Donald M. Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h)
On the outside, Texas Chiropractic College looks like many older chiropractic colleges. The institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the chiropractic program is accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). Unlike almost all other U.S. chiropractic institutions, TCC appears to only have its chiropractic program as its sole means of income.
Looking at the TCC website, you see its mission statement, which was reaffirmed by the Board of Regents on April 13, 2024:
“Our mission is to promote excellence in the education of practice-ready doctors of chiropractic who are focused on evidence-informed, patient-centered care; seek new knowledge through scholarship and research; and engage our communities through ongoing service.” 1 (Emphasis added)
Further down the webpage, TCC states that one of its core values is:
“Integrity - We expect individuals to conduct themselves with honesty, trustworthiness, and respect for others, the college and the profession.” (Emphasis added)
A Different TCC?
But if you peal back the window dressing, you see a different Texas Chiropractic College.
Every year TCC offers unqualified people from Japan (who have only a few weeks of prior training with no chiropractic degree) an advanced two-week seminar on chiropractic theory, anatomy, dissection, physiology, pathology, neurology, examination methods and chiropractic adjusting techniques apparently taught by TCC faculty.2-3
Known as Zenkenkai chiropractors, these individuals attend various four- and five-day seminars in Japan as members of the Japan Chiropractic Association (not to be confused with the Japanese Association of Chiropractors, whose members are actual doctors of chiropractic).4
They are called Zenkenkai chiropractors because they sell products for the Nippon Chokuhan Group, a retail company that develops “bedding, equipment, and health foods necessary for Zenkenkai chiropractors’ treatment activities, and also take orders and ship products.”5-6 To date, over 1,500 non-accredited Zenkenkai/JCA practitioners have been taught chiropractic by TCC.
Watching the promotional video for the TCC/Zenkenkai program, we see that TCC is the perfect host for Japanese individuals who lack a degree from an accredited chiropractic program. They meet them at the airport, help them get settled in their hotel and provide them with two weeks of training on the TCC campus. They even refer to them as “doctors” with a mission to help them “develop larger practices” and develop “other larger practices for other practitioners” when they return to Japan.7
At the end of their two weeks of training, they receive a certificate like the one pictured. You will notice the “America Dissection and Adjusting Technique Completion Certificate” shows that Ms. Yoko Watanabe is not a doctor and yet was taught chiropractic adjusting techniques at TCC, complete with its logo on the certificate.
So, Which Texas Chiropractic College Is the Real One?
- Is it the TCC that promotes excellence in educating practice-ready doctors of chiropractic; or the one that hands out certificates to non-DC individuals who pay the seminar fee?
- Is it the TCC that claims to conduct themselves with honesty, trustworthiness, and respect for the chiropractic profession or the one that helps create a second profession of chiropractic therapists that undermines the development of the chiropractic profession in Japan and other countries?
And What Should the Chiropractic Profession Do in Response?
- Should DCs continue to refer students to TCC knowing what they are doing for non-DCs from other countries?
- Should other organizations take action regarding this situation?
Perhaps the most important question is: What will you do? If you feel strongly about this, you should share your thoughts with TCC President Dr. Sandra Hughes through her email at SHughes@txchiro.edu.
It should be noted that in the past four years, TCC’s average number of DC graduates is under 73 per year, with an average of 19.4% not licensed six months after graduation.8 Has TCC lost its focus on graduating doctors of chiropractic?
References
- Texas Chiropractic College Mission & Values.
- “Chiropractic at Risk Globally.” Dynamic Chiropractic, January 2025.
- Training in America: https://www.zenkenkai.jp/seminar-usa.
- About JCA Education Program: https://www.japan-chiropractic.jp/program/.
- Japan Direct Sale Headquarters company information.
- What Is Chiropractic?
- TCC/Zenkenkai promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKRiCQj90u8.
- Texas Chiropractic College DC Completion Rates: https://www.txchiro.edu/about-tcc/educational-outcomes/. (Unfortunately, this webpage had been taken down as of press time.)
Editor’s Note: Some links above require translation to read in English. Open links in Google Chrome and click “English” on the top right.
