Argentina: One hundred and sixty-one chiropractic doctors and students from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia attended a highly successful technique seminar at the National University of Cordoba on April 25-27. The meeting was organized by the Argentina National Association of Chiropractors (ANAQ), the Federación Latino Americana de Quiropráctica (FLAQ) and the WFC, and sponsored by Parker College of Chiropractic. Principal speakers were Parker College President Dr. Fabrizio Mancini and Dean Dr. Ken Thomas. The audience represented a greater number of individuals than there were DCs in all of Latin America 10 years ago. For much more information on chiropractic in Latin America, visit FLAQ's Web site www.flaq.org, with pages in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
Canada: Jason Busse, DC, PhD, is the latest Canadian Chiropractic Research Chair at a leading public university - as an epidemiologist at the Department of Health Research Methodology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Under a visionary and successful Canadian Chiropractic Association (CCA) project led by Dr. Alan Gotlib, there are now similar chiropractic research chairs at six major universities across the country, with each researcher having matching funding from the CCA and the federal government, and producing publicly funded research directly and through students working with them.
The goal, not far off, is to have a chiropractic research chair at a major university in every Canadian province. Two optional sessions at the WFC's 10th Biennial Congress in Montreal next year, co-sponsored and hosted by the CCA, will feature short presentations by these leading chiropractic scientists who have won research chairs.
On a less positive note, another case of alleged stroke relating to chiropractic care hit the media in the province of Alberta earlier this month. In an unusual departure that drew media attention, the plaintiff is suing not only the treating chiropractors, but also the profession and its regulatory body in Alberta, essentially on the basis that all neck manipulation should have been banned. The CCA and the profession are responding appropriately, greatly assisted by the recent report of the BJD Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders.
China: Hong Kong has two national associations, regrettably, but the good news is they are now cooperating with doctors of chiropractic in the rest of China in the formation of a new Chiropractors' Association of China (CAC). Dr. Henry Chan (Palmer), president of the Hong Kong Chiropractors' Association (HKCA) and Dr. Vincent Chan (CMCC), president of the Chiropractic Doctors' Association of Hong Kong (CDAHK), were both at a WFC-hosted meeting in Seoul, Korea on June 6, where the decision to form the CAC was made. The organizing committee includes Chair Dr. Anli Dong (Sherman) of Beijing; Dr. Henry Chan of Hong Kong (HKCA); Dr. Albert Leung (CMCC) of Hong Kong (CDAHK); Dr. David Leung (CMCC) of Macao; and Dr. David Bellin (Life University) of Zigong.
The CAC and the WFC are now producing a Chinese translation of the WHO Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic, with a goal of having the translated version available for registrants and government authorities when the WHO Congress on TM/CAM convenes in Beijing in November.
If you are a DC in China or are aware of DCs in China not known to Dr. Anli Dong and the WFC, please send contact information to Dr. Dong at aj_dong@hotmail.com and Serena Smith at ssmith@wfc.org.
Costa Rica: At the invitation of then-President of the Costa Rican College of Chiropractors (the Colegio), Dr. Yolanda Camacho Kortman, WFC Past-President Dr. Gerard Clum and Secretary-General David Chapman-Smith visited San Jose, Costa Rica, on May 15 to present a workshop on administrative and legislative issues relative to chiropractic.
In 2005, Costa Rica became the third Latin American country, after Panama and Mexico, to pass laws recognizing and regulating the practice of chiropractic. Doctors of chiropractic considering practice in Costa Rica should know that they not only require an appropriate visa for residence, but also a license to practice, granted by the Colegio.
New Zealand: Congratulations to Dr. Gregory Oke, a former president of the New Zealand Chiropractic Association, who has been appointed as Team Chiropractor for the New Zealand team selected for the Beijing Olympics. Dr. Oke, a 1987 RMIT graduate who practices in Palmerston North, is a sportsman himself, with a background in competitive canoeing. He attended the Athens Olympics in 2004 with the New Zealand canoeing team and now has a formal appointment for the full team.
South Africa: Dylan Herwill of the University of Johannesburg was one of the chiropractic student leaders on the WFC delegation to the WHO World Health Assembly in Geneva in May. The University of Johannesburg is one of the two South African universities with a school or department of chiropractic. The other is the Durban Institute of Technology. Both have approximately 250 students and strong heads of department, Dr. Chris Yelverton (Johannesburg) and Dr. Charmaine Korporaal (Durban). For more information visit www.uj.ac.za and www.dit.ac.za.
Excerpted from the World Federation of Chiropractic's June 2008 Quarterly Report. For more information, visit www.wfc.org.
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?
