Chiropractic Questions

Myths Medical Doctors tell about Chiropractic

December 13, 2022 Brant Hulsebus DC LCP CCWP FICA Season 6 Episode 2
Chiropractic Questions
Myths Medical Doctors tell about Chiropractic
Show Notes Transcript

Ask the Chiropractor- We get asked by our patients why their medical doctor tries to warn them about chiropractic.  I wanted to review the top myths we hear.  #healthy815 #icachiropractor #palmerproud 

www.rockforddc.com

- Hello and welcome to another edition of "Ask the Chiropractor". I'm Dr. Brant Hulsebus, chiropractor here at Rockford, Illinois and "Ask the Chiropractor" is a place where people have a question about chiropractic care, we encourage them to ask a chiropractor about chiropractic care and that's actually the theme of this week's episode. This week's episode is common myths or misconceptions that are told by family doctors, medical doctors, about chiropractic care that's just not true from the views of a chiropractor who studied chiropractic. Let's break these down. I got about three really big ones, maybe we'll hit some more. Number one, you cannot go to the chiropractor if you've already had back surgery. That is a gross myth, that is not true whatsoever. If you have your bottom two bones in your back fused, let's say you have your L5 fused to your sacrum, that's got nothing to do with all the rest of the other bones in your spine. Those two are fused, those two don't move anymore. They're put together with titanium. The chiropractor couldn't do something to them if the chiropractor wanted to. They're not going anywhere. However, they had that much lack of motion. With that much lack of motion, increases the stress of the vertebraes above and below those spots. So those spots even more now because of the surgery need chiropractic care because of the surgery. So a patient's come in, they said,"I really wanted to go to a chiropractor. I was told I couldn't see you because I've already had back surgery". Unless you've had all of your seven thoracics, excuse me, your seven cervicals, 12 thoracics, and five lumbars all fully fused all together, top to bottom, no, you cannot go to a chiropractor. Unless they're all fused, all 24 vertebraes and your sacrum. If they're not, then you can definitely still go to a chiropractor. Heck, I've even seen patients with the rods in their spine, like when they used to do a lot more of that more commonly with the scoliosis. They'd put the rods in your spine and come across and drill 'em all together. I've taken care of people with those rods in their spine and they've done phenomenally well. So don't let a doctor tell you you can't go to the chiropractor because you've had back surgery. It's simply just not true. And we have different ways to adjust your spine, we know different techniques to work around different things, and we actually learned in chiropractic school how to take care of people who've had surgeries. It is a topic they do cover in chiropractic college and chiropractic education. We know how to adjust and adapt around those things. So no, if you've had back surgery, you can definitely still go to a chiropractor. Your doctor is not correct about that. Number two, you have osteoporosis, you can't go to a chiropractor if you have osteoporosis. The chiropractor will break every bone in your back. This is absolutely not true. We have all different techniques and all different kinds of styles to adjust someone's spine. I have patients that come in here that are in their late 90s, no problem adjusting them, still giving them help and giving them relief. Do I adjust someone in their late 90s the same way I adjust like one of the hockey players I take care of? Absolutely not. Again, it's amazing. In chiropractic school, we talked about these. We learned about these kind of spines. We learned how to take care of them. We learned different techniques how to adjust based on these facts. That's why you want to make sure you go see a chiropractor who didn't go to a chiropractic school where they have one technique class. There's several chiropractic schools. Some of 'em, they only teach one semester of adjusting. I went to Palmer College. Man, we had cervical, we had toggle. That's just on the cervical spine. Then we had thoracic lumbar, then we had pelvic, then we had technique reviews, so we get taught. Then we had extremities. So we had six or seven technique classes how to adjust your spine plus electives on top of that so we know all different ways and styles to adjust your spine. So if you've been told you can't go to the chiropractor because you have osteoporosis, that is absolutely not true. Just call the chiropractic clinic and make sure that that chiropractor has educated on a way to adjust somebody with that. Do not go by the doctor's orders that you should not get adjusted'cause you have osteoporosis. I have people that come here with osteoporosis, horrible lower back pain, people who've had multiple compression fractures. That's where the vertebrae, the bone's solely to vertebrae, it gets squished like a tin can. They still come in here and they still get great relief, they still get great results. We don't fix compressed vertebraes, we don't fix osteoporosis. But when the spine is stuck and the spine's having problems, we have ways to take care of you that we wouldn't adjust the same way we take care of a hockey player. Another example of this is we take care of newborn babies. Newborn babies are very fragile, you have to be very specific in your technique in how you're adjusting a newborn baby. We're able to do that also. So if we can take care of a newborn baby, we can take care of someone in their late 90s. Actually, I kind of tease that at the beginning of your life and the end of your life, your chiropractic care is kind of similar. What we use is a sustained contact where we put our hands on to supply of steady pressure and it goes, we do not thrust into it. We also do all different techniques where the table assists us, we use instrumentation to adjust people. We know so many different ways to take care of 'em. Please, please, please, if you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, do not let someone tell you you cannot go to the chiropractor. It's simply not true. You can absolutely go to the chiropractor. All right, so there's two of my three, I promised three. Number three, here's the big one. Chiropractic adjustments cause stroke. (laughing) We actually had a patient this week, check this out. Her doctor said, "You shouldn't be going to the chiropractor, they cause stroke". And that doctor actually had the audacity to go to her computer, go to google.com and type in "Do chiropractors cause stroke?" This is the same doctor that tells you whatever you do, don't ever go to Google the research because it's just not true. And what do they do? They go to Google the research about us and try to convince them that's true. It's pathetic. We go to a place called PubMed, Publication of Medical Journals. It is a peer reviewed space where if you want to publish a paper, you have to go through the multiple, multiple, multiple scrutiny to make sure that your research is accurate and correct. P-U-B-M-E-D, PubMed, that's where we do our research. If you type in "Is chiropractic safe PubMed", you're gonna get an article. It shows that there have been adverse reactions in a little bit over two patients of 10 million. Over 10 million people went to the chiropractor and it was like 2.6 is the number they came up with, people who had adverse reaction. Now, I see things all the time with the research that says like plus or minus five, plus or minus two, whatever it is. I'm pretty sure 10 million people go to the chiropractor, I think it's 2.6 people have problems. I think we're pretty safe. I think the odds of you coming in and having a stroke and having horrific things happen to you, when the research shows two in 10 million people. Same research at same place, you type in "medical problems", I'm not gonna get into that. I'm not a negative guy, but those numbers are a lot higher, I'll tell you what. So can you go to the chiropractor? Do chiropractors cause strokes? No, we don't cause strokes. Why would we cause strokes? Look at Cassidy's study. Again, go to PubMed, type in "Cassidy", look at his research on strokes. The thing is when someone's had a hemorrhaged artery in their neck, that hemorrhaged artery in their neck causes neck pain. When people have neck pain, where do they go? A lot of times they go see a chiropractor. More than likely, they go to a family doctor. Same complaint, same issue. And what happens is the chiropractor says,"Oh, you got something weird going on with you. You better be careful". Same research shows that you're actually safer in my office than you are in a medical office because we know we're gonna get blamed for the fact that you came in already having a vascular issue. Where if you walk into a medical office with the exact same condition, exact same issues, they discovered, they're giving you the care you need. You come in here, same thing. We don't give or render care'cause we know it's not safe. We send you off for help and somehow or another, we get the blame for that. So that's what the research shows, that's what the science shows, that's what the data shows. So take a look at it. So do chiropractors cause stroke? There's been no evidence ever to prove that. Do people with really bad neck pain who are having a vertebral artery issue go to a chiropractor? Yes, does the chiropractor refer them out? Yes, why? We went to a place called chiropractic college and we learned how to take care of these things. We learned how to identify them. We have, you know, most of us have a four year degree. We go to chiropractic school, which is 10 trimesters and 30 some hours, so basically five years condensed into three, and we learn a lot of things at chiropractic college about chiropractic and chiropractic care. So yes, if you were to come to the chiropractor, you came and saw me and you were losing a majority of blood to the bottom of your brain. First thing I would say is, "I know you. I've met you many times, I've worked with you many times. Something's not right. Let's get you checked out before we start". That's how it happens. And to back it up, even more data, more research, more science, chiropractors pay the lowest malpractice rates of any healthcare provider for the exact same level of coverage. Surely if we were causing strokes, surely if we were adjusting people with osteoporosis and breaking bones, surely if we were this dangerous, the insurance rates have would be much, much higher than everybody else's. But actually, it's the opposite. We have the lowest malpractice rates of any healthcare provider. No one does more research or more studies to show who's safe and who's dangerous than insurance companies. So if the insurance companies say we're pretty safe, I'm willing to bet we're pretty safe, too. All right, if you have a question about chiropractic, leave a message below. Maybe next week you'll be the topic of the week and we'll answer your question. Remember, if you have a question about a chiropractor, I hope today's episode shows it, ask a chiropractor. If you want the data and the research I talked about, send me a message and I'll be happy to send 'em to you. Otherwise, just go to PubMed and type in"Is chiropractic safe" or look for Cassidy's research on all this stuff I just talked about. All right, everybody, thanks for listening. Thanks for tuning in. Remember, if you have a question about chiropractic or chiropractic care, ask a chiropractor. Stay healthy, stay strong. We're here for you, bye-bye.