October 2007

Anti-chiropractic ad appears on Connecticut TV

An offspring of the consumer group that has been attacking chiropractic in Connecticut with billboards and bus ads since 2003 has launched more warfare — this time through a television commercial.

The Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group, LLC (CSAG) is purchasing air time on the local Fox television station, WTIC-TV. In the commercial, the group asks consumers who have suffered a stroke after a chiropractic manipulation to call the organization for help.

The group has also issued a press release concerning the TV commercial.

Responding to this ad, Luigi DiRubba, DC, president of the Connecticut Chiropractic Council (CCC), told Chiropractic Economics, “[We] are in discussions with legal counsel to review the escalating blatant attacks in the media of Connecticut and surrounding states. … The CCC membership has been strong with its letters and phone calls to the media, state representatives, and the governor’s office, voicing our opinion of these defamatory and false statements.”

He added, “It is time that leaders of our state and national organizations, including our college institutions, take a stand in defending and promoting the rights of the public we serve.  … This is a national issue and every doctor of chiropractic needs to step up and participate on some level. Just being a member of a local and national organization is  step in the right direction for our profession.”

The International Chiropractors Association (ICA), through its president John Maltby, DC, said, “This is far more than a citizen or citizens expressing their opinions with all of the free-speech protections we enjoy in the United States … The highly professional nature of the campaign indicates that there is more at work here than just an angry individual with a grudge against chiropractic.”

Maltby said the ICA intends to write the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “to ask that agency’s scrutiny and action in light of the blatant anti-competitive and deceptive nature of the campaign.” He also said ICA is working closely with CCC.

A spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) said, “ACA is very concerned about misrepresentations of chiropractic … Because the Victims of Chiropractic Abuse (VOCA) and its companion organizations, such as the Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group, have primarily chosen Connecticut as their battleground, ACA has formed an ongoing partnership with the Connecticut Chiropractic Association (CSA) to present chiropractic’s case to the media, legislators, and state regulators. … The CSA recently launched an extensive public-relations campaign to counter the negative messages about chiropractic that are being spread throughout the state.”

Kristin Kasabucki, executive director of CCA, said CCA’s PR campaign includes television advertisements promoting chiropractic and its safety.

ACA said it is monitoring the Connecticut situation. “Should VOCA develop some momentum, we will be prepared to respond.”

Amanda Thompson of CSAG, said in a press release, “In spite of our members’ injuries we are not anti-chiropractic. We only want people to understand the risks before they seek chiropractic treatment and to help those who have already been injured.”

DiRubba encouraged all doctors to donate to the Connecticut Chiropractic Legal Action Fund at www.Ctcouncil.com.

Sources: Chiropractic Stroke Awareness Group, www.chiropracticstroke.com; Connecticut Chiropractic Society,www.Ctcouncil.com; International Chiropractors Association, www.chiropractic.org; American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday; Connecticut Chiropractic Association, www.ctchiro.com

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