President's Report

Peter Werth
Do your ears prick up when you hear the mention of chiropractic, osteopathy or manipulation on television. When you hear it is one of the current affairs programs promoting a forthcoming segment do you wait with trepidation thinking to yourself, which one is it this time. Is it the recently discovered, and obviously previously overlooked by all other practitioners, cure for all back pain, the revolutionary new treatment for headaches, especially migraines, or the one that probably embodies more emotion than any other topic – manipulation of children and which ailment are they claiming to cure this time.

Many of you may have recently seen the segment on A Current Affair on the topic of manipulation of children. This is not the first time that this topic has been aired on this program and other current affairs programs. If one accepts the premise that the objective of the exercise is to secure ratings points as opposed to the more altruistic option of being informative and accurate, then you would not have been surprised by the outcome of the report.

The segment’s objective, I would assume, was to cast doubt on the practice of manipulation of children and the conditions treated via manipulation. I believe that it would have been achieved irrespective of the performance of the chiropractor in question. But rather than having to create this outcome via harsh editing, one gains the impression that the chiropractor provided many of the answers (or in fact lack of answers) that the producers would have wanted to hear.

Following this segment COCA decided that we should respond to this program with a media release that was based on fact. We knew full well that we would not gain a hearing in this particular situation, but hoped it would include COCA in the list of organisations to contact for opinions in the future. This may then provide a more even viewpoint being presented.

In providing this media release we revisited the literature on some of the conditions mentioned and penned this response based upon the evidence available to date:

We know of no sound scientific evidence that justifies regular or continued manipulation of the spines of infants. In particular we know of no sound evidence for the treatment of infantile colic, SIDS prevention, bed-wetting, ADHD, asthma, balance problems or otitis media.

Chiropractors’ undergraduate training in neonatology and paediatrics is limited, but may be useful when combined with that of a GP or paediatrician for a specific purpose. Accordingly, we counsel parents to start with their general practitioner first for any significant problem relating to infants.

This statement accounts for the possibility that evidence may be produced in the future, and does not discount treatment of infants in total. It does emphasize that for significant problems, parents should consult their GP first, and then if indicated (ie. no contra-indications found) then treatment may be undertaken. This, I believe, is no more than a common sense approach and as a chiropractor and a parent, one that I would be comfortable adopting.

At our recent Executive meeting it was decided that COCA should develop a media policy, which relates to the promotion of our mission and objectives.

The COCA Executive believes that by adopting this media policy and the resultant consultation with the organisation, we may assist in portraying a more accurate picture of the professions in the media, rather than only highlighting the more negative aspects.

I am of the opinion that whilst our position may not sit comfortably with some members of the professions, our aim is to present our professions as two of the health care disciplines that adopt an evidence-based and best practice approach to our patients’ care which conforms to accepted health-care standards.

5th Biennial Conference
By now you will have received the 5th Biennial Conference brochure with the theme Contemporary Practice. I feel this will be one of the best conferences that we have run to date. We have Dr Randy Ferrance from the USA who is qualified as a chiropractor and medical practitioner with a speciality in paediatrics. He is thus highly qualified to present on the diagnosis and management of paediatric patients and his one-day workshop will undoubtedly be a must for all who attend to paediatric patients. Drs John Triano and Marion McGregor-Triano are two eminent chiropractic researchers, also from the USA who will present on a variety of clinically relevant material. If that isn’t enough to entice you to attend, then I am sure that you will love to catch up with friends on our Saturday evening function on The Bounty sailing on Sydney Harbour. This is the replica ship built for the movie of the same name that starred Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins, and should prove to be a fantastic night. Please book early for this, as space is limited on the ship.

The Backletter
As a final note many of you will be familiar with The Backletter publication from Lippincott Williams and Wilkins (LWW), who are the publishers of the prestigious journal Spine. This monthly newsletter provides an update of the latest research and clinically relevant conference proceedings in a very readable and succinct newsletter format. COCA has been able to secure an arrangement with LWW for our members to be able subscribe to this publication for USD$59 rather than the normal overseas rate of USD$177. This represents an enormous saving of AUD$200. You will shortly receive a letter outlining the special rate and a subscription form. I would highly recommend this publication to you as an excellent resource and another worthwhile membership benefit from COCA.

Please keep your eye out for further new initiatives that are coming shortly which we believe continue to add value to your membership.