So far the only real specific issue I have talked about as being pseudoscience is Astrology, which is kind of like picking out the slow and the weak from the herd of pseudo-sciences. Lets move up the ladder to something more prevalent and much more accepted.
Chiropractors.
Here is what the mayo clinic has to say about Chiropractic treatment:
“Clinical trials indicate that chiropractic care is as safe and effective as conventional treatments — which may include pain medication, rest or exercise. But that may not be saying much. Low back pain typically improves within a matter of weeks, even for people who seek no treatment at all.
Low back pain is often caused by injuries or strains, and there's no magic cure. It simply takes time for your back to heal. But treatment of some type — either chiropractic or conventional — might make you more comfortable as you wait for this healing to occur.”
Reading this quote may lead one to believe that all chiropractic may be no more than placebo and massage. while that is a matter for research it is generally accepted that chiropractic can be used to treat back pain. Quackwatch actually has an interesting article on picking a good chiropractor.
What makes me target chiropractic and not homeopathy (for now at least) is the claims that they make that have no evidence and no true merit. It is hard to find a placebo for chiropractic care, although acupuncture (which is practiced at many chiropractic offices) did have a resounding refutation recently. Chiropractors will sometimes make claims that they can cure things like colic, high blood pressure, and even bedwetting. I even met one chiropractor who claimed to be able to cure bad breath. I took this picture on my way home from work the other day and I think it proves my point.
Autism? seriously? When I first saw this sign I wanted to go into the office and just ask them “HOW?!?”. But this would not likely get me an answer much like anytime I see a new natural food or health store and want to ask them to justify the claims of their products and vitamin worship.
Chiropractic just does not have any good solid evidence for it’s usefulness in those areas. In a terrific show of shooting themselves in the foot the British Chiropractor Association (BCA) sued Simon Singh after he called them out on their claims that they could cure diseases like asthma and ear infections. Apart from being an affront to free speech the lawsuit brings science back into the courtroom. People should learn by now that science is very good at proving it’s case, really that’s what it is used for. The suit has prompted a wave of calls for libel reform in Britain and it’s notoriety has brought the BCA into the public light, looking like the villains in the case for trying to abuse a legal system to stifle another persons freedom to express their ideas.
You will notice that on the BCA’s website you cannot find any mention of colic or… really anything else mentioned before in this article, well let’s take a step into the wayback machine and see what their site showed January 11th 2007 (the date was just one of the random ones i pulled up)
“As children grow, chiropractic can help not only with 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.”
Those are the EXACT things Simon Singh called bogus! They took them off their site, why might that be? maybe because the evidence does not support those claims. The claims are still there in the July 28th 2008 version of the page (the most recent that archive.org has, sometimes the archives will not show up for some months or longer). Simons article was written on April 19th 2008. So these claims were removed AFTER they filed their lawsuit. Likely when public scrutiny began to be brought into the case.
I know people who swear by chiropractic, even for the crazy stuff. But there may be a simple way to save your money. Exercise, particularly Yoga and stretches can really help certain joint, back or neck pain. These serve much the same effect as chiropractic or a massage (stretching the muscles, reducing pressure) but are free to do and in the end healthier for you to get into.
No comments:
Post a Comment