The timing of a new round of anti-chiropractic "hit" pieces in various national publications has given rise to speculation that the medical and pharmaceutical industries have launched a new offensive against chiropractic, particularly since two of the most offensive articles used chiropractic nemesis Ron Slaughter, founder of the "National Association for Chiropractic Medicine (NACM)" as a major source of information.

The most blatant example of discrimination and inaccurate reporting was published in the January issue of Smart Money magazine, a financial publication billed as "The Wall Street Journal Magazine of Personal Business."

The article, "Ten Things Your Chiropractor Won't Tell You," contained glaring misrepresentations and obvious attempts to suppress any positive information on chiropractic. Instead, staff reporter John Protos repeatedly maligned chiropractic as unsafe, costly and ineffective. He stated that chiropractors take unnecessary and dangerous X-rays, sell worthless vitamins to increase profits, and in general "con" their patients without providing any worthwhile services.

The primary source for his information was Slaughter, who stated that "A patient would always be better off consulting their family physician first about a condition." The article went so far as to urge readers to "Select a chiropractor affiliated with the National Association for Chiropractic Medicine," listing its phone number. The number provided was answered by a machine telling callers who wanted more information to send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the NACM offices in Houston.

A similar article, "What Chiropractors Are Really Good At ... and which problems you should never put in their hands," appeared in the Nov/Dec, 1996 issue of Remedy, a health magazine targeting people over 55, which reports a circulation of some two million households. It too, painted the NACM as the organization representing the more "responsible" chiropractors, noting that the group is "made up of less than 10 percent" of licensed doctors.

The 10% figure is considered to be greatly exaggerated, since the phantom organization is not widely recognized within the profession, and is, in fact, considered a "fringe" group which does not represent chiropractic.

A third article, "Rating Alternative Medicine" by Isadore Rosenfield, M.D., "in the January issue of Good Housekeeping contained a more balanced report, although the authors' conclusion was that patients should 'ask your doctor to discuss your case with the chiropractor before your visit.'"

This article also discourages patients from seeing either "straights" or "mixers," but rather encourages them to seek out doctors who belong to "the third, as yet unnamed, category (who) restrict their therapy to nonsurgical neuromusculoskeletal disorders ... and make no claims about curing other diseases."

The main theme of all three articles -- and others which have appeared in recent months -- is to avoid chiropractic altogether or, at the very least, use chiropractic ONLY for low-back pain. Each article contains warnings about chiropractic as a means to correct subluxations or to treat health conditions other than low back pain.

Because of these and similar media attacks, the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) announced the formation of the Anti-Discrimination Council (ADC) which will take aggressive steps to combat and stop and the renewed campaign to destroy chiropractic.

"Our victory in the Wilk vs. AMA case made it difficult for the medical establishment to overtly attack chiropractic," stated Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., president of the WCA. "It is obvious that they are now using covert methods to continue the war, engaging the media as ally."

The role of the ADC will be to closely monitor print and broadcast media coverage of chiropractic and respond immediately to any instances of discrimination or biased negative reporting.

"We cannot sit idly by while magazines and television news shows lie about us to the public," Rondberg stated. "This kind of tabloid journalism is not acceptable and must be stopped."

When alerted to instances of anti-chiropractic discrimination in print, the ADC will issue a strongly worded response to the publication. The response will provide counter arguments and documented information, and demand a retraction or correction by the magazine.

In order to be effective, however, the response campaign must be a massive and well-coordinated one, Rondberg explained. "We must have the full cooperation of every chiropractor, chiropractic student, and chiropractic patient in the country. We must flood the publication with letters of protest demanding that corrective action be taken."

Another essential part of the response campaign is to contact the advertisers in the offending issue of the publication. "These are the people who are paying the bill for these hit pieces to be published," Rondberg emphasized. "They have the right, and the obligation, to demand that such flagrant bigotry end."

In response to the Smart Money article, the ADC contacted each company advertising in the magazine. Rondberg also sent each one a copy of his educational book, "Chiropractic First."

Information on instances of media discrimination will be distributed to the profession via phone, FAX, e-mail and a mail contact network comprised of field doctors willing to participate in the project. Addresses of publications and advertisers will be circulated, as well as sample response letters suitable for each.

All doctors will be encouraged to write to the publication in question, as well as to each of the advertisers, and to post notices urging patients to do likewise. Sample letters and advertiser mailing labels which can be used by patients will also be made available to doctors by the ADC.

Rondberg added that he upholds any publication's right to publish fair and accurate articles about chiropractic, even if such articles contain truthful criticisms about any perceived weaknesses in the profession. "However, we will not tolerate the kind of hate mongering which is now being presented as fact," he said.

The ADC will also maintain a database of "chiropractic friendly" companies which have shown their support of the profession. These companies will include magazines which take suitable actions to correct or retract their articles, or advertisers who -- in response to ADC demands -- pressure the publications to uphold journalistic standards of fairness and honesty.

A list will also be maintained of those companies and publications which engage in anti-chiropractic activities despite protest from the profession and patients.

Both of these lists will be published in The Chiropractic Journal for use by both doctors and patients.

"The only way to influence companies is to impact their bottom line," said Rondberg from the WCA's offices in Chandler, Ariz. "Only if we -- and our 25 million patients -- pledge to make our buying decisions based on these lists, will we have the clout to stop this discrimination in its tracks."

The success of the Anti-Discrimination Council's efforts will depend on the willingness of field doctors around the country to become involved. "We need doctors everywhere to be our eyes and ears," Rondberg explained. "We need them to monitor every magazine and newspaper they read and send us copies of any articles containing information on chiropractic -- good or bad.

"We also need doctors in every community who will be willing to volunteer to participate in the ADC communication network so we can quickly and efficiently spread action alerts to the entire profession."

Doctors or other chiropractic supporters willing to be part of this massive anti-discrimination campaign should contact the WCA by mail (2950 N. Dobson Rd., Suite 1, Chandler, AZ 85224), FAX (602-732-9313), or e-mail (worldall@ix.netcom.com). Because of the volume of responses expected, the WCA staff asks doctors not to telephone the office with their responses.

The first volley of the counter attack will be directed against Smart Money, noted Rondberg, who immediately sent a lengthy and powerful response to the publication. A copy of Rondberg's letter to Smart Money as well as its advertisers is published in this issue of The Chiropractic Journal.

"We need to put the magazine and all its advertisers on notice," he said. "We are watching them and will hold them accountable for the lies and misinformation they present to the public about our profession. Doctors, chiropractic students and patients together, we are more than 25 million strong and we will be heard!"

All doctors are urged to write their own response letters to Smart Money and its advertisers as well. While it is not necessary to provide the extensive information contained in the WCA's response, the companies involved must understand that the ADC demands carry the weight of the entire profession.

Finally, doctors need to distribute this information to their patients and encourage them to write to the publications and advertisers. A copy of a sample from a patient is also reproduced here.

Doctors may contact the ADC by mail, FAX or e-mail to request as many sets of self-stick mailing labels as needed. The labels will be sent, free of charge, to any doctor willing to participate in the campaign.

Patients should be asked to write and sign one letter on their own letterhead, addressed to "Dear Smart Money Advertiser."

Doctors can then have each of the letters copied and mailed to 100 advertisers.