The General Chiropractic Council (GCC) is the United Kingdom statutory body with regulatory powers established by the Chiropractors Act of 1994.

In May 2010, the GCC issued a document on claims made for the vertebral subluxation complex (VSC), which states that the VSC is an historical concept not supported by any clinical research evidence that would allow claims to be made that it is the cause of disease or health concerns. The document goes on to provide “must” statements regarding beliefs, values, evidence based practice and advertising.

The Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation have reviewed the General Chiropractic Council’s Guidance on Claims Made for the Vertebral Subluxation Complex and we issue the following in response.

The management of vertebral subluxation has been the chiropractic profession’s unique contribution to the healthcare system for 115 years.

The GCC has resorted to a “straw man” fallacy in their Guidance document thereby misrepresenting others’ positions on the topic.  Clinical research evidence does exist to support a nexus between vertebral subluxation and health concerns. Additionally, the notion that evidence-based practice (EBP) is limited only to those interventions supported by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is false. 

Despite allusions to the contrary, subluxation-centered care and patient-centered care are not mutually exclusive and the suggestion that subluxation-centered chiropractors do not or cannot practice in an evidence-based model is another “straw man” fallacy.

Furthermore, the practice of imposing a more burdensome evidence standard on subluxation-centered chiropractors than on musculoskeletal or pain-oriented chiropractors or even medical practitioners is unacceptable, discriminatory, and an application of the fallacy of “special pleading.”  Despite the GCC’s contentions, vertebral subluxation is recognized by the World Health Organization and major chiropractic organizations worldwide, and manifestations of vertebral subluxation may be assessed utilizing reliable and valid examination procedures.

This blatant disregard of the evidence is a serious concern for all chiropractors, regulatory boards and trade organizations within the profession. The GCC Guidance misinforms the public, chiropractors and other professionals placing chiropractors throughout the world in an unjust position. The Foundation calls on all chiropractors to denounce the GCC’s Guidance document.