According to THIS ARTICLE, a group of Canadians harmed by chiropractors is suing not only the “doctors” involved but the state government. The basic argument is that by licensing and regulating chiropractors, the state takes on a responsibility to ensure that the care they provide is safe and effective.

This raises some interestig political issues which, unfortunately, divides CAM opponents based on attitudes towards government and regulation. My own, admittedly liberal, position is that government could do a much better job protecting public health if it regulated CAM to half the extent it does mainstream scientific medicine. HERE is my more detailed rant on the subject.

And HERE are some comments I made on the Science-Based Medicine Blog and David Gorski’s response which ouotlign the political aspects of the debate a little.

Any thoughts?

Agreed, Brennen. Medicines and purported medicines should be regulated to the same standard. As it is now, there is a clear double standard between standard medications, which are heavily regulated and must undergo peer review to demonstrate safety and efficacy, and so-called “alternative” medicines, for which it would appear that anything goes.

Although it is supposed to be illegal to promote anything to cure disease unless it has been proven safe and effective (with the glaring exception of homeopathy), in practice little or nothing is done. It is certainly not nearly enough to allow commercialization of quack treatments with the inclusion of a nearly illegible caveat that “These claims have not been tested by the FDA”.

sCAM has invaded my profession to the point that many of my coworkers can’t tell the difference. Some of them are purveyors of quack supplements that they sell to other coworkers and honestly believe their claims. When I challenge their notions as to whether these meds actually perform as advertised, they say ‘it makes them feel better’. When I bring up the placebo effect, they say “I don’t care”, and continue to throw their hard earned money down the drain. If we are having so much trouble convincing medical staff, we are doing a poor job of training in our colleges and universities, and have little hope of convincing the lay public.