Over the years, many editorials and articles in Dynamic Chiropractic and other periodicals have urged the chiropractic profession to become a more active player in the public health arena. Recent efforts to position chiropractic as a partial solution to the opioid epidemic have been an exciting move in that direction. The following is our chance to participate in action regarding the biggest public health emergency of our time; indeed perhaps of all time.
Boris Lushniak, former acting surgeon general and retired U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps rear admiral, stated that "Climate change is already harming the health, safety and wellbeing of every American living today and if it is not addressed, will bring untold harm to all our children and grandchildren."
Actions recommended in the report to preserve the health of patients and all of the public included meeting and ramping up Paris Climate Agreement commitments, transitioning away from coal, oil and natural gas and towards renewable energy, shifting to zero-carbon transit alternatives, supporting sustainable agriculture and protecting green spaces, and more.
The urgency of this public health emergency is not controversial; it is supported by an overwhelming scientific consensus. The leaders of our profession rightly take pride in our belief in science and research, as it has increasingly documented the benefits and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic care. The science which documents the existence of climate change, the fact that it is fueled by human activity, and its profound threat to the health and well-being of every person alive today and of future generations, is near-unanimous and indisputable.
Chiropractic doctors and most other health professionals focus their full attention on supporting, restoring and enhancing the health and well-being of their patients. For me, that means seeking to relieve and then to prevent pain and stress, and improve the function of the body, through chiropractic adjustments, along with advice and encouragement regarding important lifestyle factors such as diet, nutritional supplements, exercise, posture and stress management. All of these are crucial to healing and then to maintaining good health.
I also believe an important part of my job as a healer, and the job of our profession, is to promote public health and a healthy environment so our patients and their families can survive and thrive. The climate crisis presents an opportunity for the chiropractic profession to step up and participate in the urgent call to meet the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. All chiropractic national and state associations and organizations should step forward and join with the 77 health organizations that have issued a "Call to Action on Climate, Health and Equity."
I urge members of our profession to join me in engaging in this issue however we can: by contacting our national and state associations; by staying in touch with elected representatives; by supporting politicians who are making climate change a priority; by communicating about it with our patients, friends and family; and by walking our talk with whatever personal steps we can take to reduce our carbon footprint.
To the degree that we are concerned with the present and future health of ourselves, our families, our friends and our society, we can all do our best to stay informed and to engage in our own way to make this effort a priority; and to encourage our profession to publicly join this urgent effort to preserve the health of our patients and our world.
Dr. Mha Atma S. Khalsa is a graduate of the 1978 class of the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic (now the Southern California University of Health Sciences). He has been in practice in Los Angeles since 1979, and has been a member of the American Chiropractic Association and the California Chiropractic Association since he started practice. He was recognized as a lifetime member of the CCA after 30 years as a dues-paying member. He is also a supporting member of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress.