What Happens after a Chiropractic Cure?

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Originally published on www.healthicine.org

Have you ever been cured by a chiropractor? Do you know someone who has been cured by a chiropractor? What happens after a chiropractor cures an illness?

Last week I was having coffee with a friend, Dee. After catching up on friends, family, and old co-workers, the topic of chiropractors came up. Dee's voice changed a bit, and she began "I'll tell you a story."

"About a year ago," she said quietly, "I went to my doctor because I couldn't raise my left arm."

She lifted her arm to about chest level, to demonstrate, and continued, "The shoulder was jammed and painful. When I tried to lift my arm any higher - it was very painful and not possible."

She continued: "I went to see my doctor. He listened to my problem, and said 'I could prescribe some anti-inflammatory medicines, but they won't address the cause. I'd recommend you see a chiropractor.' "

"I was surprised that a doctor would recommend a chiropractor," She raised her eyebrows and continued, "When I visited the chiropractor, he manipulated my arm and shoulder, movement was improved, but not perfect. There was little pain. The chiropractor gave me a series of exercises for my arm and shoulder."

She concluded with, "I did the exercises, over the course of a few weeks. The problem went away."

I noticed that Dee didn't say "cure", she didn't say "I was cured" or "the problem was cured", instead she said "it went away".

I suspect, if I talk to the chiropractor, he wouldn't say "I cured her" either. Claiming to cure can be dangerous.

And… if I met the doctor, a similar waffling phrase "The problem went away" might be used, rather than "The chiropractor was able to cure it." Any doctor who suggests a chiropractor "cured" someone would risk serious admonishment and possibly ostracism.

Was Dee cured? Did the chiropractor cure Dee? Did the doctor's recommendation cure Dee? These thoughts swirled in my mind, as Dee began again, thoughtfully.

"I think I know what happened," she continued, "A few weeks before the problem, I was wearing a very tight one-suit. I had to take it off quickly to go to the bathroom. I twisted my shoulder taking it off. At the time, it was just a bit sore and I brushed it off. Gradually, over a few weeks the problem got worse and worse. So I decided to go to the doctor."

Now maybe you're thinking "but that's just an anecdote". After all, it wasn't a clinical study, it's just an anecdotal story. Know this. Every cure is a single case.

Every cure is an anecdoteMost clinical studies do not contain a definiton of cure, and cannot document a cure if it occurs. Cancer research studies measure the effects of "treatments". No study of a cancer treatment contains a definition of cured.

What happens after a chiropractic cure? It goes away.

The same happens after any cure. It goes away. The illness goes away. Then the cure goes away.

There are no cured statistics for any disease. If you had a common cold, or the flu, cured by health - "it went away". Conventional medicine says "There is no cure for the common cold (influenza, measles, etc)." There are statistics for influenza and measles, for deaths caused by influenza or measles, but none for influenza or measles cured.

If you get a sliver in your hand, and it gets infected, health fights the infection. Usually, "it goes away", cured by health. If it doesn't go away, you might visit a doctor, and be prescribed an antibiotic. If the antibiotic cures - the infection "goes away". If you check the medical reference texts - and the product labels - for your antibiotic, you seldom find the word "cure". Antibiotics are "treatments" for infections. There is a medical test for an infection cured, the dangerous bacteria is gone. But the word cure is rarely used. There are no statistics for infections cured.

And chiropractors? There are no scientific or medical tests for any medical condition cured by a chiropractor. When a chiropractor cures, the problem "goes away". Was it cured?

Cured is not defined for frozen shoulder. A doctor might diagnose frozen shoulder, but they can't diagnose "frozen shoulder cured". There is no cure documented in current medical texts. WebMD documents Frozen Shoulder - exactly as it was experienced by Dee (except for the bathroom run). WebMD recommends treatments, anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin or "a stronger medication". WebMD says "Your treatment might also include going to a physical therapist for strengthening and stretching exercises to improve your range of motion." But the word "cure" is not used. And WebMD does not suggest visiting a chiropractor.

WebMD does not use the word "cure" for frozen shoulder. The word cure appears once on the WebMD page - in an advertisement offering "Shoulder Joint Pain Cure", which leads to ads for chiropractors, naturopaths, and even aromatherapists. Can any of them cure?

The Mayo Clinic documents "Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis". They also suggest a physical therapist - but not a chiropractor. And the word cure is not mentioned. The Mayo Clinic documents symptoms, diseases and conditions, but not cures.

No authoritative medical reference documents a cure for frozen shoulder. No authoritative medical reference text documents a cure for any medical condition cured by chiropractors.

What happens after a cure by a chiropractor? It goes away. The medical condition goes away. And the cure goes away. It wasn't really there. It never happened. Nothing to see here. Look away.

The Elements of Cure documents the three basic cures for any medical condition. You can purchase The Elements of Cure online or in Edmonton at Audrey's Books on Jasper ave.

Frozen shoulder requires two cures - exercise to stretch and transform the shoulder to a healthier state, and healing to repair the damage that occurs as a result of the transformation. The third type of cure - a causal cure, is not needed because frozen shoulder has no active cause.

When we study cures, it's easily understood. Our medical systems study treatments - but not cures. Many medical dictionaries do not contain the word "cure". No medical reference text defines cure, much less providing a scientific definition.

So cures disappear. They "go away".

to your health, tracy
Author: The Elements of Cure

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of GreenMedInfo or its staff.

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