Former Cabinet Minister backs chiropractics’ case

Press, 30 November 1978, Page 23

Former Cabinet Minister backs chiropractics’ case

PA Wellington Chiropractic should be recognised as a legitimate specialist medical service, a former Minister of Education, (Mr A. E. Kinsella), has submitted to the Commission of Inquiry into Chiropractic. His submisssion was made after he presented personal evidence on how chiropractic had restored his health after unsuccessful medical treatment of injuries sustained in a car accident. Mr Kinsella, who is now principal of the Technical Correspondence Institute, said he suffered severe injuries in an accident in April, 1969. In spite of surgery and physiotherapy, he later had to resign from the Cabinet and withdraw from his candidacy for the Hauraki seat, as he could not do the travelling required in the election campaign. His leg condition deteriorated and he had difficulty turning his head, end blurring of sight. In February, 1970. an orthopaedic surgeon diagnosed arthritis in his injured leg and shoulder and , prescribed more physi- ■ otherapy. “From this time on. in spite of constant treat- ' menl. the condition be- I came worse so that I had ) to use a stick for walking , and was partially crippled,” Mr Kinsella i said. “The executive com- , mittee of the Royal Corps of New Zealand Engineers, I of which I was a member, i became concerned about i my increasing degree of { crippling and tried to per- ' suade me, unsuccessfully, to try a chiropractor. “Eventually, without my ■ knowledge, they made an . appointment for me with i a chiropractor and asked I me if I would attend, 1 which 1 did reluctantly ; and with considerable scepticism.” Mr Kinsella said the chiropractor found no sign i of any serious arthritic : condition, but said there ! was long-standing and j serious displacements of

the vertebrae at the base of the neck and spine, much inflammation in those areas, and a consequent tilt in the pelvis which was throwing his weight on the injured leg. “After the first days treatment I was quite mobile again and after daily treatment for three weeks all signs of pain, swelling and disability had gone." Mr Kinsella said he had subsequently received treatment from three other chiropractors. All had been most careful to say they would only treat him if examination showed that the condition was within their field and that otherwise he should consult a doctor. He said present medical services obviously had a serious gap in their knowledge and training in ti e field in which chiropractors were expert. He suggested chiropractic should be accepted as legitimate treatment for medical benefits and the Accident Compensation Commission. Mr Kinsella called for provision to be made at a medical school for a chiro-

praette degree or diploma and for its recognition as a branch of medicine in an earlier submission, the Accident Compensation Commission said it would cost about S>2 6M each year if it were to pa; for the chiropractic treatment of accident victims. This figure was based on information gathered by the Chiropract < Association in 197.3-7! and subsequent increases in the costs of treatment and the number of patients treated. The Commission said it did no! consider itself competent to ludge the merits or otherwise ot chiropractic as a diagnostic and healing art. The Commission- submission said i: could only pay for chiropractic treatment for personal injury by accident if that treatment was given on the recommendation of a re.: istered medical practitioner. This applied also with physiotherapy and other para-medical treatment. "Che distinguishing feature of chiropractic is ihat registered medical nrac-

titioners will not give referrals for such treatment and so proper claims for chiropractic fees are not normally presented to the Commission. ognised. lhe implicaiior.s for lhe y.C.C. would varv type of status given to chiropractors and the acceptability of that sta.upeople" "If chiropractors were tered medical practitioners the VCC Ac' would have to be changed.” the Coin The result would be parallel treatment service. This would cause conthere would b< detriment to the administration of claims for accident vicI he submission said that if chiropractic was recognised without dot - sary goodwill between them and the Commission might be seriously threatened.