Michigan Chiropractic Council Comments On Chiropractic & Children Article

Dear Doctors,

Be prepared to get angry when you read the following article from Reuters. (Link to study available below) What really raised my ire was the fact that the basis for the title had nothing to do with dangerous outcomes from chiropractic care but because so many children are seeing chiropractors! The reality is that the effectiveness of chiropractic care was never studied. The basis for the concern is the fact that so many kids are now seeing chiropractors and because “Pediatric chiropractic care is often inconsistent with recommended medical guidelines.” Pray tell me what are the recommended medical guidelines for chiropractic care! – NONE!!

The article also notes that, according to the study (I use that term VERY LIGHTLY because the “study” involved a survey of 90 chiropractors in the Boston area) 7% of chiropractors recommend against vaccinations. As all of you know vaccinations are getting a whole lot more negative press than chiropractic. When will Reuters do a story on “Vaccine Program Raises Questions.”

The real danger of chiropractic care, according to the researcher, was “children frequently visit DCs for respiratory problems, ear, nose and throat problems, and general preventive care.” OH NO! NOT GENERAL PREVENTIVE CARE!! Why did the researcher not ask whether it was effective or not? Why not ask if it worked??

Here is the final paragraph of the article:

“These issues raise great concern as more and more children and families seek chiropractic care, particularly if the care is not coordinated with a pediatrician,” conclude the researchers in the April issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Potential concerns include complications due to spinal manipulation, delay of appropriate medical treatment when needed, and failure to promote childhood immunizations.”

I would like to see a similar article from a chiropractic viewpoint on medicine with the following final paragraph:

“Medical care of children raises great concern as more and more healthy children are forced to submit to mandatory vaccines, ritalin and prozac, particularly if the family has chosen to be drug free. Potential concerns include death, seizures, learning disabilities, neurological damage and long term disease along with delay of appropriate chiropractic adjustments and failure to promote childhood HEALTH!”

It is up to us to CHANGE THE PARADIGM!!

Kerry T. Kilpatrick, D.C., (Hon) F.I.C.A.
Michigan Chiropractic Council – Your Partner In Practice

Here are some useful links:

Planet Chiropractic – MD’s are concerned about chiropractors seeing children