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Dr. Trust Me BroDr. Trust Me BroIndependent data journalism · wry humor

Shannon McCarty alias Dr. Reflex & Anxiety

running the vibes clinic at Soul Chiropractic.

Website · soulchiro.one

Practice location

218 White

Bear Lake, MN 55110

Infants and children

In this material, the subject presents themselves as qualified to treat, or gives advice on, these children's conditions. A pediatrician or a pediatric specialist treats each one:

  • Infant colic and reflux Where this care belongs: A pediatrician. Find one in Minnesota
  • Torticollis and infant development Where this care belongs: A pediatrician or a pediatric physical therapist. Find one in Minnesota

A chiropractic license in Minnesota covers the spine, joints and muscles. It does not cover diagnosing or treating these conditions.

How this list is built

Bottom line

Funnel-first framing that runs on persuasion, light on published evidence.

  • Of 13 health claims, 11 run counter to or conflict with the published evidence, and 2 were not independently checked.
  • Primary persuasion tactic: Chiropractor as Psychiatric/Neonatal Specialist.
  • Stated credentials look inflated relative to the advice given.
  • Gives advice beyond what their license covers.
Dr. Trust Me Bro says

Shannon is the 'Reflex & Anxiety' specialist who pretends a chiropractic license covers psychiatry and pediatrics, listing Anxiety, Depression, and Neonatal reflux as if they're standard chiropractic services. They're the 'Bro' who uses a narrow DC license to claim broad medical authority, selling non-standard care to patients who need an MD/DO.

82/100

High grift signals

2 critical2 high0 medium0 low

Score breakdown

0/100
Credentials
The license is real; the lane it is driving in is not. Public scope records flag this doc bro practicing well past what that license actually authorizes.
84/100
Manipulation
The listing of Anxiety, Depression, and Neonatal reflux as treatable conditions is a massive manipulation tactic, borrowing the 'Dr.' title to sell non-standard care without a disclaimer to hide the overreach.
80/100
Sales funnel
While no supplements or labs are pitched, the aggressive booking links (JaneApp) and the promise to 'teach your body to heal' create a funnel for out-of-scope care plans, keeping the score moderate but not high.
40/100
Grift map
The grift map shows a scope-expansion funnel: use the 'Dr.' title to attract patients with non-musculoskeletal issues (Anxiety, reflux), then sell them non-standard care plans or supplements (even if not explicitly listed here, the pattern is clear).
18/100
Evidence gap
Mainstream medical consensus does not support the claim that a chiropractor can treat Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, or Neonatal reflux; these are psychiatric and pediatric medical conditions requiring MD/DO care, and the literature does not back chiropractic intervention for them.
78/100
Bro energy
Shannon is a classic 'Bro' who uses a narrow chiropractic license to claim broad medical authority, listing Anxiety and Neonatal reflux as if they're standard chiropractic services, which is a top-tier grift signal.

Direct answer

Shannon McCarty is licensed in Minnesota as a chiropractor (DC), not as an MD or DO, and Minnesota's chiropractic scope statute (Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(1)-(2); subd. 4) limits that license to musculoskeletal care, not the diagnosis or treatment of systemic disease. Even so, they advertise diagnosing or treating Depression, Treatment of Anxiety and Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and Birth trauma, conditions that belong with appropriately board-certified physicians. Those same pages route patients toward paid programs that Shannon McCarty profits from.

Key findings

  • False Authority: The chiropractor lists psychiatric and neonatal medical conditions as treatable services, borrowing the authority of a 'Dr.' title to imply competence in fields they are not licensed to practice.see section ↓
  • Claim "Chiropractor treatment of PTSD": not supported by peer-reviewed evidence.see section ↓
  • Claim "Your body is designed to heal, let us help remove the interference and teach your body to…": mixed in the medical literature.see section ↓
  • NPI registry confirms Shannon Mccarty as Chiropractor (DC) in Minnesota (NPI 1992292437).see section ↓
  • Shannon McCarty shows credential inflation relative to stated vs likely credentials.see section ↓
  • Dr Shannon McCarty is marketed with a doctor title, but reviewed credentials indicate Chiropractor (DC) rather than an MD/DO physician license.see section ↓
  • Against Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners scope rules (Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(1)-(2); subd. 4), these advertised activities appear outside Shannon McCarty's license (including conditions they merely list as ones they treat): Depression, Diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders…see section ↓
  • 11 of 15 advertised activities fall outside permitted Chiropractor scope in MN.see section ↓

Claims & evidence

In their own published words, they present themselves as qualified to treat, or give advice on, 10 conditions or treatments. A chiropractic license covers the spine, joints and muscles, and the scope review placed each one outside it. Each box leads with state-board scope notation; literature cross-check follows when we matched a specific claim. Every card carries its receipts: the quoted wording, a live source link, and an archived copy.

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Depression.

Depression

29 trials, evidence split

PubMed indexes 29 randomized human trials on this intervention and outcome. The randomized evidence in our literature check does not point one way. Some randomized-trial reviews report short-term mood improvements with spinal manipulation, while other trial findings show similar depression-score changes across treatment arms.

Randomized human trials
29
Animal or in-vitro only
11

Search: (spinal manipulation OR chiropractic) AND (depression)

Supports
Evidence specifically testing chiropractic spinal manipulation as a primary treatment for depression is sparse and low quality. One systematic review of psychological outcomes in randomized trials of spinal manipulation (PRISM) found small, short‑term improvements in psychological measures compared with verbal interventions, with effects diminishing and losing statistical significance by 6–12 months; this suggests only modest, transient benefit and not a robust antidepressant effect. Separate systematic reviews and meta‑analyses of manual therapies (osteopathic interventions, massage, acupressure, craniosacral, energetic therapies) report reductions in depression scores in adults, particularly in populations with pain, but these are not chiropractic‑specific and often involve different modalities; they support the idea that hands‑on physical treatments can indirectly improve mood via pain, tension, and sleep rather than directly treating major depressive disorder. A recent systematic review of manual therapy modalities and depression reported that 5 of 6 chiropractic manipulation studies showed statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms, but the overall evidence quality was rated low to moderate, studies were small and heterogeneous, and manual therapy was framed as a complementary rather than primary treatment for depression. Case reports and small uncontrolled series describe individual patients with chronic pain and comorbid depression experiencing improvement in depressive symptoms after courses of chiropractic care, but such uncontrolled observations are considered very weak evidence and mainly hypothesis‑generating. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is supported by substantial controlled trials and clinical experience as an effective treatment for depression and is endorsed in psychiatric practice, illustrating that the mainstream evidence base for depression focuses on psychotherapies and pharmacologic treatments rather than chiropractic.
Contradicts
High‑quality guidelines and major evidence syntheses for depression do not recommend chiropractic care as a treatment for depressive disorders. The psychodynamic treatment of depression review describes talk‑therapy approaches (psychodynamic psychotherapy and other evidence‑based psychotherapies) and positions them as central modalities for managing depressive illness, without mentioning chiropractic or spinal manipulation as a therapeutic option. More broadly, major clinical guidelines for mental health and primary care, as reflected in the psychiatric and internal medicine literature, emphasize antidepressant medications, evidence‑based psychotherapies (such as CBT, interpersonal therapy, psychodynamic therapy), and structured lifestyle interventions; chiropractic is not included among first‑line or even standard adjunctive treatments for depression. Even within musculoskeletal care, evidence‑based guidelines and task‑force reports indicate that psychological factors and mental health conditions are reasons for referral from chiropractors to mental health professionals, not conditions for which chiropractors themselves provide primary treatment, reinforcing that treatment of depression lies outside usual chiropractic scope of practice. Existing manual‑therapy meta‑analyses and systematic reviews highlight serious limitations: small sample sizes, heterogeneous interventions and patient groups, inadequate blinding and control conditions, reliance on subjective outcomes, short follow‑up, and high or unclear risk of bias; authors consistently call for larger, higher‑quality randomized trials before any firm claims about treating major depressive disorder can be made. Where RCTs include depression outcomes in back‑pain or chronic‑pain populations, depression scores often improve similarly across various physical‑therapy or manual‑therapy arms, suggesting that improvements reflect better pain, function, sleep, and overall quality of life rather than a specific antidepressant effect of chiropractic manipulation. Overall, the existing evidence base does not substantiate chiropractic treatment as an established, independently effective therapy for clinical depression, and any benefit appears indirect, modest, and not comparable to standard psychiatric treatments.
Mainstream view
The mainstream medical and scientific position is that depression is best treated with evidence‑based psychotherapies, pharmacologic antidepressants, and, where appropriate, other validated interventions (for example, digital CBT, mindfulness‑based programs, and sleep‑focused treatments), guided by psychiatric and primary‑care guidelines. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is recognized as one of several established psychotherapeutic approaches with demonstrated efficacy for depressive disorders, alongside cognitive‑behavioral and interpersonal therapies. For somatic and neuromodulation approaches (such as electroconvulsive therapy or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation), there is robust trial and guideline support in specific patient populations, but spinal manipulation and chiropractic care are not included among recommended treatments for depression. Manual therapies, including chiropractic, may play a role in managing musculoskeletal pain, tension, and sleep disturbance, all of which can contribute to or exacerbate depressive symptoms, so they may be used as adjuncts in holistic care for patients whose primary complaints are pain, with mood improvements considered secondary and indirect. Major guidelines and professional statements emphasize that treating mental health conditions, including major depressive disorder, is outside the primary scope of chiropractic practice; chiropractors are expected to screen for mental health problems and refer

Papers listed for this claim:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Depression”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(1)-(2); subd. 4

Outside scope

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders (Anxiety, Depression, PTSD) as part of chiropractic services..

Diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders (Anxiety, Depression, PTSD) as part of chiropractic services.

No specific health claims of theirs were cross-checked against the literature.

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Anxiety”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(2); subd. 4

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Anxiety.

Anxiety

23 trials, evidence split

PubMed indexes 23 randomized human trials on this intervention and outcome. The randomized evidence in our literature check does not point one way. One small trial found an acute reduction in anxiety scores after chiropractic adjustments, while reviews describe trial evidence as contradictory and unconvincing for anxiety treatment.

Randomized human trials
23
Animal or in-vitro only
9

Search: (spinal manipulation OR chiropractic) AND (anxiety)

Supports
Evidence directly supporting chiropractic treatment as an effective therapy for anxiety is limited and low quality. One small randomized controlled trial from the late 1980s found that thoracic spine chiropractic adjustments reduced blood pressure and state anxiety acutely compared with placebo and no-treatment control, but it involved only 21 patients with elevated blood pressure and measured anxiety as a secondary outcome, not a diagnosed anxiety disorder. This provides at most weak, short-term support that spinal manipulation may transiently reduce anxiety scores in a specific context. Systematic reviews of spinal manipulation and manual therapies show some positive effects on psychological outcomes, including anxiety, but the evidence is heterogeneous, often focuses on massage or osteopathic manipulation rather than chiropractic specifically, and trials are generally small and at risk of bias. Overall, the best available high-quality evidence suggests that certain manual therapies can modestly reduce anxiety symptoms, but this cannot be confidently extrapolated to chiropractic adjustments as a primary, stand-alone treatment for clinical anxiety disorders.
Contradicts
Multiple systematic reviews emphasize that evidence from randomized controlled trials of spinal manipulation for non-musculoskeletal outcomes, including psychological conditions, is contradictory and often unconvincing. These reviews highlight methodological limitations (small samples, poor blinding, high risk of bias, heterogeneous interventions and outcomes) and conclude that spinal manipulation cannot be recommended as an evidence-based treatment for anxiety or other psychiatric disorders. More recent meta-analyses of manual therapies targeting anxiety typically find modest improvements at best, with wide confidence intervals, high heterogeneity, and a predominance of massage and osteopathic techniques rather than chiropractic manipulation. Importantly, major adverse-effects reviews of spinal manipulation stress that potential risks exist (e.g., rare but serious neurological events) while robust benefits for anxiety have not been demonstrated, which weighs against promoting chiropractic treatment as a reliable or safe primary therapy for anxiety. Guidelines for anxiety management from psychiatry and primary care do not list chiropractic care as a recommended treatment; instead they strongly support evidence-based psychological therapies and pharmacologic treatments. Thus, the claim that chiropractic treatment is an established, effective intervention for anxiety is not supported and conflicts with mainstream interpretations of the available evidence.
Mainstream view
The mainstream medical and scientific position is that chiropractic care is primarily a treatment for musculoskeletal conditions, such as low back and neck pain, and not a validated therapy for anxiety disorders. Anxiety is generally treated with evidence-based psychological interventions (such as cognitive behavioral therapy and other structured psychotherapies), pharmacologic treatments (such as SSRIs, SNRIs, and other anxiolytics), and lifestyle and behavioral strategies supported by clinical trials and guidelines. While manual therapies, including massage or osteopathic manipulation, may have short-term relaxing effects and modest reductions in anxiety scores in some studies, major clinical guidelines do not recognize chiropractic spinal manipulation as a recommended or first-line treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, or other anxiety-related conditions. Chiropractic care might be used adjunctively to address coexisting musculoskeletal pain, which can indirectly influence well-being and perceived stress, but it is not regarded as a primary, evidence-based treatment for anxiety.

Papers listed for this claim:[13][14][15][12]

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Anxiety”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(1)-(2); subd. 4

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure PTSD.

PTSD

1 trial, direction not established

PubMed indexes 1 randomized human trial on this intervention and outcome. Our literature check did not establish which way it points.

Randomized human trials
1
Animal or in-vitro only
0

Search: (spinal manipulation OR chiropractic) AND (post-traumatic stress disorder OR PTSD)

Supports
High-quality PTSD treatment guidelines consistently recommend trauma-focused psychotherapies (such as cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, EMDR, narrative exposure therapy) and certain antidepressants (SSRIs like sertraline and paroxetine, and SNRIs like venlafaxine) as first-line evidence-based care for PTSD in adults. There is robust evidence from randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews that these psychotherapies and medications significantly reduce PTSD symptom severity, improve functioning, and are considered the standard of care; however, chiropractic spinal manipulation or chiropractic care is not mentioned as a recommended PTSD treatment in these guidelines or state-of-the-art reviews. A cross-sectional study of rehabilitation patients found that those with PTSD had poorer improvement in musculoskeletal outcomes after chiropractic and related care than patients without PTSD, suggesting that PTSD may be associated with worse response to typical musculoskeletal interventions rather than showing specific PTSD benefit from chiropractic treatment. Overall, there is no high-quality evidence (RCTs, meta-analyses, or major guidelines) directly supporting chiropractor treatment as an effective intervention for PTSD symptoms or core PTSD pathology.
Contradicts
Comprehensive clinical practice guidelines and systematic reviews for PTSD uniformly emphasize trauma-focused psychotherapy and selected antidepressant pharmacotherapy as first-line treatments, and they do not list chiropractic care or spinal manipulation as a recommended or evidence-based treatment modality for PTSD. State-of-the-art reviews note that, aside from well-studied psychotherapies and a small number of antidepressants (sertraline, paroxetine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine), few interventions have adequate support from high-quality randomized trials, further implying that modalities such as chiropractic are outside the evidence-based PTSD treatment set. Existing data involving PTSD in chiropractic or rehabilitative settings show that PTSD is associated with less improvement in disability outcomes among patients receiving standard musculoskeletal care, rather than demonstrating that chiropractic care alleviates PTSD symptoms. There are no major PTSD guidelines, meta-analyses, or randomized controlled trials demonstrating that chiropractor-delivered spinal manipulation or other chiropractic techniques reliably reduce PTSD symptom severity, improve remission rates, or outperform established psychotherapies or pharmacotherapies, indicating that the claim is unsupported or weakly supported at best.
Mainstream view
The mainstream medical and psychiatric position is that PTSD should be treated primarily with evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapies (such as cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and EMDR) and, when indicated or preferred, pharmacologic treatment with certain antidepressants, especially SSRIs like sertraline and paroxetine and SNRIs like venlafaxine. Major guidelines from organizations such as the APA, VA/DoD, and other international bodies consistently recommend these approaches and do not include chiropractic treatment as a recognized or evidence-based therapy for PTSD. Chiropractic care may have a role in managing musculoskeletal pain and some headache disorders, but current mainstream PTSD treatment frameworks view it, at most, as an adjunct for physical comorbidities, not as a direct treatment for PTSD itself.

Papers listed for this claim:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][16][17][18][19][20]

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“PTSD”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(1)-(2); subd. 4

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Neonatal (colic, reflux, constipation, gas, irritability).

Neonatal (colic, reflux, constipation, gas, irritability)

11 trials, evidence split

PubMed indexes 11 randomized human trials on this intervention and outcome. The randomized evidence in our literature check does not point one way.

Randomized human trials
11
Animal or in-vitro only
5

Search: (spinal manipulation OR chiropractic) AND (infantile colic OR reflux OR constipation OR "flatulence"[MeSH Terms:noexp] OR irritability)

Supports
There is some limited evidence that manual therapies, including chiropractic care, can modestly reduce crying time in infants with colic. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of chiropractic care in infantile colic reported a reduction in daily crying of about half an hour favoring the chiropractic group, with more infants achieving at least a 1‑hour reduction in crying, although the adjusted primary outcome narrowly missed conventional statistical significance and secondary outcomes (sleep, gastrointestinal symptoms) were not improved; this suggests at best a small clinical effect for colic symptoms, not broad neonatal benefits. Another RCT of chiropractic manual therapy in infant colic found statistically significant improvements in crying behavior compared with no treatment, with parent blinding suggesting the effect was not solely due to reporting bias, again supporting a possible modest benefit for colic specifically. A systematic review and meta‑analysis of manipulative therapies for infantile colic found that across five RCTs, manual therapies (including chiropractic) reduced average crying time by about 1.2 hours per day compared with controls, indicating a pooled beneficial effect, though the authors noted methodological limitations in the included trials. A more recent meta‑analysis comparing different manual therapies reported favorable effects of chiropractic therapy on crying time change in infantile colic, but explicitly concluded that the overall evidence is limited and low quality, with substantial heterogeneity, underscoring that any apparent benefit is based on imperfect data. Additional RCTs and systematic reviews of osteopathic or other gentle manual therapies (not necessarily chiropractic) also show reductions in crying time and parental stress in colicky infants, suggesting that some forms of hands‑on therapy may help with colic symptoms, but these findings cannot be directly generalized to all chiropractic interventions or to reflux, constipation, gas, or general irritability. Methodological guidance such as the GRADE framework emphasizes that imprecision and small sample sizes reduce confidence in effect estimates, which applies to much of the manual therapy literature in infantile colic.
Contradicts
High‑quality evidence does not support strong or broad claims that chiropractic treatment effectively treats neonatal colic, reflux, constipation, gas, or general irritability. A randomized, blinded, placebo‑controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulation for infantile colic found no significant difference between chiropractic manipulation and placebo, concluding that spinal manipulation was no more effective than placebo for colic. A systematic review specifically assessing chiropractic manipulation for infantile colic concluded there is no convincing evidence that spinal manipulation alone changes the duration of colic symptoms, and that potential harms cannot be adequately assessed given the data, indicating that the evidence base does not justify strong efficacy claims. A more recent systematic review and meta‑analysis of complementary treatments for infantile colic, including osteopathy and chiropractic, found that these interventions failed to significantly reduce crying time or increase sleeping time compared with no additional intervention, again contradicting strong efficacy claims for chiropractic care in colic. A 2022 evidence review on spinal manipulation and mobilisation in pediatric populations reported no explicit evidence supporting the effectiveness of spinal manipulation or mobilisation for any pediatric condition, and judged the evidence for infantile colic to be insufficient and inconclusive, with only one RCT showing medium‑term changes in crying time but not short‑term benefits. Even meta‑analyses that find statistically significant reductions in crying time with manual therapies emphasize low study quality, risk of bias, and heterogeneity, meaning the results are not robust enough to underpin confident clinical claims beyond modest symptom relief in some infants. Importantly, there is virtually no high‑quality evidence that chiropractic manipulations effectively treat neonatal gastroesophageal reflux, constipation, gas, or general irritability; most trials focus narrowly on colic defined by crying time, and do not demonstrate objective improvements in gastrointestinal function. Major guideline‑driven approaches to pediatric care and evidence evaluation, such as GRADE, stress that low‑quality, imprecise evidence should not be used to justify strong recommendations, which applies here.
Mainstream view
The mainstream medical and scientific position is that chiropractic treatment for neonatal conditions such as colic, reflux, constipation, gas, and irritability is not supported by strong, high‑quality evidence, and should not be routinely recommended as a primary treatment. For infantile colic, pediatric and general medical guidelines typically emphasize reassurance, evaluation for underlying disease, optimising feeding practices, and simple behavioral strategies; manual therapies, including

Papers listed for this claim:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][16][21][22][23][24]

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Neonatal (colic, reflux, constipation, gas, irritability)”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(2); subd. 4

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Adolescent transitions (hormone changes, bed wetting, growth spurts).

Adolescent transitions (hormone changes, bed wetting, growth spurts)

No specific health claims of theirs were cross-checked against the literature.

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Adolescent transitions (hormone changes, bed wetting, growth spurts)”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(2); subd. 4

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Birth trauma.

Birth trauma

1 trial, evidence against

PubMed indexes 1 randomized human trial on this intervention and outcome. The randomized evidence in our literature check points against the claim as stated. Randomized trials found no reliable benefit for birth trauma; trials showing possible improvement in colic do not establish treatment of birth injuries.

Randomized human trials
1
Animal or in-vitro only
2

Search: (spinal manipulation OR chiropractic) AND (birth trauma OR post-traumatic stress disorder)

Supports
There is some evidence that chiropractic manual therapy may modestly reduce excessive crying in otherwise healthy infants with infantile colic, which is sometimes framed by chiropractors as a consequence of musculoskeletal strain around birth. A pragmatic single-blind randomized controlled trial reported that infants receiving chiropractic manual therapy for colic had greater reductions in crying time than untreated controls, with clinically meaningful improvement and a number needed to treat of about 3; parental blinding suggested the effect was not solely due to reporting bias. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of manual therapies for infant crying found a statistically significant reduction in crying time for infantile colic with chiropractic therapy, although the authors emphasized that overall evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. Narrative and specialty reviews of pediatric chiropractic care note that several small RCTs of spinal manipulation for colic show potential benefit, though these reviews also acknowledge important methodological limitations and do not extend claims to broader “birth trauma” outcomes.
Contradicts
High-quality evidence specifically supporting chiropractic treatment for “birth trauma” (e.g., neurological injury, brachial plexus injury, skull or cervical spine trauma from delivery) in neonates is essentially absent; available RCTs and reviews focus on infantile colic and crying, not on structural birth injuries. A classic randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulation for infantile colic found no significant benefit compared with placebo, with similar improvement rates in treated and control infants. A 2012 review of manipulative therapies for infantile colic, including chiropractic, concluded that trials were too small and of insufficient quality to support confident conclusions, and when only adequately blinded studies were considered, there was no reliable evidence of benefit. A pediatric chiropractic policy review reported no guidelines, systematic reviews, or randomized trials supporting spinal manipulation for infant musculoskeletal conditions, highlighting a lack of evidence beyond colic/crying symptoms. More recent analyses of a large RCT dataset indicated wide variation in response to chiropractic care in infants with colic and found that putative “musculoskeletal indicators” did not predict benefit, undermining the idea that birth-related musculoskeletal trauma is a clear, treatable cause of crying. Systematic reviews of manual therapies for newborns emphasize that data are limited, heterogeneous, and generally low quality, and they do not support broad claims that chiropractic care treats birth trauma or prevents long-term sequelae.
Mainstream view
Mainstream medical and scientific opinion is that chiropractic or spinal manipulation for neonates and young infants should be used, if at all, with great caution and only within research settings, because the evidence base is small, methodologically weak, and focused mainly on subjective outcomes like crying rather than on objective measures of birth trauma or long-term health. Major pediatric and neonatal care guidelines emphasize evidence-based management of true birth injuries (such as brachial plexus palsy, intracranial hemorrhage, fractures, and hypoxic-ischemic injury) using established medical and rehabilitative approaches; they do not recommend chiropractic manipulation for these conditions, and chiropractic is not part of standard neonatal or NICU protocols for birth trauma. Current systematic reviews and policy documents indicate that while manual therapies including chiropractic may show some signal for reducing crying in infantile colic, the overall quality of evidence is low, effects are modest and inconsistent, and there is insufficient evidence to claim that chiropractic care treats or reverses birth-related trauma in infants. Safety data in infants are limited; serious adverse events appear rare, but because neonatal structures are fragile and birth trauma can involve serious underlying pathology, mainstream practice favors cautious, conventional assessment rather than spinal manipulation.

Papers listed for this claim:[25][26][27][28]

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Birth trauma”

Rule: Minnesota Chiropractic Practice Act (scope limited to musculoskeletal/spine care)

Outside scopeListed service

Shannon McCarty is not licensed or approved by Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners to diagnose, treat, or cure Stress.

Stress

27 trials, evidence split

PubMed indexes 27 randomized human trials on this intervention and outcome. The randomized evidence in our literature check does not point one way. Small trials found reduced self-reported stress or anxiety in some groups, but cortisol results were mixed and did not establish a clear clinical stress benefit.

Randomized human trials
27
Animal or in-vitro only
47

Search: (spinal manipulation OR chiropractic) AND (stress)

Supports
High-quality evidence specifically on chiropractic treatment for stress is limited but emerging. A pragmatic randomized controlled trial in adults with subclinical spinal pain found that 12 weeks of chiropractic care modulated stress-related biomarkers, including changes in cortisol and inflammatory markers, suggesting some influence on physiological stress pathways, although the clinical relevance for psychological stress was not fully established. An experimental cross-over study in adults who reported high subjective stress found that thoracic spinal adjustment significantly reduced self-reported stress over time, though it did not significantly alter salivary cortisol levels, indicating potential benefit for perceived stress but not objective endocrine markers. A controlled laboratory pilot study in asymptomatic individuals reported that chiropractic manipulation did not raise salivary cortisol or trigger stress or anxiety, supporting that the procedure itself is not acutely stress-inducing. A small randomized study in patients with elevated blood pressure showed reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and decreases in state anxiety in the active chiropractic treatment group compared with placebo and control, suggesting some anxiolytic effect in a specific clinical context. Integrative reviews in the chiropractic literature have summarized multiple small trials and case series showing mixed but sometimes favorable changes in cortisol and stress-related biomarkers after chiropractic care, and one systematic review/meta-analysis cited in such an integrative review found moderate-quality evidence that spinal manipulation may influence cortisol levels post-intervention. A commentary on the biopsychosocial model in chiropractic care notes that some multidisciplinary guidelines for pain and related conditions include spinal manipulation alongside established stress-management approaches such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, relaxation, CBT, yoga, and tai chi, implying that manipulation may be considered as part of a broader package of care rather than a primary stress-specific treatment.
Contradicts
The available evidence base is small, heterogeneous, and largely indirect with respect to stress as a primary outcome, which weakens support for strong claims that chiropractic treatment effectively treats stress as a distinct mental health condition. The cross-over trial in highly stressed adults found no significant change in salivary cortisol despite reductions in subjective stress, indicating that benefits may be limited to perceived stress without consistent endocrine changes. The pilot study in asymptomatic individuals concluded that chiropractic manipulation did not influence salivary cortisol, suggesting no measurable impact on acute physiological stress responses in healthy subjects. The larger biomarker RCT in subclinical spinal pain showed complex and sometimes counterintuitive changes in cortisol (including higher salivary cortisol at 12 weeks in the chiropractic group) and did not link these biomarker shifts to validated stress or anxiety scales, so it does not provide clear evidence that chiropractic care reduces psychological stress or clinically meaningful stress-related outcomes. Integrative reviews note that the effects of chiropractic care on cortisol are mixed across studies, with some reporting increases, others decreases, and several showing no significant change, which underscores inconsistency and limits firm conclusions about stress reduction. Major RCTs and systematic reviews for stress-related disorders and anxiety overwhelmingly evaluate psychological and behavioral interventions such as CBT, mindfulness-based stress reduction, compassion-based therapy, and psychosocial skills programs, not chiropractic, and consistently show substantial and durable improvements in perceived stress, anxiety, depression, and adjustment disorders; this contrast highlights that chiropractic is not a core evidence-based treatment for stress per se compared with these established modalities. There is no robust guideline-level evidence that recommends chiropractic manipulation as a primary or stand-alone treatment for stress, anxiety disorders, or stress-related psychiatric conditions, and existing references that mention spinal manipulation do so in the context of multimodal management of pain and function rather than targeted stress treatment.
Mainstream view
The mainstream medical and scientific view is that stress, anxiety, and stress-related disorders should be managed primarily with evidence-based psychological and behavioral interventions (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, relaxation training, and psychosocial skills programs), sometimes combined with pharmacotherapy when indicated, because these approaches are supported by numerous randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews showing substantial improvements in perceived stress, anxiety, and related outcomes. Chiropractic care and spinal manipulation are regarded as interventions for musculoskeletal conditions, especially spinal pain and associated functional limitations, and while some studies report that chiropractic may influence stress-related biomarkers or reduce subjective stress in certain populations, the evidence is limited, mixed, and not sufficient to consider chiropractic a primary or standalone treatment for stress or stress-related mental disorders. In mainstream practice, chiropractic might be seen as potentially helpful for reducing musculoskeletal pain and improving function, which can indirectly lessen stress burden in some patients, but

Papers listed for this claim:[29][30][13][31]

In their own wordsView sourceArchived copy

“Stress”

Rule: Minn. Stat. § 148.01, subd. 1(1)-(2); subd. 4

Manipulation

Critical

Cherry-Picked Evidence

transcript · cited

The claim of being 'Voted Top Chiropractors' for three consecutive years (including a future year, 2025) is likely a self-selected or fabricated award used to create an illusion of peer validation and superior quality. Likely motive: To build trust and credibility quickly with new patients by appearing to be the 'best' in the region.

“Voted Top Chiropractors of 2023, 2024, and 2025 in Minnesota!”

High

False Dichotomy

transcript · cited

The phrase 'remove the interference' frames the chiropractic adjustment as the sole solution to healing, implying that without this specific intervention, the body cannot heal, which is a false dichotomy. Likely motive: To make the patient feel that the chiropractic service is essential and non-negotiable for their health recovery.

“let us help remove the interference and teach your body to heal and thrive!”

Borrowed authority & guest funnel

No guest collaboration here; Dr. Shannon is the sole voice, but they aggressively funnel viewers to their own booking links (JaneApp) to capture patients for their out-of-scope services.

Host self-funnel

“SCHEDULE HERE!”

Self-funnel quoteView source

“SCHEDULE HERE!”

Commerce & grift map

The grift here is scope expansion: using a 'Dr.' title to treat non-musculoskeletal conditions (Anxiety, Depression, Neonatal reflux) to attract a broader patient base. While no supplements or labs are explicitly pitched here, the listing of these conditions implies a 'root cause' approach that often leads to proprietary care plans or supplements in similar practices.

Critical

No FTC-style compensation disclosure

compensationDisclosures · scan

High

Host self-funnel around guest content

guestCollaboration · selfFunnel

Host booking/consult links: https://mysoulchiro.janeapp.com/#/team, https://mysoulchiro.janeapp.com/#/list

Credentials & scope

Glossary: Chiropractor (“Dr.”)

Learn: Is a chiropractor a medical doctor?

Credentials and scope reflect the dossier-wide determination for this subject, drawn from the strongest verified material across every analyzed source.

Stated: Chiropractor

Verified against the federal provider registry: DC · Chiropractor · MN license 6414.

Shannon holds a legitimate Chiropractor license but inflates their authority by listing psychiatric (Anxiety, Depression, PTSD) and pediatric medical conditions (neonatal reflux, bed wetting) as treatable services, implying a scope of practice that extends far beyond the state board's definition of chiropractic care.

  • DC, Doctor of Chiropractic

    Licensed professional for musculoskeletal care.

    Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners limits scope to musculoskeletal/nervous system conditions via spinal adjustment; excludes systemic disease, mental health, and pediatric medical management.

    Confirmed against the federal provider registry

Permitted scope vs advertised

Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners · Confidence: high

Minnesota chiropractors are authorized to perform chiropractic services (adjustment, manipulation, mobilization of bones/joints for correction of vertebral subluxation, abnormal articulations, neurological disturbances, and biomechanical alterations), acupuncture, and therapeutic/rehabilitative services. They may provide diagnosis and render opinions pertaining to those services for treatment planning and referral. The practice of chiropractic is explicitly not the practice of medicine, surgery, or osteopathic medicine.

What this license permits

  • Spinal adjustment and manipulation
  • Musculoskeletal evaluation and treatment
  • Soft-tissue and rehabilitative care
  • Headache care within musculoskeletal scope

11 of 15 advertised activities fall outside permitted scope.

AdvertisedVerdict
Listed service Depression
Depression is a psychiatric disorder outside the scope of chiropractic practice, which is limited to vertebral subluxation, abnormal articulations, neurological disturbances, and biomechanical alterations related to structure and function coordinated by the nervous system; psychiatric diagnosis is not affirmatively authorized.
Outside scope
Diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders (Anxiety, Depression, PTSD) as part of chiropractic services.
Psychiatric disorder diagnosis and treatment is not affirmatively authorized within the statutory definition of chiropractic services, which focuses on structural, biomechanical, and neurological function related to vertebral subluxation and articulations, not systemic psychiatric conditions.
Outside scope
Treatment of Anxiety and Depression
Treatment of anxiety and depression as primary psychiatric conditions is not affirmatively authorized; chiropractic scope is limited to structural, biomechanical, and neurological conditions related to vertebral subluxation and articulations, not systemic psychiatric disorders.
Outside scope
Listed service Anxiety
Anxiety as a psychiatric disorder is not affirmatively authorized within the scope of chiropractic practice, which is limited to vertebral subluxation, abnormal articulations, and related structural/biomechanical/neurological conditions.
Outside scope
Listed service PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric condition not affirmatively authorized within the scope of chiropractic practice, which is limited to vertebral subluxation, abnormal articulations, and related structural/biomechanical/neurological conditions.
Outside scope
Listed service Neonatal (colic, reflux, constipation, gas, irritability)
Treatment of neonatal medical conditions (colic, reflux, constipation, gas, irritability) is not affirmatively authorized; these are systemic pediatric medical conditions outside the scope of chiropractic services, which is limited to vertebral subluxation and abnormal articulations.
Outside scope
Listed service Adolescent transitions (hormone changes, bed wetting, growth spurts)
Treatment of adolescent systemic conditions (hormone changes, bed wetting, growth spurts) is not affirmatively authorized; these are medical/physiological conditions outside the scope of chiropractic services, which is limited to vertebral subluxation and abnormal articulations.
Outside scope
Listed service Birth trauma
Rule: Minnesota Chiropractic Practice Act (scope limited to musculoskeletal/spine care)
A chiropractic license in Minnesota covers the spine, joints and muscles. It does not cover diagnosing or treating torticollis and infant development.
Outside scope
Listed service Stress
Stress as a psychological/psychiatric condition is not affirmatively authorized within the scope of chiropractic practice, which is limited to vertebral subluxation, abnormal articulations, and related structural/biomechanical/neurological conditions.
Outside scope
Treatment of PTSD and Trauma
Treatment of PTSD and psychological trauma as psychiatric conditions is not affirmatively authorized; chiropractic scope is limited to structural, biomechanical, and neurological conditions related to vertebral subluxation and articulations, not systemic psychiatric disorders.
Outside scope
Treatment of Neonatal Medical Conditions (colic, reflux, constipation)
Treatment of neonatal medical conditions (colic, reflux, constipation) is not affirmatively authorized; these are systemic pediatric medical conditions outside the scope of chiropractic services, which is limited to vertebral subluxation and abnormal articulations.
Outside scope

Sources: Minnesota Statutes Chapter 148 - Chiropractic (official), Minnesota Rules 2500.0100 - Definitions (Rehabilitative Therapy) (official), Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners - Official Site (official), Ch. 148 MN Statutes (official)

Scope comparison mirror

Side-by-side view of the archived marketing homepage and what a Chiropractor scope permits near Bear Lake, MN. Open the mirror for the full comparison: archive on the left, permitted scope and licensed-care paths on the right.

Mirror generated 2026-10-21 12:33 UTC. The archive pane loads styles and images from the intake snapshot.

7 licensed-care paths linked for out-of-scope claims.

Validated associated properties

Surfaces tied to this Doc Bro by domain, branding, or funnel routing. Third-party platforms are labeled as routes, not as owned properties.

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What gets sent

Subject

Shannon McCarty has made it to Wall of Fame spot #47 on Dr. Trust Me Bro!

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Hi Shannon McCarty, A reader thought you should see what Dr. Trust Me Bro documented from your public posts and website: https://drtrustmebro.com/influencer/SOOERszRZMUcCN4VUQE4l#report We are independent data journalists. We quote your own public claims, timestamp them, and cross-check them against peer-reviewed literature. The wry humor is deliberate, so readers remember the pitch before they buy the protocol. Got something wrong? File a whambulance challenge from your official business email. Verified disputes post publicly next to the report: https://drtrustmebro.com/whambulance Got it right? Maybe ease up on the supplement funnel before the next grandma buys certainty in a bottle. Work on Shannon McCarty's team, don't think they will change their Doc Bro ways, but wish they would? Our whistleblower program takes grievances and corrections: https://drtrustmebro.com/whistleblower or whistleblower@drtrustmebro.com This note was sent by a reader through DTMB's nudge button. -Data Journalists cranking out truth with wry humor and serious citations.

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Do you have information on Shannon McCarty's practice?

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Hi, We are independent journalists that are focused on uncovering grift and manipulation perpetrated by medical practitioners that are operating outside their licensed scope. A reader of Dr. Trust Me Bro thought you might know something firsthand about Shannon McCarty and the public claims we documented here: https://drtrustmebro.com/influencer/SOOERszRZMUcCN4VUQE4l#report We want to hear from insiders: employees, former employees, accountants, billing staff, sales reps, IT staff, anyone who knows. Worth telling us about Shannon McCarty: - Care plans structured to funnel sales to take advantage of someone's grandma - Insight into the real reason they refuse insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare, not the version they give the public - Upselling unnecessary tests and panels - Kickbacks for lab, vendor, or other referrals - Discussions or policy, written or otherwise, that steers patients away from physicians properly licensed for the care Shannon McCarty is treating out of scope - Medicaid or Medicare overbilling - Any scheme to squeeze a few more dollars out of grandma We are especially interested in how Shannon McCarty handled payment and coverage: were people told to swipe an FSA or HSA card at checkout, handed a superbill or receipt to submit themselves, or told the service is not covered by insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid? Here is why that matters: https://drtrustmebro.com/patterns/fsa-hsa-loophole You can also simply hit reply to this email and start the conversation here or you can reach the confidential tip line here, on the record or anonymously: https://drtrustmebro.com/whistleblower You do not have to give your name. Add whatever context, dates, or links you are comfortable sharing, and leave out anything you are not. There is no pressure to respond, and you can ignore this message if it is not relevant to you. This message was sent by a reader through Dr. Trust Me Bro's website. Your address was entered by that reader, not collected by us, and is not added to any mailing list. Independent data journalism, serious citations.

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Wall of Fame entryShannon McCarty · vibes-based "doctor," Chiropractor as Psychiatric/Neonatal Speci

ID: SOOERszRZMUcCN4VUQE4l · Wall of Fame

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Citations

Peer-reviewed and index sources cited in this report.

  1. [1] Guideline-Driven Management of Hypertension: An Evidence-Based Update.PubMed / MEDLINE · Circ Res · 2021 Apr 2
  2. [2] ASPEN-FELANPE Clinical Guidelines.PubMed / MEDLINE · JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr · 2017 Jan
  3. [3] ESPEN guideline: Clinical nutrition in inflammatory bowel disease.PubMed / MEDLINE · Clin Nutr · 2017 Apr
  4. [4] EFNS guideline on the treatment of tension-type headache - report of an EFNS task force.PubMed / MEDLINE · Eur J Neurol · 2010 Nov
  5. [5] When Is Parenteral Nutrition Appropriate?PubMed / MEDLINE · JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr · 2017 Mar
  6. [6] GRADE guidelines 6. Rating the quality of evidence--imprecision.PubMed / MEDLINE · J Clin Epidemiol · 2011 Dec
  7. [7] Blood Transfusion Therapy.PubMed / MEDLINE · Med Clin North Am · 2017 Mar
  8. [8] Psychodynamic treatment of depression.PubMed / MEDLINE · Psychiatr Clin North Am · 2012 Mar
  9. [9] Neurobiological basis of chiropractic manipulative treatment of the ...Academic literature search · 2020-11-09
  10. [10] Study Details | The Effects of Chiropractic on Adults With DepressionAcademic literature search · 2025-10-09
  11. [11] Psychological response in spinal manipulation (PRISM): a systematic review of psychological outcomes in randomised controlled trials - PubMedAcademic literature search · 2007-12-21
  12. [12] Effects of manual osteopathic interventions on psychometric and psychophysiological indicators of anxiety, depression and stress in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trialsAcademic literature search · 2025-02-01
  13. [13] Effects of chiropractic treatment on blood pressure and anxietyAcademic literature search
  14. [14] Effects of chiropractic treatment on blood pressure and anxiety: a randomized and controlled trial - PubMedAcademic literature search
  15. [15] REDUCED ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN A PATIENT SCREENED WITH ...Academic literature search · 2019-02-11
  16. [16] Colchicine in Pericarditis.PubMed / MEDLINE · Eur Heart J · 2017 Jun 7
  17. [17] Summary of the clinical practice guideline for the treatment ...Academic literature search
  18. [18] Treatment Guidelines for PTSD: A Systematic Review - PMCAcademic literature search · 2021-09-15
  19. [19] Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-art ReviewAcademic literature search · 2023-05-08
  20. [20] Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Focus on pharmacotherapyAcademic literature search · 2019-11-27
  21. [21] Randomised controlled trial of infantile colic treated with chiropractic ...Academic literature search · 2001-02-21
  22. [22] Efficacy of chiropractic manual therapy on infant colic - PubMedAcademic literature search · 2012-10-05
  23. [23] The effect of chiropractic treatment on infantile colic: study protocol for a single-blind randomized controlled trialAcademic literature search · 2018-06-07
  24. [24] The Chiropractic Care of Infants with Colic: A Systematic Review of ...Academic literature search
  25. [25] The effect of chiropractic treatment on infantile colic: study protocol for a single-blind randomized controlled trial - PubMedAcademic literature search · 2018-06-07
  26. [26] Manual and alternative therapies as non-pharmacological interventions for pain and stress control in newborns: a systematic reviewAcademic literature search
  27. [27] Evidence Based Chiropractic: Pediatrics - LibGuides at LoganAcademic literature search · 2026-06-29
  28. [28] Identifying potential treatment effect modifiers of the effectiveness of chiropractic care to infants with colic through prespecified secondary analyses of a randomised controlled trial - PubMedAcademic literature search · 2021-04-19
  29. [29] The effects of 12 weeks of chiropractic spinal adjustments on ... - PMCAcademic literature search · 2025-12-11
  30. [30] REDUCTION OF CORTISOL LEVELS AND PERCEIVED ANXIETY ...Academic literature search · 2020-02-14
  31. [31] reduction of cortisol levels and perceived anxiety in a ...Academic literature search