This chiro is one of 3 in NYC that specializes on a specific technique that was recommended to me. The other two were not available, so I called Dr Caraccilo.The secretary told me they were in network and that she submitted insurance papers on a weekly basis, but my insurance denied it. She promised me to figure it out for me. A month and 5 phone calls later, I was still confused about the conflicting information and excuses, but decided to go no matter what. A couple of times it turns out the chiropractor himself answered the phone but did not identify himself.
As I arrived and was filing my intake forms, I heard someone say to the secretary (Oh no, a new patient now! Bummer! I want some sushi! I'll get something to eat anyways). It was the chiropractor, and I was within hearing range. Not the friendliest welcome, it would have been funny if the tone hadn't been that of profound annoyance. I pretended to to hear.
Inside, I explained I was well diagnosed and following a specific therapy that was working for me, after many years of searching. I needed extra support with the Total Body Modification technique to assist with my healing. He seemed not to believe my diagnosis even though I have the symptoms, test results, and respond to the therapy. He very quickly diagnosed me as hyperthyroid (when I am hypo). He insisted I had to take licorice for adrenals even though I said it gives me stomach aches and there are other options. He wanted me to sweat "while doing exercise" even though I sweat in a sauna every day and my adrenal fatigue and doctor prefer that I "rest and digest". I tried to keep an open mind and give him the benefit of the doubt. I bought the licorice and I got a stomach ache, and pushed myself to exercise and wasn't able to (I'm doing restorative floor yoga at the moment, which helps).
He asked me to relax and put a mask over my eyes and with a couple of exceptions, kept doing things that startled me, like pressing very hard on my liver area, or poking or scraping my feet and other body parts with a cold metal instrument, without asking or explaining. The situation made me feel tense and vulnerable. Sometimes the pain was strong, but I though it was for the better. I know being hypersensitive to pain is part of my condition and I wanted to heal so much. He seemed to doubt what was doing could be painful. He adjusted my neck and left me resting for a while with some music. If the Total Body Modification was the liver manipulation, I was not impressed. He did other things, which is fine, but it would have been nice if he had asked before if that was ok, or explained what he was doing, since I had requested something very specific, and was not looking for a diagnosis or a regular chiropractic visit. I was told matter-of-factly that I would get a headache after my neck adjustment, which I did. I also got acid reflux from the liver manipulation. When I told him later on, he said that wasn't possible. He came across as pushy, defensive and very self-secure.
Weeks later, the secretary had still not submitted my insurance papers. I spoke to the chiropractor several times on the phone, and emailed to request my bill. I called my health plan and was told this person was being audited by them and he would probably be leaving the plan; this disciplinary procedure happens very rarely and it means there has been an issue and the insurance tries to decide whether it wants to continue working with a specific practitioner. Not the healing, nurturing experience I had hoped for. read more