Medical Deduction Question

[MAMalody]

This is a new one on me. I have a client on extensions. In reviewing his Tax organizer I found the following entry:

Massages for Fibromyalgia (per Dr. RX)$1355. His prior year return showed a deduction for this expense. What say you?

[Bob Hoffman]

This is a new one on me. I have a client on extensions. In reviewing his Tax organizer I found the following entry:

Massages for Fibromyalgia (per Dr. RX)$1355. His prior year return showed a deduction for this expense. What say you?

Sounds like you should ask him whether these were repeat expenses for 2009.

[GeneInAlabama]

Chiropractic expenses are deductible. I don't see much difference.

[jainen]

>>I don't see much difference<<

The difference is (or at least may be) that chiropractors are licensed medical practitioners treating generally recognized medical conditions. A masseuse usually is not a medical practitioner, and fibromyalgia is not a generally recognized medical condition. (That is, fibromyalgia is not widely accepted as a disease since there is no technical definition, no physical abnormalities or consistent set of symptoms, no objective tests for diagnosis, and even doctors who believe in it have no broad agreement on how to treat it. Massage is not a common therapy for fibromyalgia, and rarely used as long-term treatment for ANY condition.)

Nevertheless, I don't make medical decisions so if the doctor's "prescription" is reasonably current and the treatment occurs in a somewhat health or fitness setting, I wouldn't question it further. If he last saw the doctor in 2006 and the receipts are all from Friday nights at the tattoo parlor, I would consider it not such a strong claim.