Bolivia - Students from the Palmer Clinics Abroad program made a further trip to Bolivia in February. Dr. Ron Firestone, president of the AsociaciÑn Boliviana de Quiropràcticos CientÕficos Profesionales (Bolivian Chiropractic Association), reports that it was extremely successful on all counts: for the students, for the thousands of patients treated by them and their supervisors, and for the continuing public awareness and professional advancement of chiropractic in Bolivia.
Canada - In recent years the Ontario Workers Safety and Insurance Board, one of the largest workers' compensation agencies in the world, has convened scientific and policy chronic pain expert advisory panels to provide a comprehensive report on appropriate management of workers with chronic back pain and disability. Manipulation and exercises are the most proven forms of treatment, with chiropractors playing a major role in the delivery of these services. The final report, "Chronic Pain Initiative: Report of the Chair, Chronic Pain Panels" may be found at www.wsib.ca/wsibsite.nsf/Public/ChronicPainReport.
The Toronto Case: The debate over the safety and appropriateness of neck manipulation is soon to break out more vigorously in the media than ever before. The often delayed and controversial Toronto inquest into the death of Lana Dale Lewis in September 1996, some three weeks after a chiropractic cervical adjustment, begins April 22. It is expected to last eight weeks and draw extensive media coverage.
On a preliminary motion, long-term chiropractic critic Dr Murray Katz has been forbidden to participate as a representative of the Lewis family on ethical grounds, but he is expected to continue to orchestrate media stories against chiropractic. Lawyers for the chiropractor, his malpractice insurer and the profession are calling leading international chiropractic and medical authorities to say that there is no evidence linking this death to chiropractic treatment. Arranged against them will be the neurological evidence from the Canadian Stroke Consortium, led by Katz's colleague, Dr. John Norris.
The WFC Council meeting was scheduled for Rome in early June, but as the inquest will be underway during this the time, the meeting will be held in Toronto to allow the WFC to better monitor and report on the progress of the inquest. Witnesses will include Scott Haldeman,DC,MD,PhD (a neurologist), who chairs the WFC Research Council, and Dr. Paul Carey, WFC 1st vice-president.
Cochrane Collaboration: The Cochrane Collaboration is an international network of health science researchers that is collecting all control trial research for every health care intervention and then providing systematic reviews summarizing the evidence of effectiveness or ineffectiveness of each treatment. It has developed an excellent reputation. The Cochrane Collaboration is now where policymakers go to answer questions such as, "Is spinal manipulation proven effective for patients with cerviogenic headache?"
It is clearly important that the chiropractic profession is represented in key evidence review teams, as in the areas of back pain, neck pain and headache. This is being recognized for a number of years by the WFC and the Canadian Chiropractic Protective Association (CCPA), Canada's malpractice protection agency for the chiropractic profession. The WFC is most grateful to the CCPA, an affiliate of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, for its recent announcement that this year it will once more provide funding for up to $15,000 CA to cover the expenses of leading chiropractic researchers attending the annual meeting of the Cochrane Collaboration in Norway in September. These will include WFC Research Council member Dr. Niels Grunnet-Nilsson of the University of Southern Denmark and Dr. Gert Bronfort of Northwestern Health Sciences University, Minnesota, who are both working in the headache review section of the Cochrane Collaboration.
Italy - Following legislative progress last year in France to finally recognize the chiropractic profession, the Associazione Italiana Chiropratici (Italian Chiropractic Association - AIC), led by President Dr. Eddy Pellissier, reports significant progress in negotiations for legislation in Italy. As you read this, the AIC and the International Chiropractors' Association (ICA) are jointly sponsoring a major chiropractic meeting in Rome. One goal is to advance the legislative agenda. The WFC will be represented at media and political meetings by Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Gerard Clum.
Japan - During the first week of May, the Japanese Federation of Chiropractic Colleges (JFCC), an affiliate of the Japanese Association of Chiropractors (JAC), is hosting in Kyoto what is potentially the most important meeting on chiropractic education ever held in Japan. Representatives of all international CCE accredited colleges that are currently active with partner institutions in Japan, including Cleveland Chiropractic College, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Life College of Chiropractic West, RMIT University and the Southern California University of Health Sciences (formerly LACC), are attending with a view to establishing common educational standards for conversion programs in Japan. These are interim programs upgrading Japanese graduates from unaccredited schools.
Norway - The Norsk Kiropraktor Forening (Norwegian Chiropractors' Association) hosts the ECU Convention in Oslo, May 9-12, 2002. WFC representatives at the Convention will include WFC Secretary-General, David Chapman-Smith. For more information on the meeting, visit www.ecu2002.no.
Peru - Like Bolivia and Brazil, Peru is another example of a South American country where chiropractic leaders are making major progress in getting official recognition of the profession. Four years ago, the Asociación de Quiroprácticos del Perú (AQP), led by President Dr. Felipe Castro-Mendivil, and representing Peru's 11 chiropractors, presented a petition to the Peruvian Congress for legal recognition of the chiropractic profession during the past week. On March 27, Dr. Castro-Mendivil was invited by the Congressional Health Commission to address the full Peruvian Congress on the chiropractic profession in the context of a session on alternative and complementary medicine. He reports that this was a considerable breakthrough. The AQP's submission was supported by a number of prominent Peruvians who are chiropractic patients, including several nationally respected physicians. Warm congratulations to Dr. Castro-Mendivil and the AQP.
Zimbabwe - Many were impressed by chiropractic pioneer Dr. Evalie Heath of Zimbabwe at WFC's Congress in Paris last year. Dr. Heath, a Life graduate who has practiced in Zimbabwe for some 12 years, confirms that she made it safely through Zimbabwe's recent violent elections that saw the country expelled from the British Commonwealth because of electoral fraud and violence carried out by Robert Mugabe's ruling party. However, things remain extremely tense for all Zimbabweans, especially whites, in the aftermath of the elections.
WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative - Former WFC President Dr. Gary Auerbach, and Dr. Medhat Alattar (Life University) attended the WHO's 4th Session of the International Negotiating Body in Geneva, March 18-23, 2002. This was a further meeting of representatives of governments and NGOs negotiating the terms of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which will form the basis of the WHO's tobacco control programs.
Approximately half of the meetings involved plenary sessions open to all delegates, but the other half were closed sessions open only to government delegates. The WFC was one of only four NGOs chosen to make a formal presentation to the meeting, the other three being major anti-tobacco NGOs such as Tobacco-Free Kids and INFACT. On behalf of the WFC, Dr. Auerbach proposed two significant amendments to the treaty language: requiring that all health care educational institutions be added to the list of smoke-free environments, and that there be a WHO recommended segment on tobacco-related health risks provided for the curriculum in the education of all health care professionals.
Partly because of links that have been established between Life University and the Costa Rican government, Costa Rica has agreed to now promote these two points during final negotiations to settle the text of the treaty.
WHO Assembly 2002: WHO's annual meeting, the World Health Assembly, is to be held in Geneva, May 13-17, 2002. The WFC delegation will be led by Dr. Paul Carey, WFC's 1st vice-president, Mr. David Chapman-Smith, secretary-general, and Dr. Rand Baird, chairman of the WFC's Health-for-All Committee.
Editor's note: For more information on the WFC, go to www.wfc.org.
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