Odd, Isn't It?

Every so often an inconsistency in the thinking of different chiropractors jumps out at me.  Over the past few months, I have noted many such cases and filed them for future reference.  I retrieved them today and decided to share them with you.

Historically chiropractors maintained and even testified under oath that chiropractic was different from medicine.  We did NOT TREAT DISEASE, we ADJUSTED SUBLUXATIONS!  Chiropractors were not practicing medicine and therefore should not be found guilty of practicing medicine without a license.  We attempted to convince the courts (with varied success) that WE WERE DIFFERENT.  We did manage to convince the legislatures that we were different, thus justifying our existence.  Now that we are recognized and licensed as a  distinct branch of the healing arts, we are playing down that difference and trying to show how much we have in common with the practice of medicine.  Odd, isn’t it?

The mixer claims that the straight is acting like a technician because he is only interested in adjusting subluxations.  He then practices physical therapy, a procedure which is ordinarily performed by a technician.  Odd yet, he fights to prevent the technician (physical therapist) from performing adjustments, what he has already said is a mere technical procedure.  Odd, isn’t it?

Chiropractors choose to be chiropractors rather than medical doctors presumably because they find that the principles and practice of chiropractic offer success in the maintenance of health where medicine fails.  Once in practice, they abandon those principles and practice and begin to embrace the principles and practice of medicine. Odd, isn’t it?

Chiropractors will refer a patient who is suffering from an organic condition for medical treatment and lose them as a patient even though they know the patient could be helped to some degree if they also received adjustments.  They will not, however, refer a person with an acute low back condition.  Instead they use therapies along with their adjustments.  They reason that if they would send the patient to a physician for back pain relief, they would lose him or her as a patient.  They don’t seem to be bothered by losing patients with organic diseases but are afraid of losing those with musculoskeletal conditions.  Odd, isn’t it?

The mixer wants to be considered a physician.”  He diagnoses and treats disease.  However, when the medical physician wants to perform procedures that may impinge upon chiropractic, such as manipulation, he becomes indignant.  From the mixer’s viewpoint the term “physician” when referring to a medical doctor, should be limited to surgery and the administration of medication.  When referring to a chiropractor, however, he feels that the term should include the privilege of practicing everything but surgery and the dispensing of medication.  The medical doctor, on the other hand, believes a physician is one who diagnoses and treats disease by whatever means he deems necessary.  Despite all this confusion, the mixer cannot understand why the straights don’t like the term.  Odd, isn’t it? v4n6