I hve been seeing a chiropracter for nearly 17 years and, after the first couple years, I have not had any more trouble with my back. Now my question is whether it is his treatments that matter or the flexibility exercises he prescribed that I do every morning. They take 1/2 hour.
A couple of caveats. My chiro will not say anything about anything except backs. He feels that most chiropracters are quacks and has not found anyone in all of Montreal that he allows to treat him. My father-in-law, also a chiro, said exactly the same thing. So how did I find him? My family physician, with great hesitation, recommended him and said he uses him himself. I remain doubtful whether his treatments have any effect, but I am not about to experiment.
It seems reasonable to have a poll on “alternative” medicines. What’s being sought are personal testimonials on various modalities, and most of what’s claimed is dependent on said testimonials and not on solid evidence.
That said, the poll is confusing because respondents would have to issue a blanket recommendation for any given modality. For instance, a great deal of herbalism is based on folklore and testimonials and is thus unreliable. There are however some facets of herbalism backed by adequate research, and I support those. I can’t say I feel the same way about herbalism as a whole. Chiropractic has a rational application for a small minority of the conditions for which it’s employed, but as KneadToKnow pointed out, it’s touted for lots of things without any rational or evidentiary basis.
It’s noteworthy that the founding father of chiropractic, J.D. Palmer, claimed he had his first big success adjusting the spine of a deaf janitor whose hearing supposedly returned - though this was never documented and was nonsensical, seeing that the cranial nerves that affect hearing do not travel through the spine.
Slight correction-It is not a case of which is more popular, it’s just that medicine is based on scientific theory and proper testing, and “alternative medicine” is based on stories and rumors.
I voted for chiropractic, but I would add the same qualifications as others here: for spinal adjustment, chiropractors often work just fine. My hubby suffered horrible headaches for several years. Finally, he went to see a chiropractor, who took X-rays, told him he had a couple of herniated disks (discs?), and said he thought he could fix it. After a few visits, the headaches disappeared. Further X-rays revealed the discs more aligned.
That was over 20 years ago, and just about two months ago, he ended up in the ER, thinking he was having a heart attack. Turned out, the discs had herniated again.
Unfortunately, that chiropractor is retired.
I am extremely wary of chiropractors who claim to be able to cure “menstrual cramps, hangnails and dyslexia”.
Biofeedback works. At least, if it’s the same thing that I use/used for pain starting at 13. With that method, I was/am hooked up to a machine that measures brain waves, and I alter my thoughts, take deep breaths, whatever, to learn how to alter those brain waves. Once I learned how best to alter/focus my own brainwaves, I was able to use those techniques to calm down, etc. Is that what the “modern” biofeedback is? I’ve never heard of it as an “alternate” therapy before. I always thought it was mainstream science. I learned biofeedback in a military hospital 20 years ago, so I just figured it had to be real, not woowoo. And it works, of course. (Even in childbirth!)
I didn’t realize that osteopathy was considered ‘alternative’. Why is it that spinal structural issues are considered, ‘alternative’? Sort of odd to me.
You didn’t put Massage Therapy, which I put down under, ‘other’.
Never Say Dice Vacuum Cups (Cupping) are very effective at reducing myofascial adhesions, I support them and recommend them, it’s like getting a deep tissue massage. I love em, it’s a very strange experience but man you are loosened up so much by them.
That is the basics of biofeedback. Though, it can be used for much more than just calming down. For those unfamiliar, the idea behind biofeedback is that the body does many things we cannot observe without the aid of science. Once we do observe these processes, we can learn to control them. One of my personal favorite applications is the use of rectal and vaginal sensors to retrain the pelvic floor muscles of the incontinent. Yes, you can do kegels without biofeedback but it’s very difficult to know exactly which muscle you’re exercising or how hard you’re doing it. With an EMG sensor you can isolate the right muscle and get a measure of just how hard you’re working it.
The company I worked for did have some military clients. I learned this when a Y2K coordinator called me and I, thinking he was a telemarketer, hung up on him. He immediately called back, gave me his rank and location and asked about the Y2K readiness of the Commodore 64 based Biopro system.
If necessary, and I have a feeling it will be, I’ll call my old boss and get a hold of some peer reviewed biofeedback studies published in appropriate medical journals.
Colonics are based on false premises. They are supposed to flush out ‘toxins’ (which don’t exist and are a hold over from the theory of four humors), ‘mucoid plaque’ (which also doesn’t exist), undigested red meat (of which there is none) and so forth.
Putting things in your body affects your body chemistry. It’s pretty simple. If our diets were well-balanced it would probably not be beneficial, but as they are not, it can be.
I’ll bet aromatherapy causes more illness than it heals. So many unstudied plant are likely to trigger allergies and asthma. Most incenses drive me nuts, make my eyes water, as do most strong perfumes and talcs.
I voted based on the premise that which techniques would not harm you, assuming you ALSO went to a doctor and followed his natural instructions and such things. If you see your doctor regularly and such, I see no reason why you can’t use a lot of these techniques to try to “help” you in your recovery or such things.
But if the OP is implying which of these should you pursue INSTEAD of seeing a doctor, then my answers would DRASTICALLY change.
By the way - if you’re taking any kind of herbal medication it’s a very good idea to let your doctor know. Some herbal drugs interact with prescription drugs, and any effective herbal medication (and some ineffective ones) will have associated side effects which may affect the liver or other organs.
