Do You Still Beat Your Wife?

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   A Chiro.Org Editorial


There are certain accusations that are impossible to respond to, without sounding like a guilty party, trying to weasel out of a tight spot.

The accusation that chiropractic somehow “causes stroke” is one such unsupported and yet impossible-to-defend claim.

The simple truth is that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to demonstrate that chiropractic adjusting in the cervical region has ever “caused” a stroke.

Here’s a simple example of how flawed that logic is:

If I sneeze, and there is a traffic accident across the street, it may be convenient to claim that my sneeze “caused” that accident (especially if someone stood to benefit financially from that claim), but where is the evidence?


Applying the scientific method, to determine the causal relationship between these 2 unrelated events, might propose an experiment…   sneeze a hundred (or thousand) times, and then count the number of accidents.   That is the scientific method in a nutshell.

In Court cases spinal adjusting has been referred to as the “proximal event” for people who experienced a stroke, but rigorous scientific studies have repeatedly demonstrated that the forces involved in spinal “manipulation” were considerable lower than those required to damage a vertebral artery.   So…there’s absolutely no “proof”. [1–4]

In the first of these cited studies, researchers did exactly what I suggest:

One thousand repeat strain cycles mimicking SMT did not cause microdamage in arterial tissue.” [1]

The Stroke and Chiropractic Page contains numerous studies that demonstrate that chiropractic care is orders of magnitude safer than any medical treatment for the identical complaint.

That still doesn’t stop the medical and insurance establishment from making false accusations, just to improve their bottom line.   Although we all work in the healthcare industry, profits usually dictate strategy.   Make the other guy look bad, and increase your own market share.

Chiropractors have the lowest cost for Malpractice Insurance of any of the healing professions for one very good reason, and that’s because of the amazing safety of chiropractic care.

Ask any accountant…   it’s impossible to argue with statistics!


REFERENCES:

  1. Microstructural Damage in Arterial Tissue Exposed to Repeated Tensile Strains
    J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2010 (Jan); 33 (1): 14–19
  2. Vertebral Arteries and Cervical Rotation: Modeling and Magnetic Resonance Angiography Studies
    J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2002 (Jul); 25 (6): 370-383
  3. Association of Internal Carotid Artery Dissection and Chiropractic Manipulation
    Neurologist 2003 (Jan); 9 (1): 35–44 ~ FULL TEXT
  4. Response to Vertebral Artery Dissection Study: Synopsis Paper by Smith et al. Published in May 13, 2003 Issue of Neurology
    Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research