In a turnabout of events that have long been simmering within the chiropractic political and research world, six members of the World Federation of Chiropractic's (WFC) Research Committee have abruptly resigned from the Committee claiming they ". . . no longer feel it is possible to function as independent academics".
The Researchers who resigned are well known Subluxation Deniers within chiropractic and include:
- Greg Kawchuk DC PhD Canada - Chair
- Simon French, PhD, MPH, BAppSc(Chiro) Australia
- Iben Axén DC PhD Sweden
- Jan Hartvigsen DC PhD Denmark
- Martin Descarreaux DC, PhD Canada
- Carolina Kolberg DC PhD Brazil
Those remaining on the controversial Committee as of this writing include:
- Christine Goertz DC, Ph.D
- Mitch Haas DC
- Scott Haldeman DC, MD, Ph.D
The troubled researchers posted a portion of the resignation letter on Twitter stating:
"Effective immediately, we (Greg Kawchuk (Chair), Iben Axen', Martin Descarreaux, Simon French, Jan Hartvigsen, and Caroline Kolberg) resign from the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Research Committee. We no longer feel it is possible to function as independent academics in our roles on the committee. We urge the WFC to continue to promote the EPIC principles (Evidence-based, People-centered, Interprofessional and Collaborative), and to protect its core values from potential conflicts and outside influence. We wish the best for the WFC and our colleagues who serve on its Research Committee."
The abrupt resignations from those who have been leading the committee in its attacks on the management of vertebral subluxation in a vitalistic and salutogenic model comes after revelations that at least 17 international corporate partners, malpractice companies, nutritional support companies, equipment manufacturers and schools have pulled their sponsorship of the WFC.
The abrupt drop in corporate financial support can be seen in a comparison of Partners and financial supporters of the WFC before and after the WFC released its deeply flawed report on chiropractic and immunity.
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As the world was starting to grapple with the emergence of Coronavirus and its related pandemic, chiropractors around the world were gearing up to care for millions of people suffering from the emotional stress and physical strain of daily life in a new normal. Meanwhile other chiropractors were gearing up to see how much trouble they could cause for chiropractors who chose to remain open and serve the suffering masses.
Within just a few days those chiropractors who deny the vitalistic, salutogenic model of vertebral subluxation had "leaders" within the profession to help them wreak their havoc. The World Federation of Chiropractic's Research Committee under the leadership of Greg Kawchuk DC, PhD - Adjunct Faculty at Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and Christine Goertz DC, PhD - Palmer College of Chiropractic Honorary Alumna led the Committee in the development and dissemination of a deeply flawed hit piece falsely claiming that there is no credible, scientific evidence that chiropractic has any clinically relevant effect on the immune system.
They went on to reveal the real purpose of the flawed document falsely claiming that there was no evidence that would permit claims of effectiveness for conferring or enhancing immunity through chiropractic to be made in communications by chiropractors.
Immediately following the release of the hit piece several state chiropractic regulatory boards including Texas and Wisconsin endorsed the document and sent threatening notices about discussing immunity to chiropractors licensed in their states.
The report and its endorsement by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), Parker University and several regulatory boards and associations has been thoroughly rejected by tens of thousands of chiropractors through various state, national and international associations and corporations.
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Controversy surrounding the WFC Research Committee and its leadership is nothing new. The Chair (now former) of the WFC Research Council, Greg Kawchuk DC, Ph.D, compared bringing a child to a vitalistic chiropractor to bringing them to a Catholic priest at a children’s school during the WFC Conference in Berlin in March 2019.
In a separate presentation at the March 2019 WFC Berlin Conference Jan Hartvigsen suggested that subluxation was imaginary and the practice of using x-rays to identify subluxation and outcomes of care was "absolutely rubbish".
The WFC has for years been slowly and quietly altering chiropractic internationally, not only distancing itself from practitioners who embrace vitalism, salutogenesis and subluxation - but directly attacking that faction of the profession in an effort to limit chiropractic to the treatment of musculoskeletal pain syndromes.
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