James Randi should do an experiment with chiropractic

[HopkinsMedStudent]

Spinal manipulations have supposedly proved effective for some kinds of lower back pain.

I'd like to know if thats mostly placebo effect or if there is something special the chiros are doing.

I propose you take patients with lower back pain (nonacute) who have never had massage therapy and who have never had chiropractic therapy and then give them randomized treatments.

You could even split them up into another 2 groups of sugar placebo vs steroids, or NSAIDs, or whatever.

I'd also like to see experiments with other conditions, including headache and infection. Many chiropractors claim that spinal manipulation can improve the immune system and thus fight infections.

 

[Goshawk]

Well, yeah, that would be nice, but it isn't really his job to set up experiments to prove that alternative medicine works--that's not what he's "about". It's up to the practitioners to do the experiments and prove that their methods work.

 

[Suezoled]

they don't manipulate the spine generally, but the muscles around it. If they do successfully move bones in the spine, they are just as likely doing damage as correcting any malaise.

Study done about placebo and chiro.
http://www.chirobase.org/01General/placebo.html

 

[Pyrrho]

Do enough nerve damage from forcing joints and ligaments where they don't belong, and I suppose the pain will go away eventually.

All that immune system stuff is pseudoreligious hogwash.