Just before Katie May died of a stroke she had received chiropractic manipulation to her neck. We do not know if this caused her death or contributed to her death, but we do know that the chiropractic manipulation is unnecessary and dangerous.
There is no chiropractic neck manipulation that has ever been shown to relieve pain – but it has been shown to cause damage to the arteries leading to the brain and that can lead to stroke. Almost every stroke center in the nation has had patients who come in with a stroke following “neck popping” by a chiropractor.
The woman sadly leaves a 7 year old daughter.
A lack of critical thinking has allowed chiropractors to continue to practice in the United States. That combined with good lawyers and bad judges. People who lack the skills of critical thinking end up being a victim.
When someone says “What is the harm?” – think of this model and her 7 year old daughter.
Sadly she leaves a 7 year old daughter. When you think of chiropractic think of this young child.
The problem with chiropractic is not that it is unproven. It has been tested – and other than some lower back pain relief with massage (not spine popping) – there is no efficacy to its treatment. People who have been to chiropractors often go with back pain – and back pain often gets better with rest and time. Chiropractors do not have treatment that works for a herniated disc, they cannot fix acute neck pain or whiplash – they can cause further damage. There is no “sublaxation” one can see on an x-ray.
There is conformation bias among many – that being – those who have had a treatment and feel better correlate with the treatment. The question is not how it did for you, but how it does when tested with rigor against other treatments or no treatment. In this, chiropractic has been found wanting.
Drugs – for example, are tested. First they must show they are effective – if they are not effective they should not make it to the market. Next drugs are tested for toxicity – so that we know the toxic level — like every chemical, there is toxicity with everything, even the “natural” cures. Chiropractic has never been found to have efficacy with cervical neck manipulation – but it has been found to cause stroke.
