December 2003

Stroke issue raises ugly head again

WNBC's David Marks continues bashing chiropractic

WNBC broadcast another "health" report by its resident medical reporter, Dr. David Marks, once again taking shots at chiropractic. (Marks' Internet report can be viewed at www.wnbc.com/drdavidmarks/2618209/detail.htm.)

This time, repeating the already disputed research published in Neurology journal, Marks told his audience that: "chiropractic adjustments could increase a person's chance of getting a stroke."

He interviewed neurologist Dr. Mitchell Fink, who almost surely has no training or experience in chiropractic adjustments. Marks claimed that "some experts say chiropractors should warn their patients beforehand," but failed to name or quote a single person who has actually recommended this action.

According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), Marks was given the opportunity to interview Drs. Scott Haldeman and Rand Swenson, well‑known authorities on the topic of chiropractic and stroke. The ACA says Marks declined, saying he had already completed the interviews for his segment.

Last month, Marks ran a story on manipulation and otitis media that stated osteopaths were "gentler" than chiropractors and steering people to D.O.s rather than D.C.s. In that segment, he completely ignored all research and case histories showing that, with subluxation correction, the problem is often resolved.

The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) immediately fired off a press release to the major media, once again explaining the truth about the so‑called link between chiropractic and strokes, and accusing the media of deliberate bias against alternative health care approaches. The press release is posted online at the WCA website (www.worldchiropracticalliance.org)

The release was sent to the Associated Press, UPI and Reuters as well as major newspapers throughout the country, including USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and hundreds of others. The release also was distributed to the news departments of all major radio and television networks, including ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, C‑SPAN and FOX. In order to make sure the information was available internationally, the press release was also sent to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Univision and Worldwide Television.

In addition, a letter was sent to WNBC protesting its continued bias in health reporting. Doctors wishing to contact WNBC may do so by e‑mailing healthnews@wnbc.com or contacting WNBC President and General Manager, Frank Comerford at newstips@wnbc.com, via fax at 212‑664‑2994 or by mail at WNBC‑TV, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112.