British Chiropractic Association v Simon Singh

BillC said:
I wonder what is going behind the scenes at Private Eye on that one. Their medical correspondent "M.D."
..... has shown a decidedly pro-sCAM stance on occasions.
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Yes, he certainly doesn’t seem to have any qualms about rubbing shoulders with the alt-med crowd. For example, a couple of years ago he chaired an event called ‘New Horizons for Integrated Health’ which was hosted by the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health:

http://www.primhe.org/upload/FIH New Horizons Conference.pdf

http://primarycaretoday.co.uk/?pid=4216&lsid=4328&edname=22902.htm&ped=22902

And in his book, he rather naively claimed that chiropractors in the UK were now "respectable" because they had been statutorily regulated.


Returning to the topic of this thread, it’s interesting to note that in the November 2008 issue of Pediatrics, Professor Edzard Ernst challenged chiropractic organisations to either provide convincing evidence for the paediatric conditions they claimed to be able to treat or to change their websites’ messages:
“Chiropractors seem to believe that infants and children routinely require spinal adjustments. Their professional organizations' statements leave little doubt about this…..The following are 5 examples:

THE BRITISH CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION
“As children grow, chiropractic can help not only the strains caused by the rough and tumble of life but also with some of the problems that children can suffer in their first years: Colic—sleeping and feeding problems—frequent ear infections—asthma—prolonged crying.”

THE CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND
"Even today's ‘natural’ childbirth methods can affect an infant's spine. Preliminary studies suggested that colic, unusual crying, poor appetite, ear infections or erratic sleeping habits can be signs of spinal distress.”

THE McTIMONEY CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION
“Irritability, fractiousness, feeding problems, continuous crying, sleeps little, difficult to settle, colic, sickness and wind - all of these could indicate that there is a misalignment in the baby's skeletal system and that the baby is uncomfortable as a result.”

THE NEW ZEALAND CHIROPRACTOR ASSOCIATION
"Parents and teachers often report children dramatically improve their attention span with Chiropractic care. Others report Chiropractic care as being the main reason for improved academic performance."

THE SCOTTISH CHIROPRACTORS ASSOCIATION
“Chiropractors are able to examine and evaluate a child's spine to determine if they can help problems such as colic, asthma, bedwetting, eczema and sleeping difficulties. Chiropractors advise that a child's spine be checked for subluxations and postural distortions before any symptoms are even present."

More…
Chiropractic for Children
Pediatrics, Vol. 122 No. 5 November 2008, pp. 1161 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2620)

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/extract/122/5/1161
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To date, as far as I know, no responses have been posted.

For more of Ernst's recent observations on the ethics of chiropractic, see here:
http://dcscience.net/nzmj-ernst-reply-050908.pdf
 
The BCA do not appear to have yet filed a Reply at the English High Court, which they should have done so by now: http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2008/12/on-where-is-bcas-reply.html


As I set out on my Blog (and apologies for replication), this is odd. There are some possible explanations:

1. the BCA have not done a Reply, but this would mean they have (in effect) accepted the Defence as it stands;

2. the BCA have served the Reply on Singh, but not filed it at court, but this would mean their lawyers are perhaps incompetent;

3. the BCA are seeking to keep the Reply as some sort of closed document, but this would mean that they are embarrassed at what their Reply says; or

4. either I or the High Court have made a mistake (never to be ruled out).

I wonder which one it is?
 
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Jack - how overdue is BCA with this? Could it be that the court is slow in updating its records? If BCA really has defaulted what happens next? Can you apply to have the case struck out right now?
 
Asolepius said:
Jack - how overdue is BCA with this? Could it be that the court is slow in updating its records? If BCA really has defaulted what happens next? Can you apply to have the case struck out right now?
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It isn't really a default.

The case can still go to trial with just a statement of case and a defence; but it is odd, as the defence opened up a number of new areas of legal combat.

I am sure all will become clear soon...
 
Hi,

I'm new here, and I Registered after hearing about BCA v Simon.

As long as this runs - no UK newspaper will carry another article which might challenge Chiropractic's reputation.

This petition also proves that the BCA~GCC primarily looks after their own standing, and does NOT consider any patients who might suffer via the manipulation techniques they defend.

I believe that Chiropractic has just been legislated as a Primary Medical in Italy; also heard that there are moves afoot in the US via Mr Obama for the same to happen there.
This of course can happen whilst legal cases prevent adequate public airing of relevent criticalities.

I am not a Professional, and I find myself writing here not because I am a skeptic, but because of bad injuries a Chiropractor caused me.

I am about to complain to our UK Health Minister about factualities I cover on this web-page.
www dot gmweb1 dot net
If anyone here has time to spare, and should care to offer suggestions about error or for additional inclusion, I should be most pleased if they could directly PM me rather than disrupt this specific thread.

I link my page here in case it might promote fresh thought in relation to defending Simon's position.

Thank you for reading ...... Graham.
 
Welcome to the JREF forum Graham :)

Can you share any details on this:

Graham Maynard said:
...also heard that there are moves afoot in the US via Mr Obama for the same to happen there.
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Cheers,

Kuko

ETA: JJM, got it. I just want to let Graham know that I Googled a bit and found a supporting comment from Obama regarding chiropractic. May the possible discussions begin in another thread.


http://www.acatoday.org/userImages/File/LettertoDoctorsofChiropractic-1013(1).pdf

October 13, 2008

Dear Friends,

I am glad to have this opportunity to again share my thoughts on the role doctors of chiropractic play in the American health care system. As I have said before, doctors of chiropractic play an important role in our health care system, and my commitment to you and your patients remains strong.

As I have said, I believe steps should be taken to acknowledge the important care provided by doctors of chiropractic. We need to knock down unreasonable barriers of access and discriminatory insurance coverage so Americans in need of quality chiropractic care can access it without difficulty. We need to expand the range of chiropractic services covered by Medicare, facilitate integration of doctors of chiropractic into the health care systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, and allow commission of doctors of chiropractic as officers in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. And again, under my health care plan, many, if not all, chiropractic services would be included in the benefit package offered in the public plan.

America faces challenges both at home and abroad. To remain competitive, we must ensure that our health care system is accessible for every American. That is why my plan ensures quality, accessible heath care for all Americans. Doctors of chiropractic will play an important role in achieving this goal. I look forward to a strong relationship with the ACA as we build that future together.

Sincerely,
Barack Obama
 
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Via Simon Singh’s newsletter No.30 (not yet online) http://www.simonsingh.net/Newsletter.html

Chiropractic libel case – quick update

The trial date is still uncertain, but it will probably be in the early summer of 2009. I can, however, confirm that the trial will not involve a jury, because of its complicated nature, and instead the final decision will be made by the judge. The best place for news on the case is the Facebook group, which monitors various blogs and articles, and which now has almost 2,000 supporters:

For Simon Singh and Free Speech - Against the BCA Libel Claim
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33457048634
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Simon's whole site seems to be down at the moment. I hope that isn't ominous.
 
Asolepius said:
Simon's whole site seems to be down at the moment. I hope that isn't ominous.
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It seems to be working now, Asolepius.

BTW, today sees the launch of the "new" General Chiropractic Council:
Health Minister, Ben Bradshaw said: "The reforms taking place this year will help increase public and professional trust in how healthcare professionals are regulated.

"These changes will continue to raise professional standards in healthcare and encourage more transparency and high quality services for patients. It is important that councils act independently of the professions themselves, the Government, employers and commissioners."

More…
http://www.onmedica.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=df15b08f-a114-44d6-aacc-9bc78a856049
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As I’ve said before, let’s hope that this sees the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) setting some meaningful standards. It would certainly get off to a good start if it:
  1. Denounced subluxation-based chiropractic practices - because currently the GCC fails to make clear the essential differences between scientific manual therapy and chiropractic subluxation-based philosophy. See here http://www.gcc-uk.org/page.cfm?page_id=6
  2. Specified the common chiropractic techniques and practices which it does not consider legitimate:
  3. Admitted that the frequency of serious injuries following chiropractic spinal manipulation is currently not known.
  4. Implemented an independent reporting system for patients who experience adverse events following chiropractic treatment.
It would also be good to see it publishing on its website, and in its Patient Information Leaflet, what Simon Singh and Professor Edzard propose on p.285 of their book Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial that all chiropractors be compelled by law to disclose to their patients about chiropractic therapy:
“WARNING: This treatment carries the risk of stroke or death if spinal manipulation is applied to the neck. Elsewhere on the spine, chiropractic therapy is relatively safe. It has shown some evidence of benefit in the treatment of back pain, but conventional treatments are usually equally effective and much cheaper. In the treatment of all other conditions, chiropractic therapy is ineffective except that it might act as a placebo.”
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But then, they'd probably do themselves out of a job if they did.
 
I apologize in advance if this has been asked before, but does the acutal complaint filed by the BCA exist on the web?

If so, could a link be (re)posted?
 
The First Court Hearing Is Ordered

The English High Court has ordered that a "preliminary hearing" take place between the British Chiropractic Association and Simon Singh.

This preliminary hearing will probably take place in the next two to three months, and it will determine exactly how this case will be heard at full trial.

The High Court's rulings at this preliminary hearing will have an important impact on the nature and scope of the defence - or defences - which Simon Singh will have to mount.

For further details see: http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2009/03/bca-v-singh-first-court-hearing-is.html

I am happy to answer any queries etc here.

Best wishes,

Jack of Kent
 
I notice that this thread is no longer a Sticky - can it revert to being so? This highly important legal case is now warming up...
 
The way this has worked out so far has been incredibly disappointing. This has far reaching implications for the way scientific evidence is debated in public. And whoever wins this case, the BCA have certainly frightened the media out of publishing stories that attack this counterfeit therapy.

In the meantime, more people will get killed or crippled by these quacks.

As for people making false claims, is there any reason why someone can't sue these mountebanks:

http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-chiropractic-treatment-dangerous-222924.html
 
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Another update.

Apparently the Contempt of Court Act now applies...
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/

The case has become effectively sub judice until the outcome of the preliminary hearing, and it will be effectively sub judice again as and when a full trial is ordered.

The Act makes it a criminal offence for any person to now publish an item "which creates a substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings in question will be seriously impeded or prejudiced".

The main purpose of "contempt of court" is ensure that the parties in a case have a fair hearing without there being distorting external pressures.
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