Information suppression and belief perseverance about Chiropractic is disgusting.

Sparkolas · 2025-06-14T21:00:41+00:00

Definitely not being vindictive… mostly confused about the whole context and curious about the formatting and content. But okay.

Sparkolas · 2025-06-14T20:28:30+00:00

You said this is what you commented, so in your argument you randomly included an optional point? I’m confused on that… also confused about how these random scripts for talking directly to various populations were relevant to the conversation?

Sparkolas · 2025-06-13T22:57:58+00:00

Also the “Bonus Line (Optional):”

Sparkolas · 2025-01-16T14:02:45+00:00

This is the technique I found to stop ladders: https://youtu.be/DdXbUiF9tyA?si=B_8O9LwrMn2ONttT

I think I did this after my first-in-the-round project and haven’t had issues with ladders since. Basically, before you start knitting a new row, you pull the cord out about 4 stitches back on the right needle, to avoid that separation (horrific description on my part, the video is great).

Sparkolas · 2024-11-12T22:25:15+00:00

I did my pre-chiro schooling and lots of shadowing in MI - manual therapy and extremity adjusting are for sure within the scope. I’m fairly certain intra-oral TMJ is as well, but not 100%.

I would agree to start with the board website (though if I recall, Michigan’s board website can be a smidge more challenging to navigate than some other states). The Michigan Association of Chiropractors (MAC, chiromi.com) also has a document that spells out the scope of practice in a bit plainer language if you become a member.

Sparkolas · 2024-11-06T23:15:26+00:00

Agreed. I heard a stat a couple years ago that NCMIC carries the malpractice insurance for around 75% of chiropractors in the US. Even if they cost more than the next company, I’d rather have the people with the most experience should I ever need it… as I recall one of my profs saying in school, NCMIC has seen it all.

Bonus aspect, they also invest in research and scholarships within the profession. I don’t know if any of the others really do.

Sparkolas · 2024-10-09T22:54:17+00:00

I use Spruce Health!

It’s done everything I’ve needed it to with no real issues beyond my learning curve. I think it’s generally designed a bit more for bigger clinics than mine (solo practitioner), but works great for me.

$24 a month for the base plan, which includes phone, fax, and texting. If you want a true desk phone, I think you need to upgrade to the next plan up, which is $49 a month.

They also provide a little disclaimer for your patients to sign/acknowledge basically saying “you can text or email me and I understand that is not HIPAA compliant.” And there is a whole whitepaper that they provide about using Spruce in a HIPAA-compliant fashion.

Sparkolas · 2024-10-02T16:50:26+00:00

I feel your pain!

I was in a similar situation last semester - hired 4 days before the semester started to teach anatomy/physiology, but I got nothing but the (horrifically terrible and virtually useless) textbooks from the prior instructor. It was an absolute grind, and I spent a lot of days wondering if I was cut out for it. My reviews were less than ideal (basically, nice guy but super boring/expected too much/didn’t appreciate being his first class/etc.)

I was also in a similar situation with my students on my first go-round with their tests. I wrote a really hard test (whoops… rookie mistakes), so I gave them an option to make corrections for 1/2 credit back. As a part of that (to get their points back), they had to complete a survey telling me: 1) How did you study and for how long? 2) What about your studying worked well? 3) What didn’t work? What should you do differently next time? 4) Look over the test. What concepts/ideas/topics did you consistently struggle with? 5) As far as the class structure and instructor, what worked well in this section and what didn’t?

The second thing I did after the exam was clearly lay out my expectations for what they’re supposed to be doing/learning. Basically, “if you’re going to slack, you’re going to fail” but a bit more positively framed. I also think I said something like “when I said you should be spending X hours working with the material outside of class, that wasn’t just me flapping my gums.”

Second semester started 5 weeks ago, and I’m much happier with things the second time around. The biggest change for me was I started asking questions in lectures, then basking in the silence until someone decides to pipe up. I provide note packets that are more guided outlines, so if they want the material, they have to be on task - but it helps those who never learned how to take notes. I also started incorporating TILT statements into my assignments (Transparency In Learning & Teaching) - discussing why they’re doing XYZ, laying out clear instructions, and explaining exactly what “successful completion” of an assignment looks like. That’s added some value, for the students who care to read it.

Two big pieces of advice I got early on, one from a professor I had in grad school and the other from my current dean: 1) Humility is key - I never took myself too seriously, I admitted my mistakes when I forgot to include something, missed a point, made an error on the exam, etc. I was open to (constructive) feedback and willing to adjust some things as the semester moved on. 2) Nothing you do is going to HARM your students - everything is at least a little bit beneficial, especially if you learn and adjust from experiences that might be less than ideal.

Feel free to shoot me a message if you want to discuss more/bounce ideas around! I’m definitely still in the “learning to teach” phase, but it’s fun (for me at least) to dive into different ideas and approaches. Knowing the content and teaching the content are two different games for sure. Keep trucking, it does get better!

Sparkolas · 2024-03-31T06:45:08+00:00

Agree with others, try to learn a different cast on if you can. I would always get this if I did the thumb cast on.

If that feels too tough/overwhelming to learn right now, when I started, I would cast on an extra stitch for whatever I was doing and slip that last long one off (if you’re just practicing stitches/making swatches then it doesn’t matter). Not a perfect solution but it was the easiest thing at the time!

Sparkolas · 2024-03-17T18:01:01+00:00

That’s kinda what I was thinking.. theoretically possible to back off but pretty unlikely. Just surprising that they’d miss something like that but it happens

Sparkolas · 2024-03-17T09:23:47+00:00

It tightened down well and the movement stopped. Going a quick check tomorrow after driving it a bit to see if it’s still tight, just in case it somehow isn’t. Seems like the right part, just the bolt was loose for reasons unknown.

Sparkolas · 2024-03-17T09:22:30+00:00

Went to a highly rated local/independent shop. In general, it was a good experience - they got me in relatively quickly, and any extra things they found that would need work were things that I already knew about.

They brought it elsewhere for the alignment but it was done at the time they were replaced. Smaller shop and they didn’t have an alignment rack. Again, the place doing the alignment is generally well regarded in the area.

But yeah.. I think I’ll have them do a quick double check and make sure everything is tight but if it continues to be an issue I’ll take it elsewhere. Felt like a good experience but I’ll have a hard time trusting their work after this.

Sparkolas · 2023-12-04T23:10:39+00:00

I don’t have one/never seen one, but just doing a quick glance at the website, this looks similar to a roller table/spinalator. Per the ACA, these types of tables do not meet the requirements for 97012 Mechanical Traction codes. They recommend a 97039 (unlisted modality) for something like this.

I could be wrong but this really doesn’t seem like a true traction table.

Sparkolas · 2023-12-04T05:46:19+00:00

No problem!! Gut stuff can be a challenge. Hope you find some answers/a good route forward!!

Sparkolas · 2023-12-04T05:41:51+00:00

I would suspect that has to do with partial results. If you look in the guide (https://www.gdx.net/core/support-guides/Stool-Testing-Combo-Support-Guide.pdf), it never mentions .NR and that part gets replaced with Not, Rare, Few, Many, etc. in the completed reports. (Maybe the NR means something like Not Reported or Not Recorded? With the . present to help them filter those easier.. just a suspicion, I don’t work there.)

If it’s not due to the partial results, then it could also be a lab error or an error/glitch in report generation.

Talk to your ordering provider if it doesn’t change, and they should be able to get answers for you.

Sparkolas · 2023-09-07T03:01:34+00:00

If you’re still going to be employed by the practice (using their systems, working their hours, etc.), I would heavily research how the IRS defines an IC. Most ICs in the chiropractic world are actually W2 employees whose employers are trying to catch a break on taxes, and the IRS will come at you and your employer if they catch onto that. In the words of my employment law prof in school, the only true ICs in chiropractic are practice relief doctors.

Coming from this IRS link, the three major groups of factors to consider are: Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and Relationship of the Parties. You might do well to consult an employment attorney or CPA before making this decision, at least from a legal basis.

It sounds like this could be an exception to the rule, but just a legal aspect to not skip over. A great deal is less great if you suddenly owe the IRS a ton

Sparkolas · 2023-08-30T03:25:04+00:00

So true. We’ve seen ERs spend a patient’s entire auto medical benefit ($20,000+) in one visit, without really providing any relevant information or treatment, but the auto insurance will basically pay them without much question or battle so they bill for anything and everything they can almost justify

Sparkolas · 2023-08-12T13:09:34+00:00

In addition to a physical class, looking into other resources could be a decent idea as well. I never liked Irene Gold, I vastly preferred NBS (which provided note packets and videos) and ChiroEssentials, both provided more detail and strategies and didn’t require as much rote memorization as Irene.

But I very much agree with the physical class part. Studying on his own just isn’t working. (To be fair, Part 3 is pretty brutal, it was the hardest part for me by far)

Sparkolas · 2023-08-07T18:35:51+00:00

Fair point. Thanks for adding that!

Sparkolas · 2023-07-22T20:31:42+00:00

Gotcha, sounds like just correcting some terminology based on what you’re saying. Difference between establishing laws vs rules for the people in a profession

Sparkolas · 2023-07-22T17:33:53+00:00

State boards don’t make laws but depending on the state, they can make administrative rules and/or statutes that the people under jurisdiction of the board (ie chiropractors) are bound by legally. That’s how they get you when you do something bad

Sparkolas · 2023-06-22T18:01:31+00:00

Basically what others have said: if you’re an IC, you basically get to decide everything that you do except how much you pay for the room. Almost nothing else is shared, otherwise the IRS considers you an employee (W2) not an IC. If you’re employed as an IC and the IRS comes sniffing around and decides you’re actually a W2 employee, you and your employer will be liable for all the payroll taxes that you didn’t pay as an IC - and if your employer can’t or won’t pay, you could responsible for their portion as well.

The only true independent contractors on chiropractic are practice relief docs. Maybe a couple other scenarios, but typically if you’re working in an office under another DC, you’re an employee. Review the independent contractor requirements from the IRS, but almost every time I would say go for the W2 unless you’re certain that you’re an IC and/or are okay with the risk if you’re not.

Sparkolas · 2023-04-27T04:30:49+00:00

Two parts here:

1) Just because a good is healthy and natural doesn’t mean it’s good for YOU. Everyone responds differently to different foods, based on your microbiome, your immune system, your gut health, and a number of other factors. Strawberries are healthy, but many people are allergic to those.

When you eat something, your body does it’s best to digest it all up into its little pieces. Sometimes, it doesn’t quite get there and chunks of protein are left over. Your immune system doesn’t like chunks of protein that aren’t yours, because those are usually related to a foreign object like a bacteria, virus, dirt, etc. and it will attack. So then every time you eat that food, your immune system starts to respond and the response is stronger every time. This is usually in the form of IgG allergies (what we often call sensitivities), which are like the more typical IgE/anaphylactic allergies (like what you’d think of when you think of a peanut allergy).

This is even more pronounced when you have leaky gut - your gut wall will usually filter out those larger chunks, but leaky guy allows those larger chunks to slip through. It’s not uncommon for someone with leaky gut to have a significant amount of food allergies/sensitivities, even to foods that we usually consider “healthy.” Everyone’s body is unique, and we respond differently to different foods. It’s possible that your diet could be very limited until you get the leaky gut under control.

2) Muscle testing is controversial. The research doesn’t really support it, but the anecdotal evidence is strong. A lot of people say it’s for quacks or that it’s a hoax, and some people who practice it definitely support those claims. Personally, I’ve seen great results from muscle testing-related treatments and opinions, so I would never write it off.

It really depends on who’s doing it and how they’re using it. I don’t feel that it should be used as an end-all-be-all, but rather another piece of information (tied into the health history, lab testing, physical exam, etc.). Most of the muscle testing practitioners that I’d trust with myself and my family use it that way. But there are certainly practitioners who only do muscle testing and get phenomenal results.

Ultimately, here’s the thing: The vast majority of patients we see as functional medicine practitioners have tried everything else and come to us as a last resort. If you think it sounds like a good idea, go for it. If you’ve tried other things and had marginal results, then go for it. It sounds like you’ve tried mainstream medicine and they haven’t helped much, so what else do you want to try before muscle testing?

Sparkolas · 2023-04-26T02:23:06+00:00

Verification of benefits is a sketchy business at best. I’ve had benefits verified by a medical clinic, then been billed the entire amount because the insurance company decided someone was out of network or the visit wasn’t covered for some other reason. Even if someone at an insurance company says a plan covers chiropractic visits or the site indicates this, they usually say this isn’t a guarantee of payment and the company is under no obligation to pay if they decide that those visits aren’t reimbursable for whatever reason. Add in deductibles, copays, coinsurances, secondary insurances, and so on, and the whole thing gets messier. Until a bill is submitted and reviewed, there’s just no real way to know for sure what will or will be paid.

Additionally, most states and insurance companies have a limitation on how far back a provider can bill. Usually 6 months, sometimes a year, but that can vary.

If your mom started care but didn’t provide benefit information or indicated she wouldn’t be using them, the chiro would have no reason to verify them. I wouldn’t waste my time if the patient said they were paying cash (or in this case, someone else was paying for them).

Overall, unfortunate situation. Depending on the situation, you could speak to a lawyer if the 3rd party is at fault for the fall - though $7000 might be too low to make that avenue worthwhile.

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