Why Do Some Medical Doctors Not Like Chiropractors?

In short, the American Medical Association is the devil. Stay with me for a minute. I know that doesn’t sound “professional”. It is also not a satisfactory answer to a legitimate question. Allow me to explain.

There are still a lot of, typically older, medical doctors who will pucker up tight as a drum if you mention the word chiropractor. Not surprisingly, because this is such a common occurrence, a lot of patients have questions about why medical doctors are this way. The frustrating thing is that I can’t really give a QUICK answer without sounding either defensive or borderline psychotic, which is even more enraging since if I talked about MDs and PTs the way that many of them do about chiropractors most patients would slowly back out of my office without breaking eye contact. Ironically, chiropractors are not typically the ones talking out of a state of ignorance when we stand on our soap box issuing warnings about the medical profession.

The Chiropractor’s Side Of The Story.

Understand that this little history lesson is only ONE of the many onion-like layers to why a chiropractor practicing the safest and effective means of healthcare in the world is still not more universally accepted and understood by the medical profession and the rest of the public.

Back in the day chiropractors had it rough but at the same time, they had it easy.  Many of you may not know, but there was a time when many chiropractors went to jail for “practicing medicine without a license”. Chiropractors had to fight a lot of battles before they won the war that allowed chiropractors to practice chiropractic without fear of incarceration. It started very early on in the beginning stages of chiropractic and continued until 1974! From the very beginning, the medical profession used every tactic possible to eliminate or, at least, contain its biggest competition, chiropractic. It is only VERY recently that a legal precedence was set that required the American Medical Association (AMA) to stop.

Wilk v. American Medical Association was a federal antitrust suit brought against the AMA and 10 co-defendants by chiropractor Chester A. Wilk, DC, and four co-plaintiffs. Let’s break this down.

1. An antitrust suit is a legal action against another party who is being charged with limiting free competition in the marketplace. Basically, the AMA was being charged with trying to destroy chiropractic. No, this is not a conspiracy.  THIS IS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. The first trial started in 1976 the second trial ended in 1987.
2. Here was the plot. In 1962, The Iowa Plan’s section was adopted by the Iowa Medical Society with the goal of eradicating chiropractic in that state “What Medicine Should Do About The Chiropractic Menace”. In this plan, there was essentially a “How to” section for “containing chiropractic” which can be accomplished by:
   1. Encourage ethical complaints against doctors of chiropractic;
   2. Oppose chiropractic inroads in health insurance;
   3. Oppose chiropractic inroads in workmen’s compensation;
   4. Oppose chiropractic inroads into labor unions;
   5. Oppose chiropractic inroads into hospitals; and
   6. Contain chiropractic schools.

3. The AMA was found GUILTY. Yes, that is correct. Not even 30 years ago the AMA was found not just conspiring but was found guilty by federal judge Susan Getzendanner of conspiring to destroy chiropractic. Some of the action’s that swayed Judge Getzendanner guilty verdict include, that during the 1960s and 1970s, H. Doyl Taylor, the AMA DOI chairman, and the Committee on Quackery worked aggressively to achieve its goals of destroying chiropractors by:
   1. Conducting nationwide conferences on chiropractic;
   2. Distributing publications critical of chiropractic;
   3. Assisting others in preparation of anti-chiropractic literature;
   4. Warning that professional association between medical physicians and chiropractors was unethical; and
   5. Discouraging colleges, universities, and faculty from cooperating with chiropractic schools.

The AMA was actively attempting to use its influence in the public and in the medical profession via its AMA guidelines, to destroy chiropractic. How were they trying to do this? Here a few examples:

1. Until 1983, the AMA held that it was unethical for medical doctors to associate with an “unscientific practitioner,” and labeled chiropractic “an unscientific cult”.
2. Up until 1974, the AMA had a Committee on Quackery which challenged what it considered being unscientific forms of healing.
3. Before 1980, Principle 3 of the AMA Principles of medical ethics stated: “A physician should practice a method of healing founded on a scientific basis, and he should not voluntarily professionally associate with anyone who violates this principle.”
   1. Guess who the AMA felt “violated” this principle? Ten points to whoever said, chiropractors.
   2. In addition to labeling, all chiropractors not just unscientific but cultists and restricting them of any association with medical doctors, unrepairable injury to the chiropractic profession’s reputation was solidified by the AMA’s name calling practices. “For example, in 1973, Dr. Sabatier, an AMA official, described chiropractors as rabid dogs and killers,” the judge writes.

Too Little Too Late For Chiropractic?

1. Despite the huge win for chiropractors the effects of this pathetically greed and self-righteous assault on chiropractors and their patients, despite the fact that chiropractors were VALIDATED in their fears and conspiracy theories, despite the fact that millions of patients may have lost an opportunity to a safer, more effective and less expensive form of health care, despite seeing the AMA’s true colors and being rooted in greed and what can be described as Saturday morning cartoon villainy, despite the lies and name calling of chiropractors, despite ALL of this chiropractors are the ones who are looked down on.
2. Chiropractors still have a great number of potential patients that could benefit from chiropractic care who don’t trust them. But why? The reality is that the damage was done and cannot be undone, at least not easily or quickly. After decades indoctrinating the public and its own colleges, doctors, interns and students the AMA ultimately was just told to “stop doing that”.  The seeds were already planted and now 30 years later, what used to be bright eyed and bushy tailed med students, are now the nations experienced physicians. Sadly many of them have NO IDEA they were literally brained washed to believe that an entire profession of health care providers was little more than a cultist. It’s no wonder so many patients come in wondering why their medical doctor “seems to not like chiropractors”.

Crazy Conspiracy Theorist Chiropractors

1. For those of you skeptics, let me say this. You’re wrong. Deal with it. The facts remain documented, as do many other so-called conspiracies. The problem is often that many people do not like unlearning.  Hitler has been quoted that “If you tell a lie loud enough and long enough, the people will believe.” So it is with many other facets of life. Human responses like this are the reason that many multi-billion dollar companies go ahead with dishonest and deceptive marketing campaigns or dangerous drugs. They know that sooner or later they’ll get caught and have to stop and change what they were saying, even if they knew it was wrong. The reality is that they will make tons of money both before and after because they know that if they do a good enough job brainwashing people with their message, it is almost impossible to undo that damage.
2. In this amazing age of knowledge, you almost have to be willingly ignorant of the many examples of deceit and treachery that permeate our countries history. A great example of the above statements can be found in the recent statements made by a Nixon staffer who admitted the drug war was funded to arrest and incarcerate African Americans and “hippies” who were the two main enemies of Nixon’s campaign.

At the end of the day, there are plenty of opportunities to educate yourself about why there has been and will likely always be, a rift in the between chiropractic and medicine. The two are not wholly opposed to one another. They are, however, in direct competition with each other. You will find greedy, selfish and incompetent doctors within both communities.  It’s YOUR responsibility to get your head out of the sand far enough to see the truth. Don’t’ listen to the rantings of someone’s prejudices who fails to validate his or her views with any substantial evidence. Question everything and by doing so educate yourself so that you can make an informed decision on what you think is best for you own health.