Anti-vaccine chiropractor still giving the bird to AHPRA

Only a few days after the Chiropractic Board of Australia issued its press release demanding chiropractors cease publishing anti-vaccination misinformation, I started a series called Anti-vaccine chiropractors. The August 8 2013 CBA release stated:

The Chiropractic Board of Australia cracks down to protect the public.

The Chiropractic Board of Australia is cracking down on chiropractors who step outside their primary role as healthcare practitioners and provide treatment that puts the public at risk.

To protect public safety, the Board has:

– ordered practitioners to remove all anti-vaccination material from their websites and clinics
– removed several courses from the list of approved CPD programs, and
– introduced random audits of practitioner compliance with the Board’s registration standards.

The long-awaited and seemingly toothless missive from the CBA prompted me to start my series highlighting instances of chiropractic anti-vaccinationism, predominantly by members of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia. It wasn’t only the ordinary members spreading the lies of the anti-vaccination movement; it was also board members of the various CAA franchises. Truly despicable.

Number 3 in my series was an anti-vaccine chiropractor named Tom Dawson. From that post:

I want to introduce you to Tom Dawson, member of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia, who conducts his business at Wellbeing Hawthorn.

What really rustled my jimmies with this guy were these two excerpts from his own anti-vaccine screed:

I don’t hear about unvaccinated kids dying of these diseases

 All of the children getting these diseases, dying from them and/or featured in the media HAVE BEEN VACCINATED

There truly aren’t enough expletives for the callousness and ineptitude of people like this, so I won’t go there.

Anyway, fortunately for us, Dawson proved that he was aware of the CBA crackdown. He commented on my post:

Comments you have posted are about my opinions expressed on my personal FB page, topics such as immunisation, which i remind you is still a choice in this country that requires consent, are not discussed in my office on a regular basis as I don’t feel it is my scope of practice, I encourage my clients to thoroughly investigate ANY medical procedure thoroughly before agreeing to it.

So, he attempted to shy away from his social media responsibilities by claiming that the comments were made on his open, personal Facebook profile. He also gave a summation as to what information he shares with his customers. Sorry, I just don’t believe him. Especially when I find this posted on his business’s Facebook page, from just last month – well after the CBA directives:

And remember. We are also dealing with a person possessing the hubris to believe they can walk into any hospital and treat patients. Yes, he is one of those:

The Chiropractic Board of Australia needs to show their mettle. It is becoming more than obvious that the regulation of these people is useless. And it seems the AHPRA experiment has failed. All that has happened is that chiropractors were permitted to claim the “doctor” title, with no public health benefit in return, apart from arrogance and a disdain for evidence.