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

MAGNUM, My Site of the Day

If you're a Migraineur or know someone who is, this is a web site you need to visit and bookmark! There are other organizations for headaches and Migraines, but MAGNUM is the only nonprofit organization devoted specifically to Migraine DISEASE.

MAGNUM was founded by Michael John Coleman, who has suffered with this disease since he was a child. The organization has a superlative staff and board of directors including my mentor Teri Robert. The MAGNUM site is one you can count on for accurate information from trusted professionals in the field.

From the MAGNUM site:

MAGNUM: Migraine Awareness Group: A National Understanding for Migraineurs, was created to bring public awareness utilizing the electronic, print and artistic mediums, to the fact that Migraine is a true biologic neurological disease, to assist Migraine sufferers, their families, and coworkers, and to help improve the quality of life of Migraine sufferers worldwide.

MAGNUM also has an excellent Migraine Blog. This is another site to bookmark!

On a related note, if you have a few extra $, a donation to MAGNUM helps ALL Migraineurs. A donation is also a great Christmas gift for Migraineurs you know. MAGNUM is a 501(c)(3) charity, so donations are tax-deductible.

Shalom,
Abi

Stress a Migraine trigger? What's the deal?

There are some issues, even in medicine, on which even the best of the best disagree.Seldom are such issues black and white. There are often points to support both sides. The issue of whether or not stress is a Migraine trigger is one of those.

For much of my life, I was told to relax, that stress was bringing on my Migraines. Consulting my Migraine journal, I could never make sense of that statement because I could find no correlation between times of stress and my Migraine patterns. Of course, some of the people who told me to relax, were also the same uniformed, patronizing fools who told me to have a hysterectomy to stop my Migraines.

What disturbs me about the disagreement over stress as a Migraine trigger is the way in which the NHF (National Headache Foundation) chose fairly recently to express their disagreement with those who say stress is not a trigger. Two of the top Migraine sites on the Internet, MAGNUM and About Headaches / Migraine, have had Migraine myths on their sites for years, literally. The NHF has not and still does not. However, on July 31, the issued a press release, "Dispelling Migraine Myths From Fact." Their stated myth #2 is, "Migraines are not triggered by stress." This statement is directly contradictory to the myth sections on both the MAGNUM and About sites.

You may wonder why this disturbs me. Allow me to explain. By issuing a press release in this fashion, the NHF prompted a series of articles all over the Internet. These articles, for the most part, simply regurgitated the press release, accepting everything in it as undisputed fact. So, who in the hell are we supposed to believe? MAGNUM has nothing on their site addressing the NHF release. On About.com, I found this:

Is stress a Migraine trigger or not?

Recently, the National Headache Foundation (NHF) sent out a press release regarding myths about Migraine. One of their myths was, "Stress is not a Migraine trigger." In other words, they're saying that stress is a Migraine trigger.

MAGNUM, the International Headache Society (IHS), and I disagree with that statement. In their International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition, the IHS actually moved stress from their list of "triggering factors" to their list of "aggravating factors."

You can read the rest of this article here.
What I respect about Mrs. Robert's article is found in this question and answer:

So, is the NHF wrong?
I wouldn't say that they're wrong, just that we have a difference in philosophies. That's not always bad, and this isn't a black-and-white issue. As long as questions are asked and a healthy dialogue continues, differences in opinion and philosophy can spark very educational exchanges.

That is a reasonable, respectful, and classy response. It's also one that tends to make me look at things more from her point of view than that of the NHF. Perhaps Ms. Simons at the NHF should give this some consideration.

Shalom!