Customer Reviews

Inside Chiropractic: A Patient's Guide (Consumer Health Library)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Like anything else, extremism is hardly ever good. Straight chiropractors are extreme, and Homola makes valid points when blasting them. Homola feels that chiropractors should deal strictly with musculoskelatal problems.

Chiropractors can do some good for back pain. But understand that there is too much of a supply of chiropractors for the demand for basic back pain, so what they do to get business (and keep you coming in) can be unethical.

I was going to go to chiropractic school before reading this book, but opted for med school. There is really only 2 good schools for chiropractors, that teach science based chiropractic. He points this out well in his book.

If you want know the signs of a good, ethical chiropractor, read this book.

This book is a well reasoned and rational discussion of the origin of chiropractic, its belief system, its practices, where it is irrational, where it is contraindicated, and where it can actually do some good.

The use of case studies is particularly well thought out. People like to read case studies. The application of theories is always more interesting than the theories themselves. Examples of instances where chiropractic manipulation was able to provide real relief for people suffering from cramped muscles, the effects of poor posture, and locked joints was useful. The cases where Dr. Homola did not treat were also useful. For example, one woman came to him for manipulation for pain. In taking her history he discovered she had had cancer. He referred her to her physician who passed her along to an oncologist, who confirmed that her cancer had metastasized. How a competent chiropractor can help when he recognizes the limits of his ability and what is within and outside his scope of practice will be useful to those contemplating chiropractic.

Dr. Homola spent his life trying to reform chiropractic from the inside out. He suffered greatly for it. Besides the disparaging comments from his colleagues and the isolation he must have felt, I'm sure he suffered financially. (Frankly, I'm sick of hearing how the medical community is trying to keep alternative medicine out because they are greedily hogging the people's money. Dr. Homola is an example of how true the reverse is. It is almost always easier to earn money dishonestly than honestly.)

Dr. Homola has integrity, though, and his book should be required reading for those contemplating a visit to a chiropractor and especially anyone considering becoming a chiropractor.

I found "Inside Chiropractic" very useful in answering my questions about the chiropractic profession. I have had good results with chiropractors when I have back pain. But I was always puzzled about why so many chiropractors offered back adjustments as a treatment for colds, asthma, and other types of ailments. This book clearly explains why chiropractors should not treat organic disease and why they should not be primary care physicians. It is a devastating expose of the bad side of chiropractic. I recommend this book for anyone who is considering chiropractic care and who wants to steer clear of the nonsense associated with chiropractic treatment. "Inside Chiropractic" tells you how to distinguish a good chiropractor from a bad one when seeking chiropractic treatment for back pain.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Homola's book entitled "Inside Chiropractic - A Patient's Guide". I find that Dr. Homola has performed an enormous job at researching a vast array of chiropractic literature, and presenting such in a consumer oriented format.

I have analyzed the bibliography and find it to be extremely extensive, particulary with references to many of the original chiropractic writings. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the historical sections exposing the old time quackery. It was like something out of the "Wild West." Many chiropractors, at this point in time, still adhere to these and other types of nonsense practices, as I've seen presented in many of the current chiropractic trade journals.

I find that Dr. Homola has very eloquently presented an excellent overview of the chiropractic profession, in this comprehensively written book for the consumer.

In the first 20 pages I realized that Homola is a disgruntled doctor who should never have chosen the field of chiropractic. He even admitted that while in school he was skeptical about chiropractic and that medical doctors made more sense in their teachings. I know several chiropractors and medical doctors - some good and some bad. This guy just sounds bitter and uses 280 pages to make himself feel better. Do yourself a favor - save your money and watch grass grow.

As a neurological physician assistant, I have read and enjoyed Dr. Homola's guide to patient self-help. This book is excellent as an adjunct in providing information for patient's who present with uncomplicated back problems. His recommendations for home exercise therapy have become extremely useful. As a non-chiropractor, the text has given me excellent guidance as to when to refer a patient for appropriate chiropractic care. I find it to be an excellent companion to Dr. Homola's book "Inside Chiropractic".
Alicia Campo, PA, DABFM

Doctors of Chiropractic are very well educated on the human body and its functions. In a comparison between chiropractic and medical education, DCs receive an average of 4,800 hours of education with more than 2,000 of those devoted to that "complex" or "vital" structure, (i.e. the spine), while MDs receive an average of 4,670 hours of education with FAR LESS training on the spine and its intricacies. Moreover, on the average, DCs receive almost twice the number of hours of education in the areas of Anatomy/Embryology and Physiology and are very comparable in other areas such as Microbiology, Pathology, and Neurology. It's also a well documented fact that medical students get virtually no training in nutrition, which we all know is "key" to good health. As far as "statistically" being "unable to pass the same 'rigorous' tests which are basic to medical training.." is concerned, consider the fact that a BASIC Musculoskeletal exam, at least to Chiropractors, which should have been a basic exam for the medical profession as well, was administered to 85 first-year medical & surgery residents at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. They were all graduates of 37 medical schools. The exam consisted of 25 "basic" questions validated by 124 orthopedic chairpersons. Not surprisingly, 82% of them failed to get a passing score with an average score of 59.6%(the passing score to demonstrate basic competency is 73%). Of the ones who passed, the highest score was 86%. Eight chief residents also took the exam to further establish its validity, and they all passed with a mean of 98.5%. The results of this study were published in the Jounal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Oct. 1998. (By the way, this same test was administered to Chiropractic graduates with well over 90% passing the exam.) If you want to learn more about Chiropractic as well as the medical field, I suggest reading: Under the Influence of Modern Medicine by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.; Chiropractic First by Terry A. Rondberg, D.C.; and Confessions of a Medical Heretic by Robert Mendelsohn, M.D. These books provide well-documented facts that everyone should be aware of in order to avoid dangerous medical mishaps and lead a life of optimum health.

I have just finished reading Dr. Homola's recent book Inside Chiropractic. Dr. Homola has once again adequately demonstrated the current problems that exist in the profession called chiropractic. In 1963, Dr. Homola was the lone voice in identifying the problems the chiropractic profession had. His work of 1963, Bonesetting, Chiropractic, and Cultism has been the influence for constructive reform that is so badly needed for the chiropractic profession. It is interesting to note that many of the current problems Dr. Homola discussed in 1963 are still prevalent 36 years later. Dr. Homola's book is a must read book for anyone contemplating either a career in chiropractic or wishing to understand the workings of the profession. Timothy A. Mirtz DC Lawrence, Kansas

This book is a must read. The fact that this book has caused so many other reviewers to respond with short and harsh replies questioning the motives of Dr. Homola is evidence that so many of the public are blinded by the lies of the majority of the chiropractic profession. I suppose I would be offended too if I had been taken in by this profession. There are many cases where spinal manipulation is appropriate but it is never beneficial as a lifelong treatment. Thank you Dr. Homola for dedicating yourself to giving back some credibility to a profession that has its small niche in medicine but has somehow been corrupted.

As a chiropractor I find Dr. Homola's book very accurate and enlightening. Honest chiropractic has much to offer both patients and prospective students, Dr Homola's text will help both avoid the charlatans and cheats that unfortunately exist with in our great profession. I am sure that many of those charlatans will resent being revealed and will squeal loud cries of feigned indigent offense upon being exposed.