As most of you know, chiropractors in the UK are coming under the gun for making false, unscientific claims. This backlash was prompted by a suit launched by the British Chiropractic Association against Simon Singh. Singh's "crime"?—he suggested in an newspaper article that many claims by chiropractors were bogus.
If you want to support Simon Singh and support attempts to fix British libel laws go to the Sense About Science website: National Petition for Libel Law Reform.
The regulations governing chiropractors in North America are much more lax than those in the UK. Canadian and American chiropractors can make all sorts of claims about their treatment—claims that have no scientific evidence to support them—without incurring any penalties. Whereas British chiropractor websites have been take down for fear of prosecution, those in North America are still going strong.
I was reminded of this today when a chiropractor posted a comment on Canada's New Minister of State (Science and Technology) Is a Chiropractor. "Dr."1 Ross Carter included a link to his website, which advertises his private practice, so I had to delete the comment and replace it with a modified version.
Just for fun, here's some of the clams that are posted on GentleDR.com. According to Ross Carter, chiropractic care can help with a lot of problems such as ...
I don't think any of these claims would be allowed in the UK.
- For pregnant women, they are able to deliver much easier.
- For babies, they have improved developmental abilities and prevent the possibility of acquiring scoliosis.
- For kids, it helps prevent asthma, ear infection, bedwetting, among other things.
- For adults, they are able to generate more energy and increase productivity.
- For senior individuals, they attain better balance and prevent injury caused by falling off.
1. British chiropractors are not allowed to imply that they are medical doctors.
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