I have decided that the best use of my limited online time is to make people aware of ALL STUDENT DEBT — rather than just the problems in chiropractic  — and have launched a new blog:

AMERICAN STUDENT LOAN DEBT CRISIS

Please link to the new blog now — I need your help.

The best posts related to chiropractic student debt have been moved there, and I hope to post new articles related to the student loan problems that so many face.

For now, this blog will remain online in archive mode. So many people have read it and linked to it, that it’s a shame to take it down. But I will no longer be updating it. I hope it leaves a LONG TAIL of information for those considering chiropractic college to consider carefully.

Warning: Don’t get your neck cracked by a chiropractor !!!

Read FULL STORY here

An Alberta woman, paralyzed after her neck was manipulated by a chiropractor, has launched the biggest-ever class action suit against chiropractic in Canada.The suit, filed yesterday in Edmonton, is asking for more than a half billion dollars in damages not only for the victim, Sandy Nette and her husband, David, but for an entire class – anyone in Alberta treated or harmed by chiropractors who deliver “inappropriate and non-beneficial adjustments.”

The unprecedented lawsuit is groundbreaking because it is the first time lawyers have challenged the veracity of the fundamental underpinnings of chiropractic in a court of law in Canada. If successful, chiropractors in Alberta would have to repay a decade’s worth of fees – about $400 million – to all patients of chiropractors who were injured by or received what the suit calls, “inappropriate and non-beneficial adjustments”.

Alberta pays out about $40 million a year in chiropractic billings.

Philip Tinkler, one of the lead lawyers on the class action suit, explained that most victims of chiropractic injury either lack the knowledge or resources to pursue a lawsuit.

Read FULL STORY here

Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor, recently wrote a great article in a chiropractic trade journal (The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, February 2008) called “Negative Brand Equity”.

It discussed why chiropractic has such a bad reputation — which also explains why the public doesn’t trust chiropractors and why it is such a poor career choice. Here are a few good quotes from the article:

Dazed, confused and hung over – we sit and wonder why our market share has dipped from 7% to 5%. We wonder why chiropractic college enrollments are down 40%

Most people are not neutral when it comes to chiropractic – they already have an opinion – and it ain’t a good one.

According to Gallup, we rank just a couple notches above used car salesmen when it comes to the public’s perception of our level of honesty and integrity.

This means that the profession has to vigorously shake off its cultural aversion to research. The days are over when the profession can rely on 70 poorly compensated researchers and a handful of research journals that no one subscribes to. The colleges are going to have to face the reality that their own future depends on producing the evidence of chiropractic’s effectiveness otherwise there won’t be any butts in their seats. Why get $200,000.00 in debt when you can do ‘wellness’ on less or in a profession without negative brand equity?

Before you think “This blog is just ‘bashing’ chiropractic”, keep in mind that these words come from someone IN the chiropractic profession, printed in one of the profession’s own journals.

Students: Please avoid this horrible career.

CLICK HERE TO READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE (“Negative Brand Equity”)

CLICK HERE TO READ AN ONLINE DISCUSSION OF THE ARTICLE

The Fox 25 story can be viewed online by going to:
http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5869524&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

The CBS 3 story can be viewed online by going to:
http://cbs3.com/health/Risk.of.Chiropractic.2.661491.html

The WBZ News story can be viewed online by going to: http://wbztv.com/specialreports/chiropractor.and.strokes.2.659998.html

Meanwhile, U.S. News and World Report magazine named “Chiropractor” in its list of Overrated Careers for 2008:

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Wethersfield, CT (PRWEB) February 27, 2008 — The Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group (CSAG) is gratified that an increasing number of news organizations in large media markets throughout the U.S. are examining the potentially severe health risks associated with chiropractic neck manipulation.

The latest reports come from Philadelphia and Boston, the 4th and 7th largest media markets in the country, where KYW-TV (CBS), WBZ-TV (CBS) and WFXT-TV (Fox) have aired reports in the past week.

On Sunday February 24th, reporter Mark Ockerbloom of Fox 25 News in Boston broadcast a story in which a stroke specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Lee Schwamm, said he has personally witnessed many cases where stroke symptoms followed chiropractic neck manipulation.

Also on th 24th, reporter Stephanie Stahl of CBS 3 in Philadelphia presented a similar report.

On Thursday February 21st reporter David Wade and the WBZ News Special Reports Team aired another story featuring Dr. Schwamm.

“These news reports are further confirmation of the chiropractic-stroke connection,” said Britt Harwe, Founder of CSAG. “We are delighted that award-winning news organizations have recognized the significance of this story and sought out world-class medical experts as part of their reporting.”

Harwe was also interviewed for the reports.

The Fox 25 story can be viewed online by going to:
http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5869524&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

The CBS 3 story can be viewed online by going to:
http://cbs3.com/health/Risk.of.Chiropractic.2.661491.html

The WBZ News story can be viewed online by going to: http://wbztv.com/specialreports/chiropractor.and.strokes.2.659998.html

The three television reports follow a recent opinion column in the Hartford Courant (February 15, 2008, No Sense Resisting Database) that called for the chiropractic industry to drop its defensive posture and support legislative proposals by Victims of Chiropractic Abuse (VOCA) to help patients learn more about the risks of chiropractic treatment through Informed Consent laws.

CSAG represents hundreds of people across the United States who have been injured by chiropractic manipulation. Potential risks are serious and can include stroke, permanent disability and even death.

Contact Information:
Telephone: 860-529-8826
Email chirostroke @ gmail.com
URL: www.chiropracticstroke.com

Thinking of becoming a chiropractor?

Then you should definitely read this (CLICK HERE FOR POST) about the unfortunate realities of supply and demand.

From 1995 to 2008 (estimated), there are 36,000 new chiropractors, yet only 7% of the population ever sees a chiropractor — and that number hasn’t changed in 20 years.

”The number of chiropractors in the U.S. grew from 13,000 in 1970 to 40,000 in 1990. That should have been a large enough jump to invite talk of restricted chiropractic college enrollment. However, the jump of more than 50,000 by 1994 should have set off alarm bells.”

The chiropractic colleges keep pumping out more and more graduates with huge student loan debt, yet the demand for chiropractic is NOT increasing. At the same time, insurance companies are paying for less and less chiropractic care.

Before you sign the papers and go into massive debt for a chiropractic career, please read this blog, follow the links, and carefully do your own research. You can ask questions to former and current chiropractors on Chirotalk: The Skeptical Chiropractic Discussion List.

Remember that chiropractic colleges make money by getting your tuition. They can not be trusted to tell you the reality of the situation, especially considering that many make improper claims on their websites.

(Click Here To Read Post “Operation Money Hum–How to make $ in Chiropractic?” )

The Daily Mail in England reported this week about a new study of chiropractic’s effect on low back pain.

According to the newspaper, “Having your back ‘cracked’ by a chiropractor or physiotherapist to ease lower back pain is a waste of time and money, say researchers. Patients get better just as quickly if they simply stay active and take a mild painkiller such as paracetamol, a study reports today.“

This is not the first study to show that chiropractic is often no more effective than placebo, and that a lot of low back pain is essentially self-limiting.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE STORY FROM THE “DAILY MAIL”

Maybe you should read this before you take out over $100,000 in loans to become a chiropractor:

The study, reported today in The Lancet, involved 240 patients with acute lower back pain who had been seen by their GPs.

They were assigned to four treatment groups, only one of which received both diclofenac and genuine spinal manipulative therapy. Both techniques are available on the NHS in areas where primary care trusts have agreed to fund them.

The other three groups were treated with diclofenac and “dummy” spinal manipulation; genuine spinal manipulation plus a placebo; or both a dummy drug and fake spinal manipulation.

The results showed neither diclofenac nor spinal manipulative therapy significantly increased the speed of recovery.

A total of 237 of the 240 patients recovered over the course of 12 weeks. Some 22 patients had possible adverse reactions to the treatments, including stomach disturbances, dizziness and heart palpitations.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE STORY FROM THE “DAILY MAIL”

For a profession that claims to be fairly safe, there sure are a LOT of groups of injured patients.

Check out all these websites and organizations started by patients who were injured by chiropractic treatment:

• Victims Of Chiropractic Abuse — To promote awareness of chiropractic risks through advocacy and legislation.
• V.O.I.C.E.S. – Victims Of Irresponsible Chiropractic Education & Standards
• Neck911.com — There are over 20 different kinds of stroke pathology that can happen as a result of neck manipulation. (with video)
• Victims Of Chiropractic – Group founded in 1991.
• The Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group (CSAG) – Very active group that is doing a print advertising campaign.
• Graham Maynard’s Chiropractic Website — Good site designed by an injured patient.
• FAACT – Families Against Abusive Chiropractic Treatments (Canada)
• Action For Victims Of Chiropractic (England)

And here is some recommended reading:

• Book: “Chiropractic: The Victims Perspective” by George Magner, link to Amazon.com

• Article from SELF Magazine, May 2007: “A Deadly Twist: Chiropractors Are Causing Strokes In Young Healthy Woman”

• Book: “At Your Own Risk: The Case Against Chiropractic” by Ralph Lee Smith (FULL TEXT available online)

Could you hurt someone if you become a chiropractor?

One of the biggest ways that chiropractors put the public at risk is through missed diagnosis — often, they mistake serious problems for things that can be helped with chiropractic treatment. This delays patients going to a real doctor to get real treatment for the problem.

Greg Stanley, the president of Whitehall Management, a leading chiropractic management consulting company, recently published an essay in Dynamic Chiropractic called “The Sustainability of Chiropractic”.

No big surprise, folks… the outlook for Chiropractic as a career choice looks HORRIBLE.

CLICK HERE TO READ “THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CHIROPRACTIC”

I believe the current flow of DCs into the marketplace is unsustainable. In time, we’ll see the price of an adjustment fall to levels that won’t support free-standing offices. In my consulting practice, we get calls each day from doctors practicing in the living room of their mother’s mobile home, wanting to know if we have a consulting program that can save them. Currently, the student loan default rate in chiropractic is twice as high as all other health care disciplines combined.

Am I saying chiropractic is in danger of being eliminated from the health care scene? No, but it’s in the slow and steady process of being changed from its current status as a highly profitable, free-standing, entrepreneurial career to that of a second job for most of the profession.

Please read this ENTIRE article before you even THINK about signing up for chiropractic loans!!

CLICK HERE TO READ “THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CHIROPRACTIC”

Remember, I didn’t write this… it was written by someone IN THE PROFESSION, and published in one of the profession’s most read magazines.

Question: How much does it REALLY cost to become a chiropractor?

The answer might surprise you… click HERE for the real story.

Question: And how much can you REALLY earn as a chiropractor?

The numbers are truly depressing. Click HERE if you really want to know the truth.

So if you’re thinking about a career in chiroquackery, better think again !!