Chiropractic’s unmatched contribution to healthcare is unassailable…I know it…you know it…and our patients know it, yet the public-at-large still understands little of the far reaching and beneficial effects of Chiropractic care! One hundred and seven years later, we as a profession have failed miserably in doing enough to transform this country’s, and in fact, this world’s fundamental beliefs about health and wellness, as they relate to Chiropractic.

Is this because we are too busy fighting ourselves and have not taken the time to modernize our message so that all concerned learn that Chiropractic has amassed enough clinical and scientific data to give absolute credence to our very existence?

Changing our national attitude about health is the first step. It is a worthy mission and is one, which must be embraced by every Chiropractic organization and every one of the sixty thousand Chiropractors in America. Our goal as a profession must be more than mere survival. We must take a much more proactive stand, and cultivate our own articulate spokespeople, who hopefully will end up on national and cable TV new shows.

After all these years, we as a profession still believe that we are “alternative” health care practitioners…and because too many of us, over time, have buckled to societal pressure and have ourselves bought into traditional medical thinking.

There are even those among us who are attempting to influence national Chiropractic consciousness toward the possible shift of becoming “DCM’s,” Doctors of Chiropractic Medicine. What ever happened to Chiropractic being a separate, distinct and unique healing art profession that can, and I think must stand on its own? Surely, we want to be a self-regulated profession and not fall under the oppression of outside influences…those who know little and care less about who we are and what we stand for…like Trigon Blue Cross/Shield.

Our profession has been fragmented for nearly all of our existence and I warn you…a profession that is fragmented as to their purpose or philosophy usually becomes stagnant and loses whatever power is necessary to succeed. One century later we still have two or three national organizations and different associations, societies and councils in each state. Each keeps trying to win the war, by negative press about how wrong the other guy is, by slandering those who don’t think like us and by sending conflicting bills to legislative bodies, who by this time are tired of getting in between our stale and out of date rhetoric.

Oddly enough, the national organizations only represent a fraction of all Chiropractors.
Believe it or not, the ACA, ICA and WCA together have fewer than ten thousand members, collectively. That means that there are 50,000 DC’s in America alone that belong to nothing! We call them apathetic — they tell us that belonging to a state or national organization has no value — that nothing changes except for the names of the officers.

I say, let our leaders make unity a priority and put us on the right path and most assuredly we will witness a metamorphosis that will quickly change apathy to passionate participation.

It’s time for us to see the bigger picture! A weak ineffectual profession can’t tell the world’s patients who we are and what we can do to help them live a happier and healthier life. Our time has come I tell you! The year 2003 is our gate to the future.

We want equality…we want parity… we want the recognition we deserve…we want acceptance…and we want respect, but it’s not going to happen unless we make it happen for ourselves. It starts with “us changing us!” The past is yesterday’s news — leave it alone and let’s move forward.

Our total attention and focus must be toward UNITY IN OUR PROFESSION. I know that we are sophisticated enough to pull it off…if we really want to. Trust me, it will happen sooner or later. Let’s make it happen RIGHT NOW!!

Personally, I am for progress and not for the status quo that has become our expertise…our claim to fame. I am for immediate action, as long as the umbrella over our heads loudly and clearly proclaims Chiropractic Principle — that we give adjustments not manipulations and that we render holistic health care to our patients, but leave the treatment of disease to our medical brethren.

And, by the way, it doesn’t matter to me what the current leaders of our profession think. They are all great people who devote hours and hours of their precious time to our profession, yet they still passionately believe what they have always believed, and in their own minds they are justified…and right. So, as a result, nothing happens.

Each group, when individually polled, clearly comprehends the value and benefits gained from unification. Being smart is not their problem. They are all incredibly bright, but much like the rest of us, get caught up in their own belief system, which they vigorously and passionately defend. Its is simply how they see things and none of it, when looked at from all sides, can be construed as “wrong.”

Merely, they have opposing viewpoints, fostered by our traditionally fractionated Chiropractic system over years and years. It originates early and stems from where they went to school, how and by whom they were taught, what model they used as the basis for their own practices and how they, as individuals, evolved over years.

Open communication, which is happening at the National Chiropractic Leadership Foundation (NCLF) meetings might be a good start, and perhaps the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) should be the main source of beginning unity efforts, but things cannot stay the same.

Metaphorically it looks something like this. One group says, “Yes, we want unity too, but we are «principled» and «subluxation-based.» We will unify when the other side limits their scope of practice and means of facilitation and comes over to our way of thinking.” The other group says, “We want unity too, but we see an expanded scope of practice and want to use whatever means of facilitation techniques are available to help us get patients well, and by the way, we adjust subluxations too. Unity is also our goal, but it can only happen when your side surrenders to our way of thinking.”

I say, “STOP!” We’ve been saying and doing the same thing for years and years and regardless of individual beliefs, right or wrong, it has been proven that it doesn’t work! Time to change!

Legislators on the national level, as well as in the individual states, simply don’t know what to do and can’t decide on which side or which piece of legislation is better for their constituents. So, they do nothing and we get nowhere…again!

There are two major issues as I see it. The first is about Chiropractic beliefs as briefly discussed above. The other is about the human condition and how individuals operate.

To have unity, it would probably be necessary for some of the leaders of our profession to step aside and give up what they worked so hard to achieve for many years. Here is a simplified explanation of the process.

A practicing Chiropractor becomes a member of one of the national organizations. He or she then, over years of effort and sacrifice climbs the ladder of that organization, first on a local level and then on the national front. They work their way up from ombudsman to president, “singing the song” of that organization and learn the way of the politician until it becomes second nature and is indelibly ingrained.

How naïve it would be to now ask them to step aside, take their viewpoints with them, and let us put up a new candidate who understands the game, but has on his or her agenda a priority called The Unification of Our Profession. I know, it sounds crazy at best! Who among us would step aside? It would take incredible human beings, who can place our profession-at-large, before personal achievement or recognition.

I also see this as a multi-year project…a progressive phase-in toward unity. Why not select leaders from our profession and put them in a room, with explicit instructions that they are not to come out until they have constructed “the plan that leads us out of bondage.” Call it, “UNITY 2005.”

The ACA, I am told wants more “control” because they say they represent a larger constituency that the ICA or WCA. And, while I can understand that thinking I also know that no one will agree to it, so scrap that idea and create a new one. There are models that have worked for years. Look at our own Congress. They are openly hostile and partisan, until they have to get together like in the case of 9/11 and the unanimous vote to stop terrorism.

Ours is still the only profession in the world, that when under attack, circles the wagons…and shoots in. Only with a unified front, can we send a clear message to our representatives in the legislature and to the regulatory bodies in our individual states, not to mention the patients we all serve. Surely, in simplicity there is elegance, as well as the incredible positive energy that the unity will create!

No more straight publications or crooked ones…just Chiropractic publications. No more splintered state organizations competing for member dollars and attendance, and no more ICA, ACA and WCA! Just a (UCA)- a UNITED CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION representing ALL Chiropractors, because we all agree on the enormous benefits of Chiropractic. We are fighting the wrong enemy. Perhaps we need to heal ourselves first. Perhaps we need an adjustment!

Think of the ICA, ACA and CA as three separate pencils. Each one, as individual units, can stand and function on their own, but they can also be easily snapped and broken. Alone they are weak. But bind all three pencils together and you will find that the combined strength would make them impossible to break.

Together we get stronger and more powerful. Additionally, we save millions and millions of wasted dollars in duplication of overhead expenses, conventions and legislative efforts.

In short, we become a chorus singing one song. We work hard until we clean it all up including those who rip off insurance companies and resort to any other low self-esteem or unethical method of practice.

And, while I’m at it, what would our profession look like if all 60,000 of us became participators and not spectators? What would happen if we all belonged to one of our national organizations? Perhaps, in the future, that should be become a prerequisite for licensure.

So let’s see -sixty thousand active dues paying member each paying $600.00 per year. Wow — that would equal $33 million a year in dues alone. What powerful legal representation would that buy? And, with the millions and millions left over do you think it would be possible to finally create a worldwide public relations program that would effectively and properly brand and identify Chiropractic as the natural healing art of choice around the world?

Our profession needs to have a brand new and much bigger vision. Survival thinking has just got to go! We need a vision that creates, builds, and embraces all the great things that would happen when we, as one harmonious and synergistic profession comes together under one banner.

Finally, we must ask ourselves, not only how we feel about unity, but what price we would be willing to pay to get it? Certainly, unity must take priority over any and all self-serving interests, don’t you agree? UNITY CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED! Let’s begin right now! Contact the leaders of our profession, by word of mouth, by fax, by e-mail, by carrier pigeon, but let’s get the ball rolling. Let’s tell them loud and clear what WE want…and what we want is UNITY!!

Dr. Larry Markson is CEO of The Masters Circle, a Personal and Professional Practice Development Program for Chiropractors. The opinions expressed in this article are his and are not meant to disparage any individual or organization now attempting to do their best for the profession. He can be reached by phone at (800) 451-4514 or by e-mail at larry@themasterscircle. com.

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