chiropractic health
Chiropractic Q&A » chiropractic health » natural health chiropractic

natural health chiropractic

Read and learn more about natural health chiropractic. For more, visit the Chiropractic website ChiropracticHealthiness.com

Q: Easiest way to become a doctor?
I want to go into alternative medicine, but the FDA and other government agencies are cracking down on holistic medicine and natural health practitioners. Now days, if you want the government off your back, you need to become a doctor of some sort. Should I go chiropractic? Are there any other doctor programs that are quicker?

A: The government is NOT cracking down on the use of alternative meds – they spend billions of dollars every year researching them – - I used to do just that – - what they are cracking down on is unsafe/lack of/bad science. Be glad for that – - it prevents people from getting hurt, and I’ve seen plenty of that.

Just for the sake of posterity – here is the national institutes of healths complimentary and alternative health website. Just so you know they aren’t the enemy.

http://nccam.nih.gov/

Become a doctor – - then you’ll know WHY these things work and have a much better chance of making a real difference – - publish articles, speak at your capitol, AND see patients.

Chiropractors provide valuable services to some, but they are not doctors.

Sorry, there are no shortcuts to becoming a doctor…it takes that long to learn how this body works from a molecular to a systematic to an organism level.

In theory, I guess you could become a registered dietician, since most herbs are considered supplements, and not drugs. Just an idea, but maybe one worth looking into…

Q: Why not pattern US health reform after GB / UK? They use HERBS?
I favor Health Care Reform IF we use HERBS as much or more than pharmaceuticals? UK uses more natural health remedies. I am not impressed with synthetic drugs that the human body wants to initally reject since it causes reactions and side effects. They always want to add more drugs to cover your symptoms up. That’s not good doctoring!
Who is trying to shorten your life?

Also, acupuncture and Spinal Decompression and chiropractic are so helpful. I wonder why people are not as healthy in America as in 3rd world countries. Sicko movie seen at High School today & it was very good to encourage us to LOOK AT other countries’ and what works. Hey – we’re supposed to thrive on capitalism and competitiveness. Let’s have what really is BEST not just pharm drugs.
The Scientific Method is conducted only on synthetic drugs by the Big Pharma since that is the only method by which to put a patent n any item and make money. Do they care that something works better? There are studies done. FDA and Big Pharma do not care to investigate to keep us drugged & funding drug companies. System MUST be changed. Most herbs never harm or carry the horrible side-effects that drugs do. I fault doctors for really not finding out what works themselves. Why not at least try a high Vitamin B complex & Acai which can help alleviate and PREVENT diseases from happening. Doctors should be educated in herbs and paid for making people healthier like they are in UK. They are paid bonus for patient’s losing weight, stopping smoking, etc.
I used red raspberry leaves to stop 2 miscarriages & my pregnancy, labor & kids were and are still very healthy.
Red Raspberry Leaves are fantastic for stopping early contractions and giving excellent conditions for baby to grow with healthy pregnancy and I know I went from almost losing my baby, to being able to do jumping jacks even in the last week before delivering at age 43. Sure this is anecdotal but it is true for me. I think it could be repeated with most women. I took the suggestion from someone else. It’s not only for women, but for men. Probably would help with diabetics and their problem with circulation, with absolutely no side-effects. Do you see pharmaceutical drug companies making any money off of this? No since it is a food and cannot be patented, so do they care? No. They will not do the research. The drug companies do not care about what is best. Herbs are standardized. Your view is limited. I have great respect for herbs. Chlorella is another FANTASTIC algae for health & it should be promoted.

A: Heath reform is supposed to be about moving forward, not backwards.

I have already said to you before that acai does not prevent disease. If I am wrong please post your published peer reviewed clinical data showing so.

Your question sounds more like an advert then anything else.

Edit:
Red raspberry leaves and drug companies – I posted this at your other question, I managed to find one study:

“Red raspberry tea is still commonly recommended for pregnant women. However, while there is weak preliminary evidence from animal studies that raspberry might have an effect on the uterus,1 the only real clinical study trial reported to date found no benefit.2 This double-blind placebo-controlled study evaluated the effects of red raspberry in 192 pregnant women. Treatment (placebo or 2.4 g of raspberry leaf daily) began at the 32nd week of pregnancy and was continued until the onset of labor. The results failed to show any statistically meaningful differences between the group. Red raspberry did not significantly shorten labor, reduce pain, or prevent complications. Thus, at present, it appears that red raspberry does not work in the manner ascribed to it by tradition.”

http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetConten…

If there is money to be made of something like raspberry leaves then the drug companies will certainly be interested – they would be keen to identify the active chemical then put it through the normal processes to produce a safe consistent drug.

Q: Has anyone heard of this ?
Chiropractic First : Natural Health Group
my mom found them through a festival that had booths for different things , & they said they do a first free check up so she signed me up for it . well we went today & it was really strange . it almost seemed like they were trying to brainwash ppl into going , they took xrays & showed me that my spinal cord had a serious problem , which also seemed to be the case with every single person there . which i also find a little hard to believe seeing as im 16 . they spent 2 hours preaching on how doctors are wrong & saying that if everyone did not join with them they would end up dieing . & the price was over 3000 dollars . but everything i can find on the place seems spotless , no one else except for me & my dad seemed to notice anything strange about it , i dont understand how that is possible , so if anyone knows anything at all about it or can find any useful information , i’d appreciate it a lot .

A: Perhaps you can find some relevant information in a web search for “chiropractic first: natural health group”.

Q: How do people cope with the pollution in Nanjing, China? Doesn’t it pose a huge health risk?
I want to teach in Nanjing in the Spring, and I love what I have learned about the city so far. But I have severe chemical allergies due to a compromised immune system. This is a type II allergy known as multiple chemical sensitivity or environmental illness; my body just does not deal well with environmental toxins. I am already on a great protocol of detox vitamins and herbs; chiropractic; homeopathy; and good overall natural, holistic or integrative health care that helps me deal with the pollution here in New York City.

How do people cope with the pollution in Nanjing? How do they prevent illness? Are there alternative health care practitioners there?
Dear Extra_Mile:
Thanks for the information, but please do not assume that I am naive. Far from it, which is why I posted this question. Ironically, the health care system here in the U.S. is also not all it is cracked up to be, which is why I asked for information on naturalistic, alternative, or integrative health care practitioners. I have had this condition for ab. nine years. Trust me, I do not need to be told to take care of myself. Still, thank you for the info. and for your concern.

A: Hi Indigogr… My former G/F had multiple chemical sensitivity, so I know a little of what you are going through, ( she has had it for about 7 years, good news is that during the 5th year she started becoming less sensitive). Anyhow I live in Shanghai now and although Nanjing is smaller and less polluted it will still be very bad for your health. I know how to look after myself and do not have MCS but I seem to have constant health problems. Food is not organic, China uses lots of chemicals on their crops the water is undrinkable and the air quality very poor. I am not sure what you will eat here as most food contains MSG and a whole host of other unknown substances. There is a lot of formaldehyde used in buildings here and as I am sure you know the Chinese do not consider lead a problem so they tend to use heaps of it in their products. Building sites do not adequately contain their contaminants and often operate 24/7. Hope this helps a little. The only alternative health care practitioners there would be Traditional Chinese Medicine and I am not sure that they understand your condition.

Q: Have lived in acute pain for 2 decades; doctors, exercising and medications don’t work. What else can I do?
I have seen every specialist in the health care system, tried more kinds of pain medications than I can count. I exercise. Have had xrays, MRI’s, CT Scans, and lab tests done. Have tried Chiropractic care, TENS unit, massage, heat, ice, accupuncture, reflexology, relaxation techniques, vitamins, natural medications sold in health food stores, hypnosis, and prayer. I am only 51 y/o and have no quality of life. This is not where I saw myself being at my age. The dozens of doctors I’ve seen over the years either don’t care enough to get to the root of the problem – or don’t want to take the time necessary to get to the root of the problem because my insurance is an HMO, and we all know they don’t pay the doctors as much as they feel they are worth. At my wit’s end! Is there anyone out there who knows how to get me beyond this degree of pain? There will be no more doctors or tests for me, so I’m reaching out to my fellow human beings. Help me please!

A: have you tried natural pain control methods? In south america they make tea from Coca leaves. My grandfather is peruvian and when he goes back to visit he always has some. Its very therapuetic in its natural state. Also in the caribean and parts of mexico they use MJ leaves and soak them in grain alcohol for a month or 2 at a time and use the resulting liquid as a joint and topical anesthetic.
What about desensitization? If the pain isnt structural (joint, bone, tissue, internal) then apply increasing pressure to the affected area over the course of a week or so. Massage roughly and test the limits of when it actually hurts “too” much. Lower the intensity for a few minutes and keep pushing the envelope. I used to have stress fractures in my right leg and this was how I pushed through that.
You gotta put more info about the actual pain location and type next time.

Q: Why do people quote Quackwatch.org?
I realize there are a lot of scams out there with regards to natural health, but quackwatch claims that anything that doesn’t require modern drugs to fix it is a scam. Massage, chiropractic, acupuncture…according to quackwatch are all crazy practices that have no health benefits.

I bet that more people are injured or killed every year by “real medicine” than by anything natural health practitioners do.

Dr. Barrett, qwackwatch’s founder is a psychiatrist. He isn’t even a board certified psychiatrist. He wants to put other forms of medicine down when all he does is ask “and how does that make you feel?” and “what was your relationship with your mother like?” Any decent listener can do that job.

So my question is, why do people rely so heavily on this joke of a website?

A: Unfortunately, there are people that only believe certain things if they are only shown through certain methods. People that commonly reference Quackwatch just see some of the surface things that they do (fighting against unverified methods for treating patients because they may hurt them) and don’t look at the details behind it (he’s not a doctor and he’s very biased against anything not drug related). There are also people who refuse to believe that some people could be influenced to do unjust things for money and people who refuse to believe in religion. I would imagine some of those skeptics would say the same thing about some of the natural websites that people who trust in alternative medicine would use as well… it’s a very common human frailty to not believe in something unless it’s proven in a way they accept.
Some people call it skepticism, some call it naivete, some call it lack of faith… in any case, it’s part of human nature.

All that being said, I agree with you. There are listings on that website that are quite baseless, especially those that say certain supplements or nutrients haven’t been tested when there are multiple studies on them and the FDA and NPA both require certain quality levels in testing to allow them on the market. The FDA has and will pull a product and/or a company’s products from the market if they don’t meet certain quality levels. I can produce references for those who don’t believe me as well (some directly from the FDA website if you’d like), so feel free to E-mail me if you’d like those references.
I hope I helped!

Q: What is the best medicine ?
Is it Western conventional ? or Holistic? Natural Medicine? Acupuncture ? Chiropractic ? Homeopathy ? Herb? Vitamins ? To maintain mental and physical well being ? and when you get allergy, virus, and flue ?? I would think like Cancer, you would want to go see a Conventional doctor,…I have heard in th beginning, it was Eastern / Chinese / Indian Natural medicine was common, however, ever since FDA came along, it changed the Nation’s entire BUSINESS practice by pushing DRUG company to make billions of $$$, and Western Doctor just give you diagnose and prescribe drugs….I heard its a money making scan? I am afraid who to trust and what really is IS the best treatment / approach for general health concern ??? What do YOU personally do about YOUR personal need ? Please share your thoughts, and experiences. Thanks.
You know, it is depend on WHERE you live and WHICH doctor (WESTERN) you go, you can LIVE OR DIE. This is also very scary, but all they gonna say is…SORRY. IN the end patient and their family and friends loose loved ones, no going back one he / she is dead due to ONE doctor basically get paid go home.

A: this is a very hard question and I believe it depends on what sickness you have, what kind of person you are, and how your body responds. I think that a mixture of all of these can really help, i have a gastric motility disorder and with acupuncture, medicines, herbs, vitamins, and psychiatry im feeling better

Q: What do you think about Quackwatch’s Dr Stephen Barrett?
I’d like to clear up the issue of Dr Stephen Barret and Quackwatch. http://www.quackwatch.org
I’m not trying to make people look stupid or attack their beliefs. I’m putting forward the facts backed up by evidence and I would like you to please read what I have to say and try to understand it from another perspective. I’ll then ask for your thoughts in the hope that you’ll answer politely and intellectually, with well thought out opinions.

Many people who believe in natural, homeopathic or chiropractic (etc) treatments quote this article as a reason to disregard any medical evidence from quackwatch. http://www.canlyme.com/quackwatch.html

I’d like to talk about
a) The article’s agenda
b) Specific issues raised in the article
c) What this means

PART A
Firstly, this is obviously an article written with a biased agenda, not a legal document stating only facts. Example:

[About a chiropractor]
“Dr. Tedd Koren is known for his writings and lectures on chiropractic science, research, philosophy, and chiropractic patient adjusting.”

[About Dr Barrett]
“He has gained media fame by his outspoken vocal disgust and impatience over natural or non-medical healthcare, including his criticisms of two time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling.”

So at least we know what we’re dealing with here, it is certainly not an unbiased report. With regards to the Linus Pauling comment, Dr Barret did not criticise his nobel prize winning work. It is completely possible that scientist who does excellent work can be wrong on some issues (his beliefs about vitamin C curing cancer were conclusively proven to be incorrect in medical trials). The writer is grabbing at any fact possible to make Dr Barrett look incompetent.

PART B
Now I’d like to look at what the article actually claims.

• “Barrett had filed similar defamation lawsuits against almost 40 people across the country within the past few years and had not won one single one at trial.”

If you look through case notes and read Dr Barrett’s response, it seems that this is because some were settled out of court, the defendant making a retraction and paying costs. Some are also currently in appeal, which is a reasonable argument, as the particular case mentioned in the article was also won on appeal after Dr Barrett won the first lawsuit brought against him.

Additionally, Dr Barrett (and around 30 other defendants) had a case from the same opposing attorney withdrawn and was awarded fees and costs. So we’ve established that there are many court cases going on here from both sides.

• “Barrett also had said that he was a legal expert even though he had no formal legal training.”

This is incorrect. Dr Barrett’s official training includes a correspondence course in American Law and Procedure, LaSalle University from 1966-1968.

• “Barrett also had to concede his ties to the AMA, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Food & Drug Administration (FDA). “

He has at no point attempted to keep this a secret. You can see all of his affiliations on his website. Ties to these agencies don’t in themselves give him any bias, and they are not financial ties.

• “Barrett is a shill for the medical and pharmaceutical cartels and his bully tactics and unjustified discrediting of leading innovators, scientists and health practitioners should not be tolerated.”

This statement has no proof, it is a biased opinion. If anyone has proof of Barrett being paid to have an opinion please provide it.

And finally the big argument which is always used against Dr Barrett and Quackwatch:

• “Barrett conceded that he was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the certification exam”

This part is really important.
Dr. Barrett finished his 3-year psychiatric residency at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia and began practicing back in the 1960s, when Board certification was NOT A REQUIREMENT. New psychiatrists are required to be certified, but many physicians of that era don’t have board certification.

Dr Barrett has never been de-licensed (having your license taken away by regulatory authorities) He has been retired since 1993 and has committed no misconduct. If you’d like to check the status of his medical license, you can find it here:
http://www.licensepa.state.pa.us/Details.aspx?agency_id=1&license_id=528406&
Alternatively if the link doesn’t work, search for his license number MD005361E at the Pennsylvania department of state here: http://www.licensepa.state.pa.us
You’ll see that his status is still ‘active (retired)’, not unlicensed, and that there have been ‘No disciplinary actions were found for this license’.

On his CV page, you will find that, ‘I worked full-time as a psychiatrist from the time I left psychiatric training (1961) until the mid-1980s’.
His medical training includes:
•A.B., Columbia University, 6/54
•M.D., Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, 6/57
•Completed rotating internship, Highland
All you need to do is counter his data and arguments with better ones.

I’d like to hear your opinions in the hope that we we can put this issue to rest and start having proper meaningful conversations about alternative treatments.
• Completed 3-year psychiatric residency at Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, 6/61

PART C

So now that I’ve shown evidence for Dr Barrett’s qualifications, I’m going to tell you to disregard them. Dr Barretts credentials are quite irrelevant because he provides references for his research. His claims are backed up by scientific studies.

So please, before you write ‘The Doctor from Quackwatch has been debunked’, don’t just take what biased articles say as fact. Look at the evidence from this side and come to your own conclusion. Admitting that Dr Barrett is a proper doctor who has studied psychology with proper medical qualifications does not automatically mean that you have to believe everything that he believes. It also does not mean that everything he says is automatically correct. Each different therapy must be looked at on its own merits and evidence.

If you want to dispute anything he says, an ad homonym attack on him or his qualifications will get you nowhere.
All you need to do is counter his data and arguments with better ones.

I’d like to hear your opinions in the hope that we we can put this issue to rest and start having proper meaningful conversations about alternative treatments.
Apologies for the weirdness at the end here, I think the length of the question is confusing the system and it’s doubling up and muddling the order of my additions!

A: The point about licensing is quite well made. How board certifications and licensure were handled has changed quite radically over the last few decades. Doctors practicing before the advent of formal certification exams were essentially grandfathered in.

It’s also important to remember that Quackwatch is not solely Barrett’s work or creation. It contains contributions from dozens of doctors and scientists working in a variety of fields, and it accurately documents its statements. While Barrett is generally quite harsh, his statements are well grounded in current scientific consensus, and well sourced.

Quackwatch itself is actually quite well regarded in the biomedical community. The site has garnered an astounding amount of praise from major medical journals, patient advocacy groups and disease research organizations. The site is compliant with HONcode, the de-facto standard for maintaining quality in online health related info.

Related Posts

Write a comment