The Naked Chiropractor: Insiders' Guide to Combating Quackery and Winning the War Against Pain

In all likelihood, you will be among the eight out of every 10 Americans who will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Probably because back pain is so common, there are more treatments touted for it than for any other medical condition in the world. In my years as a chiropractor and a consultant reviewing the various treatments rendered by health care providers, I have come to realize that most providers have little or no understanding of back pain or how (inexpensively and easily) to make it go away. It’s also clear to me that patients have little or no understanding, primarily due to lack of education from health care providers. Patients also don’t know how to help themselves. In the mid-1990s, I began fighting to decrease treatment variation and increase the use of evidence-based medicine. It’s been an uphill battle. Of the 326 books about back pain listed on Amazon.com, most contain far more opinion, belief and testimonials than science. That’s because back pain isn’t a science, but the treatment of it can be. In most cases, back pain is a temporary condition. But that doesn’t stop thousands of alternative medicine practitioners from trying to treat your back pain at considerable expense to you. As you will discover in the pages of this book, alternative medicine practitioners are very adept at patient solicitation, “education” of their particular technique and engendering patient satisfaction. The benefits patients experience from alternative medicine derive more from the way a treatment is presented than from the treatment itself. From an alternative medicine provider’s point of view, getting you to accept convoluted logic and believe in the value of your treatment is nearly half the battle in resolving your problem. This book was written for you, the medical consumer. My goal is to shine a light on scientific evidence based on the most current clinical research---in an easy to understand format.