To think a chiropractor might be able to help an immune system?

[Kangaroosjump]

I thought they did spinal adjustments that were meant to strengthen an immune system?

Due to an ongoing issue with my tot that doesn't seem too serious - drs not worried, but I'm seeing a few things and thinking they could be connected in a bigger holistic picture I thought we might try one for him...

Have I got the wrong thing? My mum is telling me they just sort bad backs...

What alternative health treatments (except homeopathy thanks) would be likely to help a toddlers over stressed immune system? There's a few behavioural issues im convinced are linked but it's just not enough to concern my doc... (Thankfully)

Thanks!

Can you explain why I go to the osteopath in pain and unable to bend forward and reach further than my knees and leave there pain free and able to touch my toes?

Must all be in my imagination.

Must all be in my imagination.

It's called the placebo effect, it works, it works even if you know it is a placebo, it works better if it is an injection rather than a pill.

OP

If I thought an immune system could be strengthened by any system I would advise you not to do it.

Autoimmune diseases include arthritis, type 1 diabetes, MS, Lupus...

If the Dr is not bothered then just leave it, it is not a life altering disease, the autoimmune ones are.

I go to my pilates class in pain and unable to stand level, but because my pilates instructor has done some basic anatomy study, and knows which bits connect with what, and how to use gentle stretching to release certain soft tissue, I come away freer and in less pain.
I imagine it is the same with your osteopath, except they also use highly dangerous manipulation, which has been proven to lead to degenerative artheritic changes to some joints, and as someone said upthread, have caused deaths

I had a course of chiropractic because of acute pain in my hip. It didn't improve ...
Turned out to be secondary breast cancer in the bones. At no point did the chiropractor suggest I might want to go back to my GP (fortunately I did this myself).

Quote Creampue

Add message | Report | Message poster creampie Thu 02-Jul-15 22:25:06
Chiropractors aren't quacks! It's a proper job with proper training and accreditation!

I think people may be confusing them with osteopaths (who are a bunch of charlatans IMO)

So do osTeopaths. Mine is brilliant. If he feels he can't help he says so.

I go in awful pain and with lots of soft tissue massage in the right places I come away feeling so much better.

I hate it when people knock complimentary therapies. Allopathic medecine doesn't help everyone neither do complimentary therapies but complimentary therapies do help a lot of people when allopathic medecine has no answers.

No that's not how it works. If you bring a treatment to the party, YOU prove it works. The burden of proof is on the practitioners, there are no data that any of it works. I don't get to say "hey guys, I'm pretty sure this compound works, prove to me it doesn't before I test it on your kids."

It amazes me that people are ok with this stuff. If I gave someone one of the entirely untested compounds I used to have knocking round in the lab there'd be uproar. I'd have been prosecuted for testing unknown stuff on humans. To have a drug approved in the UK it has to go through a decade long multi million pound process.

Homeopathy and all the rest doesn't, because it's utterly ineffectual. It does make people money though.

(Incidentally, homeopathic water is produced by the same evil big drug companies who make regular drugs, it's a huge money spinner for them, because it's just putting water in bottles...)

There are people out there asking people to throw away their chemotherapy and use homeopathy/cleanses/organic juicing/cranial whatnot. In my book that's a criminal level of deceit. People need to have a basic awareness of science, statistics and critical thinking or they are easy prey for these charlatans.

To be fair to chiropractors they do train like medics, they do extensive study on the skeleton and other body parts (however, obviously the courses don't have the same high level entry requirements - just whether or not you can fund the expensive four year course).

They don't however, have the capacity to call themselves doctors - though many of them do. They are regulated too, and the guidance changed in the last few years to discourage chiropractors from calling themselves doctors. But they do examine and diagnose apparently.

Personally, while I believe that alignments may assist a person who is suffering with skeletal problems, chiropractors tend to claim to cure a lot more than is actually possible through manipulation. Plus there are some concerns that neck manipulation causes strokes.

DH is friendly with a few Chiropractors. DH suffers from tachycardia due to a medical problem, and when we were out at the pub DH started to get symptoms. His friend offered to massage pressure points to relieve his symptoms. DH kindly let him. A few minutes later we ended up leaving the pub to get his actual heart medication, because that actually works and the "massage" did naff all. The friend was adamant that DH should just leave it to work for a couple of minutes!

I don't think chiropractors are quacks and that is slightly insulting to the work they put in. However, most of them have wholly unrealistic ideas about chiropractics solving more than skeletal issues and that is my issue with them. I certainly wouldn't allow them to adjust a baby (as one of our friends kindly suggested once - I gripped our PFB with a clear 'not a chance' face) and I would be wary if a person had issues such as EDS/hypermobility or degenerative joints.

To be fair to chiropractors they do train like medics
They really, really don't.
A friend is currently in the 2nd year of the course. She is a SAHM to 3 kids, and then does a couple of hours evening study, and then 2 weekends a month, 9-5, at the college.
My medic friends did 40+ hours a week for 5 years...

SoupDragon - still waiting for those studies.

You want to look up McTimony Chiropractors- it is a branch of chiropractic that have been trained in a more holistic way and do adjustments throughout your body, not just your back. They make sure everything is aligned, working properly and there are no blockages internally which may not be picked up by drs/GPs. A lot give a free half hour initial session where they you can speak to them and they will do a quick assessment. Look them up and see what you think. I've used one and really liked it. :)

DH is friendly with a few Chiropractors. DH suffers from tachycardia due to a medical problem, and when we were out at the pub DH started to get symptoms. His friend offered to massage pressure points to relieve his symptoms. DH kindly let him. A few minutes later we ended up leaving the pub to get his actual heart medication, because that actually works and the "massage" did naff all. The friend was adamant that DH should just leave it to work for a couple of minutes!

Bloody hell that's dangerous. I actually know how to do the massage that can slow a heart, but I would only do it in a hospital with him on a monitor because you can slow it down too much.

going off topic

is it SVT your dh gets? If it is there are a couple of things you can do that sometimes work, one is to swallow a large chunk of ice cream (or ice) as much as you can swallow in one go.

Obviously only do this if it is a situation like in the pub where medication isn't to hand not instead of.

...and there are no blockages internally which may not be picked up by drs/GPs

Internal blockages caused by what?

They make sure everything is aligned, working properly and there are no blockages internally
HOW can they do that?
A couple of years ago, I had major spinal surgery and was lucky enough to have a very experienced surgeon looking after me. We got onto the subject of osteos and chiropracters and he said that in 20+ years of performing spinal surgery, where the skin was peeled back and the vertebrae in front of him, other than with scoliosis patients he had never seen a spine he would call 'misaligned'
Yet somehow these people can look at you with your clothes on and instantly spot a misalignment.

And now they can add endoscopy to their list of magic powers? It is just absolute nonsense and my mind boggles that people are stupid enough to believe this crap and hand money over.

When I was a preteen a class mate thought it was hilarious to pull my chair out from under me as I sat down. Over the following months I found it more and more uncomfortable to sit and my feet hurt for no reason.
Eventually I was taken to the GP who gave me anti inflammatories. These worked on the pain for a whole 2 days. They also sent me for an x ray.
The x ray showed my tail bone was bent. The Dr couldn't do anything so my mother took me to an osteopath. After a few sessions of very gentle manipulation and all the pain was gone.

Since then other family members have been successfully treated by osteopaths and if I needed to I would go back again.

Osteopaths are (in my experience) good for the fine detail manipulation (so a lot of cranial work) and a physio for the bigger ones (like my dodgy hips after pregnancy). Chiropractors seem to try to cover both; a lot less successfully.

Are you sure all the "quacks" are actually accredited chiropractors?

From the website of Anglo-European College of Chiropractic:

"To qualify as a chiropractor, new students are required to complete successfully the full-time five year Master of Chiropractic degree."

5 years Full time study!

My Chiropractor in Norway did 5 years in Canada, and my chiropractor here in London studied here in the UK - both highly professional chiropractors who has continued studying and have done osteopathy extensions with the BSO.

There is no way they would profess to enhance my immune system by manipulating my skeleton and soft tissue! They deal with skeletal problems and sore muscles and inflammations.

However, my London one is very holistic, and would offer diet and exercise advice if I were to ask him.
The exercise advice would be on the background of knowing my pelvis and my back quite well, and would be able to tell me what not to do and what would be good for me. (Like minimum running, supported stuff like elliptical trainer, walking only on threadmill, plenty of hiking, rowing is good, etc)

"Yet somehow these people can look at you with your clothes on and instantly spot a misalignment. "

Mine cant.

But doctors are always quick to dismiss other professions dealing in health care.

My sister has scoliosis, she goes once a week to an osteopath and it really helps her. she sees my chiropractor every time she is in London, and she is very happy with him.

I think there is a midway between not doing anything if you have a back problem and going for surgery. Osteopaths and chiropractors are somewhere in the middle on that scale.

Sparechange - the chiropractors we knew were registered with the AECC and did a full time four year course with intensive studying. Obviously other institutions offer smaller courses with the tagline that you can call yourself a chiropractor but they wouldn't be registered with the AECC. Maybe worth asking any chiropractors for their qualifications (most chiros will happily provide them).

Sasshh - not sure if its SVT. To be honest at the time we were in the pub it seems like a kind thing to offer. Dh's clinic went mad though! and thats when we realised how dangerous that had been. Will keep a note of the ice trick though. DH tends to remember to bring his meds most times now, and he uses them a lot less, but some damage has already been done unfortunately.

When I had my daughter I was in so much pain with my back that I could barely move one of my legs and I couldn't sleep or get comfy at all. Pretty common when you've been pregnant and suddenly aren't anymore, I guess its a massive shift from your skeleton's point of view. I opened the yellow pages to find someone/anyone! that could have a go at doing something to make me more comfortable, as I couldn't wait for a physio appointment to come through, even though I have private, I needed something instant.

I found a local Chiropractor who practices the McTimony method and had 2 treatments. I was massively different after the first and after the second, I never had any problems again. It was such a relief. Incidentally, she in terms of what she did to me wasn't that different to an osteopathy session I'd had back in my early 20's.

In terms of toddlers etc and things like immune system, I'd say don't go there. But if an adult can barely walk because there back is so bad (depending, of course on what the problem is) it might be worth a try - for that reason I'd be reluctant to dismiss it as quackery. Quackery worked for me if it is. And I'm pretty anti-quackery generally.

What a strangely antagonistic thread. No one here is claiming to be a chiropractor or an osteopath; the rudeness is misdirected.

and there are no blockages internally which may not be picked up by drs/GPs

Where would these "blockages" be?

Though I've got to admit, I feel lousy when there's a blockage in my lower gut. A good massage might help there. Or a good fart.

NHS says there is evidence that osteopathy is more effective than placebo for relieving lower back pain and therefore NICE recommended in some cases.

Still no idea how it might help an immune system

YABU.

I have no more words.

Oh no, I have some.

Chiropractic is bollocks. Someone made it up. Not even pretending to have divine inspiration, he made it up.