UPFRONT | News IssuEs Chiropractic Summit adopts official position of ‘drug-free’ practice Close to 40 organizations and associations comprising the Chiropractic Summit, based in Arlington, Va., have adopted a unified public po-sition on chiropractic science and practice as a drug-free approach to health care. At a meeting of the Sum-mit organizations in Seattle, Wash., on Nov. 7, 2013, the Summit adopted a “historic statements of agreement” which includes the drug-free approach in chiropractic. “The drug issue is a non-is-sue because no chiropractic organization in the Summit promotes the inclusion of prescription drug rights and all chiropractic organizations in the Summit support the drug-free approach to health care,” the official statement said. “I am proud to say today that after much time, effort and energy, the Summit partner organizations – rep-resenting the leadership of our profession – have come to an agreement on the long divisive issue on drugs,“ said Summit chair Dr. Lewis J. Bazakos. “This truly was an historic meet-ing.” First convened in Sep-tember 2007, the Chiro-practic Summit represents leadership from some 40 organizations within the profession. The Summit meets regularly to collabo-rate, seek solutions and support collective action to address challenges with the common goal of advancing chiropractic. In a statement, the Inter-national Chiropractic Asso-ciation (ICA) welcomed the Summit’s position on the www.canadianchiropractor.ca HEALTH AND WELLNEss issue of prescription drugs in chiropractic. “This definitive and une-quivocal position statement puts to rest any question as to position of all of the cred-ible organizations within the chiropractic profession on the issue of drugs,” said ICA president Dr. Michael S. McLean. “This united front will allow the world of chiro-practic to move forward with a new focus on the es-sentials of chiropractic’s unique approach to health and healing and stop the divisive and wasteful efforts required to address the drug agenda of a tiny sliver of the profession.” The ICA, a member of the Chiropractic Summit, has always advocated for clear lines of distinction between the health-care professions and stood for a drugless, non-surgical national defini-tion of chiropractic. The ICA has maintained a no-compromise policy on the issue of drugs in chiro-practic and has acted on a wide range of fronts – legis-lative, legal and in the media – to preserve this unique and highly positive aspect of chiropractic. “ICA has been outspoken about all professions being obliged to qualify to perform any service at the highest standard of education and testing. It is on this basis, for example, that ICA has chal-lenged the physical therapy profession’s desire to ex-pand their scope in numer-ous states to include spinal manipulation, with a less than adequate level of edu-cation. The authority to prescribe and administer medications has tradition-ally been understood under the law as the practice of medicine,” the ICA said in a statement. “The unanimously adopted Summit statement has stopped any erosion of chiropractic’s positive, clear identity from the issue of drugs, and established a firm, positive foundation on which powerful new growth for our profession can be anchored,” said Dr . McLean. “ICA is proud of its historic position on drugs and excited that the vital centre of the profession, as represented by the Summit, has now come together with us. It is the right thing to do for the chiropractic practi-tioner, patient and for our national health-care sys-tem.” ICA has maintained that the public is entitled to one truly drug-free system of health care and doctors of chiropractic are fully trained and qualified to fill that role with proven clinical and cost effectiveness. “For more than a century, the marketplace has sus-tained and supported chiro-practic on the basis of its unique, drugless approach to health and healing. This is especially crucial at a time when our society at-large is recognizing the alarming complexities, costs and complications of a drug-based approach to treatment and the trend is strongly in the direction of a minimalist approach regarding drugs, and with good reason,” the ICA said. By Mari-Len De Guzman Exercise is positive prescription for child cancer survivors Childhood cancer survivors can be among active youngsters, reaping the benefits of exercise and youth sports by following post-treatment guidelines and keeping their doctors informed. Exercise can even play a role during the treatment of some can-cers, according to the U.S. National Children’s Cancer Society (NCCS). Post-treatment exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular effects, low bone density and obesity, and overall improve a child or teen sur-vivor’s quality of life. “Physical activity is important for pediatric cancer survivors’ health and emotional well-being,” said Pam Gabris, a nurse and the Beyond the Cure co-ordinator for NCCS. “Parents should work closely with their child’s doctors to gauge how much physical activity is right for their child, and monitor exercise programs and athletic involvement to maximize the benefits and moni-tor the child for late-term effects.” Gabris cautioned, for example, that certain types of chemotherapy used in treating childhood cancer may lead to heart disease, which could then be aggravated by stren-uous activity. But most children and teen can-cer survivors can follow age-appro-priate aerobic exercise recommen-dations for the general population of the same age, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, which developed exercise guidelines for cancer survivors. For more information about helping a childhood cancer survivor start an exercise or sports program, visit Beyond the Cure at www.beyondthecure.org. February 2014 Canadian Chiropractor 11
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