British Chiropractors Drop Case Against Simon Singh

SJrX writes "Several sources are reporting that the British Chiropractic Association has dropped its lawsuit against famed writer Simon Singh. He had recently won a High Court ruling in his favour, but this had been open for appeal." Also covered at The Independent and at MacLeans. Singh had angered the chiropractors' trade group with his published claim that certain chiropractice treatments were "bogus."

Comments

Glad to see the UK upholding freedom of speech

[BadAnalogyGuy]

I was truly surprised that Singh was sued in the first place for seemingly innocuous remarks about chiropractors. Yes, his comments basically called them to task for their industry group's assertion that chiropractic could basically cure all sorts of illnesses.

Hopefully this serves as a warning to other "slandered" groups that they had better have something more substantial than hurt feelings if they want to abridge someone's freedom of speech.

Re:Glad to see the UK upholding freedom of speech

[Volante3192]

The BCA still ruined his life for a good year or two. That's a wonderful deterrant against people with smaller bankrolls.

Re:Glad to see the UK upholding freedom of speech

[c 0xFF]

Singh might go after them for his legal fees. That would be about a £100,000 loss to the BCA (not to mention what they spent already). It doesn't make it better for Singh, but it's still a victory for everybody else. And this might spark a reform in the libel law, which is another win for everybody else.

So far, Singh has been hit the hardest, but the fight isn't over yet. I don't know if we can make things easier on him directly, but maybe the other side can still be hit hard.

Not completely bogus

[spun]

They can make back pain marginally better. That's not bogus at all. They can not, however, fix much of anything else, which was Singh's complaint against them, because they claim they can fix everything from gout to cancer.

Re:Not completely bogus

[backdoc]

I had a bad experience with a plumber one time. Should I say the entire profession is bad?

I am a chiropractor. I no longer practice though. Why? Because I never subscribed to the chiropractic philosophy. I don't agree with the philosophical principles that chiropractic is founded on. But, that doesn't mean that it doesn't benefit millions of people beyond what any other health care profession can provide. Chiropractic provides more than symptomatic relief. It restores normal mobility to the joints. And, this is what I believe provides relief. I guess an Osteopath could provide that service, too.

The problem I've seen is that percentage wise, only a small number of people seek Chiropractic care. So, to make a living, that forces the unscrupulous chiropractor to treat conditions outside of their scope or keep the patient coming in longer than necessary, under false information. I could never do either. So, I went back to school and got a degree in CS. I'm much happier.

But, I want to correct you. Although my personality conflicts with the principles of the profession, Chiropractic does not resemble massage. It is not quackery.

I am fully convinced that Chiropractors prevent thousands of unnecessary surgeries every year. When it comes to neuromusculoskeletal conditions, I don't think other health care providers can make that claim.

I think the key is to find a Chiropractor by referral. If you they are helping you (give it a couple of weeks), then good for you. Otherwise, try something else.

If you drop it just right...

[T Murphy]

"British Chiropractors Drop Case Against Simon Singh" -newspapers
"Well that's a load off my back" -Singh
"See! Our treatment works!" -chiropracters

Re:Chiropractor fixed my long-standing back proble

[John Hasler]

> So yeah, I used to think they're bogus.

They are. A massage therapist could helped you more and with less hocus-pocus.

Re:Chiropractor fixed my long-standing back proble

[The Yuckinator]

Did the chiro also offer to cure your diabetes? Cancer? Emphysema? Bad skin? This is what Singh was commenting on - the widespread, and supported-by-the-association claims to actually cure disease via Chiropractic Manipulation.

Bogus, indeed.

Re:Chiropractor fixed my long-standing back proble

[Rantastic]

Used to be I couldn't lie face-down for more than 10 minutes before my back would start hurting. And I couldn't carry my kids much. One day the pain got so bad I went to a chiro, and the guy did manage to straighten out my back. Hurt like heck when he "realigned" my spine, but that 13-year-injury is no longer there. So yeah, I used to think they're bogus. But now I dont.

Except that while you may have seen a Chiropractor, I am willing to bet that he was also a licensed physical therapist. What you have described is a physical therapy treatment, not a chiropractic treatment.

This is the reason that a lot of people think that chiropractic treatments are legitimate: They are receiving physical therapy treatments from so called "mixed" chiropractors.

Strict, or so called "straight" chiropractors claim they can fix any problem in the body (heart disease, cancer, whatever) by manipulating your bones and muscles. That kind of nonsense is right up there with balancing the humors to restore the body's vitality.