There continues to be many media attacks on the chiropractic profession. These attacks usually come from individuals who are either uninformed or very biased against chiropractic care.
The chiropractic profession must respond to these attacks every time they occur in newspapers, magazines, radio, television, where ever.
While some would recommend that the profession rise up and flood the editor with emotional "hate mail," this is clearly not the best means of attack. Unless that publication receives literally hundreds (or thousands with larger publications) of responses, the effect will be minimal.
But there is one approach that will cut the heart out of any writer or editor: the accusation and proof of ignorance. As anyone in the information business will tell you, the worst possible event is one which demonstrates that you don't know what you are talking about.
The best defense is good offense. The best offense is good research. But, much like a bullet that is never fired, research that is never shared will not influence what the public believes about chiropractic.
There are two papers that have been published in medical journals. (That's right, some of our best "PR" research has been published in non-chiropractic journals.) These two papers could be considered chiropractic's best "one-two punch" when it comes to combating ignorance and misinformation.
The first paper is entitled, "Patient Evaluations of Low Back Pain Care from Family Physicians and Chiropractors" by Daniel C. Cherkin, Ph.D. and Frederick A. MacCornack, Ph.D. This study was published in the March, 1989 issue of the Western Journal of Medicine.
The study is a comparison of health maintenance organization enrollees' evaluations of the care received from family physicians and chiropractors for low back pain. To summarize: "Patients of chiropractors were three times as likely as patients of family physicians to report that they were very satisfied with the care they received for low back pain (66 percent versus 22 percent respectively)..."
The other is "Low Back Pain of Mechanical Origin: Randomized Comparison of Chiropractic and Hospital Outpatient Treatment." The principle investigator is T. W. Meade, F.R.C.P., the director of the Medical Research Council Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit. The study was published in the British Medical Journal (please see "British Researchers Show Chiropractic More Effective," July 4, 1990 issue), one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world.
This paper demonstrates how much more effective chiropractic care was found to be:
"For patients with low back pain in whom manipulation is not contraindicated, chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile, long term benefit in comparison with hospital outpatient management."
Also addressed were the economic advantages of utilizing chiropractic care:
"If all these patients were referred for chiropractic instead of hospital treatment, the annual cost would be about 4 million pounds (British currency). Our results suggest that there might be a reduction of some 290,000 days in sickness absence during two years, saving about 13 million pounds in output and 2.9 million pounds in social security payments."
One pound sterling is approximately equal to $1.80 USD.
These two articles demonstrate chiropractic care (in the case of low back pain) to be found more effective, more cost effective, and (according to patients) more satisfying. What more could we ask for?
We can not afford to keep this a secret. Every day, someone is maligning chiropractic. Editors of health magazines, authors of newsletters, the butcher, the baker, etc., think they know about chiropractic.
The above mentioned studies, however, are documented evidence. They can't be refuted by opinion.
Dynamic Chiropractic has received permission to provide reprints of these two papers to the chiropractic profession. All we ask is that you pay the postage and handling.
For your own copy of these two extremely important studies, please call toll free (800) 327-2289 (to pay by credit card) or use the form below to order by mail. The cost to you is only $4. The benefit to the reputation and understanding of chiropractic is priceless.
Editor's Note: The "Best Defense" was offered in the August 29, 1990 issue. While we have received literally hundreds of requests, this information is so important that it must be in the hands of every chiropractor and student.
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
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