They hold no medical degrees but go through 4 years of graduate school

They are. One of my good friends is one.

They are Chiropractic Doctors but don’t hold Medical degrees

No.

I think they are bull$hit quackery. Before I had back surgery years ago, I was getting desperate for relief so I went to a Chiropractor. He actually had me sit in some sort of chair in front of a panel of colored lights and said it was "light therapy". He said the different colors would help me in some sort of way. Basically a glorified "Light Bright". After about 10 minutes of that nonsense, I got up and told him I was leaving and that if I got a bill for that horse**** he would regret it.

You bored Ray?

Neither does a DO so would you say they aren't a Dr? All of them are physicians.

Yup

I don't consider them doctors....just my opinion, though.

My problem isn't so much whether they are doctors as which ones are quacks...or worse. Quackery abounds, though I am sure there are good ones out there. I just don't trust most I have met. The nature of their treatments is mostly long term, or ongoing care. They have little incentive to get you to 100%. Incremental improvement at first to get you coming back....and then make sure you maintain some level of pain or discomfort to keep you...and your money. There's no labs or xrays or anything quantifiable to measure against....may not be entirely quackery, but the environment fosters it

+1

You're better off getting a deep body massage than seeing a chiropractor. See a real neurologist (medical doctor) if you have been hurt (back, neck or head) or you think you have a serious issue. There are a few medical doctors that are also chiropractors. I have a good friend who is a surgical neurologist who specializes in back and neck surgery. I know what his training entailed and it was a grueling 7 year residency. Not some BS "on-line certificate". YMMV

🌫

What you had done wasn't chiropractic. It was voodoo.

I've had some spinal adjustments in the past, and they've been helpful.
Sure, nothing more than a good neck or back crack, but it's worked. And I'm not a placebo affected kinda guy.

I did have some bitch years ago that tried to pull a "computer guided" measurement and adjustment, which was obvious quackery.

I now do light deadlifts every day and sleep with my lower legs elevated, and I have been problem free for years.
Also, I've substituted other lifts for the heavy squats that I used to do which created a lot of pressure on the lower back.
That may have something to do with it as well... 🤦

Just don't fall for the deep rectal massage scam...

🤔

Some chiropractors are more like physical therapists, and know their anatomy/physiology/kinesiolgy, etc.
I haven't been in 20+ years, but did have some successful treatments in the 70s, 80s and 90s for
- a chronic right shoulder issue (too many subluxations/injuries)
- a badly hyper extended knee with a moderate tibial dislocation
- a chronic psoas tendon problem
- a badly dislocated finger

The "medical community" (regular MDs) recommended surgery for my shoulder and hyper extended knee.
I declined, and I'm glad I did.

The psoas tendon thing was a one time miracle treatment. It had been bothering me for several weeks, clicking, very painful on squats, etc.
A Chiroprator (a member of the gym I trained at, and occasional training partner) took me to a bench the locker room, and started "rolling" my entire hamstring to the inside. It was starting to get uncomfortable, and suddenly I hear and feel a moderate "pop" in my inner hip/groin area.......and son of a beach......the pain went away instantly. He said don't do any heavy leg work for a few days, and you're good to go.....he was right. It's almost like the muscle and/or tendon were not in the proper groove or something.

I had a mangled finger (basketball) that a chiropractor re-set, but any doctor or physical therapist could have done that I'm sure.

Unfortunately there is still too much pure quackery in the profession.

Quackery, maybe a few good ones, but for the most part, quackery.

I live right on top of Palmer Chiropractic College. My BIL was there selling "Hyperbaric Chambers" for miraculous cures. Basically they were these rubberized canvas "coffins" with a little air compressor that ran the atmosphere in the coffin up to 5 psi and that was quote, "an oxygen rich environment". He sold the **** out of them. Not one of the snake oilers asked about any of the supposed benefits, every single one locked on to "I can have patients lying in there for billable time and I can be seeing other patients. That's great!"

That day hanging out completely confirmed what I suspected. Steve Earl said it best;

"I've got a little somethin'
Guaranteed to ease your mind
It's call snake oil y'all
It's been around for a long, long time"

Chiropractors Doctors?

Let's say you have a broken arm, would you got to a Chiropractor or a (real) Doctor?

If you have some spasming muscles they may be able to help you. "Adjustments" are total BS, almost everyone has one leg longer than the other, arms too, there is nothing Chiropractor can do to change them by any adjustment. Just think about it, how are they going to add or subtract length in a joint or bone?

They do perform "other" services, I know of a couple of Chiropractors that were dedicated to making some older women quite happy.

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I use a chiropractor who I consider excellent. I used one before who I consider excellent. I have been to 6 or 7 who I considered quacks who I went to see one time each. They are doctors of Chiropractic who hold a different medical degree. They are DC, not MD. In my experience the good ones are also acupuncturists, and herbalists. Often they will have a masseuse who specializes in deep tissue massage or they are themselves a masseuse who specializes in deep tissue massage. They give you a set of exercises that are designed to strengthen you injured are to reduce the chance of reinjury. The bad ones use devices with no therapeutic value that can make them money. The only device good two devices good ones use are tens unites, and xray units. They must be trained and certified to use xray units. There is an additional device they could use, but it would be highly impractical for the chiropractor and the patient, a hyperbaric chamber.

On the other hand, it's very hard to get into a hyperbolic chamber, but so worth it!

Never really did the chiropractor thing...…..but acupuncturist absolutely

Wifey does the acupuncture. Keep telling her I'll give her much better rates for a good poking.