My best wishes to all who obtain pain relief from chiropractic treatment of their ailments but it is organised quackery. The basic premise of D.D. Palmer’s circa 1890 origin chiropractic is *subluxations*, misalignments of the spine that allegedly interfere with nerve signals from the brain. By adjusting the misalignments chiropractors claim they can resolve the disruption of the nerve signals and thereby address various health problems. There is no scientific evidence for this premise. Period.  Western science and medicine is not the be all and end all of human health and I certainly believe in the merit of alternative and holistic health treatment traditions particularly those practiced continuously from ancient cultures including acupuncture.

It pretty much comes down to everyone likes a back rub. When I hurt my back a while back I considered going to a chiropractor—I asked my PCP if this was a good idea and she gave me big googly eyes and said I’d probably end up paralyzed if I did.

Is it still the case that there is no medical qualification required to hang out your shingle as a practitioner?

You do have to go to Chiropractic school. The nerve signal disruption may be bullshit, but not everything in it is BS. A good chiropractor can releave muscle tension through realignment and massage. It’s more like physical therapy and maybe someone helping you stretch really, really well.

That said, the bar to call yourself a Chiropractor ain’t too high, and lots of them can damage you permanently. So, it’s best to avoid them, unless you hear a lot of good things about one and in that case, think about it as going to get a massage.

Personally, I think it’s not much more bullshit than shiatsu or “rolfing,” or any of the other zen-sounding fad things pay to have done to themselves.

None of those have serious certification requirements either.

When I was a youngster, a Chiropractor would give you an adjustment, and send you on your way. Today, they give out treatment plans to get you signed up for 5,10,20 or more treatments. I know a couple of idiots who go once a week, tell me how great it is, and then tell me how it almost takes away the pain.