Issue 14 - November 2003

Recent events demand a call to arms!
By Robert C. Reiss, DC

How you choose to practice is your business, but the time has arrived to put aside petty differences such as philosophical stances, practice styles or any other excuses we have and begin to formulate a proactive offensive to position chiropractic in its rightful place —the forefront of health/wellness care.

In the last few days of September two events occurred that should shake our profession up — and that we should not take lying down.

Event 1: Excluded from class action suits
Recently, I found out that we are not included in the AETNA class action settlement. We have also been negotiated out of the CIGNA suit. Yet, we as chiropractors were negatively affected by both insurance companies. Where were our national organizations when these developments occurred?

Event 2: Bad press — again
On a September 24 segment of the New York TV station WNBC, a “new treatment” for childhood ear infections was discussed. No — not chiropractic adjustments, but osteopathic manipulation.

Treating ear infections through adjustment is not new. We in chiropractic have just never gotten our message out! In my own 18 years of practice, I have prevented many children from undergoing surgery to put tubes in their ears by providing appropriate chiropractic adjustment. You probably have, too.

The same is true about other procedures, such as massaging the occipital fibers to relieve various types of headaches. A few years ago a study about the effectiveness of osteopathic occipital massage was praised in the media. Of course, chiropractic was not mentioned, although chiropractors have been adjusting the occiput/atlas area and doing trigger point work on the occipital fibers for years to relieve headaches. The popular press never hears about the treatment we provide — or the research we conduct — until some other medical research hits the headlines and we throw out our research in defense.

Smaller chiro college enrollment has big effect
From my understanding, chiropractic college enrollment is down by almost 50 percent. A smaller enrollment not only affects the colleges but also affects the entire profession. Consider the trickle-down effect:

• Fewer doctors graduating mean fewer people who hear the chiropractic lifestyle story and go to chiropractors. When fewer people go to chiropractors, suppliers and vendors provide less support to practitioners.
• Fewer graduating students result in fewer members for the state and national organizations — which means less money for political action and public relations programs.
• Fewer graduates equal fewer potential members for the practice management groups.
• Fewer doctors mean less money given to support research.
• And the spiral keeps going downward.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
The Oxford dictionary defines doctor “as a person who is qualified to treat people who are ill.” Doctor can also be defined as “one skilled or specializing in healing arts or a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees.” The word also means teacher.

It is evident that we — doctors of chiropractic — are not respected as doctors. Because our schooling and training are not well known, our respect as doctors is diminished.

I believe that anyone who complains should be willing to work on solving the problem. I have tried, over the years, to “put my money where my mouth is.” I have been a student member of both the American Chiropractic Association and International Chiropractors Association. I continue to be a member of the ICA.

I have been a member of a state organization since I graduated and opened my practice. I was an original member of the New York Chiropractic Council and have served my state in various positions for 13 years.

I have spent considerable amounts of my own money and time to attend and fund legislative activities in New York State and nationally. I personally raised 25 percent of the money raised for our Insurance Equality law in 1997. I spend time away from my family and practice to speak to students and chiropractors in New York.

I do all this without any personal gain and no hidden agenda. I believe in being part of the solution and not part of the problem.

So — having laid out the problem, here is what I see as the solution:

The basic solution to our problem is simple — work together, not apart.

In what areas do we need to work together, despite our different philosophies? I suggest four:

1 Joint task force. I suggest that the profession adopt the model used in New York: A joint legislative task force was set up between the New York Chiropractic Council and the New York State Chiropractic Association.

The idea is to meet, brainstorm and set the legislative agenda together to present one voice in the state capitol. If the associations cannot agree on an issue, table it and move on to the next one. In New York our first endeavor was a success. This needs to be done nationally.

2 Multi-pronged PR. The next thing we need as a profession is a wide, positive public relations campaign. And the PR campaign needs to be multi-pronged: It must include positive stories about chiropractic, counter strikes against the endless steam of negative press, intra-professional relations and interprofessional relations.

3 Research, research and more research. The Journal of Vertical Subluxation Research (JVSR), the Foundation of Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER) and the colleges need to do research to support the efficacy of chiropractic. We need this for doctors to increase their knowledge and expertise and be better able to care for their patients. And we need research to address critical questions: Are we really effective in the workers’ compensation system? Does adjustment make you healthier? Do modalities work?

4 Involvement. Finally — or perhaps first — we need more doctors involved in solving the problem. We need more people as part of the team working toward common goals. I remember, when I was a student, thinking, “I don’t have to worry. The ICA, ACA or my state organization will handle that situation.”

Eighteen years later, I suddenly realized that I was the organization and each organization is made up of only a few workers who do it on a volunteer basis.

Well, we see the current results of only a few workers. From my vantage point “it ain’t lookin too good.”

What are we going to do about it?

Robert C. Reiss, DC, is a 1985 graduate of New York Chiropractic College and successfully operates two practices in the Bronx and Yorktown Heights, New York. He is the 1996 Beacon Award recipient, acknowledging him as the chiropractor of the year for the New York Chiropractic Council. He is on the Regents Committee of the Council and has worked on its legislative, PAC and joint task force committees. He can be reached at rcrchiro@aol.com