Reply With QuoteDepends on what you're thinking. Elaboration is required, I've had no coffee yet
Does anyone know what has happened to Simon Singh’s article, ‘Beware the spinal trap’, which was published in the Comment Is Free section of the Guardian on 19th April 2008? John Jackson linked to the article on UK Skeptics’ index page:
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/
This is its original URL:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/19/health
And here are a couple of snippets from the original article which prompted a stream of angry comments from chiropractic proponents (which in turn saw several skeptics exposing chiropractic for what it really is):
"This is Chiropractic Awareness Week. So let's be aware. How about some awareness that may prevent harm and help you make truly informed choices? Some practitioners claim it is a cure-all but research suggests chiropractic therapy can be lethal.
-snip-
…if spinal manipulation were a drug with such serious adverse effects and so little demonstrable benefit, then it would almost certainly have been taken off the market."
The editorial staff at the Guardain can’t have removed all the articles on sCAM from the CIF section, because Denis MacEoin’s is still there:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/nov/22/yourignoranceisshowing
Is anyone thinking what I’m thinking?
Depends on what you're thinking. Elaboration is required, I've had no coffee yet
De omnibus dubitandum
Here’s a clue.Originally Posted by bobdezon
Depends on what you're thinking. Elaboration is required, I've had no coffee yet
As part of its statutory duty to promote the chiropractic profession in the UK, the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) frequently tries to combat negative press coverage of chiropractic…
Letter to the Editor Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/L%20to%20Editor%20JRSM%2007.pdf
Letter to the Editor of Hospital Doctor
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/HOSPITAL%20DOCTOR%20letter%201June07.pdf
Letter to the Editor of the Daily Mail
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/DAILY%20MAIL%2012%20December%202006.pdf
Letter to the Editor of GP Magazine
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/GP%20magazine%20final%2021nov06.pdf
Letter to the Editor of the Daily Mirror
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/Daily_Mirror_Miriam_Stoppard_6_June_06.pdf
Media Statement re The Times, 23 May 2006, NHS told to abandon alternative medicine
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/THE%20TIMES%20re%20joint%20letter%2023MAY06.pdf
Letter to the Editor of the Guardian
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/GUARDIAN%20Letter%20to%20Editor15feb05.pdf
Letter to the Editor of the Health Service Journal
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/Press_HSJ_260704.pdf
Letter to the Editor of Zest magazine
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/Press_Zest_240203.pdf
Letter to the Editor of The Dundee Courier
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/Press_Dundee_310702.pdf
Letter to the Editor of the Glasgow Evening Times
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/Press_GlasgowET_250702.pdf
Letter to the Editor of The Times
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/Press_Times_170702.pdf
Of course, my thinking could be wrong.
Did you ask the Grauniad?
Snaffling sheep from the flock of woo
-bobdezon
I've just sent an email to its 'user help' address. If I get a reply, I'll post it here.
Hmmmm so the councils main role is damage control in the media? I seem to recall thats a similar tactic the homeopathy people use also.
De omnibus dubitandum
Have you emailed Simon and asked him?
I have now, but it could be some time before I receive a reply (if at all):
…the number of emails is now so high that I am unable to find the time to answer all of them. I am genuinely sorry. I will still read every email, and I will try to answer the majority of them, but I can no longer guarantee that you will get a response. I hope you understand.
http://www.simonsingh.net/Contact.html
Some news.
Just as I suspected, the article has been temporarily removed because of a complaint. I wasn't told who lodged the complaint, but it looks like we could be hearing more about it some time in the future.
This one will indeed be worth following...
Best wishes, David
PCC?
"You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield
I keep getting this terrible feeling of deja woo.
Mojo, I wasn’t told who made the complaint and to what source, but it’s worth bearing in mind that part of Simon Singh’s original article said the following about the British Chiropractic Association (BCA)…
You might think that modern chiropractors restrict themselves to treating back problems, but in fact they still possess some quite wacky ideas. The fundamentalists argue that they can cure anything. And even the more moderate chiropractors have ideas above their station. The British Chiropractic Association claims that their members can help treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying, even though there is not a jot of evidence. This organisation is the respectable face of the chiropractic profession and yet it happily promotes bogus treatments.
…and the BCA recently managed to have an article deleted from the Daily Telegraph’s website which was entitled 'Chiropractors are a waste of money'. See page 7 here:
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/page_file/WEBSITE_GCCNews23.pdf
Hello David,
I agree, not least because when a registered UK chiropractor publishes dubious information like this on his website...
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=38134&postcount=229
the regulatory body, the General Chiropractic Council (GCC), doesn’t seem bothered despite requiring the following of its registrants:
And it’s also worth noting this:Marketing, advertising and promotion
Chiropractors have a responsibility to be aware of any marketing, advertising and promotional material published, or circulated, by any practice with which they are associated.
Patients and the public need factual information about the health services available to them, and chiropractors should apply their judgement when providing it.
All chiropractors must ensure that all the information they provide, or authorise others to provide on their behalf
_ is factual and verifiable
_ is not misleading or inaccurate in any way
_ does not abuse the trust of members of the public in any way, nor exploit their lack of experience or knowledge about either health or chiropractic matters
_ does not put pressure on people to use chiropractic, for example by arousing ill-founded fear for their future health or suggesting that chiropractic can cure serious disease
See page 7 of the GCC’s latest Fitness to Practice Report here:
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/page_file/FITNESS_TO_PRACTISE_REPORT_2007_FINAL_FOR_WEBSITE. pdf
In view of those regulatory requirements, it’s utterly incredible that not only does the GCC itself seem to buy into the chiropractic subluxation myth…"…chiropractors' provision of care must be evidence based"
See section A2.3 of the Standard of Proficiency here:
http://www.gcc-uk.org/files/link_file/COPSOP_8Dec05.pdf
…but the four main chiropractic associations in the UK seem to as well:“Q8. What is a subluxation and can it do me harm?
A8. A subluxation complex or ‘subluxation’ is the term used by chiropractors to describe a loss of function in the spine and nervous system due to a reduction in its normal motion or alignment and this can affect the quality of your life.”
http://www.gcc-uk.org/page.cfm?page_id=6
And in addition to that, and like those organisations, the GCC insists that all chiropractic practices are safe…The British Chiropractic Association’s website says “As you go through life, a loss of proper function (movement) in the vertebrae, which some chiropractors call a subluxation, may interfere with the healthy working of your spine and the nerves that run through it. This may affect your body’s natural ability to recover from injury and you may find yourself increasingly unwell, unable to shake off apparently minor aches, pains and even some illnesses.”
http://www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk/gfx/uploads/textbox/Servicing%20your%20spine.pdf
The UK McTimoney Chiropractic Association says “By correctly training hands as an instrument of innate intelligence, healing can be encouraged to take place by the detection and correction of bony subluxations (slight displacements)”:
http://www.mctimoney-chiropractic.org/mca_objectives.htm
The UK United Chiropractic Association says (on the subject of ‘vitalism’) “We ascribe to the idea that all living organisms are sustained by an innate intelligence, which is both different from and greater than physical and chemical forces. Further we believe innate intelligence is an expression of universal intelligence…We recognize that interference to innate intelligence (subluxation) diminishes healing capacity, with an alteration in the dynamic interrelationship between mental, physical and social aspects of the whole person”:
http://www.united-chiropractic.org/modules/content/index.php?id=4
And the Scottish Chiropractic Association says “Chiropractors are able to examine and evaluate a child’s spine to determine if they can help problems such as colic, asthma, bedwetting, eczema and sleeping difficulties. Chiropractors advise that a child’s spine be checked for subluxations and postural distortions before any symptoms are even present”:
http://www.sca-chiropractic.org/index2.htm
…which is something not suggested by the current scientific evidence. See hereQ3. Is chiropractic safe?
A3. Yes, all the evidence is that chiropractic is a safe and effective form of care...
http://www.gcc-uk.org/page.cfm?page_id=6
http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/full/100/7/330
and here:
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=118546
David, perhaps you can find something in the above to chase and report back on in your New Regulations – Test Complaint? thread:
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2785
Last edited by Blue Wode; 21st July 2008 at 11:28 AM.
I suspect I will be reporting back on this one in due course. Suffice to say that this is an outrage.
I would be grateful if people could PM to me any useful information and documented evidence about the various regulatory and representative bodies on this one. Alternatively, just PM me for my hotmail account and then send the stuff it to me. No need to set it out on this open site.
Best wishes. David
Last edited by Jack of Kent; 21st July 2008 at 11:37 AM. Reason: typo
That's great, David. I'll send you a round-up of potentially useful information in the next day or two.
Legal threats in New Zealand (from David Colquhoun's blog).
Chiropractors resort to legal intimidation
And a splendidly robust editorial response from the New Zealand Medical Journal:The Journal has a responsibility to deal with all issues and not to steer clear of those issues that are difficult or contentious or carry legal threats. Let the debate continue in the evidence-based tone set by Colquhoun and others.
I encourage, as we have done previously, the chiropractors and others to join in, let’s hear your evidence not your legal muscle.
"You got to use your brain." - McKinley Morganfield
I keep getting this terrible feeling of deja woo.
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