Dear Editor:
It was fascinating to read Dr. Steve Troyanovich's critique of Dr. Cooperstein's Dynamic Chiropractic article. As usual, Dr.
To answer his own question about CBP being a "lightning rod," perhaps Dr. Troyanovich simply need look in the mirror.
Steven Katz, DC
Mill Valley, California
Heal Student Loans and Debt Management
Dear Editor:
I read with interest Dr. Mirtz's article on Heal student loans in the September 1, September 23, and October 21 issues of Dynamic Chiropractic. I was not surprised by the statistics listed, since as a financial aid administrator at Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, I and the other chiropractic colleges received this information in August. The college feels default is a very important issue and has had a comprehensive debt management plan in effect since 1989 as a result. We are grateful to Dr. Mirtz for bringing forth the contents of the Bureau of Health Profession's annual report, as it is a useful tool for comparing the college with other institutions.
Being listed as the #1 school for claims paid in 1995 is an artifact of the reporting date. Because our Heal loan volume is low, our default rate looks high, which accounts for the top position at the time of the report date. I believe most schools will rotate to this position over time.
Dr. Mirtz's concerns about the negative impact this will have on the chiropractic profession are valid. The college is concerned about preventing defaults and has devised strategies to minimize loan indebtedness. However, unless all schools take debt management seriously, monitoring and supervising loan borrowing with the student's best interests in mind, it will seriously affect not only the chiropractic profession but the health care profession as well.
We applaud Dr. Mirtz for bringing this information forward. In the final analysis, though, it falls on the shoulders of the institutions themselves to implement and maintain debt reduction programs on behalf of the students and the profession.
Maria Romero
Financial Aid Administrator
Los Angeles College of Chiropractic
Whittier, California
Archie Bunker to Endorse Chiropractic?
Now, I respect Dr. Wilk and I enjoy listening to Mr. Limbaugh on a regular basis. Mr. Limbaugh is a very funny and outrageous entertainer, however, enlisting his help to endorse chiropractic would be the mistake of the century! Rush is a college drop out, with a background in sports and entertainment; his radio show is based on biased distortions and parodies of current events designed for entertainment value ... and certainly could not be regarded as "honest news" any more than the "Dennis Miller News Hour." Furthermore, Mr. Limbaugh has neither the education or background to evaluate any health care procedure. His endorsement would in fact be worse than worthless as the chiropractic profession could suffer a backlash by the various groups Rush targets for parody. The financial difficulties of the Florida orange juice growers and the current difficulties of Snapple may be directly related to the many offended people that have boycotted those products simply because they are endorsed by Rush!
If we must have someone's endorsement, let's look for someone of intelligence, learning and integrity to endorse chiropractic, rather than the Archie Bunker of the air waves. We are having enough problems convincing people that chiropractic is an objective, rational health care science, so whether it be Lewis Farrakan, or Rush Limbaugh ... let's just say no to radical endorsements!
Jeffrey Cates, DC, FACO, DABCC
(Cates & Jensen)
Teaching MDs Adjusting Techniques -- A Down Under Perspective
Dear Editor:
I refer to recent articles appearing in Dynamic Chiropractic on the topic of teaching MDs adjusting techniques. It is interesting to note that none of these has made mention of courses in the theory and practice of chiropractic which, I believe, has been given to non-chiropractors in Asia by the Department of Chiropractic, Osteopathy and Complementary Medicine of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia. I am curious as to why this issue has not been brought to the attention of the profession at large.
I do not condone the actions of the practice developers and others in teaching chiropractic technique to non-chiropractors (something which, I believe, is against the ethics of the Chiropractor's Association of Australia). However, I think that it is unreasonable to "point the finger" at James Cox and others without also critiquing the actions of chiropractic institutions who may also be teaching short courses in chiropractic, including theory, principles, and technique, it would appear, to non-chiropractors.
Colin Crawford, DC, BASc, FCCS (C)
Salisbury,Southern Australia
Looking for Stats on Strokes
Dear Editor:
I enjoy your receiving your publication and look forward to each one's arrival. The statistics that you illustrate on the lower left hand corner of the front page are especially interesting. After reading the stats regarding complications of adjusting and then other procedures, I was wondering if you'd do requests. That is, I know that although extremely rare, strokes and other "emergency" conditions occur in chiropractors' offices from time to time. I'd like to see the stats comparing their occurrence in our offices, to the occurrence while driving, or on the golf course, or at the shoe store. Basically, the occurrence when there is no doctor's intervention at all. I suspect that driving a car, golfing, or shopping, are just as "risky" as chiropractic adjustments. And that the incidence of stroke, heart failure, etc. is no higher in our offices that it is during the course of a person's normal day. I also suspect that these "emergencies" happen more often in dental, physical therapy, osteopathic, and of course, medical settings. If this data is out there, it should be published, and distributed to the public. I hope DC can dig these stats up and put them in print.
Mike Powell, DC
4245 1st Ave,
SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
(319) 366-2518
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