Chiropractic Care and Supplements? Did I get taken advantage of?

I went to a new chiropractor today and left with a bunch of supplements. He determined what supplements were the right ones by placing them on my body and then testing my strength. It was so weird. Did I get taken advantage of or is this the way they determine what supplements you need? Should I take the supplements?

Hi Casey. I am a retired Chiropractor. The technique you describe is called "Applied Kinesiology". Many Chiropractors, Naturopathic Physicians, and nutritionists use this technique. (I personally, did NOT use it in my practice.)

You should always feel comfortable enough to question your doctor about any techniques being used, and any recommendations being made to you. I would suggest calling your doctor and explaining your concerns to him/her - just as you did here. If your doctor answers your questions fully and you feel comfortable with his/her advice, then you should follow it. However, if you still feel the advice is 'weird', then this doctor may not be the one for you.

Best wishes and good luck.

LOL. I hope you didn't pay him anything.
NO, that is an absolutely ridiculous way to "determine" what you need. He could have sold you anything...

and as far as "keeping your mind open" -- if your mind is completely open, you can collect a LOT of garbage. Some people are ample evidence of that.

Sounds like a scam to me. Been going to different Chiropractors (including some cutting edge ones) and never heard of this "supplement" stuff you describe.

Muscle testing is very interesting. If you are sceptical you can try it at home with another person.

Just extend your arm and have the person try to force it down to your side with their strength. You will be able to hold it in the same position without a problem (that's barring someone who is going to break your arm with their strength). Then hold something in your other hand - a box of Hamburger Helper, a cookie, a beer or cocktail. If something is not good for your body you will not be able to hold your arm up at all.

So you can test the chiropractor's supplements at home yourself.

Ah, that's Muscle Testing (which is also called Kinesiology). There is a lot of debate even within the Chiropractic community as far as if it works or not, but I would say to at least give it a shot. If you don't feel better with 1 bottle of the products you got from him, don't continue them... and you might want to look for a different Chiropractor (and you'll know to ask if they do Muscle Testing beforehand).
But to save you a little extra, if they do work for you, you can probably buy the same supplements (same ingredients, different brand) outside of his office for a much cheaper price. Most doctors offices that sell supplements jack the price up quite a bit to cover the costs of how few they might sell.

You can find out more information about Muscle Testing here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2152310_muscle-t...
Good luck!

The methodology your chiropractor used is also called Applied Kinesiology. I have found it to be EXTREMELY useful in my own healing. Open minds people. The mind, like an umbrella, does not work unless it is open. I would much rather my own personal body had input as to whether a substance or brand is good for it than just blindly following the advice of an allopathic physician and taking whatever poison he decided was "appropriate" for me. I've been following physicians' advice for my diabetes. I've never felt worse in my life. I'm about to dump the whole scene and begin on my own again, because the allopathic drugs simply are NOT working. Insulin is looking like a much better solution, even if it is genetically engineered, than are the oral meds.

Anything new often feels "weird" to people, just because it IS new. This doesn't however mean the new thing is wrong, bad or won't work. Learn to discern. If you threw out something everytime it was new, you would NEVER make any progress. Doing the same thing you've always done, and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

Well...I think you need to go back and get a refund.

Most "supplements" that are sold in any clinicians' office are there to do one thing -- make that person EXTRA money. Fact is, there is such POOR research and evidenced based outcomes on most supplements that are sold today -- especially in the USA. We simply don't have a regulatory commission, so the best we have is only word-of-mouth. Likewise, this is what drives the Chiropractic care communities today -- anecdotal evidence.

As a rule to our practice, we don't sell anything. If I have a patient that wants to discuss something that's NOT a prescription, then I have to be VERY careful on what I can recommend. Most are benign, but not all, and I am quite familiar with most they can get their hands on.

I think to me, it's more of just an ethical issue. Kind of like paying $35 a visit to have someone look at your car, but never fix it. After about 6 weeks, and 3 times a week visits...that gets a bit old. Fact is, most back pains that are non-traumatic will resolve in 4-6 weeks NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. I'm not trying to give chiropractics a hard time....but I can see the future of where this will be going if you don't go back there. Save your money -- see your regular provider about this.

Take care!

"Chriopractor" and "take[] advantage of [someone]" go together like peas in a pod.

i am a rational chiropractor and the first time I saw another chiro do this vitamin/muscle testing on a patient I just wanted to gag. This is soooo worthless, it means nothing. It is fine for a chiro. to sell supplements, usually they are from good manufactures but this muscle testing is a pure scam. It is sad that poor chiros. like this guy give us sane intelligent ones a bad name.

kinesiology is a valid procedure. However some chiropractors are more skilled at it than others. The supplements are probably harmless, and may even help. I don't think you got cheated if you can afford this. As you may know, insurance will not cover anything much past a manipulation. The results will be very gradual. See the link below.

My chiropractor uses Applied Kinesiology. On several occasions he pinpointed my problem perfectly with Kinesology when I refused to tell him what my symptoms were. I said "You tell me where the problem is" He would take the challenge, and every time he got it right. You see, I am a major skeptic, but my chiropractor is a good sport and was willing to take the challenge. I know my chiropractor personally, and he has integrity. He has more patients than he can handle. He would not use kinesology if it was a scam.

However, I believe some chiropractors are carrying it too far, and selling supplements that may or may not be beneficial for the particular ailment.

I try to keep an open mind. Take a look at the link below.