A third chiropractic educational program in a publicly funded university has been announced. This will commence with 50 students in February, 2002, at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia.
A large-scale asthma trial has commenced in Sydney. Led by Dr. Ray Hayek of the department of chiropractic, Macquarie University, Sydney, this multicenter study will involve 40 chiropractic clinics and over 400 patients, and will assess the effectiveness of chiropractic management of children and adolescents. Funding of $250,000 is from the U.S.-based Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research.
Austria
The WFC regrets the recent passing away of Udo Kastner,BSc (Chiro),MD, an Anglo-European College of Chiropractic graduate and one of only two chiropractors practising in Austria.
South Korea
Chiropractors are being prosecuted in Korea. At the request of the Korean Chiropractic Association, which represents the 60 formally trained chiropractors in Korea, the WFC has recently provided letters to the court in the prosecutions of Dr. Changgyu Kim (Life University, 1996); Dr. Jungyoup Kim (Northwestern Health Sciences University, 1992); and Dr. Su-hee Song (Palmer College, 1996), all of Seoul; and Dr. Youngju Cha (Life University, 1997) of Taegue. Contact: Seung Won Lee,DC,MD,PhD, president, KCA; tel: 82-2 555 5757; Fax: 82-2-552-0385; email:
; website: www.chirolee.or.kr.
Norway
In 1998, the Norwegian Chiropractic Association (NCA) produced an impressive publication, Disorders of the Neuromusculoskeletal System: An Introduction to Chiropractic Management. The 20-page booklet features excellent text and high quality illustrations, and is targeted principally to health care professionals. It has been most successful in promoting the greater acceptance and use of chiropractic services in Norway. An English version of the booklet is in print, and has a fine contemporary description of chiropractic education and practice.
Slovenia
Dr. Yasuhiro Todo, president of the Slovenian Chiropractic Association, which represents the four chiropractors in practice in Slovenia, part of the former Yugoslavia, advises that the government has now passed regulations recognizing acupuncture and chiropractic. Dr. Todo, a Palmer graduate from Japan whose wife is Slovenian, practices in Ljubljana and was one of several pioneering chiropractors attending a WFC Assembly for the first time in Paris in May. Contact: Dr Yasuhiro Todo; tel: 386-61-126-25-25; fax: 386-61-161-27-40.
South Afica
Under new legislation gazetted in December 2000, South Africa now requires graduate chiropractors to complete 12 months of internship or supervised practice before gaining the right of independent practice. A number of European countries (Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and soon the UK) require supervised provisional registration in this way, but South Africa is the first country outside Europe to adopt this practice. The purpose is to provide a bridge between undergraduate clinical education and independent practice, giving graduates increased clinical practice and business principles experience within a private practice environment.
United Kingdom
Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a report prepared by the select committee on science and technology of the House of Lords. It provides the most thorough analysis of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by any government, and is significant to chiropractors everywhere. It comes on the heels of reports from the European Parliament affirming that established CAM disciplines (including chiropractic) have a major role in modern health care.
Chiropractors generally do not like being considered part of CAM, a classification that has been imposed upon them by others. In 1997 the WFC nearly passed a policy saying that chiropractic was not a part of CAM. The issue was tabled because of the growing political significance of CAM. After the new UK report it seems clear that chiropractic is benefiting from its association with CAM. Major points made by the House of Lords include: a reclassification of CAM disciplines; recommendations for significant funding to for CAM centers of excellence and research, including chiropractic; and thirdly, that any medical or paramedical professionals seeking to practice a CAM discipline, such as spinal manipulation, should have a speciality qualification at an equivalent level to CAM professionals who practice that discipline.
(Note: The full report of Complementary and Alternative Medicine can be downloaded from www.parliament.uk (click on "House of Lords/Select Committee Report/Science and Technology").
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