I myself, have never encountered a discussion of the placebo-effect as it relates to the adjustment in any chiropractic textbook. Thorough studies have estimated that as many as 35-45 percent of all prescriptions are for substances that are incapable of having an effect on the condition for which they are prescribed. It is staggering to think that the pattern of living each of us embraces grows out of approximately the 100 million nerve impulses pouring into our nervous system every second of the day. In all probability, the hypochondriac organizes aspects of Nature, especially as it applies to the self, in a slightly different manner. As we listen to our patients on a daily basis, patterns of communicative expression begin to emerge.
Patients think and talk about their bodies differently.
They tend to disown the offending part and repossess it when it is well. How people perceive or misperceive themselves is a reality with which the physician must come to terms. We, as doctors, can neither confirm nor deny subjective symptoms. Unlike body temperature or blood pressure, they cannot be measured with a thermometer or sphygmomanometer. We are obliged to accept what we are told on faith.