On Jan. 24 1978, the New Zealand governor-general referred to a Commission of Inquiry an investigation to determine the desirability of providing for reimbursement of chiropractic benefits under the New Zealand Social Security Act and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Act. The commision's findings would impact chiropractic worldwide for decades to come.
If It's WAR They Want...
In his speech before the Ontario Medical Association in Toronto, Dr. Murray Katz stated:
"Now there is (sic) Canadian paediatricians all across Canada. I'm the mouthpiece for that. I can tell you there is (sic) 25 people behind me, heads of all the hospitals who are going to make a public pronouncement about this in the next couple of weeks, and they are going to be asking the media all over the province to stop treatment of children of paediatric age up to 18. That's going to be all across Canada."As you can see, Dr. Katz has made good on his promise. His comrades have made their public pronouncement (please see "Orthopractic Declares WAR on Chiropractic Pediatrics" beginning on the front page of this issue). The war on chiropractic pediatrics is just beginning.
Do you think that's all it is?
Guess again.
Look at the statements made by the Canadian pediatricians. Consider them carefully:
Statement number one tells the world that chiropractic "is NOT required as a preventive therapy to maintain a child's health." Well, if this is true, how can we ever expect adults to believe chiropractic care will help maintain their health?
Statement number four states that chiropractic x-rays are "of no value whatsoever" and "without any benefit for the child." Again, if there is no benefit for children, why should the public believe there is any benefit for anyone?
Statement number five states that spinal adjustments for children "are ineffective and useless." How is a child's spine so much different than an adult's? When my 14-year-old son gets tackled on the football field, should he wait four years for treatment?
Statement number 10 is potentially the most damaging of all. According to the Canadian pediatricians, the only way you should be allowed to manage children is under "medical consultation" and in adherence to the "Orthopractic Guidelines." Again, what is good for the children is good for the parents.
In the last statement, Dr. Katz, as the "mouthpiece" for the pediatricians, attempts to tell the Canadian and provincial governments that it is "irresponsible and a total waste of our limited financial resources" to reimburse chiropractors for treating children. They then call upon all governments "to immediately suspend all chiropractic payments in the pediatric age group, i.e., up to age 18 years."
Is this Dr. Katz' concept of the Canadian health plan?
Is the Canadian health care system such that pediatricians can decide what chiropractic services are covered?
What about the children? What about the freedom of choice for parents who know the results their children enjoy from chiropractic?
This is obviously nothing more than a turf war. The pediatricians know that if chiropractors stop seeing children, it won't be too long until their remaining patients pass away. They want to see chiropractic die off with our existing patients so that they can have children (and the rest of the population) as a monopoly.
Dr. Katz, a large group of PTs, and a few misguided chiropractors have joined forces with the medical community to chip away at your chiropractic practice until you are an orthopractic technician under the "consultation" of a medical doctor. This is an attack on the very heart of chiropractic.
Every chiropractor in the world should consider the actions of Dr. Katz and company. Each of us can play a part in fighting this very unscientific attempt to destroy the profession. It will take appeals to the media, more chiropractic research, and a firm stance against Dr. Katz, his followers, and the politics of pediatric medicine. We must challenge every statement they make until we force them to admit that they have no evidence and that all of this is a political war for patients.
DMP Jr., BS, HCD(hc)