GCC Fiddles While Edzard Ernst Burns

In March 2006 chiropractors were shocked by the negative headlines in many newspapers promoting an article by Professor Ernst in the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine. The GCC responded in a press release stating that it was “extremely concerned” about the accuracy of the RSM’s media release and about the paper itself. My concern is that the GCC knew well in advance what was in the paper yet did nothing to prepare the profession for the media onslaught

The GCC invited Professor Ernst to make a presentation to the GCC on August 4th 2005 about his well documented views on chiropractic. There followed a 38 slide power point presentation of the material he was about to publish in the RSM journal. After the presentation The GCC submitted the following questions for Ernst to respond to at the end of his presentation: “Are you familiar with the work of Herzog et al regarding the physical characteristics of cervical spine manipulation and its effect on the vertebral artery”? “How do you rationalise your view of the chiropractic profession as responsible for most serious adverse affects when osteopaths, some physiotherapists and other professionals also engage on a global basis in manipulation of the cervical spine”? “Why do you say that osteopaths use mobilisation, which is inherently safer and chiropractors only manipulate, which carries more risk”? “Where is your evidence of "serious adverse events, such as stroke (sometimes fatal) are regularly reported"?

I wrote to the GCC asking for Ernst’s reply to these questions as they were not in the meeting’s minutes as I wanted to send them to all the local GPs. Gregory Price informed me that copies of Ernst’s presentation are the only record of the meeting held by the GCC and they did not note his answers to the questions. “Minutes of the meetings are not verbatim transcripts. No other records are held in relation to these matters". Price et al had plenty of time to post disparaging messages about chiropractors on the internet but no time to note what Ernst had to say???

Had the GCC demonstrated an ability to defend the profession when Ernst presented, he may have thought twice about publishing. As it was, chiropractors in practice had patients bringing in newspapers with sensational headlines suggesting chiropractic is “worthless” and dangerous. At the same time “Big Pharma” is telling the public that they have no alternative but to accept the risks from Vioxx in the management of chronic pain. An open goal if ever there was one which the GCC missed by a mile. It probably does not help having a medical pharmacist as chair of the PCC on your team. Professor Ernst’s responses to the questions would have helped chiropractors deal with the controversy when it happened in March 2006.

If only the GCC could have used some of the £300,000 it wasted on persecuting innocent chiropractors to promote the efficacy and safety of chiropractic. Unfortunately they have neither the funds nor the inclination to launch such a campaign Thought I would give everybody a reminder of this topic if they are attending any GCC hustings. Attached Image This is the first slide of thirty eight which Edzard Ernst presented to GCC council in July 2005 before he published the findings. GCC members sat like startled rabbits caught in the glare from Ernst headlights. So startled were the rabbits that they were unable to minute the meeting or inform the profession what was coming our way in the form of sensational headlines in the national press. Having being savaged by the rabbits myself, I doubt if Ernst had many sleepless nights after submitting his article. Most chiropractors I speak to tell me they noticed a drop in new patients since thes articles were published last year. I wonder why?? We can at least take comfort from the GCC defense " even a walk in the park has risk

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Richard Lanigan
Richard Lanigan

Richard Lanigan DC.BSc (Chiro) MSc( Health Promotion) was born in North London 1957 of Irish Parents and was educated in Ireland. Originally trained as a PE teacher, he moved to Denmark 1979, where a serious knee injury got him interested in rehabilitation and training methods. Richard founded Denmarks premier fitness centre "Sweat Shop" in 1982 and travelled all over the world to find how best to prepare athletes for competition. In 1984 he became fitness and rehab consultant to the Danish national badminton teams, handball teams and many football club sides. This approach to optimal performance is normal in 2010, however back in the early 80s it was very revolutionary, when stretching was limited to putting on your socks and knee injuries were immobilised for months in plaster.
Richard developed rehabilitation and fitness programmes for many of Denmark’s top athletes including Kirsten Larsten and Ib Frederickson, all England singles badminton champions in late 80s. "Team Denmark" hired him and his facilities to help prepare many of Denmarks athletes for the LA and Seoul Olympics. In 1990 he worked with Anya Anderson, Olympic gold medallist and voted worlds best female handball player at the Atlanta Olympics.
Richard advised Copenhagen’s main teaching (Rigs) Hospital on starting their rehab facility in 1984. In the same year he started working with Denmarks leading chiropractor; Ole Wessung DC, who demonstrated the effectiveness of Chiropractic in improving athletic performance, so impressed was Richard that in 1990 he moved back to England to study chiropractic at Anglo European College of Chiropractic and was student president for two years between 1993-1995.

Richard was awarded a fellowship by the College of Chiropractors in 2008, however in January 2009 Richard chose to stop using the title chiropractor in the UK because the British regulatory body for chiropractic (The GCC) had not maintained international standards of chiropractic education in the UK and including prescribing medicines in the chiropractic scope of practice, a fig leaf for incompetent UK chiropractors to hide behind. Richard has another clinic in Dublin and is a member of the Chiropractic Association of Ireland and the European Chiropractic Union.
Richard has four children Eloise aged 3, Molly and Isabelle aged five and the eldest Frederik aged twenty one is pursuing a career as a professional tennis player and has represented Norway in the Davis Cup in 2006 & 2007. None of Richards children have ever taken any medicine, www.vaccination.co.uk they eat healthy food, take lots of exercise and have their spines checked every month, www.familychiropractic.co.uk
Richard has had much experience working in the Cuban health service where Doctors are keen to incorporate drug free interventions (acupuncture and chiropractic) and prevention in their health care programmes www.henryreevebrigade.org

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