Toronto, March 22, 2017 — Chiropractors are licensed and regulated by provincially-based colleges that act in the interest of the public. The care delivered by chiropractors is supported by strong evidence. Recent media reports have drawn attention to advertising claims that are contrary to evidence-based practice and inconsistent with regulated advertising. These claims have been made by individual chiropractic offices and are not used by the majority of chiropractors.
“Any member of the public who feels a chiropractor is making inappropriate claims, acting outside the scope of practice, or behaving unprofessionally, is encouraged to advise the provincial licensing body which is charged with protecting the public interest and has a mandate to investigate inappropriate behaviour,” said Alison Dantas, CEO, Canadian Chiropractic Association.
Chiropractors are governed by a professional scope of practice. Chiropractors must ensure that any statements and claims made in relation to chiropractic care are not false, misleading, or deceptive, nor should they create an unreasonable expectation of beneficial treatment.
The chiropractic profession recognizes that vaccination is not within the scope of chiropractic practice and that vaccination and immunization are established public health practices in the prevention of infectious diseases. This has been the position of the Canadian Chiropractic Association since 1991.
Chiropractors put patient safety first and fully embrace this duty.
Seven years of education and training, and a culture of research form the foundation of chiropractors’ commitment to patient safety and quality care. Chiropractors, who are most often recognized for their expertise in resolving persistent back or neck pain, are experts in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of conditions and disorders related to the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems.
With 1 in 8 people suffering from chronic low back pain, chiropractors saw more than 4.5 million Canadians last year and have an important impact on the health of Canadians.
About the Canadian Chiropractic Association
The Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) is a national association representing 7,800 of Canada’s 9,000 licensed doctors of chiropractic. Approximately 4.5 million Canadians use the services of a chiropractor each year. The CCA advocates on behalf of members and their patients to advance the quality and accessibility of chiropractic care in Canada and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare system. For more information on the CCA or for a referral to a doctor of chiropractic, please visit www.chiropractic.ca.