Evidently Portland will soon have a problem to rival that of the homeless along the Springwater corridor: an expansion of Chiropractic clinics.The Portland-area market is especially lucrative because of the city's health-focused outdoor culture, such as the biking, hiking and boating communities. And the influx of what are generally health-conscious Californians has added to that lureAnd The Joint,the largest provider of non-insurance, private pay chiropractic health care in the United Statesis leading the charge.The offer wellness plans and packages of discounted care and memberships and suggestAt The Joint our primary focus is on providing our patients with a pathway towards better health through ongoing chiropractic maintenance and preventative care.Remember the call for the "new chiropractic"?The new chiropractor should abandonLife time chiropractic care in the name of "wellness"The clinics base their therapy onRoutine activities regularly cause misalignments of the spine. These misalignments, otherwise known as subluxations or joint dysfunctions, create interference with the transmission of proper nerve communication through the spine and extremities. This can cause decreased joint motion, pain, discomfort and/or a lessening of the body's ability to function properly. Chiropractic focuses on conditions stemming from restricted joint motion, mainly of the spine and related nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health.The 'new chiropractor" should notUse of the term "subluxation" as a valid diagnosis.It does look like the clinics try to limit their treatment to musculoskeletal problems. Although I did find the suggestion of using chiropractic for weight loss, supplements to "promote a health spine", treat ear infections and vertigo.The new chiropractor should avoidClaims of cures for visceral and other non-musculo-skeletal conditionsWhether some of the more sketchy aspects of chiropractic, like applied kinesiology, are used are only hinted at. The website have a sameness and 'unique' therapies offered are only suggested by the biographies of the DCs.Of course, the new chiropractor should avoidBiologically implausible diagnostic tests and therapies.And, as seems to always be the case, they minimize risk with the misleading statementStatistically, patient risk is substantially lower when receiving chiropractic care as opposed to medical care, where the use of prescription drugs and surgery pose a greater risk.They say that these clinics will letchiropractors focus on being doctors.It looks more like they let chiropractors focus on being chiropractors.Just what Portland needs.
