Chiropractic Success Brings Some Attacks
Every once and awhile it seems that a new effort by someone or some group to discredit the effectiveness of Chiropractic springs up somewhere. While the source of such negative campaigns is not usually readily known, they likely emanate from those who feel threatened by the growing success and popularity of Chiropractic.
When some billboard display or a media attack against Chiropractic occurs, a simple question to ask in determining who is behind it might be, “Who has the most to lose when people begin to seek out Chiropractors in droves?
The answer to that question comes from Terry A. Rondberg, DC, who is president of the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA). “In recent years, Chiropractic has made tremendous inroads into the American healthcare system. The increased popularity of a wellness approach that doesn’t rely on drugs and surgery is very threatening to some elements of our society. They have a huge financial interest in eliminating Chiropractic.”
In 1990, the American Medical Association (AMA) was found guilty in federal court of conspiring with other medical organizations in a “lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott” designed to eliminate Chiropractic as a competitor, according to the WCA. Many healthcare officials say that, although barred from many of the illegal practices formerly used, the drug and medical industry still engage in anti-Chiropractic campaigns. The general consensus is that many of the operations are being conducted using anonymous “front” organizations, such as the stroke victims group, for instance.
One such advertisement, likely paid by such a “front group” in Connecticut, asks, “Have you been injured by a Chiropractor?” The ad directs readers to a website of an organization calling itself the “Chiropractic Stroke Victims Awareness Group.”
Contrary to this message, medical research has shown Chiropractic to be extremely safe, particularly when compared to medical treatment. The incidence of stroke following Chiropractic adjustments has been estimated at fewer than 1 to 3 incidents per million adjustments. One 28-year study that reviewed some 110 million cases, showed conclusively that the risk of stroke from a Chiropractic adjustment is so small as to be statistically insignificant, says the WCA.
The safety of Chiropractic is made even more obvious when compared to the 100,000 deaths each year attributed to medical treatment and drug errors, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.