Friday, June 22, 2007

One chiropractor's claims - arrogance, ignorance, or delusion?

Yesterday evening, I came across a post on the MAGNUM guestbook that I'm now told was approved by accident and has now been removed by their Support Advisor, Teri Robert. It was from a chiropractor who claimed, "EVERY single migraine sufferer I've ever cared for has no longer suffered from migraines after, some had 100% relief after just 1 visit." He had included the URL for his Web site. I call that post "spam;" he says, "I only put on the link so you and other could see the testimonials." His name isn't important, and I'm not going to give him the benefit of Internet exposure by posting it.

I made the mistake of emailing this "world-class doctor of chiropractic" thinking he might actually have something of value to offer Migraineurs IF he would just understand that no treatment is effective for everyone and that effective treatment often includes treatments from more than one modality of treatment.

In his reply to me, he made several assumptions...
  • that I needed help with my Migraines;
  • that I needed to "open my mind and wise up for my own good;" and
  • "those you've encountered so far in your search have all had training or vested interests in keeping you a prisoner of your migraines."
Some of his remarks to me provided me with a few laughs. You see, you have to laugh at people like him; they're not worth the time or energy involved in being upset or even continuing to pursue reasonable discourse. Let me share a few of the laughs with you. One comment -- the misspellings and poor grammar are his; I'm just not bothering to correct them...
  • "You medical people generally make things waaay to complicated. 99 out of 100 migraines (at least) are simple to resolve." In a way, he's not far off in one respect. Probably 85 out of 100 Migraines ARE simple to resolve. Whether the Migraineur employs biofeedback, meditation, or (heaven forbid) medications, the Migraines experienced by the majority of Migraineurs are simply treated. It's that other 15% that are difficult, potentially debilitating, and need expert care.
  • "Seems liek you are too booksmart for your own good. I've studied real healthcare for 25 years, not what you would call "healthcare". I am not some symptom-chasing pawn of the medical establishment." He's studied "real healthcare for 25 years?" Hmmmmmmmm. He graduated from high school in 1989, 18 years ago. Maybe he was a precocious teenager.
  • "Great minds are always at first ridiculed and unpopular, so your comments have not affect on me." Great minds? He seemed to be speaking of himself. Oh, well. He does have a healthy ego.
  • "Open your mind, reverse your direction, seek a world-class doctor of chiropractic and you will find better success." He said this with absolutely no knowledge of my treatment or my current state of health. I had four Migraines in 2006, and I've had one so far in 2007. Do any of you think I need "better success?" I'm actually quite satisfied with my success.
For those of you who may be considering chiropractic care, don't let this put you off. There are indeed "world-class" chiropractors out there. They are true professionals who provide quality care with respect, professionalism, and humility.

I guess I enjoyed the laughs. Although attempting an adult, professional conversation with him was a futile attempt at best, such attempts are still worth a shot.

This exchange does leave me a bit puzzled though. I can't decide if I think this man is speaking from arrogance, from ignorance, or if he's just delusional about his own knowledge, skills, and expertise.

Thanks for the laughs and verifying that you're a total ass, Mr. "world-class doctor of chiropractic!"

Namaste,
Abi

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm... I think a little from column A, a little from column B, and a lot from column C.

Arrogance+ Ignorance + (IN)Experience = world class... case of thoughs of "god-like powers"- grandiosity, delusions, and other things one may find in a textbook... although not about migraines...

Anonymous said...

Abi,

Thanks for keeping perspective in this. It pleases me that you make your points about this one chiropractor without becoming jaded about us all. Thank you for including a paragraph about chiropractic care.

Anonymous said...

As a chiropractor, it's almost embarrassing to see what some people who call themselves chiropractors will say. I say "call themselves" because such people do not believe to be in the profession. You are quite correct to question anyone who says they have a success rate of 100%. If someone indeed does have such a high sucess rate, it is highly likely to be because they either have not seen many migraine patients or choose to see only those who have issues that can be treated well by chiropractic care. Certainly, chiropractic care cannot address every migraine trigger, nor can any specific treatment. Thank you, Abi, for not letting one "bad apple" skew your attitude toward the entire profession.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the snicker of the day, Abi. I've seen two chiropractors over the years. They've both been convinced they can "cure" my headaches/migraines. The first one was ineffective, but he came highly recommended by a friend with back trouble. The second was also highly recommended by a friend, for general back health. He did get rid of a bog pain in my hip, the first time I saw him, and eliminated severe lower back pain the second go-round. But my head stayed the same. This second doctor said I was the only headache patient he hadn't helped. I didn't know what to make of that.
Gretchen

Anonymous said...

Hi Abi,
Well, well, well. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful world of chiropractic excellence with us.
I really liked his claim "99 out of 100 migraines (at least) are simple to resolve". "At least" - is such valid medical language.....WHAT?
I loved your responses, thanks again for sharing this "medical professionals" knowledge with us!

Anonymous said...

If it looks like quack and sounds like a quack...

What nonsense. Does he cure cancer too?

Anonymous said...

I have a great chiropractor who has helped me a lot with neck and back problems. He has also helped some with my head, not through manipulations, but with nutritional consultation. But this guy? I wouldn't let him within 10 feet of me!! Anyone this arrogant is bound to eventually harm someone.

Robin