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The next day (day #2 of treatment): I received my treatement and went to the "health care class" which consisted of several slides showing bad and good posture, a lesson on so-called "subluxations", some heartwarming pictures of Dr. Chiro with his family on vacation, some before and after x-rays of patients he had treated, and a sermon on the importance of chiropractic treatment for correcting the spine (i.e. the sales pitch). During the course of this, he was critical of traditional medical doctors (another chiropractic red flag). Then came the subtle new-patient recruitment ploy: He asked each of us (there were about 12 people in the room) to write down the names and contact numbers of people we know who could benefit from chiropractic treatment, again emphasizing how important it is, and to give them to the receptionist on our way out. He dismissed the "class", left the room ahead of us, and went to the front desk where he whispered something to the receptionist (I was immediately behind him as I was the first student to leave the room). I did not provide any names, and left.
Second week of treatment: I told Dr. Chiro I was uncomfortable about having my neck adjusted. He asked me why, and I told him I was concerned about the effects of twisting my neck to adjust it. He then gave me a very kind, tender explanation of why it was not in my best interest to not adjust my neck, that he would not do it if he thought it wasn't safe, and told me about the same low odds of risk of injury I had read on-line. Reluctantly, I let him adjust my neck, but was told to remind him to go "easy" on it.
For the second time, I asked Dr. Chiro for some exercises I could do at home to strengthen and stretch my back. He said "we'll discuss that later" (meaning, later on in my treatment). I also asked him "what about my lower back?" By this time, he hadn't treated or asked me about how my lower back was feeling, which was my primary complaint in the first place.
On one visit, Dr. Chiro enthusiastically told me he had lunch the day before with my friends who are also his patients (one of them referred me to him). He then said "They told me you're a little skiddish" (referring to my discomfort with having my neck adjusted). I was astonished -- he and my friends had discussed me over lunch (a violation of doctor-patient confidentiality).
I was growing more and more uneasy and reluctant to return. By now, I had begun researching chiropractic on the internet. I found a lot of information warning people to avoid chiropractors who practice certain things such as over-prescribing treatment, insisting on manipulating the neck, and the subluxation theory -- the very things Dr. Chiro practices. I already knew that asking a patient to pay up front, making the comments "if we accept you here" as if I didn't have a choice myself, and pressing me into accepting a treatment I was not comfortable with were just simply bad business practice. Not to mention discussing me with my friends (his patients) over lunch.
I was continuing to research chiropractic, was growing more and more uneasy every day.... and I was starting to pray throughout the day for guidance, knowing that my friends believe he fixed their backs and perhaps I was just skeptical about something that would indeed be good for me. However, as each day passed, my skepticism turned into conviction as I grew more and more reluctant to return.
The subluxation theory made no sense to me. During some treatements as he was "adjusting" my spine, he'd say such things as "This is going to make your lungs work better!", or "This will improve your digestion!". I kept thinking "How about just making my lower back feel better???".
I was also feeling absolutely no improvement in my back, except that the original flare-up (which sent me to the doctor in the first place) had subsided after just a few days -- which it always does even without any treatment.
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