So, why is the medical community anti-chiropractic?  Individual safety cannot be the issue, chiropractic safety is widely demonstrable.  Public safety cannot be the issue because the public is defended by state and federally mandated laws to insure such safety issues.  Clinical efficacy cannot be an issue for scientific studies have abounded for decades regarding chiropractic clinical efficacy. 

What could be the cause? I propose that the main reason is fear.  Fear is defined as “a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined.”  The word is derived from ancient words referring to danger, peril, ambush, harm, distress, deception, risk, trial.  It is clear that “organized medicine” is afraid.  It demonstrates prejudicial behavior, it frequently acts in a bigoted and closed-minded manner, it is a culture seeking to close itself to outsiders.  Like the central character of the situation comedy “All in the Family” they seem to play the part of the close-minded bigot who wants to rule over others who come near to his sphere of influence.

But if fear is the symptom of a distressing emotion, what is its cause?  In the beginning of the last century a part of that cause was fear of loss of social standing.  The majority of practitioners fearing the stigma that their peers could pour upon them for associating with “a lesser mortal.”  In the last half-century a part of that fear was caused by loss of professional standing as the American Medical Association conducted an illegal boycott of the chiropractic profession and threatened its own members with expulsion and financial harm if they even associated with non-medical  practitioners.  Currently, however, it would seem that we have to assign greed as the cause.

The word “greed” is derived from ancient words referring to voracious, covetous, hunger, eagerness.  In the Greek language it was philagyros literally meaning “money-loving.”  While “organized medicine” spouts that it is altruistic in its motives, it certainly appears that philagyros is the cause of the fear of “organized medicine.”  But let us be fair. Philagyros is not limited to “organized medicine.” “Organized finance”, “organized insurance”, “organized politics”, many other “organized entities” and even ourselves if we are honest, seem to be afflicted with philagyros. 

The German word for this affliction is perhaps the most descriptive--Habsüchtig.  From words meaning “to have” and “sickness, disease”, it is clear that the fear of the loss of their passion--financial security--motivates the fear that causes “organized medicine” to be anti-chiropractic.  “Organized medicine” used to be strongly anti-acupuncture until, in Texas, acupuncture became a sub-board of medicine and were “brought into the family.” 

It must be fear and greed that motivates "organized medicine" to demand that others practice more like they do, and then work to prevent that practice.  It must be fear and greed that motivates "organized medicine" to demand evidence and then turn a blind eye to that evidence as never enough.  It must be fear and greed that motivates "organized medicine" to continually seek what is best in the interest of "organized medicine" rather than what is truly best for the public.

It's time that "organized medicine" sought a cure for its Habsüchtig.  It is time that everyone honestly evaluate their philagyros.  It is this "sickness" for the "love of money" that is causing "organized everything" to become "anti-something."  It is the fear generated by such sickness that motivates  irrational actions such as being "anti" an entire profession.