Matharu's Rants and Raves » chiropractic

Subluxation Theory: A Belief System That Continues to Define the Practice of Chiropractic

Kulvinder Matharu — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:05:28 +0000

Sam Homola recently posted an article at Science-Based Medicine where he describes his attempts to remove pseudoscience (i.e. subluxations) from chiropractic so as to provide treatments that provide legitimate effective treatment for back pain. It can be hoped that Homola succeeds but he has been at this since the early 1960s and progress has been slow. Chiropractic continues to be seen as quackery, as something that is bogus, by those who apply rationality and will continue to be so until chiropractic changes itself. Homola’s article is at:

Subluxation Theory: A Belief System That Continues to Define the Practice of Chiropractic
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/subluxation-theory-a-belief-system-that-continues-to-define-the-practice-of-chiropractic/

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011

The bogus, the scammers, the quacks, the pseudo-scientists and other pedlars of bullshit

Kulvinder Matharu — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:48:01 +0000

Bunch of stuff from The Quackometer which I’ve only just got round to read.

1. The MHRA is not an effective organisation. Far from it:

MHRA accused of “clothing naked quackery”
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/09/mhra-accused-of-clothing-naked-quackery.html

2. Misled graduates in career hurdle:

McTimoney Chiropractic College in Deep Trouble
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/10/mctimoney-chiropractic-college-in-deep-trouble.html

3. The ASA struggles with clamping down on homeopathic advertising abuse. Perhaps the ASA need a greater regulatory standing and enforcement powers:

The Advertising Regulator Struggles with Homeopaths
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/10/asa-struggles-with-homeopaths.html

And some related and interesting here’s stuff from elsewhere that I’m also catching up with:

Dummy Medicine, Dummy Doctors, and a Dummy Degree, Part 2.2: Harvard Medical School and the Curious Case of Ted Kaptchuk, OMD (cont. again)
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/dummy-medicine-dummy-doctors-and-a-dummy-degree-part-2-2-harvard-medical-school-and-the-curious-case-of-ted-kaptchuk-omd-cont-again/

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011

Chiropractors at War!

Kulvinder Matharu — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:45:44 +0000

Quackometer article on chiropractors attacking their own regulator:

Chiropractors at War with their Regulator, the GCC
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2010/11/chiropractors-at-war-with-their-regulator-the-gcc.html

Chiropractic is based on quackery but I am aware that some are trying to distance themselves from the quackery nonsense and move to a more scientific approach; perhaps in the same way that modern chemistry moved on from its alchemy roots. But the time for chiropractic to reach that stage of credibility and maturity is some way off as, at least in the UK, many chiropractors have made unfounded and demonstrably false claims for curing various ailments.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

Beware the spinal trap

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:31:19 +0000

reprinted from Sense About Science

Simon Singh is a science writer in London and the co-author, with Edzard Ernst, of Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial. This is an edited version of an article published in The Guardian for which Singh is being personally sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association.

Beware the spinal trap

Some practitioners claim it is a cure-all, but the research suggests chiropractic therapy has mixed results – and can even be lethal, says Simon Singh.

You might be surprised to know that the founder of chiropractic therapy, Daniel David Palmer, wrote that ’99% of all diseases are caused by displaced vertebrae’. In the 1860s, Palmer began to develop his theory that the spine was involved in almost every illness because the spinal cord connects the brain to the rest of the body. Therefore any misalignment could cause a problem in distant parts of the body.

In fact, Palmer’s first chiropractic intervention supposedly cured a man who had been profoundly deaf for 17 years. His second treatment was equally strange, because he claimed that he treated a patient with heart trouble by correcting a displaced vertebra.

You might think that modern chiropractors restrict themselves to treating back problems, but in fact some still possess quite wacky ideas. The fundamentalists argue that they can cure anything, including helping treat children with colic, sleeping and feeding problems, frequent ear infections, asthma and prolonged crying – even though there is not a jot of evidence.

I can confidently label these assertions as utter nonsense because I have co-authored a book about alternative medicine with the world’s first professor of complementary medicine, Edzard Ernst. He learned chiropractic techniques himself and used them as a doctor. This is when he began to see the need for some critical evaluation. Among other projects, he examined the evidence from 70 trials exploring the benefits of chiropractic therapy in conditions unrelated to the back. He found no evidence to suggest that chiropractors could treat any such conditions.

But what about chiropractic in the context of treating back problems? Manipulating the spine can cure some problems, but results are mixed. To be fair, conventional approaches, such as physiotherapy, also struggle to treat back problems with any consistency. Nevertheless, conventional therapy is still preferable because of the serious dangers associated with chiropractic.

In 2001, a systematic review of five studies revealed that roughly half of all chiropractic patients experience temporary adverse effects, such as pain, numbness, stiffness, dizziness and headaches. These are relatively minor effects, but the frequency is very high, and this has to be weighed against the limited benefit offered by chiropractors.

More worryingly, the hallmark technique of the chiropractor, known as high-velocity, low-amplitude thrust, carries much more significant risks. This involves pushing joints beyond their natural range of motion by applying a short, sharp force. Although this is a safe procedure for most patients, others can suffer dislocations and fractures.

Worse still, manipulation of the neck can damage the vertebral arteries, which supply blood to the brain. So-called vertebral dissection can ultimately cut off the blood supply, which in turn can lead to a stroke and even death. Because there is usually a delay between the vertebral dissection and the blockage of blood to the brain, the link between chiropractic and strokes went unnoticed for many years. Recently, however, it has been possible to identify cases where spinal manipulation has certainly been the cause of vertebral dissection.

Laurie Mathiason was a 20-year-old Canadian waitress who visited a chiropractor 21 times between 1997 and 1998 to relieve her low-back pain. On her penultimate visit she complained of stiffness in her neck. That evening she began dropping plates at the restaurant, so she returned to the chiropractor. As the chiropractor manipulated her neck, Mathiason began to cry, her eyes started to roll, she foamed at the mouth and her body began to convulse. She was rushed to hospital, slipped into a coma and died three days later. At the inquest, the coroner declared: ‘Laurie died of a ruptured vertebral artery, which occurred in association with a chiropractic manipulation of the neck.’

This case is not unique. In Canada alone there have been several other women who have died after receiving chiropractic therapy, and Edzard Ernst has identified about 700 cases of serious complications among the medical literature. This should be a major concern for health officials, particularly as under-reporting will mean that the actual number of cases is much higher. 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.

Beware the spinal trap also appears at:

COSMOS magazine

The Skeptic (UK) magazine

New Humanist magazine

The British Humanist Association

ECSO The European Skeptics

The National Secular Society

Jack of Kent’s blog

Richard Wiseman’s blog

Steven Novella on Science-Based Medicine

Neurologica Blog

The Skeptics Guide to the Universe Blog

The Quackometer.net

EBM first

Gimpy’s blog

DC’s Improbable Science

Respectful Insolence at Science Blogs

Ministry of Truth

Bigger Pills

Thinking is Dangerous

The Millenium Project

The Sceptics Book of Pooh-Pooh

A day at the pharmacy

Heresy Dungeon

Hawk/Handsaw

Association Francaise pour l’Information Scientifique (Translated into French)

brightsfrance.org (Translated into French)

GWUP Die Skeptiker (Translated into German)

Swedish sceptics Vetenskap och Folkblidning (Translated into Swedish)

Chiropractors on the run?

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:40:08 +0000

Following the recent coverage on chiropractic, The Quackometer article http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/06/chiropractors-told-to-take-down-their.html reports on an astounding letter sent from the McTimoney Association to all its members. In a nutshell, it appears that chiropractors are running scared…running scared that the public are about to found out the truth that chiropractic is a pseudoscience.

There are several points in the letter that can be used as a window into the mindset of chiropractors and these are discussed at http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/06/chiropractors-told-to-take-down-their.html. Utterly amazing!

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2009

Chiropractic – Bogus!

Kulvinder Matharu — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:42:16 +0000

My view on chiropractic is simple…it has been shown that chiropractic is based on non-scientific ideas, and various studies and trials reinforce that position. In other words, trials indicate that chiropractic is "bogus".

The recent situation with Simon Singh has rattled my cage, so to speak, and I have included some links here regarding the current situation…which I see very much as a fight of reason against superstition and nonsense. Much like homeopathy and other pseudosciences, we need to be on the guard against the new witch doctors.

The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what’s true. We have a method, and that method helps us to reach not absolute truth, only asymptotic approaches to the truth – never there, just closer and closer, always finding vast new oceans of undiscovered possibilities. Cleverly designed experiments are the key. – Carl Sagan

Simon Singh: principled and brave
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/06/simon_singh_principled_and_bra.php

The Law Has No Place in Scientific Disputes
http://thinking-is-dangerous.blogspot.com/2009/06/law-has-no-place-in-scientific-disputes.html

Singh the blues
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/06/03/singh-the-blues/

Simon Singh to Appeal Bogus Decision
http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/06/simon-singh-to-appeal-bogus-decision.html

Simon Singh is appealing!
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/585-simon-singh-is-appealing.html

Simon Singh to appeal libel decision
http://gimpyblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/simon-singh-to-appeal-libel-decision/

Chiropractic – as modest today as in 1913?
http://gimpyblog.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/chiropractic-as-modest-today-as-in-1913/

Simon Singh will appeal! Keep the Libel Laws out of Science
http://www.dcscience.net/?p=1630

Silenced, the writer who dared to say chiropractice is bogus
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/silenced-the-writer-who-dared-to-say-chiropractice-is-bogus-1696408.html

Review of libel law called for by comedians
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article6426195.ece

Science writer will appeal libel case ruling
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090603/full/news.2009.542.html

Singh plans to appeal ruling in libel case
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=406872&c=1

Britain Chills Free Speech
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124406714025182743.html

Chiropractic: a bogus treatment for bedwetting?
http://apgaylard.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/chiropractic-a-bogus-treatment-for-bedwetting/

Simon Singh and the Bogus Chiropractic Association
http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/2009/05/19/simon-singh-and-the-bogus-chiropractic-association/

Simon Singh loses first round in chiropractic fight – May 08, 2009
http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2009/05/simon_singh_loses_first_round.html

Singh Case Update: A Real Pain in the Neck!
http://godknowswhat.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/singh-case-update-a-real-pain-in-the-neck/

How I Really Feel About Chiropractors
http://www.rebuildyourback.com/chiropractic/myopinion.php

Chiropractic Health Care: Science or Religion?
http://www.geocities.com/forbidden_area/chiro.html

ChiroWatch
http://www.chirowatch.com/

The shaky foundations of Chiropractic

The shaky foundations of Chiropractic

Kulvinder Matharu — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:01:49 +0000

Although I have generally focused on homeopaths, and even though there has been some progress in addressing pseudoscience in some UK universities, Quackometer reminded me that there are a bunch of other pseudosciences out there that appear to be accepted by the public at large. In particular, Quackometer’s article discusses the current status of chiropractic.

The problem with chiropractic is that its foundations are based on non-scientific ideas; ideas which are still taught. Current chiropractors either don’t care or sincerely believe in what they’ve been taught even though there is no scientific evidential support, and studies show no real benefit in the practice. Either way, both scenarios scare me, especially as X-rays are being used.

I would not want to be treated by a chiropractor. Would you?

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