The Phillip Ebrall Monologues: chiropractor at large

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from the wealth-creationist, evangelical, personality cult-driven, life-coach chiropractors worldwide, it’s the importance of goal direction. Well, the December 2013 issue of The Australian Chiropractor, the official magazine of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia, fully sanctioned and edited by the CAA, has given me some of that goal direction for 2014 and beyond. Really, I had no idea what I was to do with my life. Then, along came an editorial by Mr Phillip Ebrall.

Ebrall is the former head of school at RMIT. He is now the head of school at Central Queensland University. Remember this. And remember the Vice Chancellor’s Twitter handle. You might need it. In fact, I implore you to use it. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the last few years, nothing happens with those of outrageous hubris unless there is an enforced public accountability.

Ebrall is a member of the Australian Spinal Research Foundation. He is also a board member of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia. A board member.

The questions are: is it appropriate that the subluxationist Ebrall holds the position he does? Should he be teaching and influencing students? What action will be taken by the Central Queensland University? What action will be taken by the Chiropractic Board of Australia? I certainly have my own opinion, and I’m not alone. But, these questions now need to be taken very seriously by Central Queensland University, and the Chiropractic Board of Australia. And where is AHPRA? Where is the regulation?

This post will remain open. If you have something you think should be included in it, feel free to add it to the comments, or email it to me at:

reasonablehank [at] gmail [dot] com

I would prefer screenshots if you have them. They speak for themselves and do not require much verification. Add a date and location, if possible.

Mr Ebrall is a man who started interacting with and provoking other users on Twitter. He would reply to them, argue with them, then, eventually post defamatory Tweets about them. Then, when he couldn’t stand the heat, he canned his account. Not before leaving one last jibe. He was going to write about his social media experiences, you see. He got everyone, real good:

Ebrall 10 thanks twitterverse jibe

Just keep in the back of your mind, throughout this post: this is a person who attempted to intimidate another young chiropractor by posting his name and registration number on Twitter, just because he disagreed with Ebrall.

So, here is an excerpt from Ebrall’s editorial in the latest The Australian Chiropractor. This is the “paper” to which he referred in his parting, butthurt salvo. It is well worth a read. You’ll see Ebrall likes to refer to his critics in a derogatory manner. This is in the official magazine of the CAA, the largest representative body for Australian chiropractors. The CAA approved of this:

Ebrall 17 excerptSo, did Ebrall have ethics approval for his deliberate enticement and provocation of  the subsequent negative reactions and criticisms towards him? Did he tell any targets of his goading about his intentions for his “paper”? No. Not until he courageously scarpered, as pictured above.

Ebrall also had some sanctimonious, derogatory words to say about The Rogue Chiropractor, an evidence based chiropractor who had the temerity to investigate the poor research output of the ASRF – which is a registered charity, with a stated goal of research – as well as the ASRF’s continued failed search for the mythical subluxation. If you haven’t, read the post here.

Ebrall 21 Rogue Chiro December TAC

Here’s an excerpt from the June 2013 The Australian Chiropractor. Here is the full editorial, named “The Absolute Joy of Chiropractic”. Please read it for the full effect. He tells you about his colonoscopies, and segues to describe the critics of non-evidence based chiropractic, the Friends of Science in Medicine. He’s all class, this guy:

Ebrall 18 excerpt June 2013O_o

That’s enough background. Much has been left out. Feel free to add more in the comments. I want to start with this one, because, well, it’s just glorious. Remember this one. Hold it close to your heart. From August 2013:

Brings a tear to my eye. Sort of like a colonoscopy would.

Brings a tear to my eye. Sort of like a colonoscopy would.

Now it’s my fault the ASRF also host anti-vaccinationists? The ASRF, which is wed to the CAA like a co-morbidity. August 2013:

Ebrall 4 disingenuous no intelligenceAnd the expected attack on my evidence, based on the Argumentum ad whatsyourrealnameum. He blocked me after this. August 2013:

Ebrall 5 Dear Mr HankDefamation of another practitioner?  We know the Chiropractic Board of Australia will do nothing with their code of conduct. No point reporting it. From October 2013:

Ebrall 9 Sue Ieraci a foolMore defamation. The recipients of this message were not impressed. They had no idea why Ebrall had involved them. From November 2013:

Ebrall 14 Sue anal retentiveIndeed they asked Ebrall to stop (he left Twitter shortly after this embarrassment). From November 2013:

Ebrall 12 Deadly Teachers stopWe’ve seen this threat before, after The Rogue Chiropractor published the ASRF post. From October 2013:

Ebrall 8 tweet to Rogue ChiroMore defamation against a medical practitioner, and two evidence based chiropractors. If the Chiropractic Board of Australia does not act against Ebrall it should close. From November 2013:

Ebrall 20 Tom Alex Sue filth detritus tweet“Parameters of decency”.  Parameters of decency

If you would like to add to this post, with evidence, please comment or email. There was much more from Ebrall. I missed much of it due to being blocked. If you have some, add it below.

To be continued…

Update: 20 minutes later…

Well. That didn’t take long.

Here is Ebrall attacking another chiropractor; offering a third party money for dirt on that chiropractor; and referring to Murdoch University, and the Chiropractic and Osteopathic College of Australasia (COCA), in a derogatory manner. All From October 2013:

Ebrall 23 Tom rego numberEbrall 22 pay money for dirt on TomEbrall 24 Tom Murdoch derogatoryUpdate: December 20 2013

Ebrall claims that fraudulent health claims made by chiropractors are not commonplace. I think he needs to get out more. As is proper for Ebrall, this is the fault of critics, the “idiots”, not his profession. From November 2013:

Ebrall 25 chiro claims are falsehoods spread by idiots

About reasonable hank

I'm reasonable, mostly.
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0 Responses to The Phillip Ebrall Monologues: chiropractor at large

  1. Bree Nicole says:

    I could hardly read anymore once I finished the sentence “the scum-ring around the bathtub of life”. It was bad enough a Chiropractor is the head of a University, to see such vitriol and childish remarks makes me wonder if he should be in the public light at all. I am speechless and angry that academia allows this pseudoscience and duplicitous characters into Australian Universities. Alas, Universities condemning Chiropractor courses in the near future, we need more coverage on this issue. I can assure ‘Mr’ Ebrall that critics of Chiropractors aren’t silencing anytime soon because subluxations defy the last 100 years of research and understanding of the human body.

  2. Thinking_Chiro says:

    Some people find critical thinking and accountability that leads to change and progress Scary! You must constantly reassess what you do and how you practice. Subluxation is like an old pair of shoes, oh so comfortable and you are emotionally attached, but past their used by date and falling apart. Time for Phillip to acknowledge change, accept change and embrace it!

    • Wzrd1 says:

      I rather enjoyed the half-brained comment of his. Apparently, rational thought and quantitative evidence based practice is evil.
      I guess he prefers the irrational. You know, like magic?

      Of course, I do believe in magic. The magic of mathematics. Especially the dark arts of statistics. 😉
      For with the use of those dark arts lies the resolution of many an epidemic.

      Well, fortunately, our chiropractors aren’t *quite* as bad in the US. If they stoop to his level, they depart the practice and go into politics.
      No, I’m joking. They’re as bad.
      Even to the point of manipulating necks right before carotid artery stripping surgery.

      • mochuck says:

        FARK! As if the risk of stroke isn’t high enough.

      • wzrd1 says:

        That latter was done to my father, right before he had carotid artery stripping done. He even told the quack bone cracker about it before he began to start snapping bones.
        His surgeon was not pleased. When I redeployed home, I explained to the quack his great fortune in not actually managing to cause my father home.

  3. Sue says:

    I don’t accept that this person’s foul accusations about me have anything to do with a study. It is much more likely that they illustrate a lack of judgement and restraint by the poster, which is highly concerning in a head of school who teaches impressionable students. It also reflects very poorly on the publication which contained the editorial, and the industry association it represents.

  4. Thinking_Chiro says:

    Response to Sue:
    He is not used to being questioned and held accountable, and since he is on the editorial and association boards?

  5. Andy says:

    I assume he really meant that “support rises in direct proportion to the carping”, not in inverse proportion, since his point, presumably, is that both are increasing. Statistics: some people struggle with the fundamentals.

  6. Alex, Chiro says:

    He called me Filth! Ironic that he talks about what to do on social media

  7. Stephen says:

    Thanks for an enlightening read.
    A merry Christmas to all and sundry in the world of evidence based medicine.

  8. Nilbeliever says:

    “I now have the info for my next paper on social media. Appreciated.”

    Relabelling a self-justifying editorial screed a “paper” must be the height of self-aggrandizement. Then again, he thinks that the outcomes of baiting and harassing others constitutes *evidence* of… something or other.

    Explains a bit about the approach to “clinical evidence” of that entire sector of chiro practice, perhaps?

    • wzrd1 says:

      To judge by behavior, I’d say that there is no “perhaps” about it.
      I see plenty of this crap in the US as well, though more are a bit better behaved. I make a humorous reference to that and attribute the better behavior to the large number of firearms easily available in the US.
      Thereby replacing one irrational behavior with another…

  9. Pingback: Public Apology from Mr Phillip Ebrall | reasonablehank

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