Quacks
Never having been to a chiropractor before, I took a friend's recommendation when my back started hurting and called a local chiropractic clinic. They were able to see me that same day, Monday 4-23-07.
Upon arriving, I was struck with how the offices seemed more like a church than a medical office. Christian music played over loudspeakers and there were numerous religious messages on the walls. The waiting room was tiny (four chairs) and had no magazines, only a thick binder of "testimonials" for the practice. What startled me more than anything was the pre-recorded voice which called patients to the adjustment rooms. It had three or four odd sayings - it would say "Jason, come be rejuvenated in room number four" or "Doris, come regain your youth in room number eight."
I also thought the new patient questionnaire was extremely odd. I had come to have my back worked on, yet they wanted to know if I had allergies, digestive issues, etc. I had gone ahead and pre-completed the forms, downloading them from their website. The front desk people behaved oddly as well - taking my hand and telling me "Welcome. We are so glad you decided to join us." Eventually, a man came and showed me around the place, making sure to give me his "testimonial" about how much this clinic had helped him.
I was asked to read a pamphlet, then questioned over what I had read. When I finally got to go back and wait for the "Doctor", again the room had no magazines, only leaflets with titles like "Two Kinds of Chiropractors." I actually read this one and learned from it that the kinds of chiropractors who treated symptoms were "Bad" and the kind that developed a "lifeplan" for this subluxation thing were good.
When the doctor arrived, she told he her name was "Doctor Tiffany." She proceeded to educate me with a wall chart on the spine and how the spine controls everything in your body - from heart to digestive etc. The brain, she explained, sends life force through your spine to all of these various body parts and when the spine is blocked, disease is the end result. She said this is the reason I was is such "ill health." When I explained I was there for my back and that actually, I had just had both a complete physical and a well-woman check up and was in great health, her comment was "Maybe so, but how many people get good check ups and then die of a heart attack the next day? Not that I'm saying that will happen to you, but still..."
After numerous questions, she had me lie down and she examined my back (lifting my shirt). She told me they needed to check to make sure I didn't have subluxation. Then she took me in a room and took x-rays. The charge for all of this was $110.00. I was told her husband, "Dr. Jim", would look over the x-rays and, due to the "severity" of my problems, I was to come back first thing in the morning. He would discuss the x-rays with me and outline a course of treatment.
I went home and told my husband how strange the place was. It felt very cult-like and I was uncomfortable, but I wanted to give them a chance, at least to see what they had to say about treatment (especially since I'd paid $110 and had x-rays done.)
The next morning I went to the clinic and the receptionists seemed surprised to see me. One said, "You came back?" as though surprised. The other hurriedly rushed in to comment "We're so glad you decided to return and join us."
I nearly left then, but still wanted to hear what this "Dr. Jim" had to say. I was given another pamphlet to read, then the receptionist went over it with me. It too discussed subluxation and I began to wish I'd done my usual on-line research before going to this clinic.
I was shown to a room and finally "Dr Jim" came in. He took both my hands and, gazing deep into my eyes, told me how very glad he was that I had decided to seek help. I was very uncomfortable with this but didn't say anything. He then proceeded to ask me questions to make sure I had "learned" what I'd been taught yesterday and that morning - all about the spine and subluxation. It felt very odd and cultlike, but I answered him. When I was "correct" he congratulated me.
Then he put my x-rays on the wall thing and asked me what a normal spine was supposed to look like. I ventured a guess and said "straight?" "Correct. And is your spine straight?" I told him no."
He then told me I had a very serious problem in two places in my spine - upper and lower - and had subluxation. He leaned close and said in a "doctorly" voice "I'm very sorry, but you are going to get cancer here." And he pointed to the wall drawing of the human body and showed me my intestines/colin/reproductive organs. "I am hoping it's not too late." Well, since I had answered on the new patient forms that I'd had cervical cancer some years back, I told him I'd already had cancer. He said, yes, but unless we fix this problem, you will have cancer here. I'm hoping it's not too late."
Of course, I was shocked. He then took my hand and said, "The good news is that we can help you." By now, I was seriously creeped out. I'm nodding and pulled my hand free. I said "What are we looking at here? For treatment? What kind of treatment, how long, and how much will it cost?" I had brought a notebook and had written very little down, because all he'd told me was too vague, except for the word subluxation. Dr Jim then told me he'd prefer my husband were there and he really needed to discuss all this with the two of us. I told him I earned my own money and made my own decisions, but he said he would schedule an appt the following day to meet with both my husband and myself. It would take about forty-five minutes to an hour and then he would answer any questions we might have.
He then told me to lie down and he would give me my first adjustment. I should have left, but figured what could it hurt, since I'd never be back. He popped my back, did a few things with some metal tool to "move my bones" and told me I could go. This cost $50. I was given no exercises to do, and was still in pain, but he said he'd prefer me not to take even Advil. When I asked why, he said he would explain all this the next day at our meeting.
By now I knew I'd been taken and was furious (du-uh!) Even more amazing, now my neck hurt as well as my back and worse, "Dr Jim" actually called my home at 7pm that night. My husband answered the phone and told him we would be coming by to get our x-rays first thing in the morning because we wanted to get a second opinion. Surprisingly, Dr Jim said "But I haven't even given you MY opinion." My husband, who was angry that this quack had actually said I'd get cancer if they didn't adjust my spine (he knows I've had two different kinds of cancer already and am extremely paranoid about getting it again) went off on the man and told him "I think you already did and what you said to my wife was harsh and horrible (or something like that).
We picked up the x-rays and I took them to my family physician, who told me they'd put them up backwards (stomach and liver on the wrong side). When I relayed to him what I'd been told, he told me to disregard it and referred me to a chiropractor he considered good (but would apparently be considered BAD by these people's definition) and also referred me to physical therapy. He said if my back wasn't better after a week or so, he would order an MRI and go from there.
There you have my story. I had no idea such quacks were still out there in the world. Consider yourself warned
Upon arriving, I was struck with how the offices seemed more like a church than a medical office. Christian music played over loudspeakers and there were numerous religious messages on the walls. The waiting room was tiny (four chairs) and had no magazines, only a thick binder of "testimonials" for the practice. What startled me more than anything was the pre-recorded voice which called patients to the adjustment rooms. It had three or four odd sayings - it would say "Jason, come be rejuvenated in room number four" or "Doris, come regain your youth in room number eight."
I also thought the new patient questionnaire was extremely odd. I had come to have my back worked on, yet they wanted to know if I had allergies, digestive issues, etc. I had gone ahead and pre-completed the forms, downloading them from their website. The front desk people behaved oddly as well - taking my hand and telling me "Welcome. We are so glad you decided to join us." Eventually, a man came and showed me around the place, making sure to give me his "testimonial" about how much this clinic had helped him.
I was asked to read a pamphlet, then questioned over what I had read. When I finally got to go back and wait for the "Doctor", again the room had no magazines, only leaflets with titles like "Two Kinds of Chiropractors." I actually read this one and learned from it that the kinds of chiropractors who treated symptoms were "Bad" and the kind that developed a "lifeplan" for this subluxation thing were good.
When the doctor arrived, she told he her name was "Doctor Tiffany." She proceeded to educate me with a wall chart on the spine and how the spine controls everything in your body - from heart to digestive etc. The brain, she explained, sends life force through your spine to all of these various body parts and when the spine is blocked, disease is the end result. She said this is the reason I was is such "ill health." When I explained I was there for my back and that actually, I had just had both a complete physical and a well-woman check up and was in great health, her comment was "Maybe so, but how many people get good check ups and then die of a heart attack the next day? Not that I'm saying that will happen to you, but still..."
After numerous questions, she had me lie down and she examined my back (lifting my shirt). She told me they needed to check to make sure I didn't have subluxation. Then she took me in a room and took x-rays. The charge for all of this was $110.00. I was told her husband, "Dr. Jim", would look over the x-rays and, due to the "severity" of my problems, I was to come back first thing in the morning. He would discuss the x-rays with me and outline a course of treatment.
I went home and told my husband how strange the place was. It felt very cult-like and I was uncomfortable, but I wanted to give them a chance, at least to see what they had to say about treatment (especially since I'd paid $110 and had x-rays done.)
The next morning I went to the clinic and the receptionists seemed surprised to see me. One said, "You came back?" as though surprised. The other hurriedly rushed in to comment "We're so glad you decided to return and join us."
I nearly left then, but still wanted to hear what this "Dr. Jim" had to say. I was given another pamphlet to read, then the receptionist went over it with me. It too discussed subluxation and I began to wish I'd done my usual on-line research before going to this clinic.
I was shown to a room and finally "Dr Jim" came in. He took both my hands and, gazing deep into my eyes, told me how very glad he was that I had decided to seek help. I was very uncomfortable with this but didn't say anything. He then proceeded to ask me questions to make sure I had "learned" what I'd been taught yesterday and that morning - all about the spine and subluxation. It felt very odd and cultlike, but I answered him. When I was "correct" he congratulated me.
Then he put my x-rays on the wall thing and asked me what a normal spine was supposed to look like. I ventured a guess and said "straight?" "Correct. And is your spine straight?" I told him no."
He then told me I had a very serious problem in two places in my spine - upper and lower - and had subluxation. He leaned close and said in a "doctorly" voice "I'm very sorry, but you are going to get cancer here." And he pointed to the wall drawing of the human body and showed me my intestines/colin/reproductive organs. "I am hoping it's not too late." Well, since I had answered on the new patient forms that I'd had cervical cancer some years back, I told him I'd already had cancer. He said, yes, but unless we fix this problem, you will have cancer here. I'm hoping it's not too late."
Of course, I was shocked. He then took my hand and said, "The good news is that we can help you." By now, I was seriously creeped out. I'm nodding and pulled my hand free. I said "What are we looking at here? For treatment? What kind of treatment, how long, and how much will it cost?" I had brought a notebook and had written very little down, because all he'd told me was too vague, except for the word subluxation. Dr Jim then told me he'd prefer my husband were there and he really needed to discuss all this with the two of us. I told him I earned my own money and made my own decisions, but he said he would schedule an appt the following day to meet with both my husband and myself. It would take about forty-five minutes to an hour and then he would answer any questions we might have.
He then told me to lie down and he would give me my first adjustment. I should have left, but figured what could it hurt, since I'd never be back. He popped my back, did a few things with some metal tool to "move my bones" and told me I could go. This cost $50. I was given no exercises to do, and was still in pain, but he said he'd prefer me not to take even Advil. When I asked why, he said he would explain all this the next day at our meeting.
By now I knew I'd been taken and was furious (du-uh!) Even more amazing, now my neck hurt as well as my back and worse, "Dr Jim" actually called my home at 7pm that night. My husband answered the phone and told him we would be coming by to get our x-rays first thing in the morning because we wanted to get a second opinion. Surprisingly, Dr Jim said "But I haven't even given you MY opinion." My husband, who was angry that this quack had actually said I'd get cancer if they didn't adjust my spine (he knows I've had two different kinds of cancer already and am extremely paranoid about getting it again) went off on the man and told him "I think you already did and what you said to my wife was harsh and horrible (or something like that).
We picked up the x-rays and I took them to my family physician, who told me they'd put them up backwards (stomach and liver on the wrong side). When I relayed to him what I'd been told, he told me to disregard it and referred me to a chiropractor he considered good (but would apparently be considered BAD by these people's definition) and also referred me to physical therapy. He said if my back wasn't better after a week or so, he would order an MRI and go from there.
There you have my story. I had no idea such quacks were still out there in the world. Consider yourself warned
posted by Karen Whiddon at 6:50 AM
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