Moreover, my own experience and those of people I know well with a variety of treatments for back pain also forms the basis of my opinion that chiropractic medicine has little if any efficacy beyond that any treatment the patient believes in might have. I have reached similar conclusions, incidentally, about the efficacy of surgical treatment of back pain based on a diagnosis of degenerative disks.

In short, I am not merely shooting off my mouth; I am participating in a debate, and my principal point was that British law does not allow that debate to proceed.

I also remain open to being persuaded otherwise. I’d love to see anything at all that would persuade me that chiropractic medicine does in fact work. The most effective means of dealing with my own back pain and sciatica over the years has been through conscious engagement with events causing me stress, a regular exercise regimen, and healthy eating and sleeping habits.

In truth, no other approach has offered anything better than transitory relief, and most of the time those other approaches don’t even offer that.