Few in the chiropractic profession don't recognize the name Arlan Fuhr, DC. Although his name is often mispronounced (pronounce it as "four"), Arlan has spent the past 40 years serving the chiropractic profession on various levels.
Political Action for Chiropractic: Dr. Fuhr has testified before U.S. congressional subcommittees on numerous occasions. He has worked for years in the Arizona legislature as well. Arlan is paying his own way and taking his own time to be actively involved in making a difference politically.
Chiropractic Research: Arlan is very active in chiropractic research, both as a doctor of chiropractic and through his nonprofit research organization, the National Institute for Chiropractic Research (NICR). Arlan has been a contributor to more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and books.
Chiropractic Ambassador: Dr. Fuhr is constantly speaking outside of the usual chiropractic circles. He believes in bringing the message of chiropractic's value and effectiveness to other health care professionals and laypeople. Hardly a year goes by that Arlan isn't speaking and representing the chiropractic profession somewhere in the world.
This past year has seen Arlan Fuhr involved in a number of important efforts to promote chiropractic. Each of these efforts gives us insight into who he is and the passion he holds for chiropractic.
Working With the Veterans Administration
Dr. Fuhr applied to the VA medical center in Phoenix on Nov. 15, 2004. It was not until July 12, 2005 that his scope-of-practice documentation was finally approved and he began working under a temporary arrangement. Finally, he was awarded a full-fledged contract on Sept. 25, 2006 that took effect on Oct. 1.
The first year was a year of learning. Dr. Fuhr and the other DCs had to learn the "VA way" when it came to electronic records, scheduling of patients, and working in a health care team. Next, they had to find space, have a nurse-scheduler assigned to the program and begin to integrate into the existing program. Initially, they were supposed to be housed with the physical therapists, but because of a space problem, they were dropped into a pod consisting of primary care, internal medicine and HIV testing. That turned out to be a real blessing, as most of the patients ended up being referred from primary care, which included a wonderful group of nurse practitioners who have become a great source of referrals.
In September 2006, Dr. Fuhr received a call from the acting chief of staff and two administrative officials, asking for his input about his first year. At the end of the call, they suggested Dr. Fuhr go through the lengthy process of applying for a new contract that was going to be doubled in size. This process was a real challenge. The challenging part of the program was waiting for all the different players to act. He finally received clearance to begin to credential another doctor of chiropractic so the program could be expanded.
The Carl T. Hayden Medical Center, the VA in Phoenix, has 78,000 active patients. During its first year with chiropractic, the medical center had a standby list of up to three months. The plan is to double the size of the program in hopes that the waiting time can be substantially reduced. They are now caring for all kinds of conditions, from amputees who now have spinal problems to young men and women just returning from Iraq with back pain from toting too much body armor. Everyone has been extremely grateful to have chiropractic care and many have been quite surprised with the results.
Speaking at a Pain Conference in Wenzhou, China
In July 2006, Dr. Fuhr was asked to speak at a pain conference in Wenzhou, China. It all came about after a paper by Xue-Jun Song, MD, PhD, from the department of neurobiology, at the Parker College Research Institute, was awarded the World Federation of Chiropractic first prize in Sydney and subsequently was published in JMPT. The object of this study was to document potential mediating effects of Activator on pain and hyperaglesia after acute intervertebral foramen (IVF) inflammation. The study showed Activator adjusting significantly reduced the severity and shortened the duration of pain and hyperalgesia caused by lumbar IVF inflammation. The hyperalgesia decreased after only three Activator adjustments with only one thrust given to a specific vertebra.
On the day he spoke, Dr. Fuhr was quite excited about the list of presenters with whom he would share the podium. The main speaker was Ferid Murad PhD, Nobel Laureate from the University of Texas at Houston. He won a Nobel Prize for discovering the binding properties of nitrous oxide in the blood. Another presenter, Manfred Zimmerman from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, is famous for discovering that vitamins B1 and B6 should be used when treating sciatica.
The main theme of the whole conference was inflammation and how to reduce it. Dr. Fuhr gave his presentation; when he concluded, a doctor stood up and said something in Chinese. The interpreter explained that the doctor wanted Dr. Fuhr to take care of some of his most severe pain patients from a local hospital. Arlan thought he would be going there the next day; however, to his surprise, an ambulance pulled up and deposited seven severely involved patients who proceeded to walk down the convention aisle for immediate care. Their conditions ranged from chronic shingles to severe low back pain. After adjusting the patients, Dr. Fuhr had approximately 200 physicians lining up for chiropractic care. This experience showed that the world has a huge interest in chiropractic and that there still is a great need for chiropractic to reach many people.
The Neighborhood Christian Clinic
Many years ago, Dr. Fuhr heard a medical doctor at his church conduct a presentation about an inner-city clinic for the poor. After the service, Arlan asked him who was in charge of the chiropractic service for the volunteer clinic. The MD told him the clinic didn't have a chiropractic service, simply because he didn't know any chiropractors. Dr. Fuhr then asked if he could begin volunteering in order to integrate chiropractic into the clinic. After meeting with the medical director, he was asked to join the team.
Dr. Fuhr began as the only volunteer doctor of chiropractic, taking care of patients on a portable table in the kitchen of the old house in which the clinic was based. From those humble beginnings, the program now has five chiropractors and the churches of Phoenix have contributed enough money to pay for a brand-new, 5,000-square-foot clinic in the very poorest part of Phoenix. Arlan was able to win over the medical team by caring for the clinic staff nurses and administrative personnel.
In the beginning, all patients had to go through primary care and then be referred to the chiropractor. After a year, it was decided that all musculoskeletal patients should go directly to the conservative care department, of which Dr. Fuhr was made the director. In 2003, the program added four more chiropractors and Arlan was appointed to the clinic board of directors. He still serves on the board today.
The above are just some of what Dr. Arlan Fuhr is doing to promote and expand chiropractic around the world and at home. For all this and much more, we honor him as our 2006 Person of the Year.
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