Pediatric journals slam chiropractic

WCA issues strong statements on children, vaccines

In recent months, the dangers of vaccines have come under increased scrutiny. The media has explored some of the controversy surrounding vaccines and, on April 6, the House Government Reform Committee held hearings on the possible link between autism and vaccines.

Partly due to the increased awareness about the risk of using drugs -- including vaccines -- on children, more and more parents are taking their kids to D.C.s instead of medical doctors.

That's why it didn't surprise anyone that chiropractic was savagely attacked in recent issues of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.

The appearance of two articles in similar publications at the same time argues against the possibility of coincidence. It clearly appears to be a concerted effort to attack chiropractic on two fronts.

In their Pediatrics article, "Chiropractors and Vaccination: A Historical Perspective," James B. Campbell, Ph.D., and colleagues, berated subluxation-based chiropractors for supporting the idea of freedom of choice when it comes to medical procedures.

In addition to insulting the intelligence and ability of thousands in our profession, Campbell and his fellow researchers deliberately distorted the position of freedom-of-choice chiropractors.

"Antivaccination chiropractors and the methods by which some disseminate their views are a continuing source of embarrassment to their more evidence-based colleagues," the writers proclaimed.

They then applauded the "progressive chiropractors (who) have rejected the historical concept of the chiropractic subluxation in favor of ones that more accurately describe the nature of the complex joint disfunctions they treat."

Although primarily targeting chiropractors, the authors also took aim at several dedicated lay people who have championed the right of all persons to refuse medical vaccine intervention. Among them was Barbara Loe Fisher, co-author of "A Shot in the Dark" and founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, whose articles have appeared in The Chiropractic Journal.

The authors noted, "Lay antivaccination organizations tend to be dominated by individuals who have had a personal or family experience of adverse vaccine sequelae, either perceived or real, thereby providing an intensely emotional component. Such individuals generally do not have the scientific training and impartiality necessary to differentiate between temporal relationships and causality, or to appreciate the biases confounding studies of adverse reactions."

In the article for the Archives, "Chiropractic Care for Children," the authors note that "Children and adolescents constitute a substantial number of patients in chiropractics (sic)." They also state that "Pediatric chiropractic care is often inconsistent with recommended medical guidelines."

In a pull quote appearing on the publication's website, editor Catherine D. DeAngelis, M.D. remarks: "When I contemplate a chiropractor treating a 2-week-old neonate with a fever, I get a gigantic backache."

These antagonistic articles signal a renewed assault on chiropractic by medical practitioners, who desperately want to stop chiropractic incursion into what they see as their sacred territory.

They refer to the threat by chiropractic when they note, "For many families in the United States, chiropractic care is no longer an alternative, but an integral part of regular health care, both for health promotion and the treatment of common diseases."

Ms. Fisher sees this as the start of a serious confrontation between the two professions. "The battle lines are drawn and are clear," she states. "They are going to go after chiropractors who treat children and especially go after any chiropractor who does not recommend vaccination..."

She adds, "I suspect that money is at the root of it all. The M.D.s can't stand the thought of having the heart and soul of their philosophy -- total reliance on the germ theory -- dismissed by the people because that means that fewer people pay them for their advice. They know they are losing more and more patients to chiropractors and other health professionals embracing a more enlightened health care philosophy."

Fisher also thinks that part of the reason for the attack is the success her organization has been having.

"Our message is getting increasingly favorable treatment in the media -- the other side knows we are gaining ground and they know we have been able to stay the course in large part because of chiropractic support in the past five years," she observes.

After publication of the pediatrics articles, The World Chiropractic Alliance sent a special Action Alert to its members and others on its special e-mail list. Dr. Terry Rondberg, WCA President, explained the situation and noted that, in this instance, letters to the editors of the pediatric journals would probably not be effective.

"Instead, the key in this instance is for all the major chiropractic organizations to work together to present a solid front to the medical profession and to the public," he stated. "We are only as strong as our weakest link and if the medical and drug industries can find even one organization to back down on this position, they will use it against all of us."

The World Chiropractic Alliance immediately prepared position papers which addressed the issues of chiropractic care for children and vaccinations.