Medical World's View of Chiropractic

The lawsuit against Medical World (the publisher of the Chiropractic Products magazine) may be startling to some, but the net effect of that lawsuit on the profession right now is limited (see front page). And while the lawsuit may make certain advertisers a little nervous, what matters to most DCs is what they read in each issue.

Some may have been concerned when Medical World took over the publication of Chiropractic Products. After all, it is predominantly a publisher of medical magazines: Physical Therapy Products; Plastic Surgery Products; Cardiology Review; Resident and Staff Physician; Family Practice Re-certification; Surgical Rounds; and a podiatric, orthodontic and dentistry magazine, respectively.

Over the last two years (2001-2002), the information provided by Chiropractic Products has generally reflected mainstream chiropractic. Front-page articles have included topics such as:

• sports chiropractic;


• multidisciplinary DCs;


• patient exercise programs;


• pediatric chiropractic; and


• "high rollers."

However, the last two issues of the publication have caused a bit of a stir among various people in the profession.

The December 2002 issue began with an article entitled "The Price is Right."¹ Publication editor Miwon Seo compared chiropractic to yoga, and suggested that DCs might earn more money if they put a "box on the wall" of their reception rooms and asked for donations, instead of charging a professional fee.

What kind of image would the chiropractic profession have if this practice was standard among DCs?

The January 2003 issue followed with a cover story that stated, "(o)ffering laser hair removal as an adjunct service proves to be a practice-builder ..." for chiropractic doctors.² The article went on to discuss the merits of laser hair removal for three entire pages.

I'm not saying laser hair removal is generally a bad thing - but does Chiropractic Products' new medical publisher see it as a core element of chiropractic care? It's safe to say that the vast majority of DCs would agree that hair removal has no place in chiropractic.

This is not the first time an article has raised eyebrows since Medical World took control. In the September 2001 issue, Ms. Seo seemingly defended the efforts of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) to intervene in the American Chiropractic Association's (ACA) lawsuit against HCFA. This lawsuit was filed for the entire profession in an effort to secure chiropractors' rights to be the sole providers of chiropractic care. She ended her article by suggesting that instead of the lawsuit, "(t)he dignified course of action would be to allow patients to decide."³

That's the whole point of the lawsuit. Right now, patients don't decide - MDs, nurses and administrators do!

These recent articles are causing some to question Medical World's opinion of chiropractic.

In an independent survey,⁴ DCs across the country were asked to decide which chiropractic publication they would choose if they could only read one. Chiropractic Products came in sixth place out of eight, with less than 5 percent choosing that publication.

Perhaps the same question should be asked of Medical World. It puts out at least 11 publications: one physical therapy; six medical; one dentistry; one orthodontic; one podiatric; and one chiropractic. If asked to prioritize them, where would chiropractic fall? Because medicine is more than half its business, does that affect Medical World's vision and respect for chiropractic? How can it publish a physical therapy magazine and a chiropractic magazine, without having to ultimately take sides between the two warring professions?

One can't help but feel that the last two issues of Chiropractic Products are reflective of Medical World's honest view of chiropractic:

• We are less than doctors, and should be willing to take any amount of payment (donation) for a chiropractic adjustment.
• If DCs want to increase their income to that of "real doctors," hair removal, cellulite suction and bikini waxing are the way to go.

References

 

1. The price is right. Chiropractic Products, December 2002.
2. Hair-raising venture. Chiropractic Products, January 2003.
3. Two legs to stand on. Chiropractic Products, September 2001.
4. National survey of chiropractic publications. ResearchUSA, November 2002.

DMP Jr.