Frankly, I'm disgusted by Lianne Elliott's handling of the April 27 story: Stroke Victim Blames Chiropractic Neck Adjustment For His Condition.
I am appalled that she would use chiropractor George Hickson's name on merely an accusation. If this person had suffered a heart attack five days following a dental visit, would his story even be published? Certainly not.
Les Limage claims that, other than the pain, he was in good health at the time. Was any investigation done into his lifestyle for the previous 67 years? I doubt it.
I suggest that the lifestyles of the people who have suffered strokes "caused by chiropractic" are the lifestyles that put them at risk no matter what.
Visit the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Web site and look at the risk factors for stroke. Interestingly, it is a disease of "lifestyle." The results of a site search for the words "chiropractic," "adjustment" or even "manipulation" turn up nothing. The relationship here is temporal only.
The reality? There should be 40,000 inquests every year for all the Canadians who die every year due to medical mistakes (this according to a report published in McLean's magazine Aug. 13, 2001). Will that ever happen? Not likely.
I suppose that what disturbs me the most is that Hickson's name was used so freely. And no, he doesn't need to respond to these accusations in the press. What a tawdry way to report the "news."
I urge that The Record ensure that this story is reported by Elliott in its entirety to its final conclusion. And don't bury it behind the newspaper's want ads. Congratulations on another fine example of "journalism."
Peter Smith, Chiropractor
Waterloo