California chiropractors have a rare opportunity to elect a longtime chiropractic patient and supporter as the next governor of California. Faced with a recall election on Oct. 7, California's current governor, Gray Davis, is not expected to retain his position. Emerging from a long list of replacement candidates is Arnold Schwarzenegger, a chiropractic advocate and patient for more than 30 years.
Arnold has been the featured celebrity at the International Chiropractors Association's (ICA's) "Arnold Classic and Symposium" since it began in 1993.
Through the years, Arnold has had much to say about chiropractic:
"I am very fortunate to have, so to speak, my in-house chiropractor, Dr. Franco Colombu, as my own personal chiropractor. He adjusts my wife, my kids, me, everybody gets an adjustment. And we feel always great when Franco leaves. Even when I have athletic injuries, he's always there for me and helps me. That's why I always will be traveling ... all over the world, talking highly about the profession of chiropractic. You chiropractic doctors are really miracle workers.1
"(Back in the 1970s) Franco would go very intensely to chiropractic college every day. He worked on me all the time. During the course of his education he got incredibly good with both the theoretical and the practical (aspects of adjusting) ... every time I had an injury, I could call Franco ... I would get an adjustment, three or four, and the problem would be gone. So you know, when you see that happening in your own body, that with chiropractic you will be 100 percent, it's just fantastic."2
"But every time that I had a problem with an elbow injury, shoulder injury, or back injury, he was always right there with the adjustments. This is the way I found out the best way of going is to use chiropractors, not only after injuries, but also before injury."3
"People who don't believe in chiropractic always ask me about it. I have now become like a spokesperson for chiropractic."
Schwarzenegger was awarded a "Doctor of Humanities" from Cleveland Chiropractic College in 1999. The honorary diploma was presented by Dr. Carl S. Cleveland III, president of Cleveland Chiropractic College, Kansas City and Los Angeles. The diploma recognizes Arnold's many humanitarian efforts and his support of fitness and health-related endeavors, such as the Inner City Kids program and the Special Olympics.
"I am very honored to get this honorary chiropractic degree, this is totally unexpected," Arnold commented. "I'm proud of this. It will get a special place in my office and I will be hanging it up so everyone can see."4
"Let me tell you there is no better profession than chiropractic. You really helped me. Every day you are preventing injuries; every day you are helping people. You let them walk out of your office feeling great about themselves and feeling good in their bodies, relieving pain. I can tell you this from firsthand experience."5
"What you do is really powerful."6
California's 10,000-plus DCs are being asked to encourage their more than 2 million patients to vote for and support Arnold Schwarzenegger's election. This recall election is seen as a golden opportunity to elect a governor who is both a longtime chiropractic patient and an outspoken supporter of chiropractic.
Editor's note: California doctors of chiropractic who are not registered to vote can download a voter registration form at: www.ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html or pick up a voter registration form at their local post office or library. DCs are encouraged to provide the voter registration form for patients who are not registered voters and ask them to vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor. (Please see "Now It's Our Turn" on page 3 of this issue.)
References
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?
