Chiropractors are often consulted when somebody is experiencing pains or aches or sometimes just to relieve stress. However, chiropractors might be promising a little more than they can actually deliver.
Home to the oldest chiropractic school, Davenport, Iowa is quite familiar with chiropractors. Over 400 residents in Davenport make it a popular profession in the area.
The first chiropractic adjustment was done in Davenport when David Daniel Palmer restored Harvey Lillard’s hearing. This event led to the development of chiropractors and the first chiropractic college.
Currently, chiropractors are not required to earn a medical degree. “Chiropractors do not earn a medical doctor (MD) degree,” wrote the University of Bridgeport. The lack of a medical degree should immediately discourage patients from visiting them before a licensed professional.
If a person has a serious injury or medical issue, they should consult a doctor instead. The doctor would likely recommend seeing a physical therapist or treat the issues themselves.
Additionally, chiropractors want to see patients more than once so they can make money. Chiropractors typically set patients on a plan that keeps them coming in regularly before the first adjustment is even done.
This can make patients reliant on the care and keeps them coming back again and again even if they aren’t seeing any progress with their problems.
“Also, the idea of fixing posture or realigning the spine drives passive treatment, so you have to keep going back to maintain your ‘posture’, ‘alignment’ so it doesn’t get any worse, you essentially become dependent on expensive therapy, which is great from a financial point of view for the chiropractor,” stated Chiropractor Sydney.
Finally, chiropractors often just bring a large placebo effect instead of actually treating anything. Reassuring the patient on their treatment and telling them what will happen after the adjustments often leads to false feelings of recovery.
Although the appointment may feel good at first, nothing will really change afterwards and patients only feel a difference due to placebo from the chiropractors promise.
A sophomore at Pleasant Valley, Jack Allers, visited the chiropractor frequently as a child. “As a kid my mom took me to the chiropractor a lot as a kid. The adjustments always felt good but I don’t feel any benefits from it now,” commented Allers.
Chiropractors can be great for de-stressing or helping patients’ bodies temporarily feel a little looser but their services need to stop being mistaken for treatment for serious issues with people’s bodies. Neglecting this fact may result in greater issues.
