Now Chiropractic Is a Hoax! What's Next?

The chiropractic profession is 107 years old. Since 1895, when our founder, Daniel David Palmer of Port Perry, Ontario performed the first manual manipulation or adjustment in Davenport, Iowa, we have been butting heads with medicine. For every single minute of every single day of that entire century of our history, we have been at loggerheads with allopathic doctors, many times fighting for our very existence. As recently as 1974 chiropractors jailed for practicing their art. It seems that the longer we exist and the more solidified our position in the health arena becomes, the more desperate their attempts to discredit us. The history of this struggle would fill volumes.

Lately, there has been another round of bad press, worldwide. In June of this year, as reported earlier in this topic, PBS broadcast a highly negative programme of chiro-bashing. The idea and agenda for the program came from a recently written book that examined chiropractic from a decidedly prejudicial standpoint. This book is entitled "Chiropractic, The Greatest Hoax of the Century?" by L.A. Chotkowski MD. The purpose of the book is to explore the chiropractic theory as laid down in 1996 by the Deans of 16 chiropractic colleges. In a "I'll see your theory and raise you 11 Deans" scenario, Dr, Chotkowski offers opinions by 27 medical college Deans. Of course, they are unanimous in their considered opinions. According to these erudite college professors, chiropractic theory is shear hucksterism and therefore, by extension, all chiropractors are snake oil salesmen.

The hysteria continues and grows. In Canada, we have been seeing and feeling a considerable amount of this vitriolic for the past 3 years. Several provinces have reduced coverage for chiropractic in their social health care programmes; allegedly due to fiscal cutbacks, but more likely due to cutbacks in tolerance. As well, there is a small but vocal group of neurologists who are engaging in what can only be called fear mongering. Their soapbox is that chiropractic treatments administered to the neck cause strokes at a rate of 1 in every 5000 treatments. This is so ludicrous it is laughable. Even a cursory reading of the scientific literature would reveal to these bull-headed individuals that the figure ranges more like 1 in 2.2 million to 5.85 million cases. The cases of chiropractic adjustments causing a stroke are so rare that it is hard to accurately determine a risk rate. Clearly, it is one of the safest health procedures commonly performed today, especially when compared to other options available for neck and head pains. No drug, and certainly no surgery can boast a risk rate of 1 in 5.85 million cases.

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