WFC Claims Vibrating Chair Will "Rejuvenate Your Entire Body" - But There is No Credible Evidence for Chiropractic/Immune Connection

The World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) and the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) along with William Morgan President of Parker University and Katherine Pohlman Director of Research at Parker have falsely claimed that there is no credible evidence supporting the beneficial relationship between chiropractic, the nervous system and immune function. 

The WFC has put out a hit piece consisting of a highly flawed and biased "rapid review" of literature, the ACA through Keith Overland DC has stated the same in a television interview and Parker University President William Morgan DC conducted an interview with Parker's Director of Research Katherine Pohlman DC, Ph.D who echoed the WFC's document snickering in an interview about it stating "There is no credible research" to support such claims. Morgan threatened chiropractors that if they suggested chiropractic boosted immunity that they would be "under the hand of the law" and that chiropractors were "making claims that they can't back up".

In addition to Parker University and several regulatory boards endorsing the flawed document, several prominent Subluxation Deniers in the United States and Canada have been using the document to encourage the public to file complaints against chiropractors that remain open during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Robert Maybee DC who practices in Portland, Oregon and runs an anti-chiropractic group called Forward Thinking Chiropractic Alliance thanked the World Federation of Chiropractic, Parker University and the American Chiropractic Association telling his fellow Deniers that:

"You are now properly armed with FACTS thanks to the WFC and Parker and ACA"

He was instructing his army of trolls to copy other chiropractors websites and Facebook pages where they were discussing immunity and use those screen shots to report them to the regulatory boards.

Meanwhile the WFC gives its endorsement to a vibrating massage chair company claiming they did this only after "thoroughly investigating" the chair.

The WFC calls the vibrating chair a ". . . valid supplement to back-care therapies"

We don't think the top notch "researchers" at the WFC know what the word "valid" means.

Even more laughable is the WFC's claim in the endorsement that it ". . . empowers, promotes, and unites chiropractors and the chiropractic profession."

"Unites chiropractors"? - the WFC has done everything in its power to split chiropractors and marginalize those who practice in a vitalistic, salutogenic model. But when it comes to an exclusive PAID endorsement they will say anything - even if the acceptable evidence claims contradict what their researchers claim about chiropractic and immunity.

The WFC has set up two standards. One for them that allows them to claim (without providing credible evidence) that a massage chair confers widespread health and "wellness" benefits - but when it comes to the relationship between the nervous and immune systems and chiropractic's role in optimizing that relationship they falsely claim there is no credible evidence. William Morgan said chiropractors would be "under the hand of the law" if they made such claims.

The WFC claims that:

"After thoroughly investigating" the vibrating chair they concluded it ". . . can serve as an important tool for back pain sufferers by alleviating and preventing spinal stress, which is a leading cause of back pain and related disability."

Read that again: "Preventing spinal stress" - the WFC claims a vibrating chair relieves spinal stress but a chiropractic adjustment? - You better not say that or you'll be "under the hand of the law".

Certainly there are multiple RCT's to back up this claim - because they did a "thorough investigation" after all. And they would never just make things up - right?

Was this "thorough investigation" headed up by the same top notch researchers who serve on the WFC's Research Committee and after a thorough investigation of just SEVEN hand picked research papers determined there was no credible evidence for a chiropractic immune connection?

The individuals on the WFC Research Committee represent or are affiliated with several chiropractic schools as well:

• Greg Kawchuk DC, PhD - Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College Adjunct
• Christine Goertz DC, PhD - Palmer College of Chiropractic Honorary Alumna
• Iben Axén DC, PhD - Institut Franco-Européen de Chiropratique
• Martin Descarreaux DC, PhD - Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
• Simon French B.App.Sci (Chiro), MPH, PhD - Macquarie University
• Mitch Haas MA, DC – University of Western States
• Jan Hartvigsen DC, PhD - Nordic Institute of Chiropractic
• Carolina Kolberg BSc (Chiro), PhD - Latin American Federation of Chiropractic
• Michele Maiers DC, MPH, PhD – Northwestern Health Sciences University

Surely Kawchuk (who has compared chiropractors to child molestors), Hartvigsen (who said subluxations were bullshit) and the rest of the "real researchers" at the WFC, ACA and Parker would NEVER allow such claims to be made without "credible evidence". Right? Perhaps they are demanding an investigation of this investigation.

Certainly right now there must be a "thorough investigation" being conducted at the WFC to get to the bottom of how this could have passed their STRINGENT research rules.

The leader of the WFC - Richard Brown DC - who thinks chiropractors should be able to prescribe drugs and has a very lofty sounding title as WFC's Secretary- General says this vibrating chair is:

". . . superior in technology, quality, and ability to prevent or alleviate spinal stress"

So - what Richard Brown and the rest of the Subluxation Deniers at the WFC, ACA and Parker would have us believe is that high level evidence exists (RCT's, practice guidelines, meta-analyses etc) that proves sitting in a vibrating chair will PREVENT and ALLEVIATE spinal stress.

We wonder if they could show us that review of literature they conducted? Certainly it was published in a REAL research journal. After all, Hartvigsen is one of the most cited authors on back pain as he is so fond of telling people.

And if that wasn't enough, the WFC investigators are now jumping on the wellness bandwagon stating they will continue to recommend to patients who suffer from back pain to combine chiropractic care with a vibrating chair - wait for it . . .

"in order to achieve their overall wellness goals.”

And listen - its one thing when a subluxation fixer says they are using NASA technology - that's misleading advertising - but when the WFC says it - that's OK because they are the real arbiters of what you can say in your marketing - you know - or you'll be "under the hand of the law".

According to the WFC the chair was "inspired by the neutral body posture chaise position developed by NASA to support astronauts during their ascent into orbit."

According to the WFC's endorsement the vibrating chair not only confers wellness benefits, prevents and alleviates spinal stress but it will:

"rejuvenate your entire body."

Who needs that chiropractic nonsense to boost your immune system when you can just sit in a chair and REJUVENATE YOUR ENTIRE BODY!

Kawchuk and his team at the WFC are really saviours.

Let's get these chairs into the hands of everyone suffering from COVID. Forget the respirators - send vibrating chairs to the hospitals.