Movement for Chiropractic Quality and Integrity

Official MCQI Response to the ACA Chairman House of Delegates Speech

MCQI Responds to False Statements by ACA Chairman

May 7, 2013

As much as the Movement for Chiropractic Quality and Integrity (MCQI) is committed to respecting everyone's opinion within a drugless and non-surgical chiropractic profession, we find it challenging to give respect to Dr. Simone for making blatantly false statements in his recent House of Delegates (HOD) address.

Dr. Simone mentioned MCQI twice in his recent speech. We are taking this opportunity to set the record straight regarding Dr. Simone's misleading statements.

Dr. Simone stated, "A leading member of the anti-CCE group, MCQI, approached me with the suggestion that it may be time for us to tier the profession, providing a pared down education system for subluxation based practitioners." ¹

MCQI wishes to make it very clear that no "leading member" has ever approached Dr. Simone regarding this or any other matter. We certainly would have never suggested a "pared down" curriculum. Quite the contrary, we have offerred and suggested to the profession repeatedly a rigorous and relevent chiropractic educational system that supports the unique chiropractic paradigm and objective. We also take issue with his mischaracterization along with other ACA communications of MCQI as being "anti-CCE." We are not anti-CCE. We are for a profession that has an accrediting body that is truly representative of the profession and offering our students a relevant education specific to the practice of chiropractic.

In addition to this mistruth, Dr. Simone went on a twelve minute tirade reminiscent of a propaganda war cry typical of a political body aiming to recruit more soldiers for their cause.

We will address various points from his speech below.

In his speech, Dr. Simone states, "We respect a diversity of opinions and don't impose our will on others." However, he fails to acknowledge that this is exactly what the ACA has done in concert with their CCE creation. The results of which have been documented in Moore and Wise's, "A Report on Chiropractic Politics & Education," and categorized as a "virtual cartel" in 2006 by a member of the NACIQI committee. ^{2, 3}

No one is blind to the complete disregard by this "cartel" of a large segment of the profession. A majority that has clearly indicated in the largest and most comprehensive surveys regarding our professional identity that they wish to keep the chiropractic focus on vertebral subluxation and are fully committed to a drug-free and non-surgical chiropractic. ^4,5,6

Indeed as Dr. Simone put forth, "the truth has been turned upside down." While it is difficult to take anything he speaks as truth after making knowingly false statements, anyone studying chiropractic in depth will come to the conclusion that the Palmers uncovered a basic, core, scientific and universal truth which has been turned upside down by the ACA and the "cartel."

Dr. Simone is right when he states "Only in this profession do some see professional growth as professional destruction." The movement to expand the scope of chiropractic into prescription drugs and surgery would lead to the destruction of our profession to meet the fate of osteopathy. It is also an affront to the core values of the majority of the profession. Who's forcing what on who?

Prior to this speech, the ACA had remained rather vague concerning their support of expanding the chiropractic scope to include drugs and surgery. Dr. Simone's statements make it clear at last of the true intent of the ACA. While they may maintain that they are supporting state rights, the obvious truth is that one cannot say they support chiropractic to be a drugless profession and then in the next breath say that they support the state's right to expand the scope to include such things. The obvious contradiction is glaring and we encourage the ACA to be truly forthright with their true intentions.

He further states: "Only in this profession are the claims of the efficacy of unscientific treatment or diagnostic methods." We request Dr. Simone to provide reference of the these "unscientific treatments or diagnostic methods" he is referring to. We can only assume he is referring to the wide array of physical therapy modalities used by some chiropractors who employ those procedures. If so, it should be noted that a high rate of Dr. Simone's association's members perform these procedures with little support for their use. ^{7, 8, 9, 10, 11}

In respect to diagnosis, one has to be delusional to think that a Doctor of Chiropractic's competence in this area compares to M.Ds and D.Os who have actual residency training. Given the poor accuracy of diagnostic capabilities even within those professions, the notion that chiropractors are adequately trained in this arena or that it is even necessary is absurd. Like other direct access providers, chiropractors should be trained in their respective area of expertise. Specifically they should be proficient in their ability to locate and assess vertebral subluxation, and to recognize abnormal states of physiology and function that would require referral to the appropriate provider.

Dr. Simone reels: "Only in this profession do those whose integrity is beyond reproach, who want to provide quality treatment to their patients, mocked and laughed at by the very people professing their love for our profession and naming their group "movement for chiropractic quality and integrity."

The only laughable matter here is the irony of that statement when one considers the falsehood that Dr. Simone put forth earlier. MCQI has stated repeatedly that we are for peace and freedom of education within a drugless and non-surgical chiropractic. We mock no one for their desire to provide quality care to those they serve. However, we do take great issue when the boundaries of the profession are attacked from within and will continue to defend those borders that we all agreed upon when we became Doctors of Chiropractic. MCQI would also like to point out the apparent motivation for practice expansion rights and the true mockery of the primary care physician status that some proclaim. It is clear that this is merely an attempt at possible greater insurance reimbursement, inclusion into the "health care system," as well as having the capacity to add more services for additional income.

Further along Dr. Simone refers to fantasy: "In this Alice in Wonderland version, you would believe that, as other disciplines continue to adopt spinal manipulation, we can dig our foxholes deeper and ignore the demand we see in our healthcare system."

The Chairman of the ACA should be less concerned about other disciplines continuing to adopt spinal manipulation and more concerned about the liberty that his association endorses and others in our profession took years ago to invade other disciplines. Is it surprising that those professions would now look to adopt our methods?

In respect to the "healthcare system" referred to, there is not a valid reason to meet the demand of a broken and failing system. Especially when one considers that physician reimbursement and satisfaction continues to drop. ¹² It is a far better strategic and economic plan to stay our course and promote a "proactive, holistic, wellbeing system" that is inherent in chiropractic principle, philosophy and practice.

Finally Dr. Simone offers something possibly constructive for the future of chiropractic: "But if we can't sever ties to those who hold us back we may have missed our golden opportunity--and a golden opportunity for millions of patients."

We certainly agree with this and encourage him to sever ties with chiropractic. The bulk of our profession would be delighted to assist those seeking practice expansion to leave and merge with the duplicative professions that already exists. Then those pushing for practice expansion could receive proper training in "all treatment methods" before suggesting these dangerous alternatives.

Dr. Simone goes on, stating, "In the past we had similar divisions within our profession--acupuncture, physical therapy modalities, and the term 'physician' comes to mind. We were able to work through these."

For the record, we were not able "to work through these" issues. They were resolved by forceful political maneuverings by the ACA and "cartel" as outlined in Moore and Wise's report.

Regarding the dismal state of practice futures for our graduates, Dr. Simone had this to say, "Imagine a new graduate who has more opportunities to practice and make a good living than even they can imagine."

The new graduates envisioned by the ACA Chairman will be trained in all treatments and be all things to all people. This is a recipe for failure. The same failure that other countless graduates from the ACA's medicalization of chiropractic education have experienced for decades. A stark contrast to the huge success and booming practices of the 40?s, 50?s, 60?s, 70?s and early 80?s when Doctors of Chiropractic were practicing chiropractic and only chiropractic.

Of the entire speech, MCQI believes that the most pertinent statement could be: "Isn't it time for the key players to be locked into a room and not let out until they can agree on something?"

Yes, indeed it is time. We have been calling for this and will not stop until the profession decides these issues are important enough to finally settle so we can move forward. We are prepared to sit down in a respectful, collegial manner with any and all parties desiring to solve these issues once and far all.

We believe it will become clear, however, that at the end of such a dialogue, that we have two separate professions, scopes of practice, objectives, philosophical premises and visions. One seeking to be trained in all treatments, to be all things to all people and desiring to join medicine and the so-called failing and ailing "health care system." The other desiring to bring forth a new well-being paradigm, a new vision of pro-active life care, and empower the public with a compass for living a healthier life: a practice service and a philosophy of life that can be implemented from conception to transition.

Both paths are already happening in practice and part of the existing reality. The glaring differences and forcing of paradigms, however, is tearing the profession down instead of building it up. Unless the profession is ready and willing to address this, we can expect many more years of "hard times and civil war," as outlined in the recent Institute for Alternative Futures document. ¹³

Indeed as stated by Dr. Simone: "Our future can be bright, but we must be willing to move towards the light."

This cannot happen by merging with medicine and losing our core identity to become third rate MDs. It can only happen by staying true to our humanitarian vision, purpose and objective which was defined years ago.

If we are willing to embrace our unique offering to the world versus adopting the failed methods of others, invest in the necessary research demonstrating our well-known effectiveness, and commit, as a profession, to elevating and refining the art of adjusting the one system that has the widest impact on life, health and well-being, we can move forward in integrity and certainty that our future will indeed be bright.

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