I have observed the flurry of activity surrounding the proposed CCE changes in the States which would see the phrase “without drugs or surgery” dropped from the definition of chiropractic and the term subluxation eradicated from all CCE documentation so that some in our profession can move towards a “doctor of chiropractic medicine” designation. I am left wondering how many chiropractors on the contact lists will actually take the few minutes which are necessary to respond to this challenge to the sacred trust which DD and BJ Palmer have passed on to us. This challenge to our heritage, to the foundation of our practice and way of life and to our future and the future of humanity requires a full on massive response so it can be stamped out.
A clear message needs to be sent to these people. The message is simple; this is our profession and donʼt mess with it.
As I reflected on this newest threat to the core of chiropractic principle and practice, I recalled how the profession responded to the attempt of orthopractic years back – will the profession respond to this threat with the same power it responded with back then? Will you?
I have been a chiropractor for over 25 years and I have observed the erosion of passion and enthusiasm and the feel of family that pervaded this profession when I was welcomed into it by all chiropractors in the country.
I see this threat as yet another call to action. It is a call to save our roots, to protect the basic premises upon which this profession is founded. These principles have served the profession and HUMANITY well for 115 years. They do not need to be changed.
This experience is also a call to us to reunite the family, to pull us together and show our dedication to the principle. I know what I will do about this threat and I know what I will do to pull this family together around the principle, which makes us all the same. My question is: WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT THIS THREAT? WHAT WILL YOU DO TO BRING THE SENSE OF FAMILY AND COMMUNITY BACK TO CHIROPRACTIC?
As former president Jimmy Carter quoted his grade school teacher, Ms. Julia Coleman, in his inauguration speech:
“We must adhere to unchanging principles as we adapt to changing times.”
Our principle and its practice, the removal of subluxation to optimize the innate healing abilities of ones being, is sound. There have been changes in technique, advancements in science that prove the principle, changes in adjusting tables, changing times, but our principle and its application needs to stay pure and unadulterated for humanity to receive maximum benefit from it.