British Columbia Chiropractic Association Holds Convention Amid Crisis
That includes a report about an October 3, 2018 letter sent to licensed chiropractors in British Columbia Canada where the College of Chiropractors unveil their own made-up version of “evidence informed practice” under the title of an “Efficacy Claims Policy”. In a wide ranging policy statement that must be interpreted in conjunction with their Professional Conduct Handbook, Appendix N of the Handbook and the actual law itself, the College eviscerates the actual law and narrows the scope of practice to the gapping of stuck joints for neck and back pain.
The members of the College (8 of 12 who are voted in by the membership) shroud the new policy in a “protect the public” veneer that has become the modus operandi of subluxation deniers and the Chiropractic Cartel they control.
The Policy reads:
Due to the absence of acceptable evidence supporting such claims, registrants must NOT represent to patients or the public that chiropractic:
(a) can be used to treat diseases, disorders or conditions such as: Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, infections, infertility, or Tourette's syndrome, or
(b) has any beneficial effect on childhood diseases, disorders or conditions such as: ADHD (or ADD), autism spectrum disorders including Asperger syndrome, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, or developmental and speech disorders.
The above list of diseases, disorders or conditions is neither final nor conclusive. Absent acceptable evidence, registrants are not free to make claims about the effectiveness of chiropractic in treating a disorder, disease or condition simply because it is not included in the list.
*****Note especially the use of the words: any beneficial effect.
CLICK HERE for that review
What we found was shocking. Violation after violation of their own Policy.
Claims of efficacy that are unsupported by their own Policy statements include such claims as:
- Keep people healthy, stay mobile and age well
- Chiropractic care helps people with sciatica
- Chiropractic improves flexibility and motion
- Chiropractic increases energy, strength, balance and endurance
- Chiropractic can prevent future episodes
- It improves sleep, reduces stress and improves wellness and restores function to the body
CLICK HERE to see the BCCA Board Members
The only Board member that responded to our requests was Dr. Jay Robinson, the President of the BCCA. Dr. Robinson wanted to know who we were before responding and when we told him he ceased communicating with the Chronicle.
A cursory review of the BCCA Board members websites revealed numerous violations of the Policy.
We are in the process of conducting a thorough review and investigation of their websites and the claims they are making on them to see just how badly they violate the Policy that is being used to attack other chiropractors who manage vertebral subluxation in a salutogenic model.
Even the website of the BCCA itself is in violation of the Policy. Included on the BCCA website are claims that the BENEFITS Chiropractic Care include:
- Improved movement in your neck, shoulders, back and torso
- Better posture
- Relief from headaches, neck and back pain
- Prevention of work-related muscle and joint injuries
- Enhanced athletic performance
- Improved flexibility
- Relief of pregnancy-related backache
- Correction of gait and foot problems
While its true that it is generally believed within the chiropractic community that these issues can be helped through chiropractic - the research evidence does not meet the standard of the very Policy that some BC chiropractors are being held.
Its one thing to adopt and enforce a policy but to then enforce the policy only against the chiropractors you don't like or the practice focus you don't like is obviously a problem. The Policy is being used to target chiropractors in the cross hairs of Subluxation Deniers and the Chiropractic Cartel they control.
The BCCA website also includes these claims that are not supported by the "acceptable evidence" standards in their Efficacy Claims Policy:
It is common for patients to report that range of motion improves, pain lessens, and quality of life improves as a result of chiropractic treatment. Sometimes changes are immediate and in some cases depending on the condition, changes are slow to occur.
There is even a specific mention of quality of life research not being acceptable per the Policy but there it is - right on their own website.
The BCCA's website goes on to claim:
Chiropractic manipulation has been proven to be safe, effective treatment for neck, mid-back, and lower back pain. A comprehensive review of scientific evidence noted that there is as much evidence supporting chiropractic care as for other treatments such as prescription and non-prescription drugs and surgery.
Any first year chiropractic student would be able to quickly determine that these claims do not meet their Policy
Nevertheless they are right there on their website to deceive and mislead the unsuspecting public.
The Convention speakers and topics are all focused on the treatment of musculoskeletal pain syndromes - many of which do not meet the "acceptable evidence" Standard of the College including a presentation on the treatment of scoliosis. There is certainly no evidence of any presentations involving the salutogenic effects of vertebral subluxation, vitalism or the philosophy of chiropractic.
As the Policy is put into effect chiropractors across Canada have been sanitizing their websites of any claims that go beyond neck and back pain meanwhile the leadership of both the College and the BCCA do not seem concerned about the websites of the College, the BCCA or their own personal websites.
We are reminded of the old saying: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
CLICK HERE for information about the Conference
CLICK HERE for a review of the College Board's Websites
