[obstinate]

You know that thing about anecdotes. There are a lot of explanations for your situation getting better concurrently with chiro, but not because of chiro. For example, regression to the mean, placebo effect, etc.

That said, I had been under the impression that chiro is about as effective for lower back pain as evidence-based physical therapy. But that doesn't mean it is effective. It could equally well mean that we don't know of many good treatments for lower back pain, and thus that physical therapy is only good as a placebo (chiropractic).

[pfarnsworth]

When you hurt your back then come back and respond. There's nothing worse than an armchair expert googling Wikipedia for their "knowledge".

[yomly]

Lots of science-only hecklers here. Seems to me to be a bit arrogant to think science holds all the answers and that holistic treatments are devoid of value?

Should we ideally strive for scientific rigour in everything we do? Yes. Does quantum mechanics prevent us from predicing anything to arbitrary precision? Yes. Are we currently unable to model any three body interaction analytically? Yes.

Right at the atomic level, our science is built on top of approximations and concessions to rigour. The second you get to anything remotely murky like biological systems, it all gets a bit hand wavey anyway.

This is not to discount the scientific method or years of evidence based research, but if chiropractors and Chinese medicine, and even homeopathy can have an effect on people then who are we to tell them they're wrong?

Even if it is just a placebo, until we can in precise terms explain the pathways of the placebo effect, then various healing methods in their various cultural contexts still have their place in the world imho, provided they are not known to be causing harm.

[obstinate]

Even if I did, it would still be an anecdote. It would prove nothing either way. For that we have to look to data.

[pfarnsworth]

ya I take this back

[obstinate]

> You only need anecdotes to prove that it's not bullshit.

Oh dear. No. That's not true at all. Suppose I have back pain. Then I eat some dirt. Then I feel better. Then I start claiming that dirt ingestion cures back pain. Someone would be well within their rights to call that bullshit, despite my anecdote. Even if I could find a dozen people who had the same experience, it would still be bullshit.

[pjkundert]

Claim was made. Falsifying evidence was presented. QED.

[na85]

Studies show that back pain resolves on its own in 95% of cases.