Chiropractic has never had a very good reputation in the medical community. It has managed to do a little better in recent years and some practitioners wisely limit themselves to physical therapy of the back. The basics of chiropractic, though, remain pseudoscientific - which is why supporters are working hard to create the appearance of academic credibility.

In the September/October issue of Skeptical Inquirer, Frank Reiser explains how chiropractic is being deliberately integrated into community college programs:

Schools of chiropractic study are actively seeking to associate with college science departments, as well as with established medical organizations. These affiliations, no matter how weak, are publicized in an attempt to validate chiropractic practice as having a scientific basis.

If chiropractic had genuine credibility, they wouldn’t need to seek out such affiliations — they would automatically be affiliated with mainstream medical organizations. This is a natural outcome for any medical practice which safely and effectively treats people’s illnesses. Since chiropractic generally fails to do anything of the sort, faux credibility must be constructed in the manner described above; unfortunately, it leads to problems in the education of others:

Chiropractic institutions graduate approximately 4,000 “chiro-doctorates” a year in an already crowded market (Chotkowski 2002). Administrators of these schools tell their students that a chiropractic education prepares them for careers in research and education. To quote the president of New York Chiropractic College, “We inform our students that upon completion of our program, in addition to private practice, they may also be interested in conducting research or serving as educators in an academic setting” (Nicchi 2000). The number of chiropractors applying for teaching positions at New York’s community colleges increases every year. [...]

In New York State, half the students in public colleges and universities (SUNY) are enrolled in community colleges (McCall 1999, 1). A large percentage of graduates will pursue advanced degrees. Many non-science master and doctorate degree programs do not require additional science credits beyond what has been taken at the community college level. This leads to an important question: Should such critical exposure to the sciences be under the direction of a practitioner whose highest degree represents an epitome of skill in the antiscientific philosophies upon which chiropractic is based?

According to the National Science Foundation, the scientific community has a responsibility to help the public understand what science is and how it is different from pseudoscience. Science departments in community colleges appear to fail in their responsibility when they hire chiropractic graduates as full and part time teachers in biology — something that has happened in at least six community colleges in New York alone. Having chiropractic graduates teach biology isn't far off from having astrologers teach astronomy or young earth creationists teach geology.

 

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