April 30, 2004

PRESS RELEASE

AN ISSUE OF NATIONAL PUBLIC CONCERN

Today, the families of those Canadian citizens who have died as a result of a chiropractic neck manipulation have sent to the Minister of Health of every Province, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, as well as the Federal Minister of Health, a reasonable demand that these officials order a complete moratorium on all chiropractic highest neck manipulation. Detailed information has been sent to over 400 decision makers across Canada. The families recommend that once the Moratorium is in place, a scientific committee representing all parties should make further recommendations.

Chiropractic highest neck manipulation is as issue of public concern. Physicians, neurologists, pediatricians and other medical specialists around the world have clearly warned the public, what the families have experienced first hand, that such neck manipulation is causing everything from mild strokes to quadriplegia to death. For chiropractors, a group of people who are supposed to be treating simple muscle aches and pains, this is a horrendous safety record.

In January of 2004, after a two and a half year Inquest, an Ontario Coroner Jury ruled that the death of 45 year old Lana Dale Lewis was the direct result of a chiropractic high neck manipulation. This was the second Canadian Jury to find that traumatic chiropractic neck manipulation was the direct cause of the death of a Canadian citizen. The prior death was that of 20-year-old Laurie Jean Mathiason of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

What is needed is very specific. Simply stated, no one should be permitted to hold the head of a Canadian citizen and twist it rapidly thus affecting the highest joints in the neck, doing what is so called an “adjustment” Of course no chiropractic authority has ever shown this particular act to be good for anything nor has ever shown that in fact anything has been “adjusted”.

The demand of these families is totally reasonable. They ask for a Moratorium on one specific thing, highest neck manipulation. If highest neck manipulation were a medication it would never have been approved for use and with all that is known, would have been removed from the therapeutic market years ago.

The true number of cases is almost completely hidden by lawyers and confidentiality agreements, the privacy of hospital records and the lack of knowledge of citizens as to what really did happen. A family that does speak out must also have courage and stamina. That any family would do so is remarkable and done solely in the hope of preventing this from happening to others. Their motives are completely unselfish.

Death is the end point and tip of the iceberg. Under that tip are countless cases (one recent report in the Canadian Medical association Journal counted 21 cases) of stroke. Patients are quadriplegic, can have vision loss and can have what is called the Lock-In syndrome where patients are fully conscious but can only communicate by blinking their eyelids.

So what exactly is the problem with anyone seeking care from a chiropractor who after all is recognized as a professional and has the best interests of the patient in mind? The problem is that the signature treatment of chiropractors, done on almost every patient from newborn babies to senior citizens, is a highest neck manipulation, the so called marketing term, “adjustment” The problem is that this is being done on babies and young children with the claim that it improves their immunity to disease, can treat ear infections, help digestive conditions and even autism. It is being done on adults to treat migraine headaches, low back, tailbone pain, sinusitis, hip pain and even A.I.D.S. 
The problem is that this is being done not by the black sheep in every profession but by the great majority of Canadian chiropractors. It is being taught at every chiropractic school and was the main reason that the teaching program at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto has been rejected as non-scientific by universities across Canada, the latest being York University in Toronto.
There are several myths about chiropractic highest neck manipulation. The first is that it is being done because people have neck pain in that area. On the contrary, highest neck manipulation is being on newborn babies to senior citizens. Babies don’t have high neck pain. Just like most back pain is in the low back, so is most neck pain. It is being done for everything from ear infections, digestive disorders, migraine headaches, hip pain, and low back pain and as a means of replacing scientific immunizations. It is being done as part of a philosophical belief system that somehow making a cracking sound in the highest neck area is a cure all. This has no place in our modern age.

The second myth is that chiropractic highest neck manipulation is safe. As their main proof of this the Canadian Chiropractic Association quotes statistical comparisons that make no sense. They offer as their main proof a study that was done in 80-99 year old cadavers. This only proves that someone who is already dead cannot die twice nor have a stroke. 

On the other hand you have highly trained specialized neurologists all across Canada seeing these cases in their offices on a regular basis and using highly accurate radiology and other means of diagnosis in live and real people. Their concerns are echoed by other neurologists from Harvard and other medical schools, and in over sixty years of scientific reports. It is obvious who has science and evidence on their side.

The third myth is that chiropractic highest neck manipulation is properly regulated. In fact the regulators themselves fully endorse highest neck manipulation to treat everything from ear infections to migraine headaches to tailbone pain. In the words of one regulatory body, “they could not care less”

What is true however is that some chiropractors, like some physiotherapy counter-parts, are skilled in the scientific use of mobilization and manipulation therapy. They may have a good understanding of the mechanical aspects of the muscular-skeletal system. They can provide good care. The question is, how to find one that is scientific and safe.  

In 1994 Consumer Reports magazine published guidelines as to what to be aware of when you decide to seek help from a chiropractor. In February of 2004, the Wellness Letter from Berkeley California issued further guidelines and issued the caution, “Don’t agree to neck manipulation”

In a nutshell, in the office of a safe chiropractor there are no infants and children undergoing spinal manipulation; there are no claims to treat ear infections, colic, bed-wetting, no personal testimonials, and no hard sell for maintenance therapy. Most important, there is no highest neck rotation manipulation being done.

This is what the regulators of chiropractic should be supporting. They should be offering 100% support to a Moratorium on all chiropractic highest neck manipulation. Their responsibility is to protect the public and they can show no better way to do so than to support this Moratorium and participate in setting the framework for new safe and scientific guidelines. 

The regulators should not continue to support taking the head of a baby and twisting it in any manner whatsoever. They should not continue to support high velocity neck twisting in anyone.

The Minister of Health should address the following five questions.

Does the Minister agree with chiropractors that chiropractic highest neck manipulations should be used on newborn babies and children? Or does he agree with the Chiefs of Pediatrics and the Canadian Pediatric Society that the answer is clearly no? If he does agree with the Canadian Pediatric Community, the Minister should immediately stop all public funding for pediatric chiropractic. 

Does the Minister agree with chiropractors that chiropractic highest neck manipulation should be used to treat conditions such as infantile colic, ear infections, bed-wetting, A.I.D.S., autism and as an alternative to scientific childhood immunizations? Or does the Minister agree with scientific evidence that such claims are non-scientific and should not receive any public support.

Does the Minister of Health agree with the findings of two Canadian Inquest Juries that chiropractic highest neck manipulation does cause death? Does he agree with the professional warnings issued by neurologists all across Canada against such neck manipulations? Does the Minister of Health agree with the scientific evidence of over sixty years that chiropractic highest neck manipulation causes stroke and death? 

There is not a single reason why someone with no neck pain to begin with or at most a headache should have a stroke or die. Highest chiropractic neck manipulation is not an essential service. The Minister of Health must look beyond political influences and do the right thing, call a Moratorium.

PRESS CONFERENCES
FRIDAY APRIL 30, 2004

LAURIE JEAN LANA DALE MEMORIAL MORATORIUM

“I never thought it would happen to me”
What every stroke victim says, if they can still talk.

Today, the families of those Canadian citizens who have died as a result of a chiropractic neck manipulation have sent to the Minister of Health of every Province, from Newfoundland to British Columbia, as well as the Federal Minister of Health, a reasonable demand that these officials order a complete moratorium on all chiropractic highest neck manipulation. Detailed information has been sent to over 400 decision makers across Canada. The families recommend that this Moratorium remain in effect until a scientific committee representing all parties makes further recommendations.

CONTACT LIST

Victoria
British Columbia. Legislature	Thursday April 29
Noon.	Michael de Champlain
	604-982-0929
michael@faact.com	
British Columbia	Thursday April 29
Noon	Anne Evans
Dr. Steve Evans	250-495-0487
evanssa@telus.net	
Regina Saskatchewan	Friday April 30 Noon	Sharon Mathiason	306-931-8491
s-mathiason@shaw.ca	
Edmonton
Alberta	Friday April 30
Noon	Dr. Mark Grainger. 	403-278-3833
graing@telus.net	
Edmonton Alberta	Friday April 30
Noon	Mr. Glenn Grainger	glgr@shaw.ca	
Edmonton
Alberta	Friday April 30
Noon	Dr. Brad Stewart	stewkan@shaw.ca	
Toronto 
Ontario	Friday April 30
10 A.M.
Quality Hotel
280 Bloor Street	Michael Ford. 
Judy Anne Ford.
Joseph Labonte	416-782-1945
mfordn628@rogers.com	
Halifax
Nova Scotia	Friday April 30
Noon	Wendy Abrams	902-445-9387
wabrams2003@yahoo.ca	

Chiropractic highest neck manipulation causing death is the tip of the iceberg. Lying below are over 20 different kinds of stroke, from serious visual loss to Locked in Syndrome, where the fully conscious patient can only communicate by blinking the eyes.

 “Stroke resulting from neck manipulation occurred in 28% (21 cases) of our cases”.
Canadian Medical Association Journal July 2000. In other words 28% of all vertebral artery strokes are entirely preventable if chiropractic highest neck manipulation was stopped.