Re: Chiropractors, Quacks and Buncombe.

[Guest guest]

Gretchen ...

According to the great American writer, H. L. Mencken, " Chiropractic is a

preposterous quackery. With the dying out of the old time family doctors in

the country towns, with no trained successor willing to take over their

dismal business's, they werefollowed by some hearty blacksmith or ice-wagon

driver, turned into a chiropractor in six months, often by correspondence

courses. The Chiropractic pathology is grounded upon the doctrine that all

human ills are caused by the pressure of misplaced vertebrae upon the nerves

which come out of the spinal cord ... in other words, that every disease is

the result of a pinch. Mencken calls this " buncombe. " The chiropractic

therapeutics rest upon the doctrine that the way to get rid of such pinches

is to climb upon a table and submit to a heroic pummeling by a retired piano

mover. In the beginning, this pinched nerve nonsense was taught to ambitious

farmhands and Baptist preachers in a few easy lesson. In most States the

chiropractic Associations have been able to exert enough pressure on the

rural politicians to get themselves licensed. Any lout with strong hands and

arms is perfectly equipped to become a chiropractor. No education beyond the

elements is necessary. The whole art and mystery may be imparted in a few

months, and the graduated is then free to practice upon God's images. The

takings are high, and so the profession has attracted thousands of recruits

.... retired baseball players, plumbers, truck drivers, longshoremen, bogus

dentists, dubious preachers, village school superintendents ... "

The preceding is Mencken's opinion taken from some of his essays. My

experience with Chiropractors is as follows: In 1984 I was struck by a car

while riding my bicycle. The result was two crushed discs in my neck. By the

time I reached a neurosurgeon, I had run the gambit of quacks/chiropractors.

One actually took a full body x-ray, exposing me to an unknown amount of

radiation, sold me bags of herbal supplements, and attempted to place me on a

" Life time treatment program. " During the six weeks that I went to see this

guy, he treated me with what he called an " activator. " It looked like a large

hypodermic needle without the needle. He would apply the " activator " to

various parts of my body and it would make a clicking sound. Over the six

week period my weight went from 185 pounds to 155. I was in so much pain,

that I couldn't eat. The muscles in my right arm became so atrophied, that I

could not even lift my razor to shave. The Quack/Chiropractor continued to

encourage me to come back with the promise that " I will have you out of this

eventually. " When I finally came out of the anesthetic after surgery, the

neurosurgeon said that the nerve was so compressed that it looked like a

piece of tape. He said that with a little more time with the Chiropractor's

treatment my arm would have died. In other words, I would have lost the use

of my right arm for the rest of my life! I am one person who will NEVER enter

a chiropractor/Quack's office again and I will encourage others to do the

same.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/14/2000 12:37:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

oregonpapa@... writes:

<< I would have lost the use

of my right arm for the rest of my life! I am one person who will NEVER

enter

a chiropractor/Quack's office again and I will encourage others to do the

same.

>

My chiropractor saved me from knee surgery... I am sure there are bad ones

out there like anything else. I am so greatful for mine she has helped me out

so much. Like anything else what is good for me may not work for you and

vis-versa...

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/14/2000 12:37:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

oregonpapa@... writes:

<< I would have lost the use

of my right arm for the rest of my life! I am one person who will NEVER

enter

a chiropractor/Quack's office again and I will encourage others to do the

same.

>

My chiropractor saved me from knee surgery... I am sure there are bad ones

out there like anything else. I am so greatful for mine she has helped me out

so much. Like anything else what is good for me may not work for you and

vis-versa...

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/14/2000 12:37:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

oregonpapa@... writes:

<< I would have lost the use

of my right arm for the rest of my life! I am one person who will NEVER

enter

a chiropractor/Quack's office again and I will encourage others to do the

same.

>

My chiropractor saved me from knee surgery... I am sure there are bad ones

out there like anything else. I am so greatful for mine she has helped me out

so much. Like anything else what is good for me may not work for you and

vis-versa...