Dr Andrew Arnold, a chiropractor in Melbourne, Australia, has been under fire after a video of him treating a young baby was shared on social media.
The clip was first shared on the page of the practice Dr Arnold owns - Cranbourne Family Chiropractic - after being originally filmed last August.
Alongside it, the original caption read: ‘Andrew adjusts two-week-old Harvey for the very first time. Frisky little chap.’
The five minute video shows the health professional hanging the baby upside down, and he’s heard explaining the treatment, saying: ‘We're going to use the activator on the lower setting and I'll just show you on your hand here.
'All you want to do is really gently lift his legs up … and you’re just feeling for a click. Don’t force it but be sort of gently firm.
‘He’s going to squawk a bit. Sorry mate … A bit of a cry is a good thing.’
It has since taken down, but that didn’t stop it from spreading on social media, where many criticised the man for performing the treatment on the baby.
One person said on Twitter: ‘Seriously, what parent let’s someone do that to their newborn?’
Another commented: ‘Crazy but ultimately the parents are to blame first and foremost. They obviously believe this treatment is suitable for their child. The child is their duty of care.’
A third added: ‘Not on a 2 week old baby for goodness sake.’
It’s also captured the attention of other chiropractors and Jenny Mikakos, the state’s health minister, who said the clip was ‘disturbing’ and asked the Chiropractic Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency ‘to take the necessary action’.
She told The Herald Sun: ‘This vision is deeply disturbing. It’s appalling that young children and infants are being exposed to potential harm.’
The practitioner has since been banned from preforming any chiropractic treatment on children from birth to 12 years.
While legal, chiropractic treatment on babies and young children are often controversial among medical professionals.
