August 2005

Billboard's hate message is short‑lived

Anti‑chiropractic sign covered up after massive protest by Conn. doctors

Advertising billboards are meant to attract attention, and that's exactly what the one in Connecticut did, although the kind of attention it got forced the ad company to cover it up less than a day later.

The huge sign ‑‑ blaring the message: "WARNING: Chiropractic Adjustments Can Kill or Permanently Disable You" ‑‑ was the brainchild of an apparently brainless online organization that bills itself as a "Chiropractic Stroke Victims Awareness Group." The only information on the billboard about the organization was its website address, www.neck911.com.

Chiropractors around the state flooded the state's chiropractic leaders with complaints and a massive protest campaign was launched by Luigi DiRubba, DC, of Cheshire, Conn., Connecticut Assembly Representative for the International Chiropractors Association, and ICA Board Member George Curry, DC, of Windsor, Conn.

After receiving what the ICA says were "hundreds of calls from outraged doctors of chiropractic," the billboard was covered over.

Chiropractors were put on alert to watch for other billboards in case this was part of a coordinated national effort, but to date no other instances of such advertising have been seen.

Ownership of the "neck011" website was not known since the domain was registered through a third party company to maintain anonymity. The site contained no information about the organization's leadership, although rumors circulating on the Internet speculate that Murray Katz, MD, a long‑time foe of chiropractic might be involved.

News of the billboard spread quickly through the chiropractic community and was seen by some as a reminder that anti‑chiropractic sentiment still exists and will become even more vehement as chiropractic continues to gain a larger presence in the health care field.

"If anyone would invest the time, energy and capital in such a vile act, even if it's a last gasp, then we must remain ever vigilant about propelling the chiropractic wellness lifestyle forward into the mainstream of our culture," stated Dennis Perman DC, in a notice posted on The Masters Circle website.

Even many critics of chiropractic were put off by the viciousness of the attack. During a discussion of the billboard on a predominantly anti‑chiropractic Internet group (Chirotalk: The Skeptical Chiropractic Discussion Forum), one member called the sign "Fear mongering, nothing more..." Another stated, "It's a cheap tactic to hit the public with a sledgehammer that big." One member made an interesting point by saying: "What if we had one for 'Aspirin can kill you!' or 'Reading this sign while driving can kill you!' That is simply a sensationalized ad to get attention."

"That billboard might actually backfire on our critics," said Terry A. Rondberg, DC, president of the World Chiropractic Alliance. "It's obviously the work of desperate people and will probably be perceived as a crass way to find potential lawsuit plaintiffs."

Dr. Rondberg added, though, that the chiropractic profession can learn two valuable lessons from the incident. "First of all, we can see the power of public advertising. If an anti‑chiropractic billboard can get this much publicity, think about one that says 'Chiropractic can help you feel better and be healthier,' or 'Living subluxation‑free is the key to wellness.' The second lesson is that when we mobilize and work together in defense of chiropractic, we can make a difference. We have to apply this same mentality of unity to everything we do in politics and business."