The World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) has announced the results of its latest council elections. WFC council members for 2004 are:
| Region | Representative |
| Africa | Chris Neethling, DC |
| Asia | Bruce Vaughan, DC |
| Eastern Mediterranean | Efstathios Papadopoulos, DC |
| Europe | Anthony Metcalfe, DC |
| Latin America | Ricardo Fujikawa, DC |
| North America-USA(ACA) | J. Michael Flynn, DC Michael Pedigo, DC Kerwin Winkler, DC |
| North America-USA(ICA) | Gerard Clum, DC |
| Pacific | Dennis Richards, DC |
As of press time, a representative for the North America-Canada region had not been announced.
Copies of the election ballots are available by fax for review until April 1. Interested parties can contact WFC Secretariat David Chapman-Smith at info@wfc.org to request copies.
The WFC's next council meeting is scheduled for June 9-11 at the Swisshotel Merchant Court in Singapore.
The Washington State Chiropractic Association (WSCA) has selected Lori Bielinksi, a lobbyist and membership director with the association for the past three years, as the WSCA's new executive director.
"This promotion is an honor," expressed Ms. Bielinski. "I am lucky to be in a career that I enjoy so much, in a profession that I truly believe in."
Ms. Bielinski is a resident of Tacoma, Wash. As membership director, she was responsible for directing the WSCA in the areas of legislative affairs, chiropractic policy, insurance relationships, and membership development and retention programs. Before joining the WSCA, she was a senior policy analyst for Deborah Senn, the state's former insurance commissioner, and advised her on issues related to alternative medicine, women's health and access to health care. She is also a licensed massage therapist, and operated a successful massage therapy clinic in Seattle for six years.
Sherman officials recently reached an agreement with Spartanburg Technical College (STC) and the University of South Carolina, Spartanburg (USCS) to form the Two Plus One Plus One program, which expands educational opportunities and career options for students while saving them time and money. Under the details of the agreement, STC students who attain their associate degrees may transfer to USCS for one year, then move on to Sherman for one year, earning bachelor's degrees. Students may then continue at Sherman in the Doctor of Chiropractic program, earning DC degrees after an additional two-and-a-half years of study.
According to Sherman President Dr. Jerry Hardee, the program consolidates the amount of time spent in the chiropractic program, which reduces in the amount of money spent on tuition. "Students participating in this program will save time and money by completing the final year of their bachelor's degree simultaneously with the first year of the doctorate program at Sherman," Dr. Hardee explained.
"Spartanburg Technical College is pleased to be partnering with the University of South Carolina, Spartanburg and Sherman College to provide additional higher education opportunities for students in the upstate," added STC President Dr. Dan Terhune. "The Two Plus One Plus One program provides a new employment track for our students as we continue emphasizing our workforce development mission."
For more information on the program, contact Susan Newlin, vice president for enrollment services at Sherman, at (800) 849-8000 or snewlin@sherman.edu.
Keeping a promise made to the profession two years ago, Dr. Fabrizio Mancini, president of Parker College of Chiropractic, delivered an unexpected, yet welcome piece of news at the Parker Seminars in Las Vegas in January. After receiving more than $207,000 in cash and pledges at the seminar, Dr. Mancini announced that monies raised for the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund (NCLAF) had passed the $1 million mark.
"I made a commitment to raise a million dollars for the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund through Parker Seminars, and I am thrilled that we have achieved that goal," an enthusiastic Dr. Mancini remarked at the seminar.
"We cannot overstate our gratitude to Dr. Mancini for his tireless efforts to bring together all facets of the chiropractic profession in support of the Save Our Subluxation campaign," enthused NCLAF Chair J. Michael Flynn, DC. "Dr. Mancini's dedication to this campaign will ensure a bright future for the nation's doctors of chiropractic and their millions of patients."
Funds pledged to the NCLAF are being used to support two ongoing federal lawsuits. The first suit, filed in November 1998 against the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seeks to ensure that Medicare patients in HMOs receive chiropractic care only from doctors of chiropractic. The second suit, filed in August 2002, seeks to address apparent discriminatory practices by Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Virginia against doctors of chiropractic, including allegations of antitrust violations and unfair reimbursement practices.
Contributions to the NCLAF can be sent to: National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund, P.O. Box 75359, Baltimore, MD 21275-5359.
Many relevant diagnostic signs are not performed deliberately by the examiner or by the patient at the examiner’s direction. They are observed as the patient reacts to their condition. Fortin’s finger sign, Minor’s sign, and Vanzetti’s sign are three examples of this principle.
Spearheaded by burgeoning scientific and clinical research literature, psychedelics have reached a level of media coverage and popular interest that has not been seen for over half a century. By “psychedelics,” we are referring to the unique class of substances that includes psilocybin (the active compound found in so-called “magic mushrooms”), LSD, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT, and mescaline – each of which occurs in the natural world (except for LSD, which is a semi-synthetic compound).
While working at the Lovelace Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M., one of the primary care physicians stated that imaging every patient prior to receiving chiropractic was not medically necessary. It was at that point I reconsidered the need for the imaging of every patient to avoid malpractice.
