Posted on 01/17/2005 8:04:02 AM PST by anniegetyourgun
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) -
Some Florida State University professors have been circulating a parody map showing the campus of the future, with a new Bigfoot Institute, a School of Astrology and a Crop Circle Simulation Laboratory.
It's a not-so-subtle jab in a growing debate over a proposal to build a chiropractic college on this campus - the first such school at a public university in the United States.
More than 500 professors, including the university's two Nobel laureates, have signed a petition opposing the school and a handful have even threatened to resign rather than teach alongside what they consider a "pseudoscience."
The dispute - the biggest academic furor in recent memory at Florida State - is heading to a showdown decision later this month, pitting FSU faculty and doctors against chiropractors and powerful lawmakers who pushed the $9 million (euro7 million) proposal through the Legislature.
T.K. Wetherell, the normally blunt president of Florida State, has been unusually reticent on the chiropractic flap, deferring to his provost.
"There's a small number of faculty who would like it to happen, there is another group of faculty who would like it to die as painful a death as possible, and then there's another group that has a lot of concerns that they would like answered before anything else happens," provost Larry Abele said.
Supporters of the school, which would add 100 faculty members, say the affiliation with a major university would quickly make it the nation's premier program and a magnet for federal grants in alternative medicine.
But the parody map sums up the views of many faculty - and physicians. They worry that chiropractic isn't based on real science and that such a program could hurt the university's academic reputation.
Last week, the faculty committee that oversees curriculum voted 22-0 to stop the proposed chiropractic program until it at least had a say-so in the decision.
"There's no demonstrated need. We have more chiropractors than any other state except California and New York," said Ray Bellamy, a local orthopedic surgeon and associate at the medical school.
For now, the 38,000 students at Florida State have largely stayed on the sidelines in the debate, although a few exercise physiology majors have spoken out in support of the school.
For chiropractors, the issue is bigger than just the fight at Florida State. It's part of an ongoing battle to win respect and credibility in the medical community for their profession. A chiropractic school at FSU would supply a long sought affiliation with an established university and a major boost.
Chiropractic, which focuses on manipulating the spine to lessen back pain and improve overall health, has won wider acceptance over the years; it's now covered by most health insurance plans.
But in the 110 years since the profession was created, the established medical community has largely boycotted it - challenging its scientific validity in courts and legislative bodies. In 1990, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the American Medical Association guilty of conspiracy to destroy the profession.
"Chiropractic falls under the same umbrella as any number of therapies including homeopathy, naturopathy, meditation, prayer," said Dr. Bill Kinsinger, an Oklahoma anesthesiologist and longtime critic of chiropractors who is working with Florida doctors to block the new school. "There's no more evidence for chiropractic than there is for any of these other therapies."
The Florida Chiropractic Association says it's unfair for opponents to try to deny them the opportunity to create the school.
"On the one hand, they say there is no science behind what we do," said John Van Tassel, a Tallahassee chiropractor who tends to Florida State's football players. "At the same time, they're trying to prevent the very research (at a university) they say is needed."
The university system's Board of Governors, which faces a decision on the standoff Jan. 27. The fledgling board, which was created in 2002, has been accused of bowing to the wishes of the governor and the legislature on higher education issues.
While not an outspoken supporter, Gov. Jeb Bush signed off on the chiropractic school proposal in the last legislative session to appease the House speaker and Senate president.
_________________________
A CRACK AT RESPECT: Chiropractors helped push through the Florida Legislature a plan to build what would be the first chiropractic school at a public U.S. university.
GETTING THEIR BACKS UP: More than 500 Florida State University professors oppose bringing what they consider "pseudoscience" to their campus.
NERVOUS SYSTEM: The battle could determine who really controls the state's public university system: its Board of Governors, individual universities' trustees or the Legislature.
I'll bring popcorn this time....
bump
The quacks don't like the cracks intruding on their profitable space!
Butter on that popcorn?
For too long the surgeons and dope peddlers have controlled the discussion on healthcare. With a Chiropractic school in a major university we can initiate studies that compare the two approaches for a host of ailments........and let the data speak for itself.
I've tried chiropractic but it's done nothing more than leave me with a headache. However, I know many people who get relief from adjustments instead of looking for just the right drug to correct the problem. Whatever works.
Next up....the University of FL Dept. of Massage and Aromatherapy.
This makes a great deal of sense. So does Naturopathy which focuses on building health to prevent disease. What an out-of-the-mainstream concept...unfortunately. All this emphasis on "curing" disease and none on preventing it.
Sure,
You can give people sugar pills and all sorts of aches and pains will magically go away ;)
When I had back problems for 8 months, all doctors would do is prescribe painkillers and the like. The Chiropractor went to work on me and inside a month I was back to normal. Pseudo-science my a$$
It's quite common to actually get headaches for the first several visits as your spine becomes adjusted to a different alignment. Depending on your need, you can eventually taper back to maintenance visits. The money I have saved in not buying cases of Motrin and the relief from alternating numbness and pain has easily paid for my Chiropractic health care. Just be sure to find a reputable Chiropractor who will examine you and your xrays BEFORE determining if he/she can treat you. As with ANY profession, there are always those who should not be in business.
More chiropractos equals more lawsuits?
If doctors are so smart, then why do they call their job "practice" ?
After seeing several of these types of threads, I have come to the conclusion someone needs to post the "Not this S**t Again!" picture.
For some reason, this subject brings out the worst in people. People just keep repeating the same things over and over again.
I live in the heart of chiro country, not far from Palmer. Too many choices!
And don't forget the threads on diet, and what to eat, what not to eat and why.
MDs and ODs are an arrangent lot.
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