Study will iron out cracks in evidence base, chiropractors say The chiropractic peak body is funding what is believed to be the first national-scale longitudinal study of the profession. Picture: Heather Faulkner. AUSTRALIAN chiropractors will bankroll what's believed to be the first comprehensive study of the therapy's evidence base. The University of Technology, Sydney, yesterday announced what it says will be the first national, practice-based study of chiropractic in the world. While UTS envisages a long-term longitudinal study, the first three years will be funded by a $466,000 grant from the Chiropractors" Association of Australia. The move follows Macquarie University's April decision to offload NSW's only chiropractic degrees, citing claims that its teachers were not sufficiently research active. The profession has also attracted criticism from lobby group Friends of Science in Medicine, which regards it as pseudo-science. The group particularly objects to controversial aspects such as treatment of very young children and theories that vertebral misalignments or "subluxations" cause conditions like asthma, autism and ear infections. Jon Adams, director of the UTS research centre, said the new study would "cut through some of the political debate." Professor Adams heads the UTS-based Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, which will design and conduct the study. "We're trying not to be opponents or critics," he said. We're trying to be very distant in how we approach this topic. That's what makes this centre and this piece of research novel, and hopefully it'll have some impact. Professor Adams said he wanted to provide "a completely new angle" on chiropractic. He said that as well as conducting its own research, the centre would encourage expressions of interest from people with their own research questions. The critics are very good at suggesting chiropractic doesn't have any evidence. Equally we have supporters of complementary medicines, including chiropractic, who often don't appeal to evidence," he said. We want to sift through the evidence to see what looks like it's got potential, and what doesn't. We'll be able to say that certain things are beyond the pale and shouldn't be practised, and also picking out (aspects) that look more substantial. CAA said the study would be "watched with great interest in Australia and around the world." Spokesman Billy Chow said CAA members supported evidence-based practice and a research-led culture. "The project is testament to the profession's commitment to these goals," he said.