I’ve just been informed that the NZ College of Chiropractic will be attending the University Of Canterbury Careers Fair in an attempt to recruit science students. The fair is being held on Monday the 16th May in the NZi3 foyer from 5pm – 8pm.
Given how much it costs to see a chiropractor, this will probably seem like a reasonable career choice for many students. However, one hopes that Canterbury has trained their students in the scientific method so that they are able to fully appreciate what they might be signing up for.
You may think chiropractic is a legitimate field of medicine, as evidenced by the large number of chiropractors, their use of the title Doctor (although that should be qualified as Doctor of Chiropractic [DC]) and the four year degree offered by the NZ College of Chiropractic. In fact, Chiropractic is based on the belief that most disease and illness is caused by misalignment of the spine, and that these misalignments (subluxations), cause apparent ‘blockages’ in the path of the ‘life-force’ or ‘innate intelligence’ that apparently permeates all life.
Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst dedicate a whole chapter to it in their fantastic book, Trick or Treatment?. In particular, they highlight the potential risks associated with spinal manipulation. These include unnecessary X-rays, dislocations, fractures, torn arteries and strokes. Their verdict?
The scientific evidence suggests that it is only worth seeing a chiropractor if you have a back problem….. chiropractors tend to be no better than conventional physiotherapists at treating such conditions.
A student at the Careers Fair may find honest employment with lower additional training costs from the other stalls.
That chapter of the book is available free on-line by the way:
http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/temp/Trick_or_Treatment/
(I hope it is: can’t be bothered waiting for the Flash page to load! – I’m just copying the link from an old article of mine.)