The face of chiropractic: evidence-based?

A recent publication by AllerGen investigator Timothy Caulfield (University of Alberta law professor, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy) and his colleagues, revealed the prominent trends and discourses used by the chiropractic profession in their online communication with the public.

The study involved reviewing the website content of major Canadian chiropractic associations and colleges, and commercial clinics. The researchers examined the range of health conditions described as treatable by chiropractic care and identified the primary messages the profession conveys to the public.

The paper, published in Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies, found that 37.5% of the clinics surveyed claimed that chiropractic care was able to treat allergies. Clinics also advertised the ability to treat and address other health concerns typically beyond the scope of traditional chiropractic practice, such as ADHD/attention deficit disorder (ADD) (37.5%), bedwetting (30%) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) (32.5%).

Future research should further explore the appropriateness of the claims from an evidence-based perspective, according to the paper’s authors.