With an increase in the attacks on chiropractic globally we are being tested as individuals and as a profession. The money that drives the medical industry is bringing its power to bear on chiropractic as a major competitor for market share.
Recently we have seen incessant attacks on the ethics and integrity of chiropractic and of chiropractors. These are personality attacks, which are the lowest form of human intellect. There is little substantiative data behind these campaigns as far as the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic goes. However, the effectiveness of these campaigns cannot be denied. With Australian universities reaffirming their allegiance to the drug money we have seen one University indicate the closure of its program and the other two ban the on-campus expression of chiropractic values by the profession.
Many individual chiropractors likewise are running scared with the resultant repercussions of decreased activity in their practices. Many academics in the university system are petrified of supporting the chiropractic tenants.
In Australia there are an estimated 11 million visits to chiropractors every year. By my calculations this is a $550 million business – not huge numbers, but significant. These are people who could be lifelong consumers of pharmaceuticals and because of chiropractic these companies will miss out on billions of dollars in revenue. Maybe this explains why they get their lackeys like the Skeptics and the Friends of Science in Medicine to go to bat for them in such a vindictive and viscous manner.
On the other hand there are growing numbers of chiropractors that are taking this attack as a sign that the old systems are starting to crumble and that now is a time for our profession to ‘toughen up’. It is time to clarify our philosophy and increase our understanding of the Chiropractic Principles. It is a time to get our clinical delivery impeccable. It is time to connect with and educate our practice members like never before. It is time for us to state our case and rally the troops of loyal followers.
