Quote:
Originally posted by Attalus:
But, how would you know if your brother wouldn't be well if he hadn't had his back popped?
|
Surely you could raise that question with many treatments GPs prescribe, knowing what we do about the placebo effect, and the stories (yes, anecdotal, but they still happened) of people who have not been given drugs, or refused drugs when all advice was to have them, getting better on their own. What about people who get a cold and trot off to the doctor and ask for antibiotics, and the doctor dutifully writes out a script? They certainly would have got better on their own.
My dad injured his knee a few years ago playing squash. He went to his GP who said he'd need surgery. He then went to his chiropractor, and after 4 or so appointments, his knee was better, and hasn't been a problem since. Now in this case, it is irrelevant whether or not his knee would have got better on its own. What is important is that if he'd followed the GP's advice, couched in wonderful science as it was, he would have had surgery, which, as the evidence shows, was unnecessary.