Two U.S. Cabinet Secretaries
Speak at ACA Conference
During the American Chiropractic Association’s National Chiropractic Legislative
Conference held this spring, two United States Cabinet secretaries—Secretary
Anthony Principi of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Secretary Tommy Thompson
of the Department of Health and Human Services—spoke to chiropractors about
changes in healthcare and the role of chiropractic.
The recent passage of bills that expand chiropractic benefits in the Department
of Defense and Veterans healthcare systems, and another that opens eligibility
to the National Health Service Corps for doctors of chiropractic, herald a new
day for the profession. Plus, the ACA political action committee’s 91 percent
success rate in the 2002 elections means that chiropractic still has many friends
in Congress—many of whom will be crucial players in the association’s
efforts this year to expand reimbursement to doctors of chiropractic under the
Medicare program.
The VA Secretary addresses concerns over the Advisory Committee and medical
doctor biases. There has been some controversy about the make-up of the committee,
which includes medical doctors, physical therapists and other traditionally
unsupportive voices toward chiropractic. Secretary Principi addressed the concerns
saying, “I looked for widely shared views and less popular opinions about
chiropractic so that the committee deliberations included a balanced representation
of diverse ideas.”
He also acknowledged that the VA has long-standing ties with medical doctors
and their professional societies, and that there are some physicians in the
VA healthcare system who may have lingering biases against doctors of chiropractic.
However, he assured attendees that he does not share their views. “I am
not tied to either camp,” said Principi. “My interest lies solely
in finding the best and most effective way to treat ill and injured vets. We
must take additional steps to educate [medical doctors] about the benefits you
offer.”
Principi told the chiropractors that he’s glad the chiropractic profession
has joined the VA to help treat veterans. “Chiropractic care is a way for
us to bind up the wounds of those who have done battle,” he said. “Your
healing powers are at the service of those Americans who have the greatest claims
on those powers.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson talked to a packed house
at a congressional reception about his ideas on healthcare. “To me it’s
very wrong headed to wait for people to get sick, or so sick they can’t
work and be productive,” Thompson explained.
Currently, the U.S. spends only about 5 percent of healthcare dollars on prevention,
Thompson pointed out. “I think in America, we do things the wrong way,”
he added, later mentioning that serious and costly conditions such as diabetes
and obesity can be prevented with proper nutrition and exercise.
“We’ve got to change the direction of healthcare in America”
said Thompson. He called chiropractic a smart investment and “something
we should be doing more of.”
“And if you have a problem,” the secretary added, “see your chiropractor.”
TheCEU.com Goes Online for Chiropractors
The yearly struggle for continuing education credit for license renewal will
become much easier since TheCEU.com went online in early March. This new service
is designed to provide high-quality continuing education programs and seminars
that can be accessed through the Internet.
“Students who take online courses at TheCEU.com never have to physically
step into a classroom,” said Dr. Patrece Frisbee, CEO of TheCEU.com. “They
can learn in the privacy of their own home and at their own pace in a world
where finding time to balance the responsibilities of work and family can be
daunting.”
TheCEU.com serves as a portal for a wide variety of educational programs created
both by TheCEU.com’s resident faculty and other organizations, such as
chiropractic associations, that provide educational opportunities for the profession.
These programs will feature some of the best-known names in the profession.
TheCEU.com creates a friendly, easy-to-use online environment that makes learning
easy. To see how online learning works, prospective students can log on to the
website and participate in a free sample course.
TheCEU.com will offer four types of programs including certificate courses,
certification programs, diplomate programs and academic curriculum.
Lab Accident Raises Questions about Chemicals
A sudden increase in chromosome abnormalities in a mouse colony has raised questions
about the safe level of exposure for bisphenol A, a chemical used to make some
common plastics and resins.
In a research paper supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences, scientists at a genetics laboratory and an associated animal research
center, both at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, described the
accident in the April issue of the journal Current Biology.
The scientists found that the colony’s semi-rigid plastic cages had deteriorated
as the result of a handler’s use of the wrong cleaner—a harsh detergent—which
damaged the cages and led to the release of small amounts of the plasticizer
bisphenol A, which is often abbreviated as BPA.
This low level exposure led to “highly significant” increases in abnormalities
in the mice’s developing eggs, called oocytes. These results were then
confirmed in an experiment in which the animals’ eggs were deliberately
exposed, the scientists reported.
WCA Names Dr. Tony Palermo to CEO spot
The World Chiropractic Alliance has appointed Tony Palermo, D.C., its new chief
executive officer. He immediately formulated a program designed to increase
member benefits and boost enrollment in the organization.
“The key to growing the WCA is to make sure all chiropractors are fully
aware of the tremendous value they receive by joining,” Palermo said. “Not
only do they support a group that actively fights to protect and promote subluxation-based
chiropractic throughout the world, they are given practical tools for building
prosperous, satisfying, and successful practices.”
Palermo, a 1989 graduate of Life College of Chiropractic, has operated two highly
successful, large-volume family practices. He plans to incorporate many of the
principles of his 2X management program into the WCA and help members become
among the most successful doctors in the profession.
ICA Board Calls for Profession-Wide Dialogue on Chiropractic Education and
Accreditation
The board of directors of the International Chiropractors Association has issued
a call for a serious profession wide dialogue on the challenges and needs of
chiropractic education, in light of the current intense controversy surrounding
the educational accreditation process.
During a February board meeting, the directors adopted a statement that expressed
concern over the state of chiropractic accreditation and called for a national
dialogue on how this process might be improved. This resolution is meant to
voice the concerns of the many thousands of individual doctors of chiropractic
and the dozens of chiropractic organizations that have contacted the ICA regarding
the nature and direction of the operations of the Council on Chiropractic Education.
The ICA intends to seek the broadest possible participation in a dialogue that
will involve a major re-evaluation of the chiropractic accreditation process.
It is hoped that this dialogue might be undertaken with the help of professional
consultants and include a full legal review of chiropractic definitions and
authorities under state law, and a careful examination of the methodologies
and procedures applied by other health professions in evaluating and accrediting
their educational institutions.
The ICA invites all interested organizations to consider how the chiropractic
profession can come together in a meaningful, positive dialogue to provide for
an accreditation system that is responsive to all, prejudicial to none and focused
on the unique nature of chiropractic science, art, philosophy and practice.
The ICA has asked the advice and participation of a number of educational authorities
and will seek the participation of representatives of the U.S. Department of
Education.
Food Choices May Fight Cancer
New research at the Institute of Food Research shows that two food components
recognized for their ability to fight cancer are up to 13 times more powerful
when put to work together. The results are published in the international journal
Carcinogenesis.
The study focuses on genes that play an important role in tumor formation, tumor
progression and the spread of tumor cells. The food components sulforaphane
and selenium were found to have an increased impact on these genes when used
as a combined treatment.
“As a result of this research, we hope to begin a human cancer prevention
trial next year. It opens up new possibilities for functional foods, food supplements
or simply new guidelines for healthy eating,” says Dr. Yongping Bao, senior
researcher at the IFR.
Sulforaphane is found at high concentrations in broccoli, sprouts, cabbage,
watercress and salad rocket. Selenium-rich foods include nuts, poultry, fish,
eggs, sunflower seeds and mushrooms.
The plant chemical sulforaphane is recognized not only for its powerful role
in cancer prevention, but also as a potentially useful curative cancer drug.
The research demonstrates the complex interactions between food components and
the limitations to studying them in isolation.
Kids Receiving More Psychotropic Drugs Than Ever
Scientific journals and news reports have repeatedly warned about the dangers
of giving children drugs to treat so-called “psychiatric” disorders
such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity, yet the prevalence of such medication
use among children and teenagers increased by two- to three-fold from 1987 through
1996, according to an article in the January 2003 issue of the Archives of Pediatric
& Adolescent Medicine.
According to background information in the article, increased use of psychotropic
medication (drugs normally used to treat psychiatric disorders, such as depression
and other mood disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) for
treating behavioral and emotional problems in children and adolescents has received
widespread attention in the past decade. But rather than reversing the trend,
the medical profession is increasing the number of children and teens being
subjected to these drugs.
New Report Confirms That Approval Process Has Worsened
A new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector
General confirms that the federal government’s current drug review process
does not adequately protect consumers from harmful prescription medications.
Seven drugs approved since 1996, including Rezulin and Redux (used to treat
diabetes and obesity) have been removed from the market because they were deemed
unsafe.
According to the report, 40 percent of U.S. Food and Drug Administration long-term
reviewers responding to a survey conducted by the Inspector General said that
the review process has worsened since they were first employed at the agency.
The report recommends that in most circumstances, the permitted review period
for new drugs, which ranges between six and 12 months, be extended by one to
two months.
All new drugs must be reviewed for safety and efficacy before being put on the
market. Under legislation that took effect in 1992, drug companies pay “user
fees,” essentially paying the salaries of the people reviewing the drugs.
The centerpiece of the Inspector General’s report is a survey of 401 new
drug reviewers in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Fifty-eight
percent said that the six months allotted for review of priority new drug applications
was inadequate; 25 percent felt similarly about the target of 10 months provided
for review of most standard applications. A priority drug is a breakthrough
drug or one designed to treat an unusual condition; a minority of drugs fall
into this category.
Eighteen percent of these physicians and scientists felt pressure to recommend
that drugs be approved for sale despite their reservations about the drug’s
safety, efficacy or quality. (The report does not say who exerted the pressure.)
The report concludes: “Overall, these findings present a significant warning
signal.”
In Memoriam: Eric Butterworth—Author, Lecturer, Minister
The Rev. Eric Butterworth, a leader in the New Age spiritual movement and a
previous contributor to Today’s Chiropractic, died Thursday, April 17 at
Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut. He was 86.
Butterworth was a major theologian in the New Age movement and one of the pioneers
of “positive thinking,” emphasizing a strong belief that people could
change their lives by changing their thoughts. He was also an ordained minister
of the Unity Church, a religious group whose theology was based on liberal Protestantism
which teaches that Christ comes from within, and that resurrection and eternal
life live within each of us.
“Attitudes are the forerunners of conditions,” was one of Butterworth’s
usual standards.
Butterworth’s popular weekly sermons at Lincoln Center in New York City
attracted thousands of interested followers or admirers over its 40-year run,
and celebrities like Oprah, Maya Angelou and Norman Vincent Peale praised the
reverend for his positive philosophies. He wrote 16 books about his approach
to positive living and thinking, the last of which was penned in 2001. His last
article for Today’s Chiropractic was the guest column, “One Moment
in Time,” which appeared in the January/February 2003 issue.
Butterworth is survived by his wife, Olga; three sons, Alan, of St. Louis; Charles,
of Baltimore; and Tom, of New Canaan, Conn.; and eight grandchildren.
A 1987 interview with Forbes magazine captured a quintessential Butterworth
quote, which summed up his approach to proactive living:
“We alone have the power within us to solve our problems, relieve our anxieties
and pain, heal our illnesses, improve our golf game or get a promotion,”
said Butterworth.
CCR/ASRF Donates Funds to FCER
After approximately 15 years of existence, the American Spinal Research Foundation,
formerly the Consortium for Chiropractic Research, dissolved. When a decision
needed to be made on what to do with ASRF’s remaining funds,
it was decided that the money would be given to Foundation for Chiropractic
Education and Research.
“As president of FCER, I am very aware of two essential aspects of chiropractic
research—the ongoing need to seek funding for worthwhile investigations
and the importance of helping chiropractic institutions build and sustain the
necessary infrastructure to provide present and aspiring researchers the opportunity
to pursue the studies and trials critical to the advancement of the science
of chiropractic,” said Vincent P. Lucido, FCER president. “The generous
gift from ASRF will enable FCER to continue in these endeavors.”
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