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H.W. Industries on the Centennial: "It's up to us."

Dear Editor:

We recently returned from the centennial celebration in Washington, D.C. and want to share our opinions on the experience.

First of all, to be a part of celebrating 100 years of chiropractic health care was truly an honor to us, and the doctors and their families that did attend showed us how proud and supportive they are to their profession. Although we were there to market our products to the chiropractors, we cannot lose sight of the fact that this is meant to be a celebration for the people who dedicate their lives to providing a natural health care alternative to modern medicine. You see, H.W. Industries is a small company from Sacramento, California, who supports and has been supported by chiropractic for the past 17 years. Most of our customers have ordered the subluxated pens and our other products regularly for many years, so to have a chance to attend a national convention is very rewarding. We met many doctors and their families face to face, not to mention the various colleges and associations we have spoken to over the years.

Although a few exhibitors were noticeably unhappy with the way the convention part of the celebration was handled, we feel that they were a select few. We not only had a good time, but had a successful venture as well.

Now that we have returned home, we can only anticipate an even bigger and better celebration in Davenport this September, and truly urge all of the chiropractors and their families to attend. There will only be one chiropractic centennial, but if we all support it, there will surely be chances for the doctors and the exhibitors to participate in more national chiropractic conventions. It's up to us.

H.W. Industries
Sacramento, California

Dear Editor:

I thank Dr. Barge for his scientifically constructive discussion of x-ray line analysis and also for his omitting any chiropractic belief systems to support it either way. I agree that motion palpation is a primary means to locate motion dysfunction and that x-ray line analysis can access articular derangement and ligamentous and bone injury. Obviously, no one diagnostic tool can always provide sufficient answers. Besides line analysis and motion palpation, Activator Methods can locate abnormal neurologic reflexes that may exist regardless of the best x-ray or palpation analysis. If the whole profession would only set aside belief systems, then maybe we could see actual correlations between the diagnostic methods that we use. Let's unite!

Paul Kell, DC
San Diego, California

Dear Editor:

I read with great interest the July 3, 1995 Dynamic Chiropractic article on Kaiser Permanente's use of PTs to perform spinal manipulation on Medicare patients. This is an enormous victory not only for California chiropractors, but for the entire profession. It is widely recognized that politically, California often sets the precedent for the rest of the nation.

I have had numerous patients report to me how physical therapists had manipulated their spines in the past. Hopefully this decision by HCFA will set the precedent for spinal manipulation to be performed only by physicians, regardless of the patient's insurance position.

In my opinion, the next step would be specific legislation stating that only physicians whose education includes spinal manipulation can perform these services. I have always marveled at the scrutiny with which my scope of practice was maintained, yet a medical doctor can take a weekend seminar and then manipulate his patients. The laws prohibiting the practice of medicine without a license are in place to protect the consumer from undereducated doctors. It only stands to reason that laws prohibiting the practice of spinal manipulation without the proper training should be in place to do the same.

Robert Leibmann, DC
Scottsdale, Arizona

Dear Editor:

I was interested in Dr. Brian Sutton's article in "DC" in the July 17, 1995 issue, part of which was called "Carry It on Your Head, Not Your Shoulder."

As a member of the Christian Chiropractors Association, I have been on a number of tours to the Caribbean to give health care, as well as share our faith. Since most of these people are of African decent, and still follow the ancient customs, I would like to share some of our observations.

While it may appear to provide majestic posture by carrying burdens on their heads, it eventually causes disastrous discogenic disorders in the secondary curves of the cervical and lumbar spine (often these loads are over 75 lbs.). We have taken care of a great number of older women with severe neck and related problems, as well as with problems in the low back and hips.

I believe we were the first ones to identify and print a whole social change in the vertebral subluxation complex. We identified this change with the younger women. The younger women no longer wanted to carry heavy loads on their heads, so they began to carry them on their shoulder or carry them in their arms. While it decreased the cervical discogenic disorders, there was a direct increase in the number of rotatory scoliosis cases in the thoracic spine.

The chiropractic profession has a world wide opportunity to educate the areas of the world to alternate the method that they carry heavy loads.

Frederick Vlietstra, DC
Middletown, New York

Dear Editor:

Each month I very much enjoy receiving my copy of Dynamic Chiropractic as I find it very informative in many ways. Unfortunately, as I read the various articles I am distressed by the fact that the word "manipulation" seems to be replacing the word "adjustment." This also seems to be the trend in many chiropractic textbooks. From my understanding there is a difference between the two terms. I was taught that a "manipulation" is the passive movement of a joint beyond the physiologic range into the paraphysiologic range of motion. Furthermore, it is this movement into the paraphysiologic range of motion that produces a great deal of the benefits chiropractic achieves.

When I question people who tell me they received a manipulation from a physical therapist, I find that what they actually received was some form of massage. Is that how we want the public to perceive chiropractic? I suggest it is not. I am perplexed by the many ways in which the chiropractic profession attempts to disguise itself as something it is not. I am perplexed by the many ways in which the chiropractic profession attempt to disguise itself as something it is not. Why are we so afraid to embrace what has allowed us to celebrate our 100th year of existence? I wish that collectively, the chiropractic colleges of the world would put the same emphasis on courses in philosophy as they do on courses pertaining to lab work, anatomy, obstetrics, and all the other medically oriented courses. I am not suggesting that those subjects are unimportant, but rather that courses in the philosophy of chiropractic are as important to the success of chiropractic and individual chiropractors.

A professor of mine once said something to the effect that to survive in chiropractic you must "get baptized." I did not fully understand what he meant at that time but I certainly do now. Here's to another 100 years of chiropractic "adjustments."

Craig Bottrell, DC
Adelaide, Australia