertising and no more false claims of proven effectiveness. The public should understand what it is they are dealing with. What they then do is their own choice. I simply do not believe that promoters should have the freedom to deceive their hapless victims. This "freedom" is what the so-called "Health Freedom" movement is fighting for. On the contrary, I believe in something entirely different. I believe in Freedom of Informed Choice.

(*) Now that I've gotten your attention.....;-), I hope you'll be curious enough to read on. This site is intended to polarize opinions. Hopefully you'll choose to be a quack-buster, rather than a quack-booster. Neutrality is impossible, since not to choose is itself a choice. Choose to be an active consumer protector by joining, and learning from, the Healthfraud Discussion List.

The Quack-Files