How do you feel about Chiropractors?

[declansdad]

Puhleeze.

I've spent many (more than my thing shows) years on the DIS. If I got Pete to issue me a certificate that said I was a Doctor of DISology, it wouldn't make me a real doctor.

I'm not saying nobody should go to these guys. I'm all about people doing what they want. I just wouldn't let them screw around with my central and peripheral nervous systems. Only a really well-trained doctor. The real kind of doctor. Medical.

If you need to have a root canal or a tooth filled, do you go to a doctor or a dentist. Using your logic, a dentist is not a doctor.


Here is a bit of info for you comparing doctors of chiropractic and medical doctors. (Sorry I can't keep the tables formatted as tables.)

Are Chiropractors doctors?
Yes, they are Doctors of Chiropractic (D.C.) Becoming a chiropractic physician requires an average of eight years of highly specialized training. Today's Doctor of Chiropractic must complete 4,800 hours of classroom instruction, and pass a series of rigid board examinations before earning a license. Continuing education seminars must be completed for annual license renewal.

What is the Educational background of a Chiropractor?
A Doctor of Chiropractic first receives an undergraduate degree from a college or university where he/she completes the pre-chiropractic requirements. These requirements are similar to those required by medical schools. After choosing a chiropractic college to attend, the student spends the next 4 years studying the basic sciences, chiropractic techniques, and clinical science. The chiropractic student spends many classroom hours covering anatomy and physiology with an emphasis on spinal anatomy and neurology. Besides the rigorous classroom studies, during their last two years, the student serves as an intern at an outpatient clinic. They gain chiropractic experience by offering care to hundreds of patients. At the satisfactory completion of these eight years of education and extern training, the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is conferred.
The following charts show the comparison of chiropractic education to that of medical schools.
Comparison of Hours of Basic Sciences Education in Medical and Chiropractic Schools

Subject​

Chiropractic SchoolsMedical Schools

​

Hours
% of Total
Hours
% of Total​

Anatomy​

570
40
368
31​

Biochemistry​

150
11
120
10​

Microbiology​

120
8
120
10​

Public Health​

70
5
289
24​

Physiology​

305
21
142
12​

Pathology​

205
14
162
14​

Total Hours​

1420
100
1200
100​

Comparisons of the Overall Curriculum Structure for Chiropractic and Medical Schools

​

Chiropractic SchoolsMedical Schools

​

Mean
Percentage
Mean
Percentage​

Basic science hours​

1416
29%
1200
26%​

Clinical Science hours​

3406
71%
3467
74%​

Chiropractic Science hours​

1975
41%
0
0​

Clerkship hours​

1405
29%
3467
74%​

Total Contact hours​

4822
100%
4667
100%​

Source for both above charts: Center for Studies in Health Policy, Inc., Washington, DC. Personal communication of 1995 unpublished data from Meredith Gonyea, PhD.

http://www.nbcachiro.com/site/faq.html

 

[goofy4tink]

I haven't read all the posts here. But, here's my opinion...
I started going to a chiro about 5 years ago. I got no relief at all from my incredibly painful neck/shoulders/upper back. Well, the chiro got in a car accident and had someone cover for him. This other chiro went through all the same adjustments my regular chiro did, but ended with a brief neck/shoulder massage type thing. She noticed that I had horrible knots in my neck and shoulder area. Said some good massage might be a good idea.
So...I went to a massage therapist. And it helped some. Now, this massage therapist is in the same office as another chiro....actually the ex-wife of my previous chiro. The massage therapist suggested I get an adjustment. So, I did. The chiro there was completely different than her ex-dh. She took much more time, did a more thorough pre-exam.
I started seeing her routinely...and it made a difference. I stopped going because that head/neck cracking thing turned my stomach. But, I continued massage, which helped but wasn't nearly as effective as it had been in conjunction with chiro. So, I went back to the chiro...same lady. When I told her why I stopped going, she threw her hands up and asked me why I hadn't said something!!! She told me there were alternatives to that particular adjustment.
So...I started going again...once a week for about a month. Then, every three weeks. Then, less often. This chiro does not have you coming in constantly. She does like you to come in every few months to keep things 'adjusted' though.
Does it work?? Well, for me, I noticed a huge difference. But, that is with a combination of adjustment and massage.

 

[monkey68]

If you need to have a root canal or a tooth filled, do you go to a doctor or a dentist. Using your logic, a dentist is not a doctor.


Here is a bit of info for you comparing doctors of chiropractic and medical doctors. (Sorry I can't keep the tables formatted as tables.)




http://www.nbcachiro.com/site/faq.html

I'm not going to sit here and try to count up how many hours of anatomy I had, and how many hours of physio. But, if you look at clerkship hours, that is the one that IMO counts the most, and medical doctors have more than double the number of hours. The reason many medical schools have gone to a P/F system of grading is because residencies do not care so much about your preclinical grades as it has been proven that they are not good indications of how good a physician you will be. The real learning comes from seeing patients, putting your hands on them, seeing how everything gets integrated on a real person, which is why residency programs will look at your clinical grades, and just be sure that you passed your preclinical years. A lot of the stuff they make you learn in the basic science years are also just not that important unless you want to do research. I really doubt my patients will care if I remember the structure of all the intermediates of the citric acid cycle, yet that's what we had to do in my biochem class. I'm not saying the first 2 years where you learn the sciences are useless, obviously you need to understand the way the body works and such, but it is nowhere near as important as what you learn in your clerkships, and that's where medical schools far excede chiropractor schools.

Maybe I am biased because I'm in a DO school, but I go to a DO to take care of my back pain. I've also gone for asthma and when my allergies get really bad, just to see if it worked. The treatment for asthma definitely helped, allergies helped somewhat, but what's great is that I can also have my DO right me a prescription for my allergy medication and get OMT as an adjunct. When I had pneumonia, I went to my school's clinic, and the doctor wrote me out a prescription for antibiotics, and then gave me some treatment with OMT, and I got better faster than the other times I had pneumonia. I've been to a chiropractor before, and maybe I've just been to bad ones, but I've left there in more pain than I came in with. Now, I've seen a bad DO for OMT before, who didn't really help my pain, but I never left feeling worse.

 

[Judy from Boise]

if we really want to differentiate who are real "Doctors" the top of the heap would be any with a PhD since "Doctor" is foremost an academic title. All other "Doctors" are usually applied doctorates which are not as prestigious.IN today's vast body of knowledge many disciplines a in healthcare now have the applied doctorate as entry into practice.
An MD is no more or more less than any other doctorally prepared practitioner who has mastered the body of knowledge in their discipline, and passed their boards.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I studied Biochem, Inorganic and (shudder) Organic Chem, Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology (yawn), Pathophysiology, etc. Doesn't make me a doctor. Didn't even make me a nurse. Still had to go to nursing classes.

You can call them doctors all you want, but they aren't doctors. You could 100,000 hours memorizing an A&P textbook and it wouldn't make you a doctor.

That's not to say I don't think people should go to them if they want to. But they aren't doctors.

 

[declansdad]

I studied Biochem, Inorganic and (shudder) Organic Chem, Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology (yawn), Pathophysiology, etc. Doesn't make me a doctor. Didn't even make me a nurse. Still had to go to nursing classes.

You can call them doctors all you want, but they aren't doctors. You could 100,000 hours memorizing an A&P textbook and it wouldn't make you a doctor.

That's not to say I don't think people should go to them if they want to. But they aren't doctors.

Sorry, but the word doctor means many things. You can say they aren't all you want but they are still doctors.

 

[npmommie]

if we really want to differentiate who are real "Doctors" the top of the heap would be any with a PhD since "Doctor" is foremost an academic title. All other "Doctors" are usually applied doctorates which are not as prestigious.IN today's vast body of knowledge many disciplines a in healthcare now have the applied doctorate as entry into practice.
An MD is no more or more less than any other doctorally prepared practitioner who has mastered the body of knowledge in their discipline, and passed their boards.

Nurse Practitioner for one is looking to change. I had to have a Masters, but the push now is to make the Doctorate the entry level for NP practice.

From Merriam Webster definition of doctor

1doc·tor Listen to the pronunciation of 1doctor
Pronunciation:
\ˈdäk-tər\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English doctour teacher, doctor, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin doctor, from Latin, teacher, from docēre to teach — more at docile
Date:
14th century

1 a: an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church —called also doctor of the church b: a learned or authoritative teacher c: a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a university d: a person awarded an honorary doctorate (as an LLD or Litt D) by a college or university2 a: a person skilled or specializing in healing arts ; especially : one (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice b: medicine man3 a: material added (as to food) to produce a desired effect b: a blade (as of metal) for spreading a coating or scraping a surface4: a person who restores, repairs, or fine-tunes things

 

[Cool-Beans]

Sorry, but the word doctor means many things. You can say they aren't all you want but they are still doctors.

They aren't medical doctors. And if they try to practice medicine, they'll be prosecuted.

Like I said, I want a really, really, well-trained doctor. And I meant a doctor that practices mediciine. I don't want someone who says, "I'm a doctor if you count this definition." No chiropractor, no English Lit professor, etc. The kind who can't be prosecuted for praciticing medicine...but I think you knew that.

 

[declansdad]

They aren't medical doctors. And if they try to practice medicine, they'll be prosecuted.

Like I said, I want a really, really, well-trained doctor. And I meant a doctor that practices mediciine. I don't want someone who says, "I'm a doctor if you count this definition." No chiropractor, no English Lit professor, etc. The kind who can't be prosecuted for praciticing medicine...but I think you knew that.

So answer the earlier question. If you need a tooth pulled or filled are you going to your doctor or to your dentist?

 

[suzimar57]

quack quack quack...

 

[jrmasm]

I'm curious about something, can Chiropractors write prescriptions?

 

[suzimar57]

yes, they sure can!

i worked ever so briefly doing filing for a chiropractor several years ago part-time - seemed to me there were some patients there only for (frequently refilled) RX the doctor (freely) wrote out

only worked there a month - saw enough - as i said above "quack quack quack"

 

[Cool-Beans]

So answer the earlier question. If you need a tooth pulled or filled are you going to your doctor or to your dentist?

I didn't ask why, but my dentist doesn't do extractions. Had to go to an oral surgeon.

The oral surgeon was super-nice, drop-dead handsome and flirty in a non-skank kinda way. If I need another tooth pulled, I'm going back there.

But I'm not sure what that has to do with the price of tea in China. If it is some roundabout way to convince me that I really should let someone other than a very well-trained neurologist play around with my spine and spinal nerves, it won't happen.

That's me. That's my choice. If other people want to go to chiropractors, I'm all for that and won't try to convince them not to go.

The thread asks what we think about chiropractors. I said what I thought.

 

[Arielx2]

yes, they sure can!

i worked ever so briefly doing filing for a chiropractor several years ago part-time - seemed to me there were some patients there only for (frequently refilled) RX the doctor (freely) wrote out

only worked there a month - saw enough - as i said above "quack quack quack"

IDK what kind of Chiro does that because all of the ones I know don't.

 

[declansdad]

I didn't ask why, but my dentist doesn't do extractions. Had to go to an oral surgeon.

The oral surgeon was super-nice, drop-dead handsome and flirty in a non-skank kinda way. If I need another tooth pulled, I'm going back there.

But I'm not sure what that has to do with the price of tea in China. If it is some roundabout way to convince me that I really should let someone other than a very well-trained neurologist play around with my spine and spinal nerves, it won't happen.

That's me. That's my choice. If other people want to go to chiropractors, I'm all for that and won't try to convince them not to go.

The thread asks what we think about chiropractors. I said what I thought.

My point is that you say you won't go to a chiropractor who is well-trained in what they do, you will only go to a real doctor. Well by your definition a dentist/oral surgeon is not a doctor either, so why would you go to them?

 

[Arielx2]

They aren't medical doctors. And if they try to practice medicine, they'll be prosecuted.
Like I said, I want a really, really, well-trained doctor. And I meant a doctor that practices mediciine. I don't want someone who says, "I'm a doctor if you count this definition." No chiropractor, no English Lit professor, etc. The kind who can't be prosecuted for praciticing medicine...but I think you knew that.

Who ever said they were MDs?

But did you know that in some states they are allowed to do breast examinations like gynos?

 

[pweyl36]

Who ever said they were MDs?

But did you know that in some states they are allowed to do breast examinations like gynos?

Why would anybody let a chiro touch their ****s? First of all only my gyn can do the exam. If a chiro tells you they will do a breast exam then run the the nearest exit.

 

[Arielx2]

Why would anybody let a chiro touch their ****s? First of all only my gyn can do the exam. If a chiro tells you they will do a breast exam then run the the nearest exit.

I have no idea as I would never let them do that. I was just stating that in some states the law allows it. So apparently the people who make these laws feel they are qualified enough.