Though this is the January 28, 2002 issue, I'm writing this column on December 28, 2001. There's no time warp involved here, only that we send DC to our printing house about one month before the date of the publication. (P.S. We do make the issue available on line at Chiroweb.com the Monday after we sent the issue to the printers, i.e., readers of DC On Line can read our publication a good three weeks before the paper version arrives at your offices.)
I make this explanation because this is the time of year we tend to look back on the events of the last 12 months and assess our accomplishments and set goals for the new year. Last year at this time, our national chiropractic associations were in turmoil because they had not been able to goad the 106th Congress into passing legislation to make chiropractic an integral part of the Veterans' Administration health care system. The ACA and the Association of Chiropractic Colleges had worked together, but Congress also had input from the ICA and the WCA. At times these groups worked at cross-purposes, sending mixed messages to Congress. It doomed passage of a VA bill.
After the 2000 VA defeat in Congress, I wrote in the October 16, 2000 DC: "Too many voices; too many associations representing the chiropractic profession and predictable, desultory results. Calls of 'Wait 'till next year' wear thin and add to the general malaise begat by a profession beset with disunity, disharmony, and in dire need of direction."
Many in chiropractic felt the same, and the ACA and ICA took it to heart. On December 2, 2000, representatives of the ACA, ICA and the ACC met and formed a VA and Medicare Task Force, agreeing to jointly support legislation in these areas, and to reaffirm their support of the ACC's Chiropractic Paradigm and position papers on chiropractic. That was a decisive step.
Last week, Thursday December 20, 2001, the 107th Congress sent President Bush a bill that spelled out chiropractic's role in the VA. (See page one for details.) As we go to press, the president is on his ranch in Texas for a month long working vacation, but he is expected to sign the bill. The ACA, ICA, ACC union (with assistance from the WCA) has chiropractic breathing the fabled sweet smell of success, which certainly beats the malodorous whiff of defeat!
There are celebrations, and then there are celebrations. Let's put this in perspective. Chiropractic's first effort to initiate VA legislation, the ICA reports, was B.J. Palmer in 1936! Speaking of time warps. I wasn't around then, despite insinuations from junior staff editors, but just for historic juxtaposition, that was the year the Spanish Civil War began; the year Jessie Owens "ran away" with the Berlin Olympics; the year FDR was elected to his second term; and the third year of the Dust Bowl phenomenon that blighted the prairie states.
The difference between 2000 and 2001 is that our national bodies this time around did not work at cross-purposes, generally supported one another and presented a united front to Congress. Amazing how that works.
DCs are often critical of the national organizations, but without them the VA legislation would not have been passed - simple as that. You can bemoan that what this profession needs is a single, strong national chiropractic association, but the reality is that there will probably always be at least two national chiropractic associations, just as this country will always have two dominate political parties. But the point is that our national associations have wised up. They've learned to work together to meet the profession's political objectives. You owe them your support, membership, ideas and enthusiasm.
2001 - That Was the Year that Was
There was a TV program that debuted in the U.S. in 1964 called "That Was the Week that Was," a spin-off of the BBC program with David Frost. It was a humorous, satirical, and informative look at the events of each week. It was a good idea, because we quickly forget or miss some of the notable events that occur over the course of a week, not to mention the events of an entire year. That's why it's time to look back on some of the DC headlines of 2001 for "That Was the Year that Was in Chiropractic."
Stephen Kelly
managing editor
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
