Following my suggestion that an integrated therapeutic profession (Scientific
Therapy?) be investigated as a distant new profession, someone on another
group suggested that chiropractic manipulation could indeed resolve many
organic disorders, such as otitis media. My reply may also be of interest
here.

***We cannot summarily dismiss the possible role played by the use of
appropriate antibiotics. When I was a much younger human being, I had an
excruciating encounter with otitis media (despite our family being very
health oriented and hygienic) and my late medical father administered a few
doses of erythromycin (he knew that I was allergic to sulphonamide type
antibiotics and he steered clear of penicillin-type antibiotics because he
was allergic to them). Within a day I was feeling like a human being again
and I recovered very rapidly indeed, so I will never state that antibiotics
and other classical drugs have no role to play in healing.

Similarly after my heart attack and quadruple coronary bypass surgery
(despite no cardiac risk factors, non-meat diet, supplementation with
anti-oxidants, tons of daily exercise etc), I took azithromycin just in case
my cardiac event indeed may have been precipitated by chlamydia pneumoniae
bacterium, as has been suggested in some of the literature.

CHIRO OR CHEIROMANCY?

I have had colleagues who have had chiro treatment to deal with digestive
tract ulcers and who have used antacids for ages, but who have recovered
after a few doses of suitable antibiotics - this was successful probably
because their problem was the result of infection with the now-recognised
helicobacter pylorum.

Worse still, an older woman who attended a local gym was being treated for
months by a chiro (several weekly manipulations) and a personal trainer (back
exercises) without any reduction in her sever back pain. In desperation she
visited a PT, who recommended X-rays first and lo and behold, a physician
discovered spinal cancer.

My late father who worked for many decades in the neurosurgery department of
our largest hospital in Johannesburg (S Africa) had numerous cases of
patients with persistent headaches, neck pain, impaired vision, blackouts and
referred pain who had spent ages seeing chiros without any improvement.

In every single case, some physician had chosen to refer such patients for
specialised neurosurgical evaluation and the problem was invariably some
lesion of the brain or spinal cord, tumour, or genuine organic disorder. In
some cases, chiropractic manipulation had severely exacerbated or even caused
some of the conditions seen by our hospital's neuro department.

A prominent case was reported in one of the S African newspapers involving a
well-known chiro (a wonderful man and a friend of mine!) who had manipulated
the neck of an incomplete quadriplegic and succeeeded in turning her into a
complete quad.

MEDICS STAND UP, TOO!

Many such cases are associated with chiro treatment, but before we condemn
all chiros, let us point out that are also large numbers of medical
disasters. My paraplegic wife is but one of many example - three
neurosurgeons (who settled out of court) ignored and mistreated clear MRI
evidence of a spinal growth. The result? One day my wife was a joyous ice
skating professional touring the world and a few weeks later, a confused and
utterly traumatised, paralysed patient in Craig Rehabilitation Hospital. Her
life will never be the same again. And that was not due to chiros, but
well-qualified medics.

Iatrogenic 'medicine' were strongly involved in the deaths of both of my
parents. On the other hand, my late father saved many neuro patients from
certain death and some very competent medics saved my life when I had my
massive coronary.

A closing whisper - what about the drug companies (modern shamans and
herbalists?) who have made many great discoveries, but also caused a trail of
disaster in many cases? Thank goodness for them that they have the wealth to
bury their dirt deep enough for nobody to find!

LEAVE IT TO THE DIVINE

Let us not forget all those highly 'God-fearing' (fearing their version of a
divine entity) who think that prayer alone, without deeds, will always save
their loved ones, instead of 'unnatural' surgical skills. Had there been
some modern medical facilities around in Biblical times among Jews,
Christians, Muslims, Mithraists and pagans, there would have been many more
rescues and survivals in all of those savage battles and unrecognised
diseases.

As some knave once remarked, the huge number of times that the incantation
"God save the King/Queen" was uttered by millions of people should have
guaranteed that nothing ill could ever have befallen the Kings and Queens of
England - or at least would have been remedied!

This is not to state that religion has no role to play in life and healing,
but to point out that discretion is also the better part of religion and that
all too often one relies on one's mentally graven image of God than on the
divine presence itself. In other words, one can easily pray to icons and
images of divinity rather than to something which is supposed to be
metaphysical. Even then, the placebo effect or hypnosis may ensure that
belief in the power of icons, symbols, voodoo and rituals can heal.

What a wonderful world we live in - we can even believe in the substance of
dreams and the dreams can actually come true for us! In this respect, the
words uttered by therapists and doctors can help those healing dreams come
true in their patients. And so, virtual reality becomes reality. In the
beginning was the word. . . . .!! Aummmmm!

ALTERNATIVE DREAMSCAPES

Now what about the plethora of alternative healers with magnets, pendulums,
power incantations, aromatherapy, reflexology, energy-balancing rituals,
flower remedies, homeopathic potions, NLP, Reiki, rebirthing and a thousand
other healing tricks tucked away in their healing bags? While some aspects
of these disciplines may have value, the exaggerated claims by folk who have
attended a few weekend courses at the local energy resort high in the hills
of their local Nepal, are an insult to what value may lie in these
professions and a potential danger to desperate clients who may need far
broader medical care.

PLACEBOS TO THE RESCUE!

Thank goodness that the placebo effect exists to save some lives and to
ensure that many healers in all types of medical and health management are
not driven en masse out of town! Before anyone smugly thinks that this
applies only to alternative types', don't forget the research which revealed
that bogus superficial bypass surgery (producing the same sort of scars
without any cardiac surgery) can result in patient recovery which rivals that
of genuine bypass surgery.

EVERYONE BOW HEADS & HOLD HANDS NOW

We need to realise that all forms of drugs and forms of treatment may be
complementary or antagonistic to one another and that there can be a role for
different drugs, herbal remedies and proper nutritional choices either alone
or in various combinations. The essential issue is to be able to recognise
the strengths and weaknesses of every healing art and to permit as much
cross-fertilisation and colaboration as possible without legislation, vested
interest, power struggles and forceful personalities getting in the way of
the most importnat thing - healing the patient.

In this respect, it is high time that a lot of doctors and chiros, etc etc,
stopped acting God and claiming exclusive healing powers. It is time that
all these great successes of the healing gurus are measured in the light of
the many failures which we never hear about. Nobody has the sole rights over
ability, knowledge and learning and we all fall far short of perfection.

The following version of an old joke might be rather appropriate in the case
of some healing professionals:

Question: "What is the difference between God and Chiros/Doctors?"
Answer: "At least God does not think that He is a Chiro/Doctor!"

Dr Mel C Siff
Denver, USA
[log in to unmask]



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