ABSTRACT<\/p>\n
Background:\u00a0 <\/strong>Chiropractic is based on a theory that most disease results from spinal subluxation and interference with nerves.\u00a0 The theory is not supported by experimental evidence nor recognized as plausible by medical scientists.\u00a0 Chiropractic manipulation is known to cause infrequent but devastating complications including death and paralysis.\u00a0 Despite this knowledge, chiropractic has been increasingly accepted by the public.<\/p>\n Objective: <\/strong>The objective of this study was to find out what information about chiropractic is available to the public in a typical public library.<\/p>\n Design:\u00a0 <\/strong>Each book on chiropractic listed in the catalog of the Pierce County Library System was read, the background of the author was determined, the content was summarized, and the text was evaluated for errors and supporting evidence.<\/p>\n Results: <\/strong>\u00a0Nine titles were found.\u00a0 Three were general overviews of chiropractic (one favorable, two critical), one was a rebuttal of attacks on chiropractic, and the other five addressed particular chiropractic methods favored by the authors and included suggestions to buy products or attend the author\u2019s clinic. Only the two books critical of chiropractic were error-free and supported by reasonable evidence.<\/p>\n Conclusion:<\/strong>\u00a0 Adequate information is available in the public library for an intelligent layman to examine the pros and cons of chiropractic. Lack of accessible information does not appear to be a factor in the current trend of increasing acceptance of this pseudoscientific health care system.<\/p>\n BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n Chiropractic is based on a theory that most diseases are caused by subluxations (partial dislocations) in the spine. These subluxations supposedly put pressure on nerves as they exit from the spine, thereby causing disease in all parts of the body, including intracranial and abdominal organs. Maintenance of spinal health by manipulation supposedly allows the body to prevent disease or to heal itself through the Innate, a kind of life force or body wisdom.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n Anatomical subluxations do exist but rarely cause symptoms, and they cannot be corrected by manipulation. Chiropractic subluxations are claimed to be visible on x-ray, but they cannot be detected by radiologists or even agreed upon by different chiropractors.\u00a0 Spinal nerves do not control abdominal or intracranial organs; transplanted kidneys function well with no nerve connections at all. The theory that disease is caused by subluxation and nerve impairment is not supported by experimental evidence nor recognized as plausible by medical scientists[2]<\/a>. Chiropractic manipulation can cause serious complications.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Some chiropractors discourage conventional medical care; over half of chiropractors oppose immunizations.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n Chiropractic is thriving in the U.S.\u00a0\u00a0 Medicare and many insurance plans cover it, industrial accident case referrals are approved in many states, and Veterans Administration hospitals are now mandated by Congress to offer it.\u00a0 This is puzzling in light of the overwhelming evidence that chiropractic is not scientifically valid.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n OBJECTIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n In an attempt to understand the popular support for chiropractic, books in a typical public library were studied to find out what information is available to the general public about chiropractic.<\/p>\n DESIGN<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>The electronic catalog of a public library, the Pierce County Library System in Washington State, was searched for all entries on \u201cchiropractic,\u201d including \u201cchiropractic \u2013 popular works,\u201d \u201cchiropractic \u2013 complications,\u201d \u201cchiropractic \u2013 errors,\u201d and \u201cchiropractic- applied kinesiology.\u201d Each book was read by the author and reviewed with particular attention to scientific accuracy.\u00a0 The background of the author was noted. The content of each book was summarized and characterized.\u00a0 Scientific errors were noted.\u00a0 Supporting evidence was sought in the text and references.<\/p>\n RESULTS<\/strong><\/p>\n Nine different titles were found (some were listed under more than one category).\u00a0 Three books were general overviews of chiropractic (one favorable, two critical), one was a rebuttal of attacks on chiropractic, and five addressed particular chiropractic methods favored by the authors and advocated buying products or attending the author\u2019s clinic.<\/p>\n Author:<\/u>\u00a0 Nathaniel Altman is the author of several books on alternative health and mystical topics, including Sacred Trees, Sexual Palmistry, Oxygen Healing Therapies for Optimum Health and Vitality,<\/em> and A Russian Herbal. <\/em><\/p>\n Content<\/u>:\u00a0 The basic premises are that the body heals itself, that it will stay healthy if there is an unobstructed flow of nerve impulses, and that subluxation impedes nerve flow.\u00a0 The philosophy is vitalistic, recognizing something immaterial that makes us greater than the sum of parts.\u00a0 Allopathic (conventional) medicine is criticized and described as \u201cconfrontational.\u201d\u00a0 Too many drugs are used: they can cause side effects. Too many operations are performed: organs interact and when an organ is removed the others may not be able to compensate; health is not usually as good as before surgery.<\/p>\n Chiropractic is not interested in discovering or applying remedies. Chiropractors don\u2019t cure disease, the body cures itself; 80% of all disease is self-limiting. Some people are exposed without getting sick; germs only work in weakened systems. Allopathy maintains that only what we can see and measure scientifically is of any value. Chiropractic \u201cteaches that there is \u2018something else\u2019 that cannot be measured with scientific instruments\u201d \u2013 the Innate.<\/p>\n Manipulation is also done by physical therapists and osteopaths, but adjustment is a more precise and sudden \u201cdynamic thrust\u201d that is only done by chiropractors. Chiropractors claim to be better trained in spinal anatomy, biomechanics, etc. than other health professionals. In addition to musculoskeletal problems, chiropractic is said to be effective for chronic fatigue, the common cold,\u00a0 neurological disease, hypertension, gastrointestinal disorders, sinusitis, migraine, asthma, emotional problems, heart trouble, depression, hyperactivity, violence, rheumatoid arthritis, goiter, cerebral palsy, scleroderma, cirrhosis, liver cancer, epilepsy, encephalitis, hydrocephalus, and multiple sclerosis, among others.\u00a0 Special needs groups include athletes, dancers, older adults, pregnancy (sacroiliac pain \u201caffects 50%\u201d and causes \u201cextreme discomfort\u201d), birth trauma, and scoliosis. Chiropractic can\u2019t cure cancer, but will help the body fight it. A testimonial from an AIDS patient is included. Chiropractic is said to be valid because celebrities such as Hubert Humphrey and Burt Reynolds use it.<\/p>\n D.D. Palmer thought 95% of disease was due to the spine and 5% to other bones; B.J. Palmer (his son) treated only the spine. The profession eventually split into two divisions: the mixers (who use other treatment modalities) and the straights (who only use spinal adjustment). A battle ensued with organized medicine (\u201cthe enemy\u201d) which supposedly conspired against chiropractic and denied it research funding. This led to the Wilks antitrust suit against the American Medical Association.<\/p>\n Adjunct treatment methods are described.\u00a0 Acupressure may be used, although it stimulates the flow of energy, which is the opposite of what chiropractic purports to do. Applied kinesiology: \u201chelps locate and correct imbalances in the body\u2019s energy system through muscles relating to the body\u2019s 12 major organs. It also can determine whether the imbalance is nutritional, psychological, or structural.\u201d Chiropractors may use it for testing, and then treat with manipulation. Cranial therapy removes obstructions to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which nourishes the nerves, carries away impurities, and promotes nerve transmission throughout the body. Massage and physical therapy may be used as well.<\/p>\n It describes a visit to a chiropractor, with tests such as moir\u00e9 contourography and thermography. It describes several types of adjustment, including sacro-occipital and cranial therapy. It discusses how to choose a chiropractor, and advises avoiding chiropractors who promise cures, offer contracts, or are unwilling to refer when appropriate.<\/p>\n General health advice is offered: stress reduction, breathing, communing with Innate Intelligence, healthy diet, exercise, avoiding overweight, and avoiding alcohol.\u00a0 A balanced diet supposedly doesn\u2019t provide adequate nutrition; many chiropractors sell vitamins and diet supplements.<\/p>\n Errors<\/u>:\u00a0 It states that \u201cPalmer\u2019s theory is now accepted by modern science,\u201d which is false. The definition of subluxation is fuzzy, indicating that it is not anatomical but functional, due to excessive physical, chemical, or emotional stress. Symptoms of subluxation are compared to referred pain from a ruptured disc, a false analogy. It describes the \u201cpop\u201d of adjustment as an actual realignment rather than the \u201cknuckle-cracking\u201d phenomenon it really is.\u00a0 It states that subluxation can compress the vertebral arteries.\u00a0 (In fact, subluxation can\u2019t, but manipulation can.\u00a0 Patients with posterior circulation strokes under the age of 45 are 5 times more likely than controls to have visited a chiropractor within one week of the event).[6]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 It claims that when chiropractic doesn\u2019t work it is usually because the patient sought medical care first. It claims that chiropractic can treat slipped discs, whereas medical doctors and many chiropractors believe slipped discs are a contraindication to manipulation.<\/p>\n Although there is a whole chapter on exercise, there is nothing<\/em> about smoking, the major preventable cause of death. Hours of instruction are compared, asserting that chiropractic students get 480 hours of training in diagnosis and medical students only get 174 hours, while at the same time claiming the chiropractor\u2019s goal is not to diagnose. Nerve charts do not correspond to known anatomy. Nerves are shown connecting the neck to the ear (\u201cwhiplash injury can damage nerves affecting the ear\u201d) although the nerves to the ear are contained within the skull, not the neck.\u00a0 It claims complications occur only when chiropractic guidelines are not followed and it criticizes malpractice in conventional medicine. It does not address the known complications of manipulation itself.\u00a0 It claims that the cost of chiropractic is half the cost of medical care (this is not substantiated by valid studies).\u00a0 It states that chiropractic is preventive and helps us \u201cbecome self-reliant rather than dependent on a health professional to periodically \u2018fix\u2019 our symptoms,\u201d yet at the same time it advocates dependence on the chiropractor for manipulation at birth (for birth trauma) and continuing throughout life to maintain health.<\/p>\n Evidence<\/u>: Few statements are supported by evidence.\u00a0 Twelve pages of references are listed, mostly from chiropractic and popular sources. There is nothing in the references to support ideas that Altman accepts unquestioningly, such as thermography, moir\u00e9 contourography, sacro-occipital technique and applied kinesiology.\u00a0 A New Zealand study is quoted to support chiropractic effectiveness for non-musculoskeletal complaints:\u00a0 \u201cin some cases this is at least a possibility.\u201d\u00a0 This is apparently the strongest support available.<\/p>\n 1969).<\/p>\n Author:<\/u>\u00a0 A medical journalist wrote this critique of chiropractic in 1969.\u00a0 In his investigations, he visited chiropractic clinics as a patient, attended a chiropractor\u2019s trial for murder, and attended a practice-building seminar.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u>\u00a0 He starts by describing the death of Linda Epping, a child with rhabdomyosarcoma whose parents were persuaded to forgo surgery in favor of spinal adjustments and a regimen of 124 pills a day including vitamins, minerals, food supplements, laxatives, desiccated ox bile and extract of beef eyes. A tumor covered one side of her face at death, so \u201cmonstrous\u201d that pictures could not be shown to the jury at the chiropractor\u2019s trial for murder.<\/p>\n A grocer, D.D. Palmer, who thought he cured a man of deafness by manipulating his spine, invented chiropractic. He\u00a0 \u201c\u2026could hardly be expected to know that the nerves of hearing are self-contained in the head and do not reach the spine.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 He and his son founded a \u201csect of true believers\u201d and developed a profitable business. According to his son, the principal functions of the spine were: \u201cTo support the head, To support the ribs, To support the chiropractor.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith posed as a patient. When he presented the classic symptoms of a slipped disc, he was treated for subluxations in his upper neck, chest, and lower back; the treatments caused<\/em> him to develop back pain. When he presented the classic symptoms of coronary artery disease, his symptoms were ignored and he was treated with an adjustment of the 5th<\/sup> thoracic vertebra and the hips.<\/p>\n He attended a \u201cChiropractic Research Seminar\u201d which proved to be a program of sales tactics for attracting and keeping customers, taking as much money from them as possible, and steering them away from medical treatment. He researched gadgeteers such as Dr. Ruth Drown, who tested blood samples in her machine and treated patients by long distance (she once diagnosed chickenpox and mumps from samples that were actually from a healthy turkey, sheep and pig).\u00a0 He describes inadequacies in chiropractic education, overuse of x-rays, attempts to treat cancer and other serious diseases with inpatient manipulations at the Spears Chiropractic Hospital, and devastating complications including stroke, paralysis, fracture and death.<\/p>\n Errors<\/u>:\u00a0 No obvious errors were noted.<\/p>\n Evidence:<\/u>\u00a0 He explains why testimonials are meaningless, what a placebo is, and how scientific investigation should be done. He quotes a McGill University medical faculty statement: \u201cBiology is probably the most complex and difficult of sciences and human biology its most important branch.\u00a0 To reduce it to one primary mechanical concept is simpleminded and dangerous.\u201d He writes in a popular style, but supports his statements with specifics and quotes authorities.<\/p>\n Author:\u00a0\u00a0 The late George Magner had a B.S. in biology and worked in research. He developed complications of shoulder pain, tinnitus and sensory impairment in the foot from inappropriate manipulations by a chiropractor.\u00a0 His personal story occupies only five short paragraphs.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u>\u00a0 Mr. Magner made an extensive study of chiropractic. He covers its history, rationale, education and licensure, marketing tactics, dubious diagnostics and therapeutics, insurance abuses, risks, press coverage and research considerations. He includes numerous illustrations of chiropractic ads and quack devices such as the Nervo-scope, the Activator, the Toftness Radiation Detector and a Voll electrodiagnostic machine.<\/p>\n His writing is reasoned and unemotional. An entire chapter consists of constructive suggestions, such as a proposed statement of full disclosure to patients:<\/p>\n \u2026The known risks of manipulative therapy include stroke, disc rupture, fractured bones, paralysis, permanent joint damage, and soft tissue damage. The rates of these complications are probably small, but they have not been reliably determined.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There are useful alternatives to spinal manipulation, and there are different types of manipulation, some of which are less likely to cause injury. The large majority of back problems do get better within two months of onset without treatment. Claims that spinal manipulation can remedy systemic diseases, boost immunity, improve general health, or prolong life, have neither scientific justification nor a plausible rationale.<\/p>\n Errors:<\/u>\u00a0 There are a few minor errors.\u00a0 It says most physicians use the term partial dislocation<\/em> rather than subluxation.\u00a0 In fact, subluxation is a legitimate term with a precise definition; the problem is that chiropractors don\u2019t use the accepted definition. \u00a0<\/em>The author\u2019s definition of spondylolisthesis is flawed, but this is irrelevant to the argument.<\/p>\n Evidence:<\/u>\u00a0 The coverage of chiropractic is thorough, scholarly, fair, and based on hard evidence. Every statement is substantiated. Numbers in brackets throughout the text refer to a list of 272 references, including chiropractic literature and scientifically oriented sources.<\/p>\n Author<\/u>: The author of this self-published book is a chiropractor who later sued the AMA for conspiracy.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u>\u00a0 Dr.Wilk offers the following arguments in defense of chiropractic:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Errors<\/u>: The above arguments are less than convincing. A chapter on \u201cThe Tools of the Propagandists\u201d lists innuendo, exception to the rule, obsolete material, material out of context and half-truths. Dr. Wilk uses all these tools in his book.\u00a0 For instance, he characterizes our society as one of\u00a0 \u201ciatrogenic disease, drug addiction and a steadily declining life expectancy among the nations of the world.\u201d\u00a0 In our drug-oriented society, \u201cthe medical physician, as the prescriber of these drugs, is the obvious benefactor of this [pharmaceutical] advertising.\u201d\u00a0 After smallpox was eliminated in the U.S. and vaccination was no longer being recommended, he claimed that medicine was finally repeating what chiropractic had been saying all along. The whole tone of the book is polemical, as is the title itself.<\/p>\n Evidence:<\/u>\u00a0 There are 26 pages of bibliography. The references largely fall into 3 categories: chiropractic literature, medical literature that does not address chiropractic, and popular sources such as newspaper articles. There is very little on evaluation of chiropractic by non-chiropractors.<\/p>\n Author:<\/u>\u00a0 This self-published book by a chiropractor begins with a recommendation that every man, woman and child should have a weekly spine check and ends with an invitation to attend the author\u2019s three-day seminar.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u>\u00a0 It describes how family members can adjust each other at home. Its philosophy includes the ideas of subluxation, nerve impairment, the innate mind, life force, the wisdom of the body to heal itself, and leg length assessment. It is a short book with many pictures; however, brief as it is, the text includes numerous misstatements of fact.<\/p>\n Errors:<\/u>\u00a0 The following errors were noted:<\/p>\n Potentially dangerous advice is given:<\/p>\n Unproven nutritional theories are advocated, such as the need to eat fruits and vegetables that are \u201calive,\u201d and the classification of foods into builders, eliminators, lubricators and sweets and starches. It also recommends that the aspiring manipulator practice feeling a single human hair through a sheet of paper. \u201cWhen you can feel and find that one hair under a ream of one hundred sheets of paper, you will have developed intuition with regard to physical sensitivity.\u201d<\/p>\n Evidence<\/u>: No evidence is given to support any of the book\u2019s allegations.<\/p>\n Author<\/u>: Dr. Cutler is a chiropractor who uses the BioSET system and WellZyme products, which are promoted in the book.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u>\u00a0 According to Dr. Cutler, \u201cundigested food is the single most prevalent cause of allergic reactions, and most of the everyday health problems we experience….come from these.\u201d Food allergies can be due to \u201cpoor diet, not chewing food sufficiently, or sensitivity to enzymes found in food and in the body;\u201d one fifth of babies are allergic to breast milk, and patients may be allergic to their own blood, glands and organs, to vitamins, hormones, amino acids, sugars, and even to water.<\/p>\n To test for allergies, she puts a glass vial containing the allergen in the patient\u2019s hand and presses down on the opposite arm. If the patient is allergic, the muscle feels weaker. Plastic vials won\u2019t work. Actually, the reagents she uses \u201cdo not contain the actual substances but instead are energetic carriers of substance signatures made by various homeopathic suppliers.\u201d<\/p>\n Allergies supposedly cause symptoms by blocking the body\u2019s electromagnetic energy pathways. To cure an allergy, the patient holds the \u201callergen\u201d while chiropractic techniques stimulate the acupuncture site connected to the appropriate meridian. This cures the allergy. The author admits she doesn\u2019t know how it works.<\/p>\n Other recommendations include detoxification by fasting, juicing, macrobiotic diet, exercise, massage, drinking water, breathing, dry skin brushing, baths and saunas, coffee enemas, and homeopathy. Toxicity can be prevented by counseling, flower remedies, laughter therapy, and eliminating electromagnetic stress in homes\u00a0 (\u201clocate your bedroom as far away as you can from where electric current enters into your house\u201d).<\/p>\n Enzyme therapy is recommended, specifically 22 different WellZyme products. Each has a specific purpose, including bone health, male vigor, blood sugar balance, mental focus, lung health, etc. If you don\u2019t take enzyme supplements, you must \u201cchew each morsel of food at least thirty times.\u201d<\/p>\n Errors<\/u>: None of this material holds up to scientific scrutiny. True allergies are to proteins only.\u00a0 Enzyme therapy cannot work because the enzymes are destroyed by digestion in the stomach and jejunum. The only effect of prolonged chewing is jaw muscle fatigue and reduced enjoyment of meals.\u00a0 Acupuncture meridians cannot be demonstrated, nor can \u201celectromagnetic pathways.\u201d<\/p>\n The muscle testing method described is a type of applied kinesiology, which has been proved ineffective when the patient holds the substance under the tongue. Holding the allergen in a glass vial would only compound the ineffectiveness, particularly when the solution is so dilute there is not likely to be even one molecule of the allergen left. The idea that some ill-defined \u201ctoxicity\u201d requires detoxification is not supported by any known facts.<\/p>\n Evidence:<\/u>\u00a0 No evidence is given. There are no references to substantiate any of the claims. The bibliography contains 17 works such as Foods That Fight Pain<\/em>, The New Pritikin Program<\/em>, and two of the author\u2019s own books.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Author:<\/u>\u00a0 Dr. Finnigan is a practitioner of atlas orthogonal chiropractic. The book is self-published and self-promotional and was donated to the library by its author. It ends with testimonials, product information and an invitation to the author\u2019s clinic.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u>\u00a0 It offers to help the reader rediscover his vital \u201clife force,\u201d and tune into it for health amplification.\u00a0 It describes six foundational keys to health amplification:<\/p>\n Dr. Finnigan\u2019s theory is that subluxation of the first cervical vertebra, the atlas, can clog the entire nerve system and affect blood flow throughout the body. His method requires precision analysis and treatment via an imperceptible percussion wave directed toward the atlas vertebra at a precise vector determined by the Atlas Orthogonal Instrument. This procedure requires \u201cyears of clinical experience and post graduate studies\u201d and there are \u201conly about 45 doctors world-wide who are certified.\u201d<\/p>\n Errors<\/u>:\u00a0 Incorrect statements include:<\/p>\n Evidence:<\/u>\u00a0 Many statements are vague, mystical and not amenable to validation:<\/p>\n No references are given to substantiate any of the claims made. There is no scientific validity to the methods described, and the theory is fanciful.<\/p>\n Author<\/u>: Dr. Mein is a chiropractor who specializes in Transpersonal Physiology and is trained in acupuncture, kinesiology and bio-nutrition. She invented the \u201c25 Body Type System.\u201d These books promote her system and advertise various items including books, videos, questionnaires, and a dietary guide.<\/p>\n Content:<\/u> Dr. Mein read Dr. Abravanel\u2019s Body TypeDiet and Lifetime Nutritional Plan, <\/em>and expanded his theory to include 25 body types, which she discovered and verified by muscle testing (applied kinesiology).\u00a0 The types are: adrenal, balanced, blood, brain, eye, gallbladder, gonadal, heart, hypothalamus, intestinal, kidney, liver, lung, lymph, medulla, nervous system, pancreas, pineal, pituitary, skin, spleen, stomach, thalamus, thymus, thyroid. She claims that the dominant organ determines physical characteristics such as the shape of the torso and the appearance of the musculature. Each body type is associated with a different personality, according to symbolic connections; for example,\u00a0 \u201c\u2026just as the intestines openly accept everything that comes in and then discern between nutrients and waste material\u2026the Intestinal body type is discerning. They approach life with an openness, taking everything in, and then letting go of what isn\u2019t appropriate\u2026.their initial response to life is emotional (but) they generally don\u2019t trust their emotions, so they gather as much information as possible to make a logical decision.\u201d\u00a0 Each type has distinct dietary and exercise requirements.<\/p>\n Around 14 pages are devoted to each body type, describing distinguishing features, weight gain areas, potential health problems, recommended exercise, psychological type, characteristic personality traits, motivation, best and worst trends, healthy food list, sensitive food list, foods to avoid, detailed plans for weight loss or gain, advice on what to eat, how often, and what time of day. For example, the hypothalamus type assimilates raw vegetables best at lunch, cooked vegetables best at dinner, and should always eat broccoli, zucchini and yellow squash raw; and\u00a0 \u201cFor the heart type, exercise is optional.\u201d<\/p>\n Readers are advised to drink half a gallon daily of water that is free of chlorine, fluoride, bacteria, etc.\u00a0 If your water is not quite right,\u00a0 \u201c…there are devices available that can be used to polarize water, such as the Harmonizer by Rainbow Crossings or polarizer wands or pillows by Spring Life Polarity. Both will neutralize chemicals and bacteria\u2026\u201d An illustration shows what appears to be a metal bar lying across the top of a glass of water.<\/p>\n Errors: <\/u>\u00a0\u00a0There is very little in this book that is not an error, a misinterpretation, or an unevaluated speculation.\u00a0 An example: \u201cWhen an atom loses an electron, it loses it\u2019s [sic] positive spin and spins counterclockwise\u2026Polarization supplies the missing electron by bringing in positive energy or electrons, thereby neutralizing the negative effects of the bacteria.\u201d<\/p>\n Evidence:<\/u>\u00a0 There is no reference or bibliography. The information presented is based solely on anecdote and on a muscle testing method known to be invalid. There was no attempt to verify findings.\u00a0 There is no scientific validity to the information presented.<\/p>\n Conclusion: <\/strong>\u00a0Nine books on chiropractic were found in the catalog of a public library.\u00a0 One was a general overview of chiropractic from a favorable point of view. Two were critiques of chiropractic by laymen. One was a chiropractor\u2019s polemical rebuttal of anti-chiropractic criticism. The other five were descriptions of specific methods used by certain individual chiropractors, containing what amounted to a sales pitch for those methods. Three of the pro-chiropractic books were self-published.\u00a0 Books published in the last five years were uniformly pseudoscientific. Only two books (Magner and Smith) were found to be dispassionate, reasoned, based on acceptable evidence and scientifically accurate: both were critiques of chiropractic.<\/p>\n Although books favorable to chiropractic outnumbered those critical of chiropractic, the critical books were distinctly superior in scientific accuracy and supporting evidence. Adequate information is available in the public library for an intelligent layman to examine the pros and cons of chiropractic. Lack of accessible information does not appear to be a factor in the current trend of increasing acceptance of this pseudoscientific health care system.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Palmer, DD. The Chiropractor<\/em>. (Facsimile reprint: Montana, Kessinger Publishing Co., no date listed): 1914.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Homola, S. Inside Chiropractic: A Patient\u2019s Guide. <\/em>Amherst, New York: Prometheus, 1999.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Stewart, B. Canadian Neurologists warn against neck manipulation. Available at http:\/\/www.chirobase.org\/15News\/neurol.html<\/a>. Accessed November 9, 2002.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Barrett, S. Chiropractors and immunization. Available at .http:\/\/www.chirobase.org\/06DD\/chiroimmu.html<\/a> Accessed November 9, 2002.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Chotkowski, L. Chiropractic: The Greatest Hoax of the Century?<\/em> Kensington, Connecticut: New England Books, 2002.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Rothwell DM, Bondy SJ, Williams I. Case control study of chiropractic manipulation and stroke. Stroke 2001 (5) 1054-1060.<\/p>\n This article was originally published in the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine<\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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