Why is chiropractor referred to as junk medicine but so many people go to then and are covered by benefits?

Question

I know so many people to go to a chiropractor on a weekly basis and either pay out of pocket or have benefits cover it BUT I seen articles or posts pop up that refer to it as junk junk medicine and on the same level as a holistic practitioner???

In: Biology

Answer 1

This is a tangentially related anecdote, but an amusing and instructive one:

I had a friend who worked at a Worker’s Compensation type organization. She was in the actuarial department that among other duties, decided which treatments were covered. She was on a project to review coverage for accupuncture treatment for pain management.

**Their scientific finding:** accupuncture has no evidentiary basis and does not outperform placebo treatments.

**Their determination:** for those people who chose it, it was equally effective at lower cost and with fewer side effects relative to the alternatives.

**Their decision:** accupuncture treatment for pain management to be funded at 100%.