Tallahassee Democrat  Newspaper
Dec. 29, 2004
 
Chiropractic is thriving in spite of demagoguery

By Lance Armstrong, DC

Re: "Question of science" (news article, Dec. 12).

Tallahassee Democrat reporter Melanie Yeager's attempt to draw attention to the efforts of 
Raymond Bellamy, a Tallahassee orthopedic surgeon scheming to derail the new 
chiropractic college at Florida State University, carried an unfortunate headline. It more 
correctly should have been headlined: "Question of demagoguery."

Bellamy is a longtime and shrill foe of chiropractic, and he is clearly spewing his 
demagoguery in what is perhaps best characterized as a desperate personal crusade. To 
provide a dais from which to deliver his brand of outdated professional bigotry is an insult 
to the thoughtfulness of Democrat readers.

Chiropractic, the fastest-growing of all the major healing arts professions, is licensed and 
regulated in all 50 states, covered by major health care plans and included in federal 
government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Veterans Administration. This is 
certainly not the kind of environment known for welcoming professionals trained in 
"pseudoscience" based on "gobbledygook."

Contrary to what Bellamy would like readers to believe, a growing body of scientific 
evidence overwhelmingly supports the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and safety of 
chiropractic care.

In fact, a summary of no less than 73 clinical trials involving spinal manipulation published 
just recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine published by the American College of 
Physicians - the nation's largest medical specialty professional society - attests to the 
effectiveness of chiropractic treatment in managing back pain with none of the trials having 
produced negative results.

Equally troubling is Bellamy's suggestion as to the "dangers" of chiropractic manipulation. 
While there is certainly some degree of risk involved in any procedure, chiropractic care 
offers patients significantly less risk in the treatment of cervical and back conditions and 
injuries than more "traditional" medical treatments that employ surgery and the use of 
prescription drugs.

Bellamy's concerns are ironic in light of a recent article in The Journal of the American 
Medical Association stating that medical care is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., 
causing 250,000 deaths every year, including 12,000 unnecessary surgeries, 7,000 
medication errors in hospitals, 20,000 other errors in hospitals, 80,000 infections in 
hospitals and 106,000 deaths from non-error, negative side effects of drugs.

Perhaps what these critics fear most - and what motivates this specious 12th-hour attack - is 
that as chiropractic education and research continues to evolve and prosper, not only at 
FSU but also at other public universities around the world, it will offer patients the ability 
to make more informed decisions about their health care. At that point, it is entirely possible 
their first choice may not be traditional medical treatment.

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Lance Armstrong is president of the Florida Chiropractic Association, Inc. Contact him at 
www.fcachiro.org.