Over the past 15 years I have been to a chiropractor about 8 times for a stiff neck or relatively minor pain in the back. Each time I have been very happy with the treatment and results. Recently, based on a very strong referral from a friend, I went to a new chiropractor. This office is a big believer in subluxations causing all ills in the body. This chiropractor had the audacity to tell me that I would never get cancer if I participated in their ongoing care. To be fair, he did back off that statement and said that I probably would not get cancer (none of their patients have ever gotten cancer). As the father of a child with retinoblastoma, I was a more than a little offended.
The first visit lasting 1.5 hours consisted of extensive history gathering, various physical evaluations and three x-rays. The second visit was a soapbox presentation to a small group followed by an individual consolation and review of the x-rays. I was told that I was in very bad condition and needed a minimum of 12 months of intensive treatment. After choking on the initial estimate for a 90- visit program, I was given the following 78-visit fee schedule:
| 78 corrections @$40 |
$3,120 |
| X-ray and re-exam |
490 |
| ARC traction |
120 |
| 8 exercise and intersegmental traction |
240 |
| 2 workshops |
60 |
| Total |
4,030 |
| Discount |
-1,493 |
| Total |
$2,537 |
The chiropractor was not sure if this reduced plan would correct my condition in 12 months.
For the record, I am 39 years old, run 3 to4 times per week, golf 3 times per week in the summer, ski 3 times per week in the winter, and consider myself to be in excellent general health.
Instead of accepting the chiropractors's proposal, I returned to my original chiropractor. He manipulated by back once, and, as he predicted, I was back to 100% two days later. Information on Chirobase has reinforced my gut feeling about what happened.
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Mr. Bateman lives in Rochester, New York.