Quack of the Day: "Dr" Ben Rall

Ben Rall is one of over 175 Chiropractors who operate in an around the Sioux Falls area, and frankly he isn't even one of the most popular ones, so you are probably wondering why I would devote a post to him.  For all intents and purposes he is just another Chiropractor right?  The difference is, Ben Rall is the Chiropractor of choice for Lowell Hubbs, and Mr. Hubbs tends to put Mr. Rall on a pedestal as if he is capable of performing miracles.

Recently there have been a few comments left on this blog pertaining to Mr. Rall, and Lowell has talked about him numerous times in the past, so I figured it was time to put a little information together on Rall to determine what the whole story is.

In truth, I really don't have a problem with most Chiropractors.  I understand they have their place in the treatment community (even though they are not to be confused with medical doctors) and I understand they can and do offer relief for some conditions like lower back pain and some joint pain etc.  What I do have a problem with is Chiropractors who walk around suggesting, or even openly claiming, that they can treat, reverse, or even cure conditions ranging from heart disease to diabetes to ADHD or even autism.  Obviously these Chiropractors don't have the supporting evidence to prove their treatments can prevent or cure disease, but that doesn't stop many of them from making vague statements while avoiding making promises that they know they can't support with science.

So where does Rall sit in all of this?  To find out, we only need to visit his "Inspired Chiropractic" website, and the first thing we are presented with is a link to an online store, and the offer to purchase some "Daily Detox" nutritional supplements (with no scientific evidence to support that they do anything other than "detox" your wallet by removing $74.95 for a whopping 30 day supply).  If you click on the "Daily Detox" supplements and do a little reading, Rall tells you that once you start taking them you most likely will never be able to stop because of the following statement shown on the FAQ page:

 "Most North Americans are exposed to hundreds of toxins every day from foods, household and personal care products, and even the environment – so the majority of our customers choose to take DailyDetox long-term for ongoing protection". 

As is the case with any good snakeoil salesman, Rall refers to these mystery "toxins" and tries to sell some miracle pill that can remove them.  Funny how these alternative medicine types are always so focused upon toxins yet they never actually bother to list what those toxins are, or provide evidence that shows their miracle solutions are effective at removing them.  The simple truth is, the term "toxins" is a generic term used to sell products and scare the uninformed, but when you really examine the issue you realize the lack of detail is only paralleled by the lack of science.

The good news is if you sign up for the autoship program for Rall's miracle pills, it reduces your monthly cost from $74.95 to "only" $69.95 and they will ever ship them for free!  I have to wonder if Mr. Hubbs has signed up for this program since he seems to believe Rall can do no harm.  Then again Mr. Hubbs is also a huge fan of Andy Moulden, so he probably needs to take his "Brainguard" meds on a monthly basis too.  Then he probably needs to take some of the supplements Mercola sells on his site, and maybe a few of the miracle supplements that Sherri Tenpenny sells, and maybe even a monthly shipment of the "Brain Repair" supplements sold by Blaylock.

I have to admit, being a proponent of alternative medicine and an anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist sounds like it could get very expensive.  If you just follow the advice of those listed in the above paragraph would you need to spend over $300 a month on 'necessary' supplements.

Of course Rall doesn't stop at just offering supplements as that would be far too easy.  He also shows on his homepage an offer to purchase a do-it-yourself "Spinal Correction" kit for the low, low price of only $169.95.  Yes you read that correctly, Mr. Rall sells a kit so you can do your own spinal adjustments right in the comfort of your own home!  Does this sound at all legitimate?  If there is so much training involved in Chiropractic care and if what he can do to a patient is so incredible, I find it odd that he is willing to sell a kit for $170 where someone could basically replicate his treatment at home, but whatever allows him to make a buck I suppose.

The rest of Rall's online store includes offers for various videos, books, protein powders and other nutritional supplements, "at home" spinal care devices, clothing ($45 for a t-shirt that doesn't even come with sleeves??) and even downloadable audio files including one called "Vaccination Awareness" that is offered for the rather high, (and rather odd) price of $46.02.  I guess a flat $46 just wouldn't have been high enough to cover the costs of production.

I wish I could offer more insight on what you get for your $46.02, but unfortunately Rall's site only lists the title of the MP3 and doesn't list any specifics on what it might contain.  For all I know it could be an audio recording of him reading articles written by Mercola or Wakefield, but I would bet there is very little science involved and a whole lot of fear-mongering.  I'll also go ahead an assume Mr. Hubbs has already paid his $46.02 to listen to it. 

My personal favorite item in the Rall superstore however has to be the "Whole Body Vibration Plate" which sells for the astounding price of $1400.00!  I know that seems like a lot, but the list price is $1866.67 so if you buy now you will save $466.67!  So what does this miracle machine do?  Well you won't have any luck finding out on Rall's page, but if you dig around the web you will find dozens of different "whole body vibration machines" for sale out there ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand.  What you won't find however is any peer-reviewed science showing the effectiveness of these machines, nor will you find any justification on why they seem to be so expensive.

I could write a series of blog posts on the questionable benefits of vibration training, but thankfully others have already done so, and thus I don't need to repeat what has already been said.  If you really want to learn about the theory behind these machines I would recommend a series of articles written by Sal Marinello which can be found here, here, and here.  Marinello has done several other articles on the subject including on entitled "More Evidence to Indicate Whole Body Vibration to be Ineffective" which is worth a read as well.

This just all goes to show what type of snakeoil Rall is willing to sell provided he can make a buck.  Aside from the fact that vibration machines are a silly gimmick with no proven benefits, the fact is the price Rall has affixed to the machines is simply incredible. 

Truth be told, you can purchase a Black and Decker palm sander from Walmart for around $30, bolt it to the underside of a wood or metal base, fire it up and stand on it... and you will have saved yourself $1370. Because that is what those machines do... they simply vibrate while the user stands on them just as a palm sander vibrates as it operates. Yes you can get fancy with a heavy duty and weighted platform, some fancy isolating shock absorbers, a larger motor that will last longer etc, etc, but basically all these machine do is take the vibration technology built into most cell phones and make it bigger and heavier, and for that cranks across the globe fool an unsuspecting public into purchasing these machines for thousands of dollars when they can probably be manufactured for under $50.

Do these people have no shame?  (Don't answer that - it was a rhetorical question)

I'm actually surprised that Rall isn't selling a power bracelet of some type, because as trendy as those are you would think he would be all over it.  Then again the profit from a $30 bracelet isn't nearly as impressive as a $1400 vibration machine, so he probably has it figured out.

So aside from being yet another alternative medicine guru who sells various products on his website, what does Mr. Rall really offer? He doesn't have any peer-reviewed studies proving his treatments are any more effective than common physical therapy, he doesn't have his name on any research studies that have developed new and effective treatments, and he can't even offer evidence that his claims about weight loss can be verified via clinical study.  What he can do is talk a good game and convince vaccine conspiracy theorists such as Mr. Hubbs that he knows the truth while the hundreds of thousands of doctors, scientists, and researchers who study vaccines and disease across our nation are all in on some massive cover-up for the sake of personal profit.

The moral of the story?  Profit is apparently just fine... if Mr. Rall happens to be the one collecting it.

Maybe one of these days I'll find an alternative medicine practitioner who doesn't have a website packed full of various products that are pushed upon the ignorant and one who isn't continually trying to convince humanity that they need to ingest numerous supplements and vitamins on a daily basis or buy a variety of different machines and contraptions as if that will do anything other than reduce their disposable income... but apparently not today.

These people prey upon ignorance and fear... which probaly explains why Mr. Hubbs seems to be drawn to each and every one of them like a moth to a flame.  It doesn't matter that these pills and machines don't really have any scientific, medical, or health benefit.  It doesn't matter that the treatments are ineffective.  It doesn't matter that there is no supporting scientific evidence to support the theories or that they can't even clearly identify the root causes in the first place... what matters is that these predators tell medical conspiracy theorists what they want to hear and they play the role of being the alternative to modern, mainstream medicine while at the same time making a few bucks on the side.

Does any of this really surprise anyone?

Quack of the Day: "Dr" Bruce Hagen

If there is one trait most chiropractors share, it is a desire to convince people that traditional allopathic medicine is bad whereas chiropractic "spinal adjustments" and physical adjustments to the spine, neck, and joints can solve almost all health issues.

Some chiropractors even go so far as to suggest spinal manipulation and adjustments can treat common diseases or strengthen the immunity system to prevent a person from ever getting sick which is a subject I have discussed in the past. Other chiropractors will suggest they can treat conditions such as ADHD, ADD, Autism, IBS, allergies, glaucoma, Parkinson's disease, kidney stones, gall stones and even heart attacks!

Truth be told, I have no issue with chiropractors who are honest with their patients and who set the proper expectations for treatment. Many chiropractic treatments are effective for lower back pain and some joint pain (even if they are no better than standard physical therapy or massage), but above all the one thing chiropractic care offers a patient is the power of healing touch. Many studies have found that people respond to the touch of others, and although this is in effect nothing more than a mental placebo, if it helps to reduce stress and pain and allows the person to feel more comfortable I fail to see the harm.

However what I do take issue with is when chiropractors use this knowledge for personal gain and profit.  Rather than actually cure an issue or resolve a complaint, many chiropractors require their patients to return for follow-up adjustments week after week and in some cases up to three or more visits each and every week with no end in sight.  When asked to provide a treatment plan, many chiropractors simply say each case is unique and the patient needs to continue to return for treatments until they feel they are fully healed.  That may take months, and in some cases years.  For a person suffering from chronic pain as is often the case with someone who has fibromyalgia, these treatments can continue for years and even decades.

Contrast this with a traditional medical doctor (MD) who prescribes an antibiotic for an infection.  The doctor doesn't require the patient to come back three times a week to receive treatment, and doesn't tell the patient they need to come back for follow-up visits each week until the infection is 100% cleared up.  What they will do is prescribe the antibiotic and inform the patient to take the complete prescription.  If the infection clears up there is nothing more to do, however if the infection returns or gets worse then and only then should the patient return to the doctor for a follow-up.

Now I ask - which of these two scenarios seems like it is merely connected to profit, and which is in the best interests of the patient?  When a 15 minute adjustment with a chiropractor can cost $65 to $80, and the treatments go on indefinitely (or until the patient realizes it is costing them more for chiropractic treatments in a month than it is for rent or food), it surely doesn't seem like it is in the best interests of the patient.

With all of this being said, I do feel there is a balance between traditional allopathic medicine and chiropractic care.  Some MDs will even suggest their patients visit a chiropractor for specific treatments, and in some cases the two work in harmony with one another.  However the problem begins with chiropractors attempt to convince people that traditional medical doctors aren't needed and that chiropractic care is superior or a more modern way of treating medical conditions.

In the Sioux Falls area, one of the most well known chiropractors is Dr. Bruce Christopher Hagen.  He has been a practicing chiropractor for decades upon decades and has two sons (Bruce Jon Hagen and Mark Palmer Hagen) who are both chiropractors as well.  Bruce Jon Hagen has stated he is a third generation chiropractor which leads me to believe Bruce Christopher Hagen was probably the son of a chiropractor, and there is also another Hagen (Christopher Hagen) who works with or has worked with Bruce Jon Hagen who is also a chiropractor, so needless to say cracking bones runs in the family - and it has been VERY profitable for the Hagen family.

Bruce C. Hagen even thinks so highly of the idea of chiropractic care that he named his own son after Daniel David Palmer (or DD Palmer) who is the founder of chiropractic treatment back in the 1890s.  That is where the "Palmer" within Mark Palmer Hagen originated from, so clearly Bruce Hagen is very fond of chiropractic treatment and the Palmer College of Chiropractic (where he went to school to become a chiropractor).

So it should come as no surprise to learn that Bruce Hagen has authored a book entitled "How to live to be 100 in Spite of your Doctor".  Now for sake of argument I'm going to assume Hagen is referring to real medical doctors and not all doctors, because that would essentially be suggesting to the readers of the book that they should avoid all doctors including doctors of chiropractic (DC).

Within this book (which Hagen has been promoting everywhere and to anyone who will listen) he offers up such unsubstantiated statements such as "the leading cause of death in America is neither heart disease nor cancer... it's doctor caused illness" (where have we heard that idiocy before), " if it's advertised on TV, it may be bad for you", and my personal favorite "there is more sickness today than ever before".

Now as to the claim about it being advertised on TV it might be bad for you, Hagen might actually have a point.  Kevin Trudeau advertises on TV all the time, and history has shown us he isn't exactly good for us.  I also see a lot of ads for those amazing knives you can buy for $19.99... and I suppose to some degree those could be bad for you if you cut your finger or accidentally stab yourself while trying to demonstrate how to slice through a can of SPAM like they do on television.  However it seems pretty clear that what Hagen is actually referring to is the overabundance of pharmaceuticals advertised on television.  

The thing is, anyone of moderate intelligence knows drugs aren't about to cure everything, and the list of potential side effects are often long.  We already know drugs aren't always the answer and we already know that in some cases there will be side effects that are as bad or even worse than the condition being treated.  That is an accepted risk we take when we decide to take prescription drugs, and hopefully as modern science continues to improve the benefits will continue to increase while the risks and side effects will continue to decrease.

As far as Hagen's statement about more sickness than ever before, it really depends upon how to look at it.  People are living longer these days due in no small part to modern medicine.  We also have a world population of over six billion people which is growing exponentially, so it stands to reason there will be more sickness than ever before because that is merely the law of averages.  There is also more consumption than ever before, more humans than ever before, more 100 year olds than ever before, more ingrown toenails than ever before, and more reruns of Saved By The Bell than ever before... but none of that really matters and aside from fooling those non-critical thinkers that might buy Hagen's book clever statements like this don't mean a thing.

Perhaps more importantly than clever phrases and senseless statements, Hagen would like to offer up some scientific evidence to support his many claims.  Perhaps he would like to parlay his decades of chiropractic experience into a published paper or research study, or perhaps he would like to contribute to a scholarly journal.  Rest assured none of these things will happen however, because in order to print an article in a journal it would need to be peer-reviewed which is scrutiny Hagen would never want to accept.  Therefore it is much easier to write a book, pay a publisher to print it, and sell it to patients and ignorant fools via the Internet for $15 per copy.

Hagen has even went so far as to develop a snappy website to hawk his book, and true to form with so many other anti-mainstream medicine types he offers a few other products such as nutritional charts for sale as well. With all of this being said, I have taken a few observations from looking at his website which make me wonder why all of these chiropractors and anti-mainstream medicine gurus all share the same desire to have websites that look like they were created by a 14 year old using circa-1992 geocities website creation tools.

First of all this could quite possibly be one of the ugliest websites I have ever seen.  The text is choppy, the grammar and text appears to have been written by someone who likely had trouble graduating high school, and the layout could have been improved had they created the site within Microsoft Word.  Add to that the fact that two of his primary links don't even function properly (he linked to www.howtolivetobe100inspiteofherdoctor.com instead of the proper URL of www.howtolivetobe100inspiteofyourdoctor.com/), and it really starts making you wonder why anyone would claim to have designed this page.  Of course after looking at the webpage for the actual site designer, it seems more than obvious that this is a low budget operation.

Granted his choice of web designer doesn't have any bearing upon the book itself, but I do find it comical that any self-respected doctor would have such a website to begin with.  Looking at Hagen's "favorite links" section is a veritable "who's who" list of various profit-seeking alternative medicine types which offer various newsletters for sale, supplements, bumper stickers, and postcards.  Ask yourself the last time you saw a real medical doctor with such a website, and then ask yourself the last time your doctor tried to sell you a copy of his or her own book or to get you to spend $48 a year for their monthly newsletter.

This seems to be the common problem with so many alternative medicine proponents.  On one hand they want everyone to believe how corrupt modern medicine is and that they have all of these miracle cures and treatments that will prolong your life or ease your pain, but in order to obtain this wonderful miracle knowledge, they always expect people to pay money to download a newsletter or buy a book.  Whereas traditional medical techniques and diagnoses can be reality found online in hundreds of locations, most alternative medical knowledge is more often than not only found in a paid format.

So is it really about sharing knowledge, or is it just about profiting from the fear perpetuated by proclaiming modern medicine is a sham and that all drug companies and doctors and government agencies are in on the game?  I think we all know the answer.

At the end of the day, Hagen and his fellow alternative medicine proponents are nothing more than hypocrites.  They complain about drug company profits and about the cost of healthcare while raking in millions a year from their alternatives, and yet throughout all of this alternative medicine has not brought us one single cure or solution to any major medical disorder - EVER.  They complain about the idea of taking a pill to treat a condition while suggesting people take daily supplements for the rest of their lives, and they complain the truth is being hidden from the public while they all seem to have the real answers... for a price.

In fact, even though Hagen professes himself to be in such good health by bragging about how he still works 10 to 16 hours a day, how he plays tennis and golf several times a week, and how he has a full head of hair at age 77, Hagen actually has relied upon the services of traditional medical doctors and has even taken prescription drugs.  He will be quick to tell people that for 50 years of his life he didn't have to take any prescriptions, but the same would be true for most 77 year olds.  If you actually add up the number of time the typical 77 year old person has ever taken medications, it likely would be a mere fraction of their life, not to mention the fact that up until 30 or so years ago prescriptions were very limited outside of standard antibiotics and some pain medications - so even if someone wanted to take a drug for a specific symptom it may not have been available.

The bottom line is although Hagen may offer some good generalized advice within his book, it does not in any way suggest simply by leading a certain lifestyle or by taking some vitamins that a person will live to be 100.  There are so many factors that go into health from genetic traits to environmental exposure to mere chance that nobody can guarantee health throughout their lives.  Mr. Hagen may very well live to be 100 and if so more power to him, but the reality is he may also die around his 80th birthday and if that is the case his life expectancy would be nothing more than average.

I'm not suggesting that Hagen is a bad guy, in fact I'm sure his heart is in the right place, but I do hope that people are intelligent enough to consider all factors that go into health and life expectancy.  If they find that chiropractic care or some supplements is all that is necessary to keep them feeling well then so be it, but if they find (like Hagen, and like our very own Mr. Hubbs) that there are times in which they need to seek the assistance of a traditional medical doctor, I hope that books like this do not convince them otherwise, as that would be a disservice to their health, their lives, and those who may care about them.

You see - it is quite possible to offer medical advice without having to charge for it, although if you want to send me $19.95 as a thank-you gift I surely won't protest.

Lowell Hubbs World: Mary Tocco's Challenge & Surgery Cures

If It walks like a duck...

Lowell Hubbs World: Mary Tocco's Challenge & Surgery Cures: "Here is the Mary Tocco challenge to any doctor or nurse who believes these toxins are O.K. to inject: I want you to take the exact inject..."

Obviously Mr. Hubbs makes a lot of friends on the Internet. Not sure who the author of the above referenced blog is, but they obviously have crossed paths with Mr. Hubbs and have discovered the same facts that I have. Just goes to show that Mr. Hubbs is easily recognized as an anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist where ever he goes.

As is true of all of the "experts" Mr. Hubbs references, Mary Tocco is nothing more than a profiteering fraud. She isn't a doctor, she isn't a scientist, she doesn't have any published research studies, and she isn't even a medical researcher. In fact, throughout her own biography, she doesn't mention any level of higher education whatsoever, so it would appear not only is she not in the medical field and that she has no medical training, I'm not even sure if she has any post-secondary education at all. I wish I could say I'm surprised, but it seems to be a common theme with the anti-vaccination crowd.

So if she isn't a doctor, scientist, or researcher - what is she? Well for that simply ask Tocco herself:

"Spent 23 years managing and promoting a chiropractic clinic and studying natural health care." -Mary Tocco

Notice she doesn't claim to be a chiropractor and only claims to have "managed" a chiropractic clinic. That means "managed" as in she balanced the books, paid the bills, scheduled appointments, and probably took out the trash etc, but was never actually a chiropractor. However, she was married to a chiropractor, so I guess she learned by osmosis or something.

Is it really a surprise to learn this quack manages a chiropractic clinic or that she "studies" natural health care? Funny how she goes around claiming vaccines are dangerous and attempts to link them to autism, yet she never even bothers to take the time to study the issue and put her name on a legitimate paper? I guess she is too busy to bother with any fact checking or research when there is money to be made.

True to form however, this self-proclaimed "expert" started a few groups and attached fancy labels to them such as "American Chiropractic Autism Board" (which is meaningless since there is no connection between Chiropractic and Autism), and then she runs around the country collecting speaking fees for "seminars" where she hawks her DVDs, books, CDs, and other trinkets in order to make a buck just as she does from her website.

Is this really the best the anti-vaccination crowd has to offer? Can't they at least find a real legitimate doctor who has some published studies to his or her name? Apparently not, and the amusing thing is these idiots eat this stuff up. They don't even bother to ask her if she has any higher level of education or what degrees or certifications she holds (none). They don't check her credentials nor do they ask her where this knowledge of hers came from - they merely accept it as fact because they are naive and they like to be surrounded by others who are as equally ignorant as themselves as it helps them feel better about their lack of scientific understanding.

Lowell's Inability to Formulate a Coherent Thought...

 

Would you take medical advice from this man?


I must admit I take a great deal of pleasure in writing about Lowell as he is quite an entertaining character.  I have read much of what he has written and even though I know I shouldn't waste my time with a conspiracy theorist, it is somewhat like a train wreck and I just feel the need to watch.

However, one thing I have noticed is Lowell doesn't handle criticism very well.  In fact, when faced with such criticism, Lowell often resorts to making threats of violence against those who disagree with him or those who use science to discredit him. 

Case in a point, here is a quote from Lowell showing how well he handles his "Internet fame":

"You are pretty gutsy posting an assinine [sic] blog like that on and about me; you just maybe should start thinking about watching your back!!!"  - Lowell Hubbs

Now it should be noted that Lowell has posted numerous comments on this very blog in response to several of my posts.  Of course when I viewed the comments, Google had actually flagged the vast majority of them as spam and therefore removed them from view.  One has to find the humor in the fact that even an automated comment detection software sees Lowell for what he really is: a spammer.

Unfortunately for Lowell, this isn't a public forum and this is my blog.  I'm not going to restore his comments because frankly I have to agree with Google that the vast majority of his comments are spam.  In fact, it appears Lowell simply posted the same exact comments several times, and each time Google rejected his comments.  An intelligent person would probably learn their lesson, but nobody ever claimed Lowell was intelligent.

In any case, it appears based upon his comments Lowell feels he knows me somehow.  Thankfully for me, I have never met Lowell so I'm not sure who he is referring to, but it does appear he has made a lot of friends on his quest, so I'll let him believe whatever it is he chooses to believe.  I'm not about to give him my name however, nor will I offer any personal details about my chosen profession, nor will I offer to meet and "debate" Mr. Hubbs as based upon what I've learned of him thus far, the man is most certainly mentally unstable and has displayed levels of rage and anger on numerous occasions which suggests people would be well served to keep their distance.

I'm guessing it was a bad thing that Lowell stopped taking his Xanax and Paxil, because at this point it seems clear he needs the help of pharmaceuticals as well as a trained mental health professional.  Unfortunately for Lowell, supplements from the local health food store and adjustments from a back-cracker aren't going to get the job done.

Chiropractors Admit Their Treatments Are Based On False And Outdated Beliefs

For whatever reason, most anti-vaccinationists are also staunch supporters of chiropractic treatment for anything that ails the human body.  I suspect this has to do with them wanting to find "alternative" treatments to common diseases and medical issues and somehow believing that manipulating or pushing on a spine is somehow superior to surgery or pharmaceuticals (even if they have no peer-reviewed data to support such a viewpoint).

More times than not, these are the types of people who display a complete disregard for the scientific method and never seem to particularly care that there has yet to be a single reputable, peer-reviewed study proving chiropractic subluxations even exist or that chiropractic manipulations can effectively treat any problem other than routine lower back pain.

The fact is, many of these alternative health proponents believe what chiropractors tell them to believe, and they don't feel they need any of that pesky science to support their opinions.  However, for those of us who don't wish to remain blinded by ignorance, there is a growing mountain of evidence which continues to show chiropractic care for what it is... nothing more than a modern version of snake-oil.

Case in point there was even an article written and published in the journal Chiropractic and Osteopathy which went into great detail about how chiropractic treatments are based upon false and outdated beliefs.  The real kicker about this article was the fact it was written by four chiropractors, which pretty much serves as a preemptive strike against the alt-med typical defense that "mainstream medicine tries to silence chiropractors".

In any case the article that references these developments can be found here and the published article that appears in the journal of Chiropractic and Osteopathy appears here.  Although both the article and the paper itself are informative, here are a few highlights:

In the 114 years since chiropractic began, the existence of chiropractic subluxations has never been objectively demonstrated. They have never been shown to cause interference with the nervous system. They have never been shown to cause disease. Critics of chiropractic have been pointing this out for decades, but now chiropractors themselves have come to the same conclusion.

[...]

There is a significant lack of evidence in the literature to fulfill Hill’s criteria of causation as regards chiropractic subluxation. No supportive evidence is found for the chiropractic subluxation being associated with any disease process or of creating suboptimal health conditions requiring intervention. Regardless of popular appeal this leaves the subluxation construct in the realm of unsupported speculation. This lack of supportive evidence suggests the subluxation construct has no valid clinical applicability.

[...]

In two recent studies cited in the Mirtz et al. article, 98% of chiropractors believed that “most” or “many” diseases were caused by spinal misalignments and over 75% of chiropractors believed that subluxation was a significant contributing factor to 50% or more of visceral disorders (such as asthma and colic), an implausible idea that is not supported by any evidence whatsoever.

So with all that said, am I suggesting we should ban all chiropractors from practicing whatever it is they do?  Not at all.  I just believe chiropractors need to be honest about what they can and cannot do.  They may be able to help with minor joint pain and they may be able to assist with back or next pain (albeit not any better than a massage therapist or occupational therapist in most cases).

What I have a problem with is the "crackpot" self-proclaimed doctors out there who think a couple of years of chiropractic school means they can cure disease or serious medical conditions merely by adjusting a spine or cracking a back.  I have seen chiropractors claim they can treat conditions ranging from autism or cancer to heart disease and sadly many of the alternative medicine proponents never stop to ask why there are no peer-reviewed studies proving these treatments work or why there are no double-blind clinical trials proving chiropractic can actually cure or even treat these diseases.

The simple truth is, if chiropractic care had to undergo the same scrutiny as pharmaceuticals, the FDA would most likely have banned it years ago.