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Dynamic Chiropractic Canada
VOLUME 30, NUMBER 11
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NCCAM Featured Content
Homeopathy: An Introduction
Homeopathy, also known as homeopathic medicine, is an alternative medical system that was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago. This fact sheet provides a general overview of homeopathy and suggests ...
 
Message from the Director: What the Science Says About Complementary Health Practices for Asthma
More than 24 million people in the United States, including 7 million children, suffer from asthma—a chronic lung condition that causes episodes of wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Although ...
 
What You Need To Know About Asthma and Complementary Health Practices
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects people of all ages. It causes episodes of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Although there is no cure, most people are able to ...
 
NCCAM Clinical Digest: Asthma and Complementary Health Practices
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects people of all ages. It causes episodes of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Although there is no cure, most people with asthma ...
 
Message from the Director: It's Time To Talk
We know that nearly 40 percent of Americans use some kind of complementary health practice. But we also know that most patients do not proactively disclose use of complementary health practices to their ...
 
Time To Talk With Your Health Care Providers: 4 Tips To Start the Conversation
When patients tell their providers about their use of complementary health practices, they can better stay in control and more effectively manage their health. When providers ask their patients, they can ...
 
NCCAM Clinical Digest: Talking With Your Patients About Complementary Health Practices
Did you know that approximately 38 percent of adults (about 4 in 10) and approximately 12 percent of children (about 1 in 9) are using some type of complementary health practice? However, according to ...
 


Alternative Health News
Become a Culturally Competent Practitioner
Decades ago I was an occupational therapy intern at a hospital in Iowa. One day, my supervisor called a meeting where she told her staff about a new patient — not something that typically triggered a meeting.
The Nine Best Health Steps To Take
Remember the last time you had to do something complicated, like assemble a piece of furniture, or get your PC to stop freezing up?
Study: Electroacupuncture Helps With Depression
A recent research study out of Hong Kong shows electroacupuncture stimulation can quickly reduce the severity of depressive symptoms to help patients dealing with depression recover faster using alternative methods.
Achilles Tendon and Foot Pain Caused by Tibialis Posterior
When patients report subjective complaints of posterior leg (calf) and sole (bottom) of foot pain when walking or running, especially on uneven surfaces, the symptoms are typically not isolated to one muscle.
The Eleventh Question: "How you doin'?"
During the Oriental Medical evaluation 10 questions are typically asked. Although the questions vary somewhat, they typically refer to diet, elimination, emotions, temperature sensations and preferences.
My Shotgun for the Sinus
Spring is here, and allergies, sinus congestion, and runny noses will soon be a big problem. I live in the northeast part of the country, sinus problems are a big issue. Folks that grew up here refer to their "normal" sinus problems.
Remember to Do the Right Thing
My Dad was always best at giving this advice. If ever I brought to him a question for which I looked to him for guidance, he would always ask me, "What would be the right thing to do?" This has served as my compass for as long as I can remember.
A Cancellation Policy Can Help Build a Successful Acupuncture Practice
Acupuncturists and TCM practitioners must exhibit professional conduct parallel to lawyers, doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals.
"Believe, Invest, Grow" at the 2012 FSMTA Convention
The Florida State Massage Therapy Association kicks off its 2012 convention at the end of this month at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. Attendees are invited to come and "Believe in yourself, Invest in your future and Grow in your profession."
Trudy McAlister Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards
The Trudy McAlister Foundation announced the recipients of the 2012 national AOM scholarship awards in April.
CA Massage Board to Review Expenses Policy
The Chair of the California Massage Therapy Council, Dixie Wall, has issued a statement saying the board would "review it's non-staff expense reimbursement policy at the June board meeting.
Robert Downey Jr. Honored for TCM Advocacy
In the last two decades, movie star Robert Downey Jr. has achieved good health and he credits it all to Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Insights With Norm Shealy
Norm Shealy is known for being one of the world's leading experts in pain management. He was among the first physicians ever to specialize in the resolution of chronic pain.
Seven Steps to Establishing a Successful Hospital Based Practice
The hospital based practice of acupuncture and integrative medicine not only offers unique insights and challenges; it also requires several ingredients either de-emphasized or wholly absent from private practice.
Getting Better With Age
In the United States today, we can look forward to living longer than ever before. By 2030, projections show that one in five Americans will be over the age of 65.
The Spirits of the Points: The Liver Meridian: Part II
In Part 1 of this series, I explained the function of the Liver as the official of planning. Not only does the official plan for the functioning of the myriad systems of the body, but also for the mind and spirit.
Women in Business Blog Exclusive: Mirror, Mirror
This is a visual profession. That means your appearance matters a lot. Consumers want to "see" their massage therapists. A visual assessment is often a determining factor in choosing a therapist, even over skill set.
Walking or Hiking Your Way to Better Health
I was planning on beginning this column with, "Now that winter is ending, we can turn our attention to outdoor activities."
Editorial: The CAMTC Money Grab
It is a sad time for the massage therapy profession. A disturbing trend has continued, despite my hopes that the people involved would recognize how unhealthy it is for massage.

Dissolving the Grip of Addiction with CranioSacral Therapy
Martha Tassinari was married just a few short years when some unusual transactions in her bank account tipped her off to a major problem in the relationship. "Our money was dwindling," she says.
Surgical Intervention Averted with CranioSacral Therapy
Imagine going from a diagnosis for which brain surgery is recommended to a diagnosis of perfect health, all within a three-week period. That's what happened to one young man named Matt after receiving just two sessions of CranioSacral Therapy.
When a Question is Not a Question
If you have a good working relationship with your clients, odds are, it's because you can speak openly to one another. Besides your hands, clear communication is the most effective tool you have to help your clients.
A Tale of Three Dance Books
Kinesiology comes literally from the Greek words kinesis (movement) and logos (a story, speech, or study); thus, the study of movement, particularly movement of the human body.

The Challenge of Caring for Elderly Patients
With every passing day, one thing is for certain - we're all getting older. Some of us are closer to the far end of life than others, but the time will come when each of us will be elderly. At that time we will hope that those who care for us will be alert to the special dangers and the unique challenges of treating those in the elderly age group.
Recent Research Provides Evidence of How Massage Therapy Heals
Why does massage make sore muscles feel better? How does massage promote healing? What are the biological mechanisms of massage therapy?
Making Private Practice Work: Part III
In my last article, I used the analogy that acupuncture works like adding more minutes to a sprinkler system to help turn a brown lawn back to green.
What You Should Know About Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are steroid hormones made naturally by the body and are classified as either mineral corticoids or glucocorticoids. Artificial corticosteroids are used as medications.
Dynamic Chiropractic – April 23, 2007, Vol. 25, Issue 09
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Who Needs Chiropractors, Anyway? An Invitation to Join the APHA

By Jonathan Todd Egan, DC, MPH, PhD

Please stop for a moment and try to think of one major national interdisciplinary organization of health care professionals in which chiropractors are accepted and welcomed as equals. Think of one organization where other health care providers can get continuing education credits for attending presentations organized by chiropractors.

If you have a hard time thinking of one, you need to think about the American Public Health Association (APHA), the world's oldest and largest public health association, with more than 55,000 affiliated members.

This organization fully supports chiropractic participation in public health.

According to the APHA Web site (www.apha.org), chiropractic health care "enhances public health through the application of chiropractic knowledge to the community by conservative care, disease prevention and health promotion." Chiropractors have been a great source of strength within the APHA, serving on policy-making bodies, national task forces, and even on the executive board. Chiropractic members have also played a significant role in the function and service of the Chiropractic Health Care Section (CHC) of the APHA. The CHC, formed in 1995, has been the home of chiropractors within the APHA and has been chaired by many notable figures, including Drs. Mitchell Haas, Rand Baird, Lisa Killinger, Christine Goertz, and Elaine Cooperstein, the current chair.

Despite past successes and participation, chiropractic's role in the APHA is not guaranteed. The association is membership-driven, and chiropractic representation depends on membership. If the CHC is not active, growing and larger than 250 members, it can be dissolved. Current membership is approximately 280, which keeps the section under the constant risk of dissolution. Who needs chiropractors? The Chiropractic Health Care Section of the American Public Health Association does. We need you!

Imagine how chiropractic practice might be different, nationally and globally, if there were no chiropractors within the APHA:

  • In the late 1960s, the APHA passed a policy recommending revocation of chiropractic licensure in all states and elimination of all public funding supporting chiropractic, and called on friends of public health to eliminate this threat to the public health. It was chiropractors who joined the APHA and were able to reverse this policy after several years of work. If the policy had stood, and this politically influential group continued to pursue revoking chiropractic licensure - what would be different today? How much do we owe those chiropractors who joined the APHA and reversed the policy?
  • After 10 years of work inside the APHA, chiropractors finally received official representation in 1995. Those 10 years of consistent effort did not go unnoticed within the APHA. In 1996, when the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) applied for official relations to the World Health Organization (WHO), it was the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) - of which the APHA was a major member and of which a former APHA executive director is now president - that offered support to the WFC. The application was successful and the WHO granted official relations to the WFC. Without the global representation for chiropractic that began with the grassroots efforts of chiropractors within the APHA, what would be different today?
  • The WHO recently endorsed chiropractic education guidelines to promote licensure of chiropractic around the globe. The connection among chiropractors in the APHA to the WFPHA, the WHO and the WFC has been noted. If chiropractors had not been politically active within the APHA since the 1980s, would this global support of chiropractic licensure exist? What would be different today?

It all started with the APHA and chiropractors who were committed to chiropractic, public health and political action.

The Chiropractic Health Care Section of APHA still needs you. The section could still be dissolved and chiropractic could lose this important and meaningful representation. If the scenarios above have helped you see how chiropractic practice would be different without the APHA, it's time to join. For information about becoming an APHA and CHC member, contact me at or visit www.apha.org and click on "Member Login/Join." Be sure to select "Primary: Chiropractic Health Care" as your "Primary Section."

Who needs chiropractors, anyway? The Chiropractic Health Care Section of the American Public Health Association does. We need you. Join now!

Resources

  1. Egan JT, Baird R, and Zaynab-Killinger L. Chiropractic within the American Public Health Association, 1984-2005: pariah, to participant, to parity. Chiropractic History, 2006;26(1):97-117.
  2. Vear HJ. The anatomy of a policy reversal: The A.P.H.A. and chiropractic, 1969-1983. Chiropractic History, 2987;7(2):17-22.

Dr. Jonathon Egan, a 2006 graduate of New York Chiropractic College, is membership chair of the Chiropractic Health Care section of the APHA and serves on the Seneca County, N.Y. Board of Health. He can be contacted at with questions regarding APHA membership.

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