While public television has been responsible for many great programs, a
recent episode of "Scientific American Frontiers" has many
chiropractors wondering if it's begun groveling to the medical
conglomerates that frequently fund its shows.
The show's segment, "A Different Way to Heal?," was touted as
an examination of alternative health care approaches, yet provided
one-sided, blatantly inaccurate information that did nothing but promote
the medical monopoly. Upon learning of the show, the International
Chiropractors Association began a profession-wide campaign to generate a
huge grassroots response to PBS.
The World Chiropractic Alliance immediately threw its support behind
the ICA campaign, pledging to use its extensive communication network to
get word of the effort to thousands of doctors around the world.
"In the broadcast that first aired on June 4th, hosted by
well-known celebrity Alan Alda, chiropractic is represented as being
unscientific, religion-based and extremely dangerous, all representations
which are insulting and damaging to the 55,000 doctors of chiropractic who
are licensed doctor-level health care providers and the millions of
patients who are under their care," the ICA noted in its press
release.
"The producers of this show made an obvious decision to seek out
chiropractic's most virulent critics, presenting their assertions as fact,
and characterizing the few positive aspects of chiropractic noted in the
show, such as the enthusiastic testimonial of a patient, as unreliable and
lacking in validity."
ICA President Dr. D.D. Umber said, "It is crystal clear that from
start to finish, the objective of this production was to project the most
negative picture of chiropractic possible. The carefully crafted,
demeaning language, the complete distortion of the most basic facts about
chiropractic and the absence of any reference to any of the landmark
elements of chiropractic's validity, from state licensure and Medicare
inclusion to any of the hundreds of studies that provide compelling
evidence of chiropractic's effectiveness, reveal the editorial mission of
this production."
Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., president of the World Chiropractic Alliance,
agreed.
"We have been seeing an increase in media attacks lately and I do
not for a moment believe this is a coincidence," he stated.
"Instead, I feel certain this is an orchestrated attempt at stopping
the progress of chiropractic. Our opponents in the medical and
pharmaceutical industries see the inroads we have made and are feeling
threatened. The revenue generated by medical and drug advertising and
funding give them tremendous leverage over the content of these reports.
Our profession, and the public, must make it clear that such slander and
misinformation will not be tolerated. We, as health care providers and
consumers, can exert equal pressure on media to present balanced and
truthful reports. But we must act quickly and forcefully."
Dr. Rondberg added that if any newspaper, magazine or television
station received several thousand letters of protest, they would not be
able to ignore the demands of readers and viewers.
Doctors are urged to make their opinions known to PBS about the show.
