By Sid Mouk, D.C.
Is the world coming to an end? Alan Alda (one of my favorite movie & TV stars) doesn’t like us. A PBS show on “Alternative Healing” hosted by Alan Alda recently lambasted Chiropractic with the age-old AMA stuff about “There is no scientific evidence that alignment of the spine benefits health in any way” (spoken by an eminent medical doctor, of course, and who is better qualified to pass judgment on the benefits of Chiropractic than a know-it-all MD).
I like Alan Alda and most of his work but I find it highly offensive when he and other movie and TV stars try to use their celebrity status to foist their opinions (and/or the opinions that have been foisted on them) upon the people of this world who might look up to them to set an example for us all. Why the general public even does this, I haven’t the foggiest idea. These celebrities, who in many cases can’t even manage their own lives very well, are attempting to tell us what to believe and how to act (a good example of this is Julia Roberts trying to tell the people of this country how to vote in the last presidential election, since when does winning an Oscar for acting make you an expert in politics, or in anything else, for that matter?).
Double-blind studies are certainly of value when properly done but this whole idea of these types of studies being necessary to “prove” that a theory is valid is highly over-rated. In fact, these studies are only as valid as the research people performing them. Over the past several years, we’ve heard the stories of drug companies falsifying the results of double-blind studies done on their drugs by deliberately changing results to make the drug look better than it actually tested out to be, or conveniently leaving out some of the major side-effects that showed up in the studies.
At a recent seminar sponsored by Standard Process Labs, Dr. Michael Dobbins explained that the first thing he looks for when viewing the results of these studies is “who provided the funds for the study?”. The results are automatically highly suspect, in his opinion, if the study was funded by any group or company that has a vested interest in the outcome of the study (drug companies doing studies on drugs they produce which, if approved, they stand to sell for millions of dollars?). He went on to explain how this funding usually takes place, even those studies involving reputable research groups. The groups conducting the studies are not funded in one lump sum but on an on-going week to week or month to month basis. And the researchers are required to present their preliminary findings to the funding groups weekly or monthly in order for the funds to continue. The continued income of these research scientists depends upon these preliminary findings that are reported to the funding group (and the funds can and will be cut off if the results are not the ones expected or wanted by this group.) Very “scientific.” Under these circumstances, even the most honest and ethical scientist (who has to feed his family just like we all do) would be tempted to “overlook” any findings that are not favorable concerning the product being tested. This atrocious way many of these medical studies are being conducted is highly questionable and should make us all at least suspect many of their conclusions.
On the other hand, clinical proof (the actual Healing results obtained by using the product or procedure over a number of years) is much more difficult to dispute or to argue with. Results are results (Dr. Jim Parker always said “Chiropractic Works and That’s What Counts.”). For more than 100 years, Chiropractic has been helping sick people get well. Chiropractic at its best (not necessarily general diversified adjusting, but the best in chiropractic techniques) produces incredible clinical results that have to be seen and experienced by the sick patient to be fully appreciated. We all know it and the great majority of our patients know it. Remember the foolish way MDs used to try to explain away our results, “If a Chiropractor helps, you it was all in your head.” What a joke. Even if that were true, so what? Healing is Healing and that’s all sick people care about?
Alan Alda, and all like him, are wrong. But it’s up us to prove to him and to the world just how wrong he is. We’re the only ones who can do this. Let’s all become masters at delivering a quality “MindSpine” adjustment in the right place at the right time, and when the dust finally settles, it will be the sick people of this world who make the final decision as to the true value of Chiropractic care (and certainly not the Alan Aldas of this world who are simply proving themselves to be either close-minded or ignorant of the facts).
All we have to do is learn how to Heal and Just Do It.
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Editors Note: Being in the land of celebrities, I must admit the we (the public) push them to do spots, speak on the behalf of our causes, etc., more often then some (celebrities) are comfortable with. While I think that using a TV MD to push a drug or particular health topic is a bit sleazy, it is more the marketing agencies, and not the celebrities themselves that are to blame. And in defense of Julia (whom I am quite fond of), she is doing what she believes is the right thing to do. We have no one to blame but ourselves if they don’t receive our message.
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