LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Many Australians were aghast when a video showing a newborn baby being dangled by its feet by a chiropractor went viral last month.

A temporary ban was put on all infant spinal manipulations while a review is under way.

But medical and legal professionals have told 7.30 that infant spinal manipulation is just one of a number of practices commonly used by chiropractors that should be stamped out.

Madeleine Morris reports.

(Extract from YouTube video)

DR ANDREW ARNOLD, CHIROPRACTOR: So I'm just going to go upside down for a second.

Yep, and you can go back down, just hold his head. Thanks, perfect.

(End of extract)

MADELEINE MORRIS, REPORTER: When chiropractor Andrew Arnold posted this video of him manipulating a baby's spine, the public outcry was swift.

JENNY MIKAKOS, VICTORIAN HEALTH MINISTER: I have to say that I was very upset after watching this particular video image.

(Extract from YouTube video)

ANDREW ARNOLD: We're going to use the activator on the lowest setting. Let me show you on your hand here, so it's that.

A bit of a cry is a good thing.

(End of extract)



ANDREW ARNOLD: No comment thank you.

MADELEINE MORRIS: The Chiropractic Board of Australia which regulates chiropractors restricted Dr Arnold from treating children and Victoria's Health Minister ordered a review of the evidence for infant spinal manipulation.

It's not just cracking babies' backs that's raising questions about chiropractic standards.

JOHN CUNNINGHAM, SPINAL SURGEON: As far as I can tell the chiropractic board are really a law unto to themselves.

SHARI LIBY, MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE LAWYER: There needs to be much more robust oversight in chiropractic care.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Life's pretty quiet these days for Rosemary Hawas.

ROSEMARY HAWAS: Before the cancer, I guess I just feel I had a lot more confidence.

It's all about my stomach now, so I'm only working part-time so it's not much but it's something 'cause like I said I have that urge to always go to the toilet.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Rosemary is in remission from stage 3 bowel cancer. She was diagnosed at the age of just 36.

She's had radiation, chemotherapy and a large part of her bowel removed.

Around two years earlier she'd gone to see a chiropractor complaining of lower gut issues.

ROSEMARY HAWAS: I explained to him that, on the first visit, that I had some bloating issues, some nausea issues, general overall lethargic, fatigue, some rectal bleeding.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Dr Robert Delac used kinesiology on Rosemary. It's an alternative medicine practice which tests muscles responses to try to find out what's wrong with the body.

ROSEMARY HAWAS: So initially he was doing some pressure points, some muscle testing and then he also used some vials that were filled with some sort of liquid that was placed on my stomach while he was doing these adjustments and therefore led to Dr Delac saying that I had a parasite, a blasto parasite in my bowel.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Did he ever do any pathology to detect whether you had a parasite?

ROSEMARY HAWAS: No, he didn't.

MADELEINE MORRIS: No other test - no internal tests, no bloods, nothing?

ROSEMARY HAWAS: No scans, no.

MADELEINE MORRIS: He diagnosed it with vials of water on your stomach?

ROSEMARY HAWAS: Yes.

(Excerpt from video)

DR MICHAEL KENNEDY, CHIROPRACTOR: Hi, I'm Dr Michael Kennedy and I am a chiropractor that does a technique called applied kinesiology.

All strong? Good. All strong? Good.

(End of excerpt)

MADELEINE MORRIS: Applied kinesiology was developed by a chiropractor and plenty of chiros use it although it's not taught as part of their degree.

In fact, we randomly checked 100 members of the Australian Chiropractic Association and found more than 20 per cent use kinesiology.

That's despite a recent review for the Federal Government finding there isn't any solid evidence that kinesiology works at all.

JOHN CUNNINGHAM: It's mumbo jumbo.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Can you use kinesiology to diagnose a parasite in the gut?

DR WAYNE MINTER, CHAIR, CHIROPRACTIC BOARD OF AUSTRALIA: I would find that, that wouldn't be a plausible rationale in terms of, you know, that would be unacceptable.

ROSEMARY HAWAS: Dr Delac said it wouldn't take overnight but it would take some time to fix it but it will get fixed.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Rose was also seeing her GP for other complaints including gastritis but she didn't speak to him about her lower gut symptoms because she says she felt she was already being treated by a doctor for these issues, her chiropractor.

Dr Delac would later say he was under the impression she'd spoken to her GP about these problems.

ROSEMARY HAWAS: You've got rectal bleeding, you've got these persistent symptoms.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Why didn't you just go to your doctor about this?

ROSEMARY HAWAS: Hindsight is a great thing and looking back exactly I would have done exactly that but at the time I felt assured by Dr Delac that this was going to be corrected.

What would be the point seeing two people for the same thing?

MADELEINE MORRIS: After being treated by her chiropractor for her gut problems for more than two years, Rose wasn't getting any better.

When she eventually spoke to her GP about it he referred her for a colonoscopy and she was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer.

WAYNE MINTER: It would fall normally in a jurisdiction of a medical doctor particularly with rectal bleeding.

MADELEINE MORRIS: But she hadn't reported that to him because she was seeing a chiropractor for her gut issues.

WAYNE MINTER: I think ...

MADELEINE MORRIS: Can you understand ...

WAYNE MINTER: Yes absolutely.

MADELEINE MORRIS: How a patient ...

WAYNE MINTER: Absolutely. I think the onus is on the public to actually, if they have symptomology or signs to report all those symptoms and signs to the practitioner that they're consulting with.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Which she did, which was the chiropractor, who she calls doctor, don't forget.

WAYNE MINTER: We all have responsibilities in relation to these matters.

Patients have responsibilities to fully inform their health practitioner of all their signs and symptoms regardless of who they're seeing.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Rosemary complained about Dr Delac's care to the health practitioner's regulator and it investigated.

Last year the Chiropractic Board was cleared Dr Delac saying it had no evidence he had failed to appropriately to refer her.

It found Rosemary was seen on multiple occasions by her GP for other gastrointestinal issues where she'd made no reports of rectal bleeding and had only had intermittent discussions about the bleeding with Dr Delac.

Dr Delac declined to be interviewed by 7.30 and didn't respond to detailed questions.

He gave a statement simply saying he'd been investigated and cleared.

Spinal surgeon, John Cunningham, says this case is typical of chiropractors using techniques for which there is no good evidence, something he says is all too common.

JOHN CUNNINGHAM: Unfortunately chiropractors find that they supplement their practice with kinesiology, or wellness coaching and dietary advice, and, you know, it's a slippery slope and they're still walking around with this title 'doctor'.

So when you have a doctor practising kinesiology, why wouldn't you think it's legitimate?

WAYNE MINTER: Chiropractors are expected to adhere to the code of conduct which is very much based around looking at the evidence.

MADELEINE MORRIS: But there is no evidence for kinesiology.

WAYNE MINTER: I mean, we are risk-based regulators. We actually respond to notifications that are submitted by the public. That is the way regulation works in Australia on the issues you've raised.

MADELEINE MORRIS: Will you take another look at this case?

WAYNE MINTER: We will take another look at this case, yes, we will.

MADELEINE MORRIS: That's cold comfort for Rosemary Hawas.

ROSEMARY HAWAS: I feel silly but I am not a medical professional and I didn't know any better and I've learnt from it, big time.