Chiropractor Named to NCCAM Advisory Council
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) recently named six new members to its National Advisory Council. Among them is Gert Brontfort, DC, PhD, associate vice president of research at Northwestern Health Sciences University. A graduate of Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Dr. Brontfort is also senior clinical researcher at Northwestern's Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies.
Council members serve four-year terms and meet three times annually. Composed of physicians, scientists, licensed CAM practitioners and members of the public, the council's purpose is to offer "advice and recommendations on prioritization, conduct and support of CAM research, including research training and communication of evidence-based health information."
In addition to Dr. Brontfort, other new members of the NCCAM advisory council include Timothy Birdsall, ND, FABNO; Boyd Bowden II, DO; Lupo Carlton, MD, Dipl. Ac.; Shin Lin, PhD; and Herman Taylor Jr., MD, MPH, FACC, FAHA.
An American DC in Bangkok
San Francisco chiropractor, Dr. Alireza Bagherian recently returned from Bangkok, Thailand, where he assisted Team USA in winning one silver and two bronze medals at the World MuayThai Festival. Dr. Bagherian served as team doctor for the U.S. competitors, working ringside and providing a variety of services including taping, bracing and attending to acute/subacute musculoskeletal injuries.
The World MuayThai Festival featured international representation - more than 100 teams, each with approximately 15-20 athletes, competed in the event. The festival was organized to showcase Muay Thai as a sport, as well as to commemorate the king of Thailand's 80th birthday.
Muay Thai is an ancient form of martial arts; practitioners of the modern form compete in a ring with gloves. Muay Thai is known as "The Art of the Eight Limbs" because competitors can strike their opponent with the hands, shins, elbows and knees, as opposed to traditional Western boxing, which utilizes only two limbs (hands) and kickboxing, which utilizes four limbs (hands, feet).
On Jan. 24 1978, the New Zealand governor-general referred to a Commission of Inquiry an investigation to determine the desirability of providing for reimbursement of chiropractic benefits under the New Zealand Social Security Act and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Act. The commision's findings would impact chiropractic worldwide for decades to come.
As chiropractors, we observe signs and symptoms as colors on an artist’s palette, melding them together to determine how they affect the speed, fluency, quality, and ease of activities of daily living. We communicate this vision to our patients in a report of findings. However, converting that vision into the International Classification of Diseases Clinical Modification (ICD-CM) coding language presents challenges.
After more than 12 years of effort, the Pro Baseball Chiropractic Society (PBCS) has member DCs serving every team in MLB. Working as part of the health care teams with athletic trainers and medical physicians, these highly skilled chiropractors help keep their players on the field and in optimal health.
