What is alternative medicine

What is it really?

Something without scientific validation AND something that no one outside of that particular field believes in.

Perceptually, alternative medicine is often viewed as essentially being anything that is different than the status quo or most common treatment.

As with most things, the status quo is not inherently correct or best – it is simply the current state of what is most common.

There are lots of legitimate things that don’t fit the status quo.

Just because someone doesn’t want the status quo, doesn’t mean they want something obscure or unvalidated.

Chiropractic sits on the fence as being perceived as both alternative and mainstream.

Why is that?

As I’ve written about before, the profession is really two different professions under one roof.
How to Find a Good Chiropractor, Structure vs. Function

The vitalistic belief that bones of the spine move out of place and cut off life force from the brain to the body and the mechanical restoration of curvatures is alternative in that almost no one outside of the chiropractic profession believes that these are legitimate and valid approaches to treatment. And many within the chiropractic profession don’t believe in this approach.

In comparison, the use of manual therapy techniques to restore pain-free functional motion and treat musculoskeletal conditions is very well validated in scientific literature and embraced by professionals across many professions.

Know that there’s a difference. Know what you want.  Get what you want.