alphabiotics - The Skeptic's Dictionary

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class="header"> <div class="logo"> <img src="_images/logo_01.png" alt="The Skeptic's Dictionary" width="270" height="60" border="0" />           <br /> by <a href="http://skepdic.com/refuge/bio.html">Robert Todd Carroll</a> * est. 1994 </div> <div class="slogan"> <img src="_images/slogan_01.gif" alt="A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions" width="362" height="30" /> </div> </div> <div class="menu"> <ul> <li></li><li><a href="http://skepdic.com/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/news/">Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/feedback.html">Feedback</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/faq.html">FAQ & Interviews</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/tour.html">Site Map</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="middle"> <div class="left"> <h2>Topical Indexes</h2> <ul class="nav_1"> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/tialtmed.html">Alternatives to Medicine</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/ticriticalthinking.html">Critical 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href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#H">h</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#I">i</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#J">j</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#K">k</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#L">l</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#M">m</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#N">n</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#O">o</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#P">p</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Q">q</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#R">r</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#S">s</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#T">t</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#U">u</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#V">v</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#W">w</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#X">x</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Y">y</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Z">z</a></li> </ul> <webContent><h1>alphabiotics</h1> <blockquote> <span class="quote">"The Alphabiotic Alignment/Unification Process is accomplished with you lying on the back, with your head at the high end of the Alphabiotic Couch. It involves a gentle, though unique, movement of the head and is accomplished in less than fifteen seconds."</span><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20050205000949/http://www.alphabiotics.com/first.htm">*</a> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Alphabiotics is an alternative medical practice based on the notion that "all disease is the result of an imbalance and lack of Life Energy." Health depends on "aligning" and "balancing" "Life <a href="energy.html">Energy</a>." The alignment and balance is achieved by neck manipulation and is called the "Alphabiotic alignment."</font> Or maybe not. Recent websites make bolder claims about affecting the brain and back off from assertions that would identify alphabiotics with energy medcine. Alphabiotics is called "the new science of stress relief," but I could not find any scientific papers published in any reputable science journals that demonstrate the effectiveness of alphabiotics. Given the vague nature of the terms used to describe what alphabiotics allegedly does, it seems impossible to design a double-blind controlled test of the practice.</p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">According to <a href="http://www.alphabiotics.net/">Alphabiotics.net</a>:</font></p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font size="3">The Alphabiotic Alignment is a hands-on process which instantly unifies the brain hemispheres, balances the energies within the nerve system and muscles and releases stress held within the mind/body. In this state of Alignment you begin to function better on levels [sic]: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, placing you in a more favorable position to heal yourself</font>.</p> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Alphabiotics is the brainchild of Dr. V. B. Chrane who started practicing it in the 1920's near Abilene, Texas. It was "established as a unique new profession by Dr. Virgil Chrane, Jr., on December 28, 1971," according to Virgil Chrane, Jr., and the practice is still flourishing with Virgil Jr. and his son, Dr. Michael Chrane.</font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">The alphabiotics folks claim they are not <a href="chiro.html">chiropractors</a>.</font> Years ago, some alphabioticists organized themselves as a religion, but today they structure their practices as <a href="http://alphabioticsboston.org/faq.html">membership associations</a>.</p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: left">Alphabiotics is NOT about chiropractic, therapeutic manipulations, medicine, energetic healing or massage therapy. We don鈥檛 treat, heal, cure or diagnose.<a href="http://alphabiotics.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html">*</a></p> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"> What does alphabiotics do, then?</font></p> <blockquote> <p style="text-align: left">Alphabiotics has discovered how to tap into the Power of Life that is within each of us. They have shown us how to utilize the unlimited, Intelligent Power that is ever standing by, ready to solve our problems, manifest our dreams and keep us in a constant state of physical, emotional, and spiritual balance and harmony.</p> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font size="3">The Chranes train new alphbioticists in <a href="http://www.alphabioticsacademy.com/Training_Schedule.html">three or four days</a></font>, but <a href="http://alphabioticsboston.org/faq.html">some states have board certification that requires months of training</a>. No medical background is required.</p> <p style="text-align: left"><font size="3">In 2000, the Washington state Commission of Chiropractic Quality Assurance determined that some aspects of the alphabiotics alignment process are<a href="http://www.chirobase.org/08Legal/alphabiotics.html"> indistinguishable from chiropractic</a> and that certain techniques used are associated with <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20111121065849/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2000-11-15/news/mal-adjusted.php?page=full"> risk of stroke</a>.</font> The only person I've ever heard from who has been to an alphabioticist claims the practitioner described the practice as "healing the nervous system." She said she had an adjustment done and felt more balanced, less nervous, and no pain in the neck area after the adjustment. (She had been slapped around by her boyfriend.) Do some people feel better after alphabiotics? I don't doubt it. Does relaxation help relieve stress? Many studies indicate it does. Does alphabiotics relax people and relieve stress? It may well do so. Does it do this by "allowing the body to return to homeostasis"? I don't think anyone knows what that means and that may be why there are no scientific papers about a return to homeostasis from alphabiotics. Is alphabiotics a type of <a href="placebo.html">placebo medicine</a>? Probably. Does that mean it's worthless? No.</p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><b>See also</b> <a HREF="althelth.html">alternative health practice</a>, and <a href="vitalism.html">vitalism</a>. </font> </p> <hr noshade width="25%" align="left"> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><b>further reading</b> </font> <p style="text-align: left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">articles</font></b><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.chirobase.org/08Legal/alphabiotics.html"> "Alphabiotics" Practitioner Loses Chiropractic License </a>Stephen Barrett, M.D.</font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a HREF="http://www.csicop.org/si/9709/park.html">Alternative Medicine and the Laws of Physics</a> by Robert L. Park</font><p style="text-align: left"> <font size="3"> <a href="http://www.theironskeptic.com/articles/alphabiotics/alphabiotics.htm"> Alphabiotics: Sorry guys, it's a cult!</a> by Aaron Sakulich</font><p style="text-align: left"> <font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://skepdic.com/essays/energyhealing.htm">Energy Healing: Looking in All the Wrong Places</a> by Robert Todd Carroll</font><p style="text-align: left"> <font face="Arial" size="3"> <a href="http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/altbelief.html"> Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work</a> by Barry L. Beyerstein</font><p style="text-align: left"><b> <font face="Arial" size="3">websites</font></b><p style="text-align: left"> <font size="3" face="Arial"> <a href="http://alphabioticinfo.com/Home.aspx">Alphabiotics Home Page</a></font> <p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://www.alphabioticsacademy.com/">Alphabiotics Academy</a> <p style="text-align: left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">news stories</font></b> <p style="text-align: left"> <font size="3"> <a href="http://www.seattleweekly.com/2000-11-15/news/mal-adjusted/"> Mal-adjusted</a> </font><i><font size="3">Seattle Weekly</font></i> <p></webContent>Last updated 27-Oct-2015 </p> </div> </div> <div class="right"> <div class="right_it"> <div class="search"> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="skepdic.com" /> <input type="text" name="q" maxlength="255" value="" size="20" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" /> <br /> <div class="search_2"> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" /> Web     <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="skepdic.com" checked="checked" /> Skepdic.com <br /> <img src="_images/logo_google.gif" alt="Google" width="48" height="19" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-3542920166946725" /> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;" /> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en" /> </form> </div> <div class="center"> <p align="right"><a href="http://skepdic.com/authorpage.html"><strong>Books by R. 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alphabiotics - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com