Archive for the ‘chiropractic’ Tag
Simon Singh interviewed
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For those following the legal battle between the British Chiropractic Association and Simon Singh, you can hear more about it from Simon himself. In a recent interview on the Nature Podcast, he explains how this story goes beyond a personal legal case and that English libel laws are in need of reform. He argues that, as they stand, these laws present a serious threat to open scientific debate and free speech.
Chiro running for cover
The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) has opened up a whole can of worms and now chiropractors are struggling to contain the wriggly onslaught. By taking legal action against Simon Singh for what they call a libellous article in the Guardian newspaper, they have succeeded in attracting a very large and public spotlight onto themselves.
That was probably the last thing they wanted to happen. Their intention was most likely to silence an outspoken and respected scientist who doubted some of their claims, and thereby dissuade anybody else from having the audacity to do the same. Simon Singh and his supporters state that there is no scientific evidence for the efficacy of chiropractic spinal manipulation in treating certain disorders, such as colic and asthma. At great personal risk to himself, Simon is standing by this and will fight the case. As such, the BCA have succeeded in fanning the flames of criticism and invited even more bad publicity.
Chiropractors now have an unruly and hostile mob at their door, causing many to run for cover. The McTimoney Chiropractic Association (MCA) have called it a witch hunt, in a letter advising all their members to take urgent action and avoid the burn of the torch. On Saturday the Guardian newspaper published an article by Chris French, in which he discussed this letter and the so-called witch hunt. He reports how Witch-Hunter General Simon Perry took it upon himself to report UK chiropractors to their local trading standards offices, if they had claimed to be able to treat the specific disorders which Simon Singh referred to as bogus. In response to such pressure, MCA members are now being told to remove certain claims from their websites and other literature, so as not to risk prosecution in this campaign against them.
I came across this supposedly confidential letter from the MCA when it was first posted on the Quackometer website, but I had my doubts over its authenticity. It reads like someone whose home is on the battle lines, knowing it is just a matter of time before the place is razed to the ground and urging all inside to save themselves. If the letter is genuine, as it now appears, this is an indication that these people really are running scared.
