The following letter is from Gerard Clum, president of Life West, about the Council on Chiropractic Education’s proposed changes. The CCE’s goal is to destroy chiropractic. The sooner chiropractic colleges remove themselves from accreditation and licensing the sooner the chiropractic profession can return to its original roots of helping sick people get well. Unfortunately many chiropractic colleges are in collusion with the CCE and would also like to destroy the chiropractic profession just as the osteopathic profession was consumed by the medical profession.
Chiropractors should realize that if the CCE makes a decision they have no recourse but either to comply or leave. The CCE has an iron grip on the entire profession through its accreditation. If chiropractic colleges would refuse accreditation, licensing, and insurance, no outside body could dictate the direction of the profession. Chiropractors that are too afraid to take the bold move to free the profession deserve their inevitable fate.
Life Chiropractic College West
25001 Industrial Blvd.
tel. 510-780-4500
fax 510-780-4525
www.lifewest.edu
To: Interested parties
From: Gerard W. Clum, D.C.
Date: September 1, 2010
Re: A discussion of a limited number of changes in the CCE’s 2007 version of the Standards for Doctor of Chiropractic programs and proposed revisions to the same
1. D.C. degree versus D.C. degrees and their equivalent
Issue: The proposed language provides for the CCE to accredit any program it deems to be ”equiva|ent” including Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine or any other
creative reconfiguration of a chiropractic curriculum.
Standards, 2007, page v
“This manual describes the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), its process of accreditation and its educational standards of the CCE for Doctor of Chiropractic
Degree Programs (DCP’s).
Description and Role of The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE)
The CCE is an autonomous national organization. It develops its own Bylaws, and the requirements and procedures for accreditation of chiropractic programs and
institutions, which are applied by the Commission on Accreditation (COA). The accreditation requirements indicate the minimum education that must be
completed by individuals awarded the doctor of chiropractic (D.C.) degree by the accredited programs. The accredited programs are dedicated to the purpose of
producing a competent doctor of chiropractic who will provide quality patient care.”
Revisions, Draft #2, page iii
This document presents the process and requirements for The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) accreditation of Doctor of Chiropractic degree
programs (DCPs) or their eguivalent (as determined by CCE) in accordance with the Council’s Vision and Mission.
CCE Vision and Mission Statements
Vision Statement
Promoting Excellence and Assuring Quality in Chiropractic Education
Mission Statement
The Council on Chiropractic Education is an autonomous accrediting body that serves the interests of the public, the profession and students by:
*Establishing and promoting standards of chiropractic educational quality and patient-centered healthcare.
*Ensuring the quality of chiropractic education programs by evaluating achievement of accepted standards.
*Encouraging improvement and the pursuit of excellence in chiropractic education.
*Advocating integrity in the governance, administration and delivery of chiropractic education programs.
*Advocating scholarly activity, research and service in chiropractic education.
*Informing the educational community and public of the nature, quality and integrity of chiropractic education.
*Serving as a unifying body for the chiropractic profession
2. Use of the term “subluxation”
Issue: The proposed Standards have removed any and all references to the term subluxation
Standards. 2007. beginning on page 15 regarding use of the term “subluxation”.
I. Preface (page 15)
B. Assess the patient’s general health status, complaints and problems leading to a diagnosis. Specific elements of patient assessment minimally include complete
health history; review of systems; physical, biomechanical, and neurological examination; the analysis of vertebral and extra-vertebral sub/uxotion; and, when clinically indicated, diagnostic imaging, clinical laboratory, and/or specialized diagnostic procedures;
C. Develop a goal-oriented case management plan that addresses any subluxations or other neurobiomechanical problems, and that may include rehabilitation and/or other therapeutic modalities;
c. Neuromusculoskeletal Examination (page 32-33)
(2) Knowledge
(b) understand and select methods for evaluating posture, biomechanical function, and the presence of spinal or other articular subluxation or
dysfunction
h. Chiropractic Adjustment or Manipulation (page 39-40)
The chiropractic adjustment is a precise procedure that uses controlled force, leverage, direction, amplitude, and velocity directed at specific articulations. Doctors of chiropractic employ adjustive and/or manipulative procedures to influence joint and neurophysiologic function. Other manual procedures may be used in the care of patients.
(3) Skills
(b) select and effectively utilize palpatory and other appropriate methods to identify subluxations of the spine and/or other articulations;
Appendix 1 (page 55)
Glossary
Case types = In this context, “case types” represents a list of diagnostic entities (e.g., lumbar disc herniation, hypertension), patient presentations (e.g., woman with fatigue, patient over 50 with insidious low back pain, patient with radiating arm pain and nerve root deficits), and/or subluxation or joint dysfunction patterns (e.g., T4 syndrome, Maigne’s syndrome, upper cervical joint dysfunction causing cervicogenic headache) which will represent the intended training domain of the clinical training phase of the DCP.
Health promotion = Maintenance of neurobiomechanical integrity inclusive of subluxation prevention, and general strategies to enhance quality of life and prevent disease, trauma, and illness. This includes aspects of ergonomics, psychosocial support, exercise, diet, nutrition and life style counseling, and health screening.
Revisions, Draft #2 all references to the term subluxation have been deleted.
3. Without the use of drugs and surgery
issue: The proposed Standards have removed the reference to chiropractic being “without the use of drugs and surgery”
Standards, 2007, page 15
II. Purpose of Chiropractic Education
The purpose of chiropractic professional education is to provide the student with a core of knowledge in the basic and clinical sciences and related health subjects sufficient to perform the professional obligations of a doctor of chiropractic.
A doctor of chiropractic is a primary care physician whose purpose, as a practitioner of the healing arts, is to help meet the health needs of individual patients and of the public, giving particular attention to the structural and neurological aspects of the body.
The application of science in chiropractic concerns itself with the relationship between structure, primarily the spine, and function, primarily coordinated by the nervous system of the human body, as that relationship may affect the restoration and preservation of health.
Further, this application of science in chiropractic focuses on the inherent ability of the body to heal without the use of drugs or surgery.
As a gatekeeper for direct access to the health delivery system, the doctor of chiropractic’s responsibilities as a primary care physician include wellness promotion, health assessment, diagnosis and the chiropractic management of the patient’s health care needs. When indicated, the doctor of chiropractic consults with, co-manages, or refers to other health care providers.
Revisions, Draft #2, all references to the “Purpose of Chiropractic Education” have been removed and no comparable language has replaced this omission.
4. Primary Care Chiropractic Physician
Issue: The change in the definition of chiropractic primary care physician removes any definitional elements that would cause the statement to be unique to the practice of chiropractic. The definition as proposed would apply to any primary care medical doctor, nurse practitioner, physicians assistant, etc.
Standards, 2007, page 56
Primary Care Chiropractic Physician = An individual who serves as a point for direct access to health care delivery, the doctor of chiropractids responsibilities include:
(1) patient’s history;
(2) completion and/or interpretation of physical examination and specialized diagnostic procedures;
(3) assessment of the patient’s general health status and resulting diagnosis;
(4) provision of the chiropractic care and/or consultation with continuity in the co-management, or referral to other health care providers; and
(5) development of sustained health care partnership with patients.
Revision, Draft #2. page 26
Chiropractic Primary Care Physician – A Doctor of Chiropractic practicing primary care is competent and qualified to provide independent, quality, patient-focused care to individuals of all ages and genders by:
1) providing direct access, portal of entry care that does not require a referral from another source;
2) establishing a partnership relationship with continuity of care for each individual patient;
3) evaluating a patient and independently establishing a diagnosis or diagnoses; and,
4) managing the patient’s health care and integrating health care services including treatment, recommendations for self-care, referral, and/or co-management.
Concern: The items outlined above indicate an attempt to move the profession:
a. Toward the Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine perspective
b. Away from any use of the term subluxation
c. Toward the inclusion of drug therapy
d. Away from being a drugless discipline
e. Toward a generalized common definition of primary care as used in primary care medicine
f. Away from any definition of chiropractic and what a chiropractor does.
The following press release is from the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation on the Council of Chiropractic Eduction proposed changes to transmogrify the chiropractic profession into a drug and surgery based profession.
Council on Chiropractic Education proposes revisions to accreditation standards
September 20, 2010 — The Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) is the only agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education for accreditation of Doctor of Chiropractic degree programs. They have recently proposed revisions to their current Standards for Accreditation, to take effect January 2012.
The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation, in addition to Life West Chiropractic College, FSCO, ICA, and Palmer College of Chiropractic, has recognized several key elements within the draft standards that will undoubtedly steer chiropractic toward the allopathic model of healthcare.
Among those proposed revisions includes:
1. The removal of the term subluxation and any references to it.
2. The statement “without the use of drugs or surgery” has been eliminated from their description of the focus of chiropractic.
3. The CCE has redefined the term “chiropractic primary care physician” as to no longer apply uniquely to chiropractors.
4. The draft standards recognize the “Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine” degree to be equivalent to the Doctor of Chiropractic degree. It was previously reported in August 2010 that National University of Health Sciences has already begun promoting such a degree program.
This is a very serious matter, which if placed into effect, will have a profound detrimental effect on subluxation-based chiropractors and chiropractic education worldwide.
The Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation has created a template for submitting comments relative to these four points. All comments regarding the draft standards are due by Sept. 24, 2010. The Foundation encourages every chiropractor and chiropractic student to fill out these forms and return them to the CCE as soon as possible.