April 2008

Chiropractic 'victims' group claim media success

Despite the recent headline-making research showing that chiropractic care is not associated with an increased risk for strokes, the Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group (CSAG) says it is "gratified that an increasing number of news organizations in large media markets throughout the US are examining the potentially severe health risks associated with chiropractic neck manipulation."

It pointed to reports aired on television stations in Philadelphia and Boston as evidence of its successful campaign to link chiropractic with strokes.

"These news reports are further confirmation of the chiropractic-stroke connection," said Britt Harwe, founder of CSAG. "We are delighted that award-winning news organizations have recognized the significance of this story and sought out world-class medical experts as part of their reporting." Harwe was interviewed for the reports.

CSAG also cites an opinion column in the Hartford Courant that called for the chiropractic industry to drop its opposition to legislative proposals by Victims of Chiropractic Abuse (VOCA) that would force DCs to "warn" patients more about the risks of chiropractic treatment as part of informed consent requirements.

The CSAG also offers the public a set of "guidelines on choosing a chiropractor," which urges people to avoid, among others, DCs who "insist that they are primary care doctors or suggest that MDs are simply against chiropractors because chiropractic treatment is somehow better than medicine," who "want you to return even if no progress has occurred after two weeks," or who "(preach) that 'vertebral subluxations are silent killers' and that your whole family needs to be checked for subluxations."

The World Chiropractic Alliance -- through its Chiropractic Anti-Defamation Fund -- has repeatedly explored legal action against groups such as CSAG that provide inaccurate and misleading information about chiropractic to the public. The legal efforts are led by health freedom advocate Carlos Negrete, best known for his successful legal challenges of self-proclaimed 'Quackbuster' Stephen Barrett.

In addition, the WCA has emphasized a public education campaign that counters the attacks by these groups and provides documented research evidence of the safety and efficacy of chiropractic. Its press releases and articles on the issue have had widespread distribution on the Internet as well as in the mainstream press.

"We will continue to educate the public about chiropractic and alert it to the campaigns of misinformation conducted by others," stated Terry A. Rondberg, DC, WCA president. "We'll also continue to support the kind of large-scale research studies that will add even more evidence to substantiate our profession's safety claims."