“As the British Chiropractic Association’s battle with Simon Singh continues to work its way through the legal system, chiropractors are counting the financial costs of a major backlash resulting from a libel action that has left the Lord Chief Justice “baffled”. What was originally a dispute between the BCA and one science writer over free speech has become a brutally effective campaign to reform an entire industry.
A staggering one in four chiropractors in Britain are now under investigation for allegedly making misleading claims in advertisements, according to figures from the General Chiropractic Council.
The council, which is responsible for regulating the profession and has 2,400 chiropractors on its books, informs me that it has had to recruit six new members of staff to deal with a fifteenfold increase in complaints against its members – from 40 a year to 600. While it declined to comment directly on the costs inflicted by the reaction to the BCA’s actions, it is clear that a six-figure sum will be involved for the extra staffing costs alone, to which will have to be added the considerable costs of any misconduct hearings.”
Read more at The Guardian
I would have suggested that the chiropractors look up the Streisand Effect, although it might be a bit late for that now.
Wow.. IanVisits you got it right. Heard of the Streisand effect, o chiropractors?
I’m eager to watch this play out.
Thanks for linking to my Guardian piece!
Ian – in fact at least one of them has, I got a quote for that article from a chiropractor who moaned about the Streisand Effect that the BCA have managed to generate
You have no idea how much pleasure this gives me. And many others, I suspect. It’s amazing how often the adjectives ‘arrogant’ and ‘stupid’ appear together, isn’t it?
Why does everything have to boil down to money. it is best people are free to discuss matters than to sweep everything under the carpet.
Last year I pulled a hernia in my neck, by the time I was at the office I was in agony. I decided to jump into the chiropractor shop at the end of the street. The first time it relieved the pain somewhat by losening the cramped muscle.
However the second time she started to do some voodoo BS by pressing a spring loaded thingy against my nerve (which led to my arm and thumb) she said that this “click” would signal my brain to stop signaling the nerve.
As somewhat with some cognitive psychology knowledge I was thinking: “Owkay….. looney bin!” and she started to crack things I didn’t like that, the third time I felt really strange and the day after I was at the neurologist. She stated don’t go to a chiropractor just my advice! I took it easy and it improved.
Pseudo science is what it is!
Simon Singh recently came to speak at the Leicester ‘Skeptics In The Pub’ group to talk about alternative medicine and also to touch upon the area of libel laws and put forward his arguement of why they need reforming. All I can say is that I wished the evening could have gone on for twice as long. It was an absolute pleasure to sit and listen to such an intelligent, impassioned man and am so glad that word is spreading of his fight and more people are taking the time to examine the libel laws as they stand and call for change.
I’m about to get started on a systematic review into homeopathy. Due to the courts going against Simon Singh, everyone has to be so careful on how they report their findings so they don’t get sued. There is soon to be a report coming out on on a particular “Remedy” that consists of brandy and water which is advertised to reduce anxiety. Despite this been allowed without any evidence whatsoever, the author is having to carefully go through the report to ensure they are not going to get sued because they provide evidence it doesn’t work!
Those that are conning people, whether they are aware they are or not, are protected while those following scientific methods are now less likely to publish their findings just in case they get sued. It’s plain wrong.