I also wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to chiropractic and holistic (namely Chinese) medicine. Let me be clear first, for any acute medical condition or severe chronic condition which has been acquired, western medicine is by far has the highest rate of successful treatment and sometimes cure.
When it comes to prevention, western medicine has a lot on the ball but quality Chinese medicine for example. i believe studies are showing that lifetime followers of the Chinese medicinal practices, including things like structuring meals to combine certain foods, drinking tea sometimes with medicinal herbs, avoiding dairy...
For certain herbal supplements, a select few may offer some slight benefit in a few areas, however, if you look at what the market is saturated with, you'd be lucky if 1-2% of the ones on the market even did anything. For example, Kava has had studies done by NIH that show a very mild effect on anxiety (about 5% of the efficacy of Ativan per mg dosage), however, like with many herbal supplements, the ones that are effective require dosages so large that they're bad news for liver and kidneys. (which would apply to the Kava as well)
For prevention, diet is critical all-around, and I don't think any one culture has the monopoly on best dietary practices...I don't necessarily buy into that "appeal to ancient wisdom" mentality.
Certain things like dairy avoidance are pretty common sense if we just take a step back from what we've been raised to think is "normal" and look at it objectively. Obviously, the concept of not only drinking milk after the weening period, but the milk of another animal for that matter, is completely at odds with every other mammal. However, we're raised to think that milk is some sort of superfood that critical to the human diet so we don't view it as abnormal.
Chiropractors are very very buyer beware. There are a great deal that will do more hare than go, a good deal who will do nothing, and there are a few like mine. He is a miracle worker. I have had a "bad back" since I was a teenager. It's a long story but basically he fixed me up and had me walk for PT and besides going back when I get some stiffness, I am pain free.
I go a little rough on Chiropractors, and I'll explain why.
I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the profession if they separated themselves from the quacks a little better, and didn't portray such a grandiose depiction of their profession.
I don't doubt that someone knowing how to massage/stretch the right area or cracking certain joints can provide some pain relief. However, they advertise themselves as "doctors", and the entire profession itself was founded by a known charlatan who had been locked up on two occasions for practicing without a license and Chiropractic was actually his 3rd attempt at inventing an alternative medicine after magnet therapy and reflexology. (DD Palmer was determined to invent an alternative medicine and just kept trying things until one of them stuck)
If they just portrayed themselves as being on the same level as a nutritionist or physical therapist, and completely rejected the theory of
subluxation, I'd have no issues with what they do. However, very few do...most still have "
How subluxation is the root of all human diseases" propaganda in their waiting room, and still espouse the theories of Palmer.
...and the number one reason I hold a grudge against the profession, is because they've been, in many ways, a major player for the Anti-vaxxer movement...which to me is unacceptable and the fact that any practitioner who tells people not to vaccinate their children still receives payouts from insurance companies and medicare/medicaid makes my blood boil a bit...
Like I mentioned before, they give themselves the title of "Doctor" (which instantly makes people trust them...but most folks don't realize that they're not actually going to med school, they're going to one of the industry's 4 self-accredited chiropractic colleges), and people assume that because "this guy's a doctor" that they're a subject matter expert in all of the same things a real doctor is.
