Misinformation, chiropractic, and the COVID-19 pandemic
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(2020) 28:65
DEBATE
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Misinformation, chiropractic, and the COVID-19 pandemic Iben Axén1,2* , Cecilia Bergström3, Marc Bronson4, Pierre Côté5, Casper Glissmann Nim6,7, Guillaume Goncalves8, Jeffrey J. Hébert9,10, Joakim Axel Hertel11, Stanley Innes10, Ole Kristoffer Larsen11, Anne-Laure Meyer8, Søren O’Neill6,7, Stephen M. Perle12, Kenneth A. Weber II13, Kenneth J. Young14 and Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde7
Abstract Background: In March 2020, the World Health Organization elevated the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic to a pandemic and called for urgent and aggressive action worldwide. Public health experts have communicated clear and emphatic strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Hygiene rules and social distancing practices have been implemented by entire populations, including ‘stay-at-home’ orders in many countries. The long-term health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are not yet known. Main text: During this time of crisis, some chiropractors made claims on social media that chiropractic treatment can prevent or impact COVID-19. The rationale for these claims is that spinal manipulation can impact the nervous system and thus improve immunity. These beliefs often stem from nineteenth-century chiropractic concepts. We are aware of no clinically relevant scientific evidence to support such statements. We explored the internet and social media to collect examples of misinformation from Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand regarding the impact of chiropractic treatment on immune function. We discuss the potential harm resulting from these claims and explore the role of chiropractors, teaching institutions, accrediting agencies, and legislative bodies. Conclusions: Members of the chiropractic profession share a collective responsibility to act in the best interests of patients and public health. We hope that all chiropractic stakeholders will view the COVID-19 pandemic as a call to action to eliminate the unethical and potentially dangerous claims made by chiropractors who practise outside the boundaries of scientific evidence. Keywords: Covid-19, Chiropractors, Spinal manipulation, Professional traditionalism, Infodemic, Debate
Background In March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) labelled the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), COVID − 19, a pandemic and called for countries to take urgent and aggressive action [1]. Because there is no known * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Karolinska Institutet, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Intervention and Implementation Research for worker health, Stockholm, Sweden 2 The Norwegian Chiropractic Research Foundation “Et liv I Bevegelse”, ELIB, Oslo, Norway Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
treatment for this virus, we are being asked to observe social distancing, wash our hands frequently, and curtail our activities with those outside our household. Most businesses that include person-to-person contact have been closed. Despite t
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