British Chiropractic Association v Simon Singh

[Mojo]

Because of what we consider to be a witch hunt against chiropractors...

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and weighs the same as a duck...

 

[-=Vagrant=-]

I am keeping finnish skeptics informed of the situation.

http://paholaisen-asianajaja.blogspot.com/2009/06/simon-singh-vs-kiropraktiikka.html

http://paholaisen-asianajaja.blogspot.com/2009/06/kiropraktikot-kiipelissa.html

How much international coverage is this issue getting?

 

[AndyD]

I am keeping finnish skeptics informed of the situation.
...
How much international coverage is this issue getting?

Pharyngula and Phil Plait have covered in in the US and I know I've covered it in Australia - McTimoney Chiropractic (which means around three or four Aussies might learn about it!).

I've opened a new thread for the McTimoney saga since I view it as a new, though related, issue.

 

[BillyJoe]

which means around three or four Aussies might learn about it!

Who are the other two then?

 

[Dragon]

You could say they are getting their fingers well and truly Singh'd, har har. I haven't had such gleeful fun since PZ got kicked out of expelled.

Good stuff - shouldn't get carried away, though.
Jack of Kent analyses the latest developments in the context of the BCA v. Singh case.

 

[Blue Wode]

Great comment by Badly Shaved Monkey (BSM) over at the Quackometer:

The time has come for the chiros to decide what they want to be. Chiropractic is a brand with a lie at its heart. Honest chiropractors need a new brand or they need to admit that lie and redefine the brand as something more akin to physiotherapy. How they would then be regulated and who would do it are then questions that need to be answered. First, they have to show the courage and integrity necessary to make that change.

http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/06/chiropractors-told-to-take-down-their.html

BTW, Richard Lanigan, a former UK chiropractor with some interesting insights into the chiropractic industry in the UK, is hoping that a journalist will pick up his story:
http://chiropracticlive.com/fightin...ase-all-of-the-people-all-of-the-time-hellip/

 

[Asolepius]

What is particularly despicable is the behaviour of the GCC. It is supposed to regulate chiropractors, but instead it has tipped them off as to how to evade being disciplined. If it suddenly considers that all these claims are dodgy, what has it been doing for all the years they were out there misleading the public? If it claims not to have known about them, what kind of regulator is that?

 

[Camillus]

I can't help hoping that the BCA will Oscar Wilde themselves over this but unfortunately, given the state of British libel lawd, I fear that they might win.

 

[Blue Wode]

What is particularly despicable is the behaviour of the GCC.

I agree. Chiropractors should never have been allowed to achieve such sloppy regulation in the first place. I believe the Privy Council is to blame. Interestingly, it was in the process of being being woo-ed by the College of Chiropractors re the granting of a Royal Charter, however all references to the Charter petition seem to have been removed from the College of Chiropractors' news page:
http://www.colchiro.org.uk/default.aspx?m=39&mi=202&ms=0

Fortunately, all the details can still be found here:
http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4504060&postcount=76


Back on topic, here's the latest from Simon Singh:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=406916&c=1

 

[edd]

What is particularly despicable is the behaviour of the GCC. It is supposed to regulate chiropractors, but instead it has tipped them off as to how to evade being disciplined. If it suddenly considers that all these claims are dodgy, what has it been doing for all the years they were out there misleading the public? If it claims not to have known about them, what kind of regulator is that?

Have I missed something about the GCC or are you confusing the GCC with the MCA?

 

[Asolepius]

Have I missed something about the GCC or are you confusing the GCC with the MCA?

The GCC is the regulatory body with the legal authority and obligation to regulate chiropractors. The MCA is just one of the `professional' associations. The complaint about the 533 practitioners went to the GCC, the MCA was tipped off (presumably by the GCC) and then alerted its members.

 

[Badly Shaved Monkey]

Have I missed something about the GCC or are you confusing the GCC with the MCA?

As Asolepius has said, it's the MCA that has been caught with its trousers round its ankles pleasuring itself with a chicken, but the GCC has been in charge of the whole chicken industry and must have been blind or reckless not to notice how much time the MCA was spending on its own in the coops and that the chickens were getting nervous.

 

[Deetee]

Was this the email in question?

Subject: FURTHER URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!
Dear Member
If you are reading this, we assume you have also read the urgent email we sent you last Friday. If you did not read it, READ IT VERY CAREFULLY NOW and – this is most important – ACT ON IT. This is not scaremongering. We judge this to be a real threat to you and your practice.
(This is a threat to the existence of chiropractic, its credibility and its future financial viability, which relies on credulous fools giving us lots of money forwhat is essentially a bit of back twisting in the hope it will cure their asthma, a concept we happily promote)

Because of what we consider to be a witch hunt against chiropractors, (we got away with it scot free for years, but since someone has now pointed out these indefensible activities, we reserve the right to call this a witch hunt) we are now issuing the following advice:
The target of the campaigners is now any claims for treatment that cannot be substantiated with chiropractic research. The safest thing for everyone to do is as follows.

If you have a website, take it down NOW.
(Better to be safe than sorry, since your entire website is likely to be making unsubstantiated claims)

REMOVE all the blue MCA patient information leaflets, or any patient information leaflets of your own that state you treat whiplash, colic or other childhood problems in your clinic or at any other site where they might be displayed with your contact details on them. DO NOT USE them until further notice. The MCA are working on an interim replacement leaflet which will be sent to you shortly.
(Under no circumstances must anyone find out that we have been distributing this material which makes unsubstantiated claims about our treatment. We are working with on some replacement weasel wording which will still enable you to falsely claim to be able to treat these conditions, but it will be worded in such a way as to make it difficult for you to be sued for doing so).

..If you use business cards or other stationery using the ‘doctor’ title and it does not clearly state that you are a doctor of chiropractic or that you are not a registered medical practitioner, STOP USING THEM immediately.
(Don’t give anyone the chance to find out you have been pretending to be a real doctor. I know we have turned a blind eye to all your indescretions in the past, since we actually didn’t care whether the public might be misled into thinking you were a doctor and thereby put at risk, but since there is now a chance you might be sued for doing so, we suggest you stop it)

Be wary of ‘mystery shopper’ phone calls and ‘drop ins’ to your practice, especially if they start asking about your care of children, or whiplash, or your evidence base for practice.
(For God’s sake just keep quiet if asked for any evidence. We know there is none, so don’t even engage in discussion on this point. Just shut up and say “no comment”)

Although this advice may seem extreme or alarmist, its purpose is to protect you.
(Well, all of us really, as we are up **** creek without a paddle as well)

The campaigners have a target of making a complaint against every chiropractor in the UK who they perceive to be in breach of the GCC’s CoP, the Advertising Standards Code and/or Trading Standards. We have discovered that complaints against more than 500 individual chiropractors have been sent to the GCC in the last 24 hours.
(We know that is is certain hundreds if not thousands more of you are in breach of code of practice. We didn’t give a monkey’s arse before, but now since things might turn nasty for you and therefore, by extension, us, we are worried).

Even if you do not have a website, you are still at risk. Our latest information suggests that this group are now going through Yellow Pages entries. Be in no doubt, their intention is to scrutinise every single chiropractor in the UK.
(And don’t sing in the shower – it’s probably bugged, and you must wear your foil hats at all times)

The MCA Executive has worked tirelessly over the last week keeping abreast of development and contacting at risk members.
(We have basically been ******** ourselves witless and are desperately trying to come up with a plan B).

We have decided that this is our best course of action to protect you and the Association at this time of heightened tension. This advice is given to you solely to protect you from what we believe is a concerted campaign, and does not imply any wrongdoing on your part or the part of the Association. We believe that our best course of action is simply to withdraw from the battleground until this latest wave of targeting is over.
(Discretion being the better part of valour, and all that. What you were doing was not wrong…errr actually it was…No! We can’t ever admit that…Oh bugger! Just keep your head down and deny everything. We hope this will blow over in good time. And if this time of heightened tension is too much for you, may we suggest you go to see a chiropracter for a good neck cracking to make you less tense. Just make sure you are in close proximity to a regional neurosurgical unit first though, just in case).

Finally, we strongly suggest you do NOT discuss this with others, especially patients, Firstly it would not be ethical to burden patients with this, though if they ask we hope you now have information with which you can respond.
(We basically didn’t give a damn that everything we have done and still do to patients does not have any evidence base and that we've been burdening them with ineffective therapy while lightening their wallets. But it wouldn’t do them us any good for them to find out about it now)

Most importantly, this email and all correspondence from the MCA is confidential advice to MCA members alone, and should not be shared with anyone else.
(Please, please, please, for Christ’s sake we daren’t risk anyone knowing we all got away with this for years and years, but what is crucial above everything else is that no-one must realise that we never bothered with regulation and to make sure that you, our valuable valued members, are applying the highest possible standards of care in keeping with the GCC code of conduct)

No, must be mistaken... couldn't have been.

 

[edd]

The GCC is the regulatory body with the legal authority and obligation to regulate chiropractors. The MCA is just one of the `professional' associations. The complaint about the 533 practitioners went to the GCC, the MCA was tipped off (presumably by the GCC) and then alerted its members.

I think that it's a bit of a jump to assume the MCA was tipped off by the GCC, when the letter that was sent was put up by the sender on their blog for all to view.

 

[Mojo]

Oh dear, I'd forgotten about this:

The court had to be cleared owing to the roars of ribald laughter which greeted the appearance in the witness-box of the twelve red bearded dwarfs all in a heap. Their names were read out amid growing uproar. The names appeared to be: Sophus Barkayo-Tong, Amaninter Axling, Farjole Merrybody, Guttergorm Guttergormpton, Badly Oronparser, Churm Rincewind, Cleveland Zackhouse, Molonay Tubilderborst, Edeledel Edel, Scorpion de Rooftrouser, Listenis Youghaupt, Frums Gillygottle.

Cocklecarrot: Are these genuine names?
A Dwarf: No, m'worship.
Cocklecarrot: Then what's your name?
Dwarf: Bogus, m'ludship.
Cocklecarrot: No, your real name.
Dwarf: My real name is Bogus, your excellency.
(At this point the court had to be cleared)

Better late than never.

 

[Vorticity]

I wouldn't worry about that, the petition has already been signed by a number of prominent foreign citizens including scientists, journalists, sceptics and entertainers.

Have a look at the list: http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/334

I'm a US scientist, albeit by no means a prominent one. For what it's worth, I've signed the petition.

 

[Asolepius]

I think that it's a bit of a jump to assume the MCA was tipped off by the GCC, when the letter that was sent was put up by the sender on their blog for all to view.

Well I was assuming a certain time sequence, as I thought the MCA email was dated before Zeno's post went up, but if not you have a point. I was rather led by the MCA's wording, which referred to the GCC and not to Zeno.

 

[edd]

Ah, well if they're dated that way round then you definitely have a point, not me. I'll go check too.

edit: Assuming the MCA person is actually in Wallingford and not Bangladesh as the BDT I've seen as the email's time zone might suggest, there's only a very short time between Zeno's post and the MCA email, and most of that time is the wee small hours. So it would indeed suggest Zeno's blog was not the source for the MCA.

 

[ejk]

It looks like Zeno's post here (5:50 a.m. my time, or almost 11 in the U.K.) came about 2 hours after the McTimoney letter which says 9:12 on June 8. His blog post is just dated June 8, so possibly it was up some time before the letter, but not by much.

Zeno's letter to the GCC was dated June 7. No absolute proof here, but it seems more probable that MCA was tipped off by GCC or someone within it rather than learning about the complaint from public discussion.

 

[Asolepius]

Great detective work chaps. I think my criticism of the GCC stands for the time being at least.