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HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHEN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ISN'T ALTERNATIVE

Today I went to my second appointment with a chiropractor to read the results of my x-ray that took two hours to take a few days ago. The chiropractor showed up late, made me watch a video, and then proceeded to provide me with individualized treatment discussions that sounded quite canned. Keep  in mind, I have been in serious pain and have been avoiding using prescription strength pain killers, and that is what brought me to this chiropractor.

So as he proceeded to discuss things with me, I noticed that as much as he complained about mainstream medicine, his services were identical, here is how:

(Mainstream Dr. will be identified with initials MD, and alternative Dr. with initials AD)

Scheduling an appointment for 11:00AM:

MD: Who knows when you will see her
AD: Who knows when you will see her

Diagnosis:

MD: I am not going to listen to you because tests will tell me what you have
AD: I am not going to listen to you because my hands will tell me what you have, but I will take tests just in case my hands are wrong.

Consultation:

MD: You will listen to me tell you about all of your bad habits, even if you don't engage in the ones I am telling you to stop engaging in.
AD: You will listen to me explain to you things like how many senses we have, and why you need the standard recommended care, even though I just spent three hours of your life explaining how everyone's problems are unique.

Consultation:

MD: I will tell you why you need to visit me again, even though all you have is a cold.
AD: I will tell you what terrible state your body is in, even if your back is bent because that is how I told you to stand when you took the x-rays.

Payment:

MD: I don't even see you if you don't have health insurance.
AD: Who cares about costs, we know the healthcare system isn't about wellness

Costs:

MD: I will charge based on what the insurance company will cover, so I can't really tell you how much this will cost.
AD: You can either accept the full treatment plan at 3k or nothing, even though I just told you how dire your situation is. But nevertheless, you will not receive any care from me without first paying, good luck with your back pain.

Additional similarities:

The talking at you
The pretending to have a conversation with you, but not really
Oblivious to the fact that you really are suffering
Processes to make you feel like you are being cared for, but really just wasting your time


My appointment ended with me telling him that I have to decide which of the three "individualized" plans I would like because I have to figure out how to pay for it. He literally jumped out of his chair and left, then came back and asked if I had wanted the adjustment after all (that was $45.00) which I would have paid for if he had not left the room when he realized paying 3k wasn't that simple for me. It was clear this was just a money racket and not really a place to go for alternative care.
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