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368,379 people killed, 306,096 injured and over $2,815,931,000 in economic damages

What's the harm in going to a chiropractor?

In its original form, chiropractic is a form of energy medicine based on unscientific principles such as 'innate intelligence'. To be fair, not all current chiropractors still believe in these concepts. Read more about chiropractic

Here are 312 people who were harmed by someone not thinking critically.

Linda Barter Age: 42

Sutton Coldfield, England Permanent neck injury

1997 After a neck manipulation at her chiropractors, Linda now has a permanent neck problem and must take tranquilizers daily. Read more

Kristi A. Bedenbaugh Age: 24

Little Mountain, South Carolina Died

1993 Kristi sought relief from sinus headaches from her chiropractor. A neck manipulation caused a brain stem stroke and she died three days later. The chiropractor later paid a $1000 fine. Read more

Samantha Cools (athlete) Age: 22

Airdrie, Alberta, Canada Neck injury just before Olympics

May 2008 Her chiropractor over-rotated her neck during a routine adjustment, tearing tendons and muscles. This painful injury even limited her ability to eat, mere weeks before the world championships. She came in fifth, and DNFed at the Olympics. Read more

Frances S. Denoon Age: 28

Bristol, England Stroke

March 1998 She visited a chiropractor to relieve some neck pain. On her second visit, "my world went into a dizzy spin" with nausea and loss of speech. The neck manipulation had caused a brain stem stroke. She now runs a web site for victims. Read more

Linda Epping Age: 8

Los Angeles, California Died

December 29, 1961 Linda was scheduled for surgery to remove a tumor, when her parents met a chiropractor who said he could cure her. He had her swallowing up to 124 pills a day for months. He was convicted of second-degree murder in 1967. Read more

Donna Claire Fawcett Age: 34

Barrie, Ontario, Canada Died

1987 She had a chiropractic neck manipulation and died after several months in a coma. Read more

G. Fowden Sandy, Utah Died

A lifelong believer in natural cures, she shunned conventional medicine. When she got sick she saw nearly every form of alternative practitioner. When she finally allowed herself to be taken to a hospital, it was far too late to help. Read more

Dr. Ronald Grainger Age: 69

Calgary, Alberta, Canada Died

November 16, 2001 Chiropractic neck manipulation Read more

Brittmarie Harwe Age: 40

Wethersfield, Connecticut Unable to swallow

1993 A chiropractic manipulation permanently paralyzed one of her vocal cords and left her unable to swallow food. She received $900,000 in a settlement. Later the chiropractor was given probation for harassing her by phone. Read more & more

Amy C. Hays Age: 32

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Bullied into treatment

She feels she was duped and bullied by her chiropractor, read her story in her own words. Read more

Christa Heck Age: 43

Mahopac, New York Stroke

November 2003 Ten minutes after visiting her chiropractor for headaches & back pain, she found herself crumpled & paralyzed in her SUV. She had been given a stroke. Read more

John Hoffman Age: 39

Gaithersburg, Maryland Died

August 5, 2004 His wife found him collapsed in their stairwell. He had had a chiropractic adjustment 3 hours earlier. His stroke was ruled to have been caused by the adjustment. He died 6 days later. Read more & more & more

Yvonne Hoskin Age: 65

Geelong, Australia Fractured back, chronic pain

2008 She attended a chiropractor for backache. X-ray taken, and cancer of the vertebral body was missed. Subsequent manipulation caused major fracture which required 3-level fusion to fix and resulted in chronic pain.

J. Kesterson California Mistreated

She had an extremely bad experience with a chiropractor that she has documented on the web. Read more

Karen Labdon Bellevue, Washington Brain stem stroke

March 12, 1997 She had visited her chiropractor before for headaches and stress, but this time she felt sick after the visit. The alphabiotics practitioner had given her a brain stem stroke. She is now suing. Read more & more

Renate Dora Labonte Age: 40

Guelph, Ontario, Canada Died

Chiropractic neck manipulation for her migraines induced a stroke. Read more

Lana Dale Lewis Age: 45

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Died

September 12, 1996 Two weeks after a chiropractic neck manipulation, she suffered a stroke. The chiropractic board ruled her death an accident. Read more

Les Limage Age: 67

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Paralyzed by stroke

December 5, 2001 Les went to a chiropractor for some neck pain related to his hip replacement. The neck manipulation caused a brain stem stroke that paralyzed him and put him on a respirator. Read more

Jose Lopez Age: 64

Sacramento, California Died

June 10, 2008 He went to see an unlicensed chiropractor at his home. A neck manipulation seriously injured him and left him unconcious. He was declared brain dead at hospital and the chiropractor faces murder charges. Read more & more

Laurie Jean Mathiason Age: 20

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Died

February 7, 1998 Laurie had a tailbone injury and sought out a chiropractor who manipulated her neck. She fell into a coma and died three days later. Read more

Kathryn McGlynn England Brain stem stroke

November 1994 After a chiropractic neck manipulation, she felt weakness down her right side. When she went to the hospital she was told she'd had an ischaemic stroke. Read more

Sandra Nette Age: 41

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Multiple strokes, paralyzed

September 13, 2007 She felt dizzy after driving home from her chiropractor. Hospital physicians found she had suffered multiple strokes and required surgery. Paralyzed, disabled and under 24 hour care, she has filed a $500 million class action lawsuit. Read more & more

Pierrette Parisien Age: 36

Montreal, Quebec, Canada Died

February 22, 2006 A regular chiropractic patient for nine years, she had neck pain, headaches and dizziness after two prior appointments. The third time, she fell into a coma and died. Read more

Charles Paynter Age: 68

Columbus, Ohio Hospitalized with kidney failure

1988 He saw a chiropractor for help with his back pain. He was treated with heat, herbs, tonics and homeopathy. Three days after his last treatment, he was rushed to a hospital and barely recovered. A judgment for $147,500 was awarded by a court. Read more

Donald Pereyra Ridgefield, Connecticut Died (liver failure)

December 17, 1987 After a tumor on his back was surgically removed, his doctors recommended radiation and chemo. His chiropractor disagreed and injected him with unproven substances. He died of liver failure (he had no liver cancer) and a lawsuit resulted. Read more

Trevor Rhiner Age: 17

Des Moines, Iowa A year of unnecessary treatments

2003 Trevor saw a chiropractor for back pain and numbness in his legs. He was diagnosed with a series of problems and told to take a year of treatments, paid up front. A second opinion from a doctor said there was nothing wrong with him. The family sued. Read more

Diane Rodrigue Age: 36

Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada Paralyzed by stroke

January 1994 She visited a chiropractor with help with her headaches. After a neck manipulation, her headache got worse. A second chiropractor manipulated her neck once more, and she had a stroke. She is now quadriplegic and requires a ventilator. Read more

Elizabeth A. Roth Age: 49

Medway, Ohio Died

February 28, 1997 Chiropractor allegedly used a "Vega" energy machine to diagnose her but withheld information about her diagnosis. Another doctor diagnosed her with advanced breast cancer. A lawsuit resulted after her death.

Eric Sass Anthem, Arizona Stroke

July 3, 2008 Eric is a church youth counselor who is in fantastic physical shape. Following a routine spine & neck adjustment for "wellness" he experienced dizziness, impaired vision and headache. He'd had a stroke. Read more

Marilyn Senzell Age: 59

South Holland, Illinois Stroke

2001 She claims she suffered a torn carotid artery during a 2001 session with a chiropractor. A week later, she suffered a stroke which has left her disabled. The chiropractor paid her $500,000 in a settlement in 2008. Read more

Kelley Smith Age: 40

Two ruptured disks

1998 An iridologist at a psychic fair seemed accurate to her, and advised seeing a chiropractor. She now has two ruptured disks. Read more

Rachelle Smith Age: 32

Olathe, Kansas Stroke

December 2006 Chiropractor Read more

Linda Solsbury Age: 36

New London, Connecticut Paralyzed & mute. Her $10 million judgement was avoided via bankruptcy

1985 An LPN, she was left quadriplegic and mute after a neck manipulation. She sued, and became an advocate for changes in the laws regarding chiropractors. She died years later of complications from her illness. Read more

Kimberly Lee Strohecker Age: 30

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Died (epileptic seizure)

April 29, 1999 A chiropractor advised ceasing anticonvulsive medication and treated her with cranio-sacral therapy. When seizures returned, he insisted they were normal. She died in a later seizure. He got 18 months in prison. Read more

James Turner Age: 11

Barrie, Ontario, Canada Paralyzed

July 24, 2000 He was taken by his parents to a chiropractor, who manipulated his back, but failed to notice he had a spinal cord tumor. His was left paralyzed. The parents sued for $2.75 million. Read more

Wendy Venegas Age: 34

San Diego, California Died

1999 Wendy, a mother of three young children, went to her chiropractor for help with sinusitis. A neck manipulation led to a brain stem stroke. Read more

Theresa Wilkin Masterton, New Zealand Delayed treatment for serious illness

February 2008 She was sick for a while and saw a chiropractor for the headaches. He told her that she had a pinched nerve in her back. She actually had a rare neurological illness that has had a local outbreak, and barely got to the hospital in time. Read more

Over 200 chiropractic patients Age: 31 - 80

Serious harm including strokes, paraplegia

2001 - 2007 This meta-study in JRSM found more than 200 patients who were suspected to have been seriously harmed by spinal manipulation. Read more

34 child chiropractic patients Age: 3 months - 15 years

Serious injury, delayed diagnosis of disease

December 18, 2006 This meta-study in Pediatrics found one death and 13 other serious injuries to children undergoing chiropractic manipulation. It also found 20 other cases of delayed diagnosis of disease or inappropriate use of chiropractic. Read more

36 Colorado patients western Colorado 6 died, 10 colectomies, 36 total infections

1982 This New England Journal of Medicine report is on an outbreak of amebiasis spread by colonic irrigation equipment at a chiropractic clinic in Colorado. Six patients died, thirty others required surgery or hospital care. Read more

"Mrs. A." Age: 33

New Zealand Stroke

November 9, 2007 This mother of two saw a chiropractor for relief from headaches. After the fourth visit, she felt dizzy, lost sight in one eye and could not concentrate. This was caused by a stroke. A government commission recommended the chiropractor apologize. Read more

"A.K." (woman) Tucson, Arizona Died (untreated cancer)

Over the ten months she saw the chiropractor, he assured her at least twice that she did not have cancer. He even missed it on an x-ray at first. Finally he referred her to a doctor but it was too late. She died and he was suspended for a year. Read more

"Miss H." Age: 43

Sheffield, England Disabled, cannot work

July 18, 2000 Chiropractor Read more

"Margaret X" Liverpool, England Brain stem stroke

January 2003 She visited her chiropractor due to neck problems. She felt sick and nauseous after a neck manipulation. She had been given a brain stem stroke. Read more