The codfish lays 10,000 eggs, the homely hen lays one. The codfish never cackles, to tell you what she's done. And so we scorn the codfish, while the humble hen we prize Which only goes to show you, that it pays to advertise. ..... Anonymous
Carole Wright, D.C., of Sacramento, California brought to our attention an advertisement that appeared in a state employee publication, the Capitol Weekly on April 8, 1991.
As the ad did not mention chiropractic, Dr. Wright called "Soft Tissue Care" to determine the professional qualifications of their practitioners. Dr. Wright was told that a license was not needed to perform "Soft Tissue Care," and that there were no DCs, MDs, or PTs on their staff.
"DC" got in touch with "Soft Tissue Care" and learned that George Quinn opened the establishment in March of this year. Mr. Quinn is the sole practitioner at "Soft Tissue Care." Mr. Quinn said that he has worked as a chiropractic assistant and is a "certified soft care practitioner." Mr. Quinn said he attended a six month program at the Institute of Well-Being in Citrus Heights, California to obtain his certification.
Mr. Quinn told "DC" that he refers some of his patients to chiropractors when he assess their condition goes beyond muscle care. He further stated that he hopes to obtain state licensing for a two year program in soft tissue care.
Dr. Wright, in a satirical mood, wondered why so many students sacrifice the time and money to attend chiropractic colleges when with a half year's training they could "hang out their shingle" for "Soft Tissue Care."
The other interesting point of the ad is a so-called "pain and stress study" where selected applicants are given a special $10 per visit rate (1/2 off) for the two months of the study. Medical studies, of course, pay the participants; "Studies" or "research" that charge people to participate are thinly cloaked marketing schemes to acquire new patients.
Dr. Wright is outraged over the ad. She feels a deep sense of discouragement with the trend taking place in and outside of the profession. Having served eight years on the board of directors of the ICA of California (two years as president) she reflects: "It was always my contention that we were going to have to guard chiropractic with our lives if we wanted to keep it. I stated over and over again at our seminars, during our meetings, to the legislators we were lobbying, and to anyone else who would listen, that chiropractic was going to be taken away from us and made into something everyone could do."
In the past, Carol Wright was concerned with MDs and PTs intruding into chiropractic territory. Today she feels that chiropractic is being "taken" by anyone who wants to do it. "I believe that it is not so much that we are having chiropractic stolen from us; we are giving it away by becoming sprain and strain technicians." She feels that too many DCs are trying to be "real doctors" by branching out into many other fields. Dr. Wright emphasis that the elimination of subluxation is the domain that chiropractic must protect.
In a more somber mood, Dr. Wright expressed in a letter to "DC" this final thought: "On reflection, I believe that not only are we going to lose it, we have already lost it because we did not value and guard it."
Steve Kelly
Assistant Editor
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