A few months back, the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) sent out a communique to interested parties asking for commentary about proposed changes it intends to adopt at its January 2011 meeting. As outlined in my prior article ["What Is the CCE Trying to Pull?" Oct. 21 DC], the CCE proposed the following changes to its standards: adding the words "or their equivalent" to Doctor of Chiropractic degree programs, thusauthorizing the "Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine" (DCM) degree; deleting every reference to the word subluxation; and deleting the "without the use of drugs and surgery" provision.
I am very pleased to report that the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), and the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) all officially opposed the proposed changes and submitted commentary to that effect. As a student of chiropractic history, I cannot remember another time that the chiropractic profession as a whole was unified on such an important issue.
And that's not all. Several chiropractic colleges (who rely on CCE for their accreditation) also submitted commentary in opposition to the changes, including Cleveland Chiropractic College (Kansas City and Los Angeles), Life University College of Chiropractic, Life Chiropractic College West, Logan College of Chiropractic, Palmer College of Chiropractic (including Palmer Florida and Palmer West), Parker College of Chiropractic and Sherman College of Chiropractic. To be candid, my hat goes off to these chiropractic colleges for having the courage to speak up against proposed changes that they felt were not in the best interest of the chiropractic profession.
But when trying to chart the best course for the chiropractic profession, the real future stakeholders are the current students of chiropractic colleges. While some might think that there is no way to measure their opinions and for their representative voice to be heard in regard to these important issues, they would be wrong.
At the annual meeting of the Student American Chiropractic Association (SACA) held in Newport, R.I., in early October, and without any preamble, a survey was taken of the SACA leaders representing 16 chiropractic colleges from across the country. Here are the results from that survey in regard to CCE's proposed changes:
For those of you keeping score at home, SACA leaders opposed the three CCE proposed changes by an overall tally of 86 percent to 14 percent -- a landslide of incredible proportions. And it's important to remember that these individuals are elected ACA student leaders, not members of some chiropractic fringe group. Personally, the survey results make me proud - and excited - that the next generation of chiropractic leaders will be willing to protect and defend the core principles of the chiropractic profession.
So, what happens next? Well, the deadline has passed for official commentary to the CCE. However, rest assured, the 24 CCE "councilors" who are charged with making the final decision will be lobbied intensively by their pro-drug, pro-DCM degree, anti-subluxation friends and colleagues.
To hopefully counter that effort and so the profession's majority voice is not drowned out, I believe it would it would be beneficial for doctors in the field to contact CCE "councilors" you know personally, telling them that you oppose the proposed changes to the CCE standards and urging them to oppose their adoption. To assist in that effort, I've provided the names of the 24 CCE "councilors" below:
One thing is clear: CCE solicited the opinions of the chiropractic profession and the opposition message has been delivered loudly and clearly by national organizations, chiropractic colleges, chiropractic students and "rank and file" doctors of chiropractic. Now, let's hope CCE will listen to the voices of the overwhelming majority of the profession and reject the proposed changes to the standards because with all due respect, the chiropractic profession does not belong to the CCE ... it belongs to us! Stay tuned.
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?
