EMERGENCY ISSUE March 13, 2011

In This Issue:

• Immediate Action Needed Now on New Mexico!
• Spreading the Message More Effectively Than Ever
• (REPRINT from February 2011 Information Age) Conspiracy? Is CCE, FCLB, NBCE, New Mexico, and National College in Cahoots ?
• Now You Know Internet Educational Services

Immediate Action Needed Now on New Mexico!

Chiropractic is at a crossroad. The question before us is simple. Do we become second-class physicians with prescription rights, or do we continue to proudly profess our unique drugless contribution to a suffering humanity?

It is widely know throughout the chiropractic profession that there is a bill in the New Mexico legislature that will change chiropractic by giving prescription rights to chiropractors who take short, additional training. This bill, HB-127, has already passed the NM House, is now in committees in the NM Senate, and will shortly be on the Senate floor. The bill openly breaks with chiropractic's long standing unique offering as a drugless health profession and sends the profession into pharmaceuticals .

There are two arguments that rage with this development. The first of which has to do with the concepts of our profession. As one who is proud and confident in our unique service, I can not fathom ever wanting to degrade my service by including drugs. I therefore question why a small minority of those with the same license as I would want to take us in this direction. Are these individuals so insecure, so doubtful, and have such an inferiority complex that they feel they need drugs to raise their self esteem? To them I say go ahead, take all the drugs you want!  But go to an MD to get them!  Do not drag the entire chiropractic profession down your road to insignificance and eventual oblivion.

While I can rail on insufferably about what these few are trying to do to my beloved chiropractic, the more significant argument must be about the welfare of the public.  Some questions beg to be asked. Does the public really need fifty thousand more doctors who give drugs?  Is there a shortage of prescribers anywhere in the US?  Will the public really benefit by removing the only organized profession not under the thumb of the pharmaceutical industry? 

If we think in larger terms, we must recognize the fact that our society is the most medicated society in the history of the human race. Do we really need more drugs? Shouldn't we, as chiropractors, be doing everything we can to get people to a state where this blatant chemical dependency is no longer needed?  Wouldn't people be better off if they could express health without being on drugs?

There is no need for chiropractors to become prescribers. There has been no outcry, no study, no research, no demand, and no need for chiropractors to offer this service. The only reason for this to have moved the way it has is because a few lost souls within our profession believe that they will elevate their status and their pocket books by including this service into their practices. No only is this false, but the opposite will be the result.

So, at this critical juncture, your immediate action is needed. You must call and email the members of the New Mexico Senate Judiciary Committee IMMEDIATELY and tell them that you oppose this bill, HB-127. You must act, or chiropractic will surely perish.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting this weekend as you read this. YOU MUST ACT NOW!

• Sen. Richard C. Martinez,  505-986-4487, rcmartinez@email.com
• Sen. Peter Wirth,  505-986-4276, peter.wirth@nmlegis.gov
• Sen. Tim Eichenberg,  505-986-4859, tim.eichenberg@nmlegis.gov
• Sen. Eric G. Griego,  505-986-4862, eric.griego@nmlegis.gov
• Sen. Clinton D. Harden,  505-986-4369, charden@theosogroup.com
• Sen. Linda M. Lopez, 505-986-4737, linda.lopez@nmlegis.gov
• Sen. Cicso McSorley,  505-986-4389, cisco.mcsorley@nmlegis.gov
• Sen. Sander Rue,  505-986-4375, sanderrue@comcast.net
• Sen. John C. Ryan,  505-986-4373, johnchrisryan@yahoo.com
• Sen. Michael S. Sanchez, 505-986-4727, senatormssanchez@aol.com
• Sen. William H. Payne,  505-986-4703, william.payne@nmlegis.gov

Your message can be short and sweet. Here is a sample email:

Dear Senator,

I want you to know that as a chiropractor I stand strongly opposed to HB-127. The public does not need another doctor with prescriptive rights.  Certainly, there is no shortage of professionals willing to provide medications.

Our society needs a profession that offers the choice of working toward health without the use of drugs. If this bill passes, the financial incentives provided by the pharmaceutical industry will surely eliminate that natural choice.

When medications are needed, they should be prescribed by those whose full training and attention is in that direction. The public welfare is not better served by issuing prescriptive rights to those in a profession that does not support such a practice, and whose training will surely be sub-par.

Please for the sake of the public good, say NO to HB 127.

Sincerely, Your Name, DC. 

Spreading the Message More Effectively Than Ever

When we say, "For Chiropractors, By Chiropractors" we mean it. Over the years Now You Know has taken the lead when it comes to introducing features to our services. These features were created out of the needs of being in practice. You asked, we listen, and then we created what works in a chiropractic office, including mine!  Being in active practice lends a perspective to the services that can not come out of a technology drawing board. All of our services are based on the real needs of practices, again, including mine. Our services are all designed to work, and help you grow your practice.  Here are just some of the ground-breaking features available in our services:

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Blogs - Got things you want to say? Say them on your website. Now You Know gives you the ability to add numerous blogs to your website.  Since you can create multiple blogs, you can have your staff members write about their experiences with chiropractic as well. Make your office the social place to learn about health. Blog away!  Blogs are also one of the best methods of attracting search engines to your website.

Chiropractic Depot Product Selection - Chiropractic Depot is a storefront that has over 500 products and can make you a passive income. You have the ability to select which products you want available to visitors to your site.

(REPRINT from February 2011 Information Age) Conspiracy? Is CCE, FCLB, NBCE, New Mexico, and National College in Cahoots ?

You don't have to be a super spy to have seen this one coming. Let's review some of the more recent occurrences that have happened in chiropractic politics lately.

• The CCE (Council on Chiropractic Education) introduced a set of standard changes that removed subluxation from the standards and drastically shifted the educational requirements away from chiropractic, and toward medicine. The profession responded with over 3000 comments opposing the standards changes. The CCE standards committee recommended to the CCE Council that many of the proposed standards changes be repealed and returned to their previous status. The CCE Council ignored the profession, and their own committee and moved ahead with standard changes that drastically moved chiropractic education away from subluxation.
• National College introduced a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine degree which CCE did not oppose. National advertised this DCM yet still only issued DC degrees. Because of this, the CCE claimed it can not take action.
• FCLB (Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards) introduced a model practice act which also did not look like subluxation practice. The FCLB has plans to push this act state-by-state to standardize chiropractic licenses in a direction away from subluxation. This model practice act includes definitions for a "Chiropractic Formulary" and a "Legend Pharmaceutical".
• New Mexico changed their law to include an "advanced chiropractor" with more medical procedures. However, when this did not go far enough, a bill was introduced to expand into "chiropractic medicine". National had been teaching the course for advanced chiropractors prior to these changes. ICA responded in protest specifically exposing the problems, (see ICA response here).
• It is now reported that the NBCE (National Board of Chiropractic Examiners) is working on a new test, as described in the minutes of the Washington State Quality Chiropractic Assurance Commission, "The examination is to focus on competencies relating to the prescribing of medications". (see article and links to documentation here) In response, the NBCE denied planning or creating such a test. However, according to an article by Dr. Don Harrison, the ACA had already approved the NBCE creation of advanced chiropractic testing which would include pharmacology.

When you look at this chain of events you will see that in each case these moves have been made, not by a public outcry for change, and certainly not by a majority of the chiropractic profession. These moves have all been made behind closed doors. They have been made by a few individuals with a specific agenda to move chiropractic away from a traditional focus on subluxation, and into a medical model of care. What is even more interesting is that, in many instances, the players in many of these organizations are the same people!

Over the years, the CCE has changed its own rules in order to continue to have a select few keep control. On more than one occasion, there was the possibility that conservative subluxation-based schools, (which produce over 65% of the graduates) would have voting control of the CCE. In each of those instances, the group about to lose power would change the rules to keep their minority in control. Today, the CCE does not even remotely resemble a democratic organization led by the schools. Instead the CCE, as it is constituted today, is a dictatorial fascism led by a few individuals with an agenda so removed from chiropractic practice reality that it is hard to comprehend that these people claim to be in the same profession as the rest of us.

Addendum: The following email was received from the NBCE in response to our article. We feel it is fair to place that text here unedited.

Dear Dr. Braile,

Your March 1, 2011 issue of "The Information Age" Now You Know's publications is in error.

The National Board is not, "working on a new test to focus on competencies relating to prescribing of medications", and Dr. Don Harrison's article is totally misleading as the National Board is not subject to any action the ACA may or may not take and does not take direction from the ACA. The National Board is committed to providing valid, reliable and legally defensible pre and post-licensure standardized testing for the chiropractic profession, and the profession is better for it. NYK!

Horace C. Elliott
Executive Vice President
National Board of Chiropractic Examiners
901 54th Avenue
Greeley CO 80634
(970) 356-9100
www.nbce.org

Now You Know Internet Educational Services

We Are Chiropractors!  We know what it takes to run a successful practice. We know what kind of education is effective to communicate chiropractic to your practice members and to the public at large. We did not start off as a technology company that decided to sell websites to chiropractors. We are chiropractors who developed the technology to help you better spread the message of chiropractic. From our innovative Adjustable Websites, to our FREE in-office Chiropractic News Service, to our Real-News Email Newsletters, all of the services of Now You Know have been developed and tested by chiropractors, - for chiropractors. We don't try to sell services to chiropractors. We develop services and features we need in our office. Then we offer them to the chiropractic profession. We know what works! NO CONTRACTS!  You simply subscribe to our service and pay by the quarter. We have to continually earn your business.

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