http://religionnewsblog.com/9938/Doctors--Others-Deride-Chiropractic-...
[...]
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.

Doctors, Others Deride Chiropractic School
Associated Press, via Sun-Sentinelcom, Jan. 16, 2005
Brent Kallestad, Associated Press Writer

www.sun-sentinel.com


TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- 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.


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