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First International Fascia Conference

Dear Editor:

I recently returned from the first international Fascia Research Congress.

All I can say is WOW! Harvard Medical School was an exciting place to be as 700 researchers and clinicians gathered from around the world.

What was exciting was that this was a chiropractic-friendly conference. Our profession can be very proud of the DC/PhDs who offered presentations. I finally felt that I was in an environment of "what's right, not who's right." The material that was presented truly has the potential to add greatly to the chiropractor's arsenal of treatments.

I urge all my colleagues to support future gatherings such as this one. And, in that, at least one of your regular contributors was in attendance. I look forward to an in-depth article on the material presented. We need to take advantage of these forums when they're offered to us.

Alan Singer, DC
St. James, Mo.

Responding to Unified and Autonomous

Dear Editor:

I would like to comment on the Oct 8, 2007 issue of Dynamic Chiropractic. I was impressed with the caliber of content in several of the articles within this issue: an outstanding commentary by Meeker and Lawrence on the need for a cultural shift in our profession and within our colleges to embrace critical thinking; astute observations on qualities of leadership by Menke; great clinical discussion by Bossano, Taylor, Meschino and Christiansen; concise and thorough discussion about using technology to improve quality and reduce likelihood of audits by Kraus, and others.

What I found disturbing was a letter to the editor by Richard Bend, DC, entitled "Unified and Autonomous." I find two aspects of this letter incomprehensible: The vitriol espoused by Dr. Bend and the willingness of Dynamic Chiropractic to provide almost three full columns of your paper to his rambling.

Let me provide a direct quotation from his letter to the editor: "Ian Grassam would stand on the roof of a VW bus with a megaphone and say to a crowd of thousands 'if your doctor uses a scalpel, he is a quack! If your doctor uses drugs, he's a quack!' Where is that spirit? Where is that drive I grew up with?"

The fact that in the 21^st century we have members of our profession like Dr. Bend, who clings to our troubled past, is more sad than angering. I'm sure Ian Grassam had every right to be passionate in his discourse during his early years. I'm sure he may have risked going to jail for practicing his profession. But to think calling the medical profession quacks is somehow noble or has any relevance today is nonsense.

Let me offer more tidbits from Dr. Bend: "Chiropractic is the answer to the world's ails" and "Each of these doctors had the light of purpose emanating from every cell of their body." What in the name of all that is sane is he alluding to here?

I would refer Dr. Bend and all your readers back to the article by Meeker and Lawrence in this issue of Dynamic Chiropractic. We needa change of culture within thechiropractic profession that em-braces science and that embraces critical thinking and embraces a willingness to sacrifice a sacred cow every now and then. And we need to stop this vitriolic nonsense espoused by Dr. Bend.

John M Ventura, DC, DABCO
Rochester, N.Y.

How Are You Perceived, Doctor?

Dear Editor:

Many chiropractic physicians frequently misunderstand the vital importance of how they are first perceived by the public simply by their personal appearance. Often, a chiropractic professional image is tainted simply because of the manner in which one is dressed. There is the old adage which states no matter what category of business or profession one may be engaged, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. It is crucial that our first appearance is appropriate to ensure our professional image is equal to or better than other health care providers.

If we are to be more readily accepted into the mainstream of the public eye and the health care arenas, we as chiropractors each have a personal responsibility to support the image of our profession in a professional manner. We must project our image of competence within the health care fields and to the public by exercising individual pride in our appearance. If we continue to ignore this virtue, we shall bear the burden of our own retribution.

The above is being offered as a reminder of how we are perceived by the public and by other health care practitioners because of the manner in which many doctor attendees were dressed at the FCA National Convention in Orlando, Fla. Many people were dismayed by the idle manner and the lack of professionalism by which many doctors were dressed. Many were wearing such casual attire as shorts, thongs, baseball caps, Hawaiian T-shirts, etc.

This type of attire does not project a competent, professional image to the vendors or to the public as chiropractic physicians. Many vendors were more professionally represented than the attending doctors. For the sake of our own respect and our professional image, all chiropractic associations who sponsor such events should consider requiring a dress code to ensure that our professional image is preserved. If we don't begin to collectively improve our professional image, our profession will dwindle and our level of respect may also soon find us on the edge of our own demise.

Chiropractic has perpetually received criticism from many discerning organizations. If we as health care practitioners fail in obtaining unity as an equal brotherhood of chiropractic, the day may come upon us where we may find our profession becoming extinct. Currently deliberating within this axiom are political movements existing in California that are trying to dismantle the chiropractic profession by controlling our practice limits under the state legislative bodies. If this should occur, then this could become a monumental movement that could very well transcend across the nation toall states.

If these challenging interests succeed in their attempt to undermine the chiropractic profession with their political coercion, they indirectly could attain legislative influence over our profession. We possibly could see our expertise of spinal manipulation handed over to the AMA's branches of physical therapists. We need unity, doctors,and we need it now. We need to look and be the doctors of the 21^st century, and we need our own political strength to withstand the battles of survival to remain strong and alive. By our collective unity we can remain solvent against the adversaries in this world.

Gary V. Humphrey, DC
Winter Haven, Fla.

Ethical Issues

Dear Editor:

I would like to lend support for Professor Stephan Perle, DC, MS, at the University of Bridgeport whose article on ethics titled "Good Advertising" appeared in the Sept. 10, 2007, edition of Dynamic Chiropractic.

I also share concerns that unsuspecting patients are being misinformed regarding the concept of "subluxations." As Professor Perle correctly points out in the article he references, subluxations have no valid evidence to support their existence. The evidence is that manipulation is indicated for musculoskeletal conditions. This is so well documented that even Harvard Medical School now teaches a course on manipulation as an alternative treatment for back pain.

Patients should at least be informed that subluxations are merely a hypothesis that some doctors hold as part of their philosophy. They then can make an informed decision as to whetheror not to accept care.

Thank you for your due consideration in publishing this letter.

Craig E. Wiens, DC, PhD
Spine, Joint & Nerve Clinic of Wooster
Wooster, Ohio