The board of directors of the National Institute of Chiropractic Research (NICR) met January 12-13, 2002 in Phoenix, marking the organization's 15th annual meeting. The NICR, a private, nonprofit corporation, was established by Arlan Fuhr,DC, and associates in 1987 in Minnesota. Dr. Fuhr is best known for his development of the Activator adjusting instrument and related methods of clinical evaluation and treatment. In 1985, he was awarded the earliest known federal grant for chiropractic scientific research, a $50,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (small business innovative research division). He has authored or co-authored dozens of scholarly papers in the chiropractic scientific literature. As president of the NICR, he has been an active advocate for the science of chiropractic, and has several times appeared before congressional committees to petition for federal support of scientific investigations in the profession.
The NICR, to our knowledge the only continuing grant-making program for historical scholarship in the profession, has yielded such exemplary work as that of historian Brian Smith,DC.1,2 The foundation offers a $500 prize for the best student history paper presented at the Association for the History of Chiropractic's (AHCs) annual Conference on Chiropractic History. Another NICR-supported paper3 shared a prize for best paper at the AHC's recent conference at Western States Chiropractic College.
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The NICR grant program has awarded more than $678,000 to worthy projects to advance the knowledge base in the profession. Most of the agency's resources go toward clinical research and clinically relevant basic science investigations. The NICR relies on contributions from chiropractors and friends of the profession, and has partnership arrangements with a number of colleges, universities, chiropractic suppliers and private philanthropies.
The NICR has participated in or financially contributed to more than 100 scholarly presentations, more than 100 papers in blinded, peer-reviewed scientific and historical periodicals, and 16 book chapters and books. Several NICR-supported papers were presented at the recent joint meeting of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges and the Research Agenda Conference.
The January meeting afforded an opportunity for the foundation's grants committee to consider future philanthropy for worthy projects. One innovation was the creation of a raffle for a state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line Softec adjusting table. The table will be awarded at year's end.**
NICR Elections
Several new faces joined the NICR team of clinicians and scholars at the January meeting. Elected to three-year terms on the board were: Thomas DeVita,DC, Daniel Drubin,DC, and Stephen Tsai,MD. Dr. DeVita has many years of experience as a clinician, Activator instructor and member of the Massachusetts' Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Dr. Drubin is a chiropractor, entrepreneur and successful author. Dr. Tsai, a practitioner of traditional Chinese and allopathic medicine, brings to the NICR a wealth of practical experience in integrative approaches to health care.
Mr. Curtis Forslund, who loyally served the organization as corporate secretary since 1994, has retired; Joe Keating Jr., PhD, former NICR vice president, will fill Mr. Forslund's role.
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?
