Brazil: Thank you to those contributing to the ongoing fundraising campaign to support the Brazilian Chiropractors' Association (ABQ) as it fights for a separate and distinct identity for the chiropractic profession in Brazil - where the physiotherapy profession is claiming chiropractic is a PT specialty and has started short-term courses for PTs leading to a 'certificate of chiropractic.'
Particular thanks this month to the Chiropractors' Association of Austrailia, which has pledged a further $5,000, and Foot Levelers which is supporting a new fundraiser with matching funds up to $5,000.
Canada: Dr. Scott Haldeman and colleagues from the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Related Disorders presented their main findings at a conference in Regina, Saskatchewan in November. The Task Force Report is now due to be published in Spine in February 2008, and will emphasize the multi-factorial nature of neck pain and the importance of respecting the patient's preferences and choice of treatment - because no one treatment approach has a clear advantage over others and patient preference will influence effectiveness and satisfaction.
The WFC 10th Biennial Congress, co-sponsored by the Canadian Chiropractic Association, is to be held at the Hilton Bonaventure Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, April 26 - May 2, 2009. Planning is already well underway, the Program Planning Committee met in Montreal on December 1 and decisions are being made over the next two months concerning the Conference program. If you have any recommendations for content and/or speakers please forward these with supporting information to Linda Sicoli, Congress Coordinator at
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Ghana: Following the retirement of Dr. Eno Sefah-Tawiah, Ghana's five chiropractors are led by Dr. Bryan Cox (Life University 2002), an American married to a Ghanaian who has been living and practicing in the capital Accra for the past five years. There is no law to regulate the practice. Dr. Cox and his colleagues are well known to and supported by government authorities. Contact: Dr. Bryan Cox,
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Indonesia: Fifteen of Indonesia's 20 chiropractors are members of the Asosiasi Chiropraktor Indonesia (ACI) formed in June this year and led by President, Dr. Brilliantono Soenarwo (Life College) and Vice-President Dr. David Husband (RMIT University). A WFC delegation comprising Dr. Terrence Yap of Singapore, WFC Council representative for Asia, Mr. David Chapman-Smith, WFC Secretary-General and Dr. Janet Ruth Sosna of Singapore, President, Asian.
Pacific Chiropractic Doctors' Federation (APCAF) visited Jakarta to speak with ACI members and others in October. Following the delegation's report, the WFC Council decided in November to recommend acceptance of ACI as a member. Contact: Dr. David Husband at
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Liechtenstein: In November the European Chiropractors' Union held its Executive Council meeting in Liechtenstein. This may be one of the smallest countries in Europe and the world, with one of the smallest national associations representing the country's four doctors of chiropractic - the Verein Liechtensteiner Chiro-praktoren, but the profession is well-established and fully integrated in the health care system. President is Dr. Claudia Mikus Kluchnick, a graduate of the Southern California University of Health Sciences.
South Korea: The Korean Chiropractic Association (KCA), the Hanseo University School of Chiropractic and the WFC, are presenting a KCA Extremities Technique Seminar in Seoul on Saturday June 8 and Sunday 9, 2008. You have a choice of 12 hour programs from two leading experts - Dr. Mark Charrette on upper extremities sponsored by Foot Levelers, or Dr. John Downes on lower extremities sponsored by Life University. Registration fee is U.S. $295, and funds raised will support the KCA in its continuing fight for chiropractic legislation.
The seminar is being held together with meetings of the WFC Council (June 4-7) and the Asian Pacific Chiropractic Doctors' Federation (June 6). If you are in Asia, or are a Korean DC in North America, or simply want a great meeting and excuse to visit South Korea, plan to be there. For details: Contact Dr. Nari Hong at
or from January 15 visit www.wfc.org.
Switzerland: The latest issue of the ECU newsletter reports that Switzerland's first undergraduate chiropractic program will commence at the University of Zurich in autumn 2008. Postgraduate education will continue at the Swiss Chiropractic Institute in Berne, where Bea Wettstein Meichtry, the new Head of Education after the recent retirement of Dr. Martin Wangler, overseas divisions of postgraduate and continuing education, accreditation and research.
Turkey: Istanbul and the Turkish Chiropractors' Association were the hosts for the WFC annual Eastern Mediterranean Seminar held this year on October 5-6 and featuring an extremities adjustment program from Dr. Mitch Mally of the USA. Chiropractors from seven countries attended - Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Saudi, Arabia, Syria and Turkey.
Goals of the seminars are to provide continuing education opportunities for chiropractors in the region and to build stronger national and regional organizations. Dr. Stathis Papadopoulos, of Cyprus, WFC First Vice-President, administrator for these meetings, advises that next year's seminar will be sponsored by Palmer College and held in Cairo, Egypt on March 28-29. Contact: Dr. Papadopoulos at
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United Kingdom: The field of sports chiropractic has grown rapidly in recent years in the UK as elsewhere in the world. As one reflection of this the UK's two accredited chiropractic schools are offering expanded undergraduate and postgraduate educational opportunities. The Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in Bournemouth, England, is now establishing a special assessment centre for athletes and a master's degree program in sports sciences and chiropractic. A keynote speaker at AECC Homecoming on September 8 was Jean Pierre Meersseman, DC who leads the sports medicine team for the leading Italian football club AC Milan.
In Wales, the country's new Welsh Sports Medicine Centre is located at the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic at Glamorgan University. It was opened in March by Mr. Alan Pugh, Minister for Welsh Culture, Language and Sport at which time, a multidisciplinary sports medicine seminar was held attended by chiropractors, physiotherapists and surgeons addressing lower limb-related functional disorders.
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
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