Reddit hates chiropractors in Singapore

I think one of the regrets of moving back to Singapore is that lack of recognition for evidence-based chiropractors. Hear me out.

In Singapore, we have a camp of Singaporeans who are pro-science. This group of people claim to subscribe to evidence-based practice but yet broadstroke considers all chiropractors bad (at least on Reddit), without evaluating the methodology behind one’s practice. I mean, that is not very science-y, is it?

On the other hand, we have a camp of Singaporeans who love chiropractors and hate hard-science evidence-based practice. This camp, of course, discredits my work and considers my unwillingness to offer chiropractic adjustments unacceptable. According to them chiropractors adjust. Regardless of what science says about the effectiveness.

Today, we will discuss some chiropractic topics on Reddit and hopefully it will provide some clarity.

Do not trust chiropractors as they are not regulated

Yes, it is true that chiropractors are not regulated in Singapore. Neither are podiatrists, dietitians, or psychologists. Surprise, surprise!

The failure on the government to legislatively regulate chiropractor does not, on its own, illegitimate chiropractic! If so, then podiatrists, dietitians, and psychologists should all also be discredited. However, that is not the case. Despite being unregulated, they still play an important role in the healthcare landscape.

Also, only the government can decide if chiropractic should be regulated. To hate on chiropractors because they are not regulated doesn’t really make sense. In fact, there are chiropractors like myself who are pro-regulation so we can weed out aberrant chiropractors in Singapore.

What you can do to make a difference is to write to your local MP to regulate chiropractic in Singapore. If you think chiropractors are truly the scum of the earth and do not deserve regulation, request for a nation-wide chiropractic ban!

I remember reading about people who got paralysed from the neck down because the chiropractor snapped the main nerve

No, this definitely did not happen. There is no record of any chiropractors snapping any nerve.

Ironically, nerve damage as a result of surgery from regulated, medical professional is not all that uncommon! Iatrogenic nerve injuries account for 20% of traumatic nerve lesions that require treatment. Being regulated does not always mean safer!

While there is no snapping of main nerves, there are reported incidents of patients who suffered a stroke after seeing a chiropractor and receiving manipulation. The strokes were caused by either a dissection of the cerebral or vertebral artery, which had been (especially by the media) attributed to the spinal manipulation.

There are a few things to note here:

No evidence to show chiropractic adjustment can cause stroke

First, no research has been able to establish a causal link between chiropractic adjustments and a vertebral or cerebral artery dissection. I am not saying that it is impossible for it to happen. I am saying that until today, empirically speaking, there is no evidence for that. Not a single study.

There are research papers showing association between seeing a chiropractor and a stroke. That specific study has been replicated on medical doctors and found similarly findings. In other words, it is more likely that the stroke was already in progression prior to the chiropractic treatment.

If a person is just as likely to get a stroke from seeing a medical doctor as from seeing a chiropractor, then the risk is comparable. In other words, there is no increased risk of stroke from seeing a chiropractor (as compared to a medical doctor). Empirically speaking.

Physiotherapists also offer spinal manipulation as part of their treatment

No joke, there are postgraduate masters programme dedicated to physiotherapists to teach them how to perform spinal adjustments. I am not saying that these physiotherapists attended a weekend or three month course. It’s one to two years of formal education, in a physiotherapy school, taught by physiotherapists!

If spinal adjustments are truly causing strokes, why are physiotherapists still being taught how to do them around the world?

If you want to criticise chiropractors because spinal manipulation is a sham or an pseudoscientific treatment, please also criticise physiotherapists, thai masseuse, and also your favourite Malaysian Chris Leong!

“Chiropractors” are straight-up bullshit masquerading as healthcare professionals

I don’t think we need to masquerading as healthcare professionals because majority of the world recognises and regulates chiropractic as an allied health profession. In United States, Australia, and Canada, chiropractors are considered primary care providers.

A primary care provider is a first-contact health provider whom you can seek consultation or treatment from without requiring a referral from another doctor.

In fact, chiropractors were recognised as primary health providers before physiotherapists were in countries such as Australia.

In Australia, chiropractors are recognised as allied health providers. Yes, I am practising in Singapore so I don’t introduce myself an allied health provider. However, many other countries, do recognise me as so! I don’t have to masquerade.

Also for perspective, Australia’s population is 26 million, United States 333 million, Canada 38 million. There way more people who are willing to recognise us as chiropractic healthcare professionals than there are people who are not.

Chiro charged him a nearly $2000 package, and used a massage gun (the type you can buy casually) for the entire duration of his “treatment”

I do agree that the standard chiropractic treatment quality is low. This is largely, in my opinion, due the lack of regulation. Honestly, it is not our fault that the government does not want to regulate chiropractic.

No, chiropractic is not regulated because chiropractic is a pseudoscience. As mentioned before, there are other healthcare professions in Singapore that are unregulated (e.g., podiatry). If it is indeed a pseudoscience and brings more harm than benefit, Singapore can also persecute chiropractors like they did in Korea. Indonesia previously banned chiropractic but it seems like they have opened up to it. There are also talks of setting up of a chiropractic school there. Malaysia already has their own chiropractic training programme.

So what happens when there is no regulation? Chiropractors in Singapore can do whatever they want or feel like. Most of these chiropractors that charge ridiculous sums for ineffective treatments tend to be foreigners with no intentions of building a life here. In other words, they make their wealth then go back to wherever they are from.

Low standard of chiropractic care in Singapore

If you feel chiropractic is a problem in Singapore, the people you should be calling is your MP. Because the government is the one with the power to do something about it.

Who do you think is the one that has the most to lose here? The everyday Singaporean!

I do not contest that the chiropractic care provided in Singapore is lower than the rest of the world. The problem, again, is due to a lack of regulation, which allow erroneous chiropractors to continue to run their business. Singapore is a largely free market! Without government intervention, there is literally nothing that you, I, or others can do to stop them from delivering poor care.

Yes, you can blanket shame all chiropractors as bad and not worth considering. But what does that achieve?

Write to your MPs! They are the ones who can stop this nonsense for good by choosing to regulate the chiropractic profession.

There are a lot of quack chiropractors out there which is why if anyone here has been to a good, legitimate and certified one, I don’t mind giving it a shot.

Taking a critical and discerning approach to choosing healthcare providers will ensure that you will get the best outcomes possible. While chiropractic standards may not be the highest in Singapore, not all chiropractors are bad chiropractors.

Everyone is indeed entitled to their opinions and I even appreciate where the chiropractic-haters are coming from. Hating on chiropractic, however, in my opinion, achieves nothing. As many Reddit users have pointed out, business is still good at many of the large chain clinics.

People who wants to see quack chiropractors are going to see quack chiropractors! Regardless of what you say on Reddit.

Many posts on Reddit about chiropractic are asking for recommendations. If what you are set on doing is to take a biased stance against chiropractors on Reddit, you are not helping them make an informed decision. Those dead set on seeing a chiropractor will still end up seeing one. What you can do instead is to help them discern the good from the bad.

Singapore needs chiropractic regulation

If you are a chiro-hater, we are likely on the same page. Trust me. For everything you dislike or hate about chiropractic, I do too. However, that doesn’t make all chiropractors equally bad. There are some better than others.

What we can do better as a society is to push for regulation and in doing so increase the standard of chiropractic care in Singapore. Chiropractic is here to stay, whether you like it or not. Sure, you can advocate for a nationwide ban but that is extremely unlikely to happen.

Despite how you may feel about chiropractors, chiropractic is still a respected healthcare profession outside of Singapore. Its influence and acceptance is growing even in countries previously hostile towards chiropractic (e.g., Korea, Indonesia).

Sure, it is not without with its problems. But the possibility of a ban is unlikely at this stage.

Many countries have already disciplinary systems in place. Australia banned a chiropractor from treating children under 12 after he held a baby upside down. Melbourne chiropractor Simon Floreani was banned from practising for promoting anti-vaccination materials.  There are working models in other countries that Singapore can adopt should the government choose prioritise it.

Hating on chiropractors is not going to change anything. What you can do is to push for legislation and a system to discipline chiropractors who do everything you hate about chiropractic. Write to your MP. Put your hate to good use for the betterment of Singapore.