..."so why do so few insurance programs have any chiropractic coverage that is worth anything?"

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but I have a good idea how to answer your question. The underwriters probably see some of these treatments as too woolly. (for example, why apply nutritional analysis in the case of a fracture? why not rub crystals, or try turning around three times in the churchyard under a full moon?)

Glad the treatment worked for you though, hope you are fully mended and back in the saddle now.

I had knee problem for most of the year. I 1st went to orthopod and he did all the tests and stuff and didnt really find anything and said he couldnt do anything. I went to chiropractor, he diagnosed it as tight quad muscles and tendons, treated me and know my knee is as good as new, I did IMOO last week. He was a miracle worker. My orthopod had no clew and he is a reputable doctor, maybe he is just concerned about surgery.

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"why do so few insurance programs have any chiropractic coverage that is worth anything? "


As a chiropractor, I am glad but not the least bit surprised to hear your experiences have been so positive.

There has been a long and dubious history with conventional medicine attempting to contain or at times, even eliminate chiropractic. By this I don't mean the local MD practising down the street from the local DC, but at the political level (AMA).

The best treatise I have ever read on this is Chapter 8 "Medical Opposition" in the book "Chiropractic : History and Evolution of a New Profession" by Walter Wardell PHD.

Wardell was a professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut and long time chiropractic patient. His book is the most in depth sociological/historical "this is the way it is" studies on chiropractic that I have ever read.

Here in Ontario our government funded health care (OHIP) will pay in full for your visit to the family physician but not to the chiropractor. The government hired Pran Manga PHD, a health economist from the University of Ottawa to do a study on chiropractic. The result was the "Manga Report", probably the most detailed study of chiropractic done anywhere in the world. His in depth report's conclusion to the government was to fully fund chiropractic visits on par with medicine. Manga concluded that the government OHIP system would actually save money as a result since chiros then wouldn't be used as a last resort. As a result, the government did exactly opposite to what their own report recommended and cut their funding to us by about a third.

Fellow Ontarians, at least I have a clear conscious. I didn't vote for those idiots in the last two provincial elections.

Like I said, it's mostly political.

Chiro care depends on where you are...in the state I live in 90% of them are quacks who do more harm than good. Then again for a $70.00 application fee I can be a Chiro here too.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

"for a $70.00 application fee I can be a Chiro here too."

You need a minimum of two years university to apply. It's four more years after that to graduate.

You're partially right though. Some chiro colleges are IMO much better than others and in the US, legislation can be quite different from state to state.

My husband has Crohn's Disease, which often causes osteo-arthritis as a side effect in men. About 2-years ago, the "arhritis in hips hips got so bad that it started to become debilitating. He was really upset, because he's a league racquetball player and he couldn't play. Our MD recommended we see a rheumotolgist. My hubby can't take any kind of anti-inflams because of the Crohn's. This doctor told him the only thing she could do was put him on pain killers! He had just turned 40. He spent about 6 months popping pills and zoning out before we both got desperate.

An acquaintance at his work who does marathons told him about a chiropractor who works on a lot of the local professional sports teams, and hubby went to see him. A long story longer, while, yes, he has MILD osteo-arthritis, that wasn't what was causing his pain, but rather severe tendonitis from the arthritis! The chiro did lots of soft tissue work, lots of ultra sound and put him on an extensive stretching routine. 2 years later, pain killers are gone, pain is minimal and hubby plays leagues 3 times a week.

You're right, insurance coverage often sucks, but since hubby is also Director of HR at work, ours is purty darn good! Chiros rule!!

...So many cults, so little time.

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Most people don't recognize opportunity because it wears bib overalls and looks like work.
~Teddy Roosevelt

i love good recovery stories.

by the way.... one thing i learned was a couple natural anti-inflamatories that might help your husband if he needs it.. a supplement called BromInj. Main ingredient is Bromelain, and it's mixed with some anti-oxidants and vitamins. what can i say? worked for me.

and then, i just read that pineapples has a lot of bromelain in it, and acts as a natural anti-inflamatory.

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It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to squeeze in 8 hours of TV a day - Homer Simpson

<< Chiro care depends on where you are...in the state I live in 90% of them are quacks who do more harm than good. Then again for a $70.00 application fee I can be a Chiro here too. >>

the funny thing is that i agree with you. i have been to several 'chiropractors', some i left disappointed with no results. within my insurance program, i have to choose from within the system. all the goofballs in the system just churn and burn. wait 30 minutes for them to come in, do the crack, and bill you.

it took me 15 years to find one to make me a believer. probably 15 chiros too.

just one of those things i guess, that it either takes a lot of searching or luck to find the right one. he has taken pains away that i thought either did not exist, or i had to live with (bum rotator cuff). all that was a bonus. i would be living with a lot more pain now (or on vicadin) if someone did not give me those first 3 visits, because before that, i thought it was a hoax; particularly acupuncture.

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It's not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to squeeze in 8 hours of TV a day - Homer Simpson

I come from a strictly Western Medicine background and participate in it's application on a daily basis. But, I have a great relationship with a Chiropractor, Ed Steel, in Charlotte, NC. I have benefited from his expertise so much, I had bumper stickers made up and I have one on my vehicle...it says "Ironman by Steel Chiropractic". No way would I have made it through this past racing season without his help. Certainly, he helps with the back/neck/joint stiffness...but he's fixed achilles tendonitis, shoulder and elbow pains, too. Gut disorders? I don't know for sure, but I did get better when he worked on me for a problem I was having. I don't take anti-inflammatories, except in rare instances, and that's partly because of the pain relief I get from his work.

The reason all Chiropractors aren't always given as much credibility as some deserve; they are seen somewhat like a cult, or, at least, as some sort extremists, not unlike the far-right wing conservative religious types....you know, the kind of people that chant only their worn-out slogans and their narrow beliefs over and over without regard to the real world around them. Some Chiropractors come across that way.

The MD's that come across that way at least have bundles of scientific studies that back their biased views....these bundles don't make them any more right than the really cult-like Chiropractors, but, they at least seem smug in their views.

Sometimes a Chiropractor can help immensely, sometimes an MD can help immensely, sometimes a team approach might help even better. It's time the groups find a common ground and work together for the benefit of the patient. But, it's sort of like cats and dogs...they just don't normally like each other too much...although it is possible for them to become very fond of one another.

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

> Fellow Ontarians, at least I have a clear conscious. I didn't vote
> for those idiots in the last two provincial elections.

Point form: 1. Others are no better (though it might appear so in the
short term.) 2. The PCs have mismanaged medical paradigm shift. 3.
Nevertheless competition is good, and that's what they want (it makes
you as a chiro a legitimate contender). 4. I don't really have much
spare cash, but I'd still rather pay to go to a good chiro than be
frustrated by a 'free' m.d. without a clue in exercise physiology. 5.
Whether by govt subsidy or out of our pockets, we pay; but competition
keeps everyone honest. Eventually the dust will settle, and prove the
worthy recipients of govt support, but only if we support competition,
at least for the short term.

"The PCs have mismanaged medical paradigm shift. 3.
Nevertheless competition is good, and that's what they want (it makes
you as a chiro a legitimate contender). "

I agree that the PC party in Toronto has mismanaged a lot of things, but am cynical enough not to expect much more from anyone else.

Competition is good but chiros do compete against MD's on an very unfair playing field. You get back pain for example and most people in Ontario go to the MD first because it's free. After a few visits and a pain killer perscription or two they then go to the chiropractor if they are still not better. The Manga Report concluded that if chiros were fully funded like the MD, OHIP would be cheaper for the tax payer because people would utilize the chiro first for musculoskeletal conditions. The Manga Report analyzed about four hundred clinical studies dealing with back pain and concluded that chiropractic is generally more effective in this area than is conventional medicine. A year later another Ontario government study, the Wells Commission, analyzed the entire OHIP system and came to the same conclusions. It made many recommendations how to restructure OHIP, chiropractic just being a very small part of the study. The PC government has followed virtually none of these recommendations, instead maintaining a policy of "slash and burn" style cutbacks.

There's an Ontario provincial election coming up very shortly. As usual the PC's won't be getting my vote.