I recently have become aware of a Rochester chiropractor administering COVID-19 testing. It was on social media, the news, etc. The office was charging $50 a test and the poor souls that took these tests were able to find out right then and there. Sound great, right?
Well, last I knew, as a chiropractor, my specialty was not in immunology. I had no additional training in the administering of oral swabs, processing, and reading tests. Even with my sports medicine degrees, this was not something that we learned.
Neuromusculoskeletal conditions are our specialties. This is our scope. This is where our 400+ hours in the gross anatomy lab dissecting cadavers comes into play. These are the conditions we can treat with great results. NOT immunology. Are those test results true? I don’t know, they could be. Or it could be a load of crap. What I do know is that this doctor and their practice is representing something NOT within a chiropractor’s scope of practice. It makes me SO angry to know that people out there are doing this, and giving chiropractic a bad rep.
Let’s be real, the population is naive when it comes to medical “things”. We are. We go into a doctor’s office, listen to what they have to say, rarely questioning things. We get the surgery they recommend. We take the medications they prescribe us. It is our human nature to think that everyone does good and is there for our best interest. They have the advanced training. They are superior in medical decisions. Not everyone falls into this category, but i can imagine probably 85% of people do.
Another situation:
I haven’t seen this personally but I am sure this is out there somewhere. A chiropractic office promoting adjustments to increase your immune function so you don’t get the COVID-19 virus.
I am going to go on record, right here, right now. Adjustments will NOT make you immune to the COVID-19 virus. You, are still at risk of getting the COVID-19 virus if you get adjusted regularly. Is there some validity in chiropractic adjustments and increase in immune function? I don’t know. I do know that the nerves that come from the spinal cord to the rest of the body will have a decrease in inflammatory markers and increase in blood flow, therefore, allowing the function of the nerves to be greater, following an adjustment. That’s what I know. I have not seen any GOOD studies proving an increase in immune function.
So what am I trying to get across?
I want to educate the community on the appropriate use of chiropractic care. I want the community to understand what we can do, and what we can’t do. I want people to realize that yes, there are people out there that are that are in the business of taking your money and gaining profits. Sad, but true. I want the naive population to go to a chiropractor that will treat them right, putting their needs first.
Below are some pointers in deciding who is a good chiropractor and where you should get your care:
- They don’t make you sign a contract
- You don’t have to pay money up front
- They don’t take x-rays on every new patient
- They don’t use a scanner on your spine to show your spine’s “hotspots”
- They don’t make you come in 3x/week for 8 weeks
- They do take a full intake history
- They do a neuro exam
- They do educate you on what to do at home
- They do refer you if you are not a candidate of chiropractic care
- They do release you from care when you are ready
These are my thoughts, my rants, my venting ideals. Will I get some backlash? Sure, probably, yes.
I hope you can now make a more educated decision, on your personal chiropractic care after reading this, especially, during this time.
Stay healthy!
Dr. Jose
