Chiropractic Care of Children Attacked in Australia

Adjusting Newborns is Ridiculous Says Chiropractic Researcher

The chiropractic profession in Australia and around the world is up in arms over a television segment aired on Catalyst an investigative science program shown on ABC.

Much of the negativity in the segment towards the management of children by chiropractors comes from John Reggars DC who is the Vice President and CEO of the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australasia (COCA).

Coincidentally, COCA recently adopted a new Policy Statement regarding the provision of care for children. The Policy Statement expressed: “. . .concern with respect to chiropractors, osteopaths and others, who employ spinal manipulation when providing care for children with non-musculoskeletal conditions.” And cited well known Subluxation deniers John Triano and Stephen Perle to support their argument.

Reggars has become a one man crusader for change within chiropractic in Australia. On Australia day 2013 Reggars was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for services to chiropractic. His award was for his contribution to COCA, the Chiropractors Board of Victoria and for his pursuit of evidence based practice within chiropractic practice.

Reggars says he is “…angered and I am embarrassed for the profession.” He maintains that chiropractors rely soley on anecdotal evidence, and that because of their “fervent belief” in what they do, they ignore scientific evidence.

Reggars says he only treats musculoskeletal problems, and that adjusting newborns is ridiculous. He tries to back up his contention by stating making a bizarre statment that infant’s bones and nervous systems are not yet developed and as a result he doesn’t see how you could find anything wrong by “touching their spine.”  

Stating that many pediatric conditions like ear infections resolve spontaneously, he accuses chiropractors for taking credit for something that would have happened anyway. Going further, Reggars tells the audience: “I don't think the general chiropractor is trained well enough to actually diagnose problems with infants.”

Recently, Reggars was added to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Chiropractic and Manual Therapies which includes a number of chiropractors like Triano and Perle who are outspoken critics of vertebral subluxation centered chiropractors and basically any care not directed at neck and back pain.

Following the airing of the segment, Dr. Tony Croke - Board Member of the Chiropractors Association of Australia wrote the following on his Facebook page:

"Chiropractors - last night you were presented as dangerous frauds on national television. You are the remedy to right this wrong. Go into your practices today and love and serve your people. Tell them the truth about the simple beauty of Chiropractic - that lives go better without nerve interference, that it's safer inside our practices than it is outside and that no matter what, Chiropractors will continue to provide the same loving service that we have delivered since 1895."