on many radio and TV programs. There- fore, before our clinic opened in Santiago, we had 500 new patients scheduled and a two-month waiting list. What surprised me was the openmind- edness, and interest in learning about chiropractic, from medical doctors! On our fi rst South American stop in Caracas, Venezuela, a medical doctor, whom I ad- justed, had offered to help start a chiro- practic clinic; the same thing had occurred in Colombia and Peru, and now occurred, once again, in Chile. We stayed in Chile for 22 months and because of the volume of patients I was seeing, I hired two more chiropractors, one from Canada and one from the U.S., to help. I was on a mission to promote chi- ropractic to as many people as possible. Whenever I had an interview on radio or television, I’d arrive early with my table and spine to adjust the person doing the interview. It always created excitement, and a more interesting show. The enthusiasm for chiropractic was contagious. I was invited to appear on a weekly Chilean TV show to explain the basic concept of chiropractic – using the model spine – and demonstrate an ad- justment. The demonstration lasted for four minutes but the subsequent reac- tion from the public was overwhelming! The television station made the error of not mentioning our offi ce phone num- ber and they received so many calls, that their ratings went up. I was invited back the following week, and the clip from the France Continued from Page 14 the completion of legislative regulations that will defi ne practitioner training and scope of practice. Rodrigue says this will streamline the profession in the coun- try and may also facilitate an increase of coverage by private insurance compa- nies for chiropractic services. (There are currently some – albeit very few – com- panies who provide meagre coverage for chiropractic. No state coverage is cur- rently in place.) There is one chiropractic training college in France – the Institut Franco- europeen de Chiropratique. Its main campus is located in Ivry-sur-Seine, in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, and it www.canadianchiropractor.ca previous program was used as promotion for their show. For the second interview, they provided more air time for me – dur- ing which they had me adjust soap opera stars – and, this time, they displayed my offi ce phone number. Our phone rang constantly for weeks. During the time that we were in Chile, a group of physiotherapists who were in- terested in becoming chiropractors were taking weekend chiropractic courses provided by a French chiropractor. I was asked by the group to help teach them chiropractic. I refused the invitation, but did ar- range for them to meet David Chapman- Smith, the secretary-general of the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC). Through the WFC, they were able to es- tablish a course of study, and eventually, full accreditation from a U.S. chiroprac- tic college. There are now more than 70 chiropractors in the country. CHRONICLING THE ADVENTURE After selling my Chilean practice to an American chiropractor – who was married to a Chilean woman – we proceeded on to Brazil where we stayed for six months, two months of which I worked in a Sira Borges clinic in Brasilia. Along our journey, there was often a reaction of disbelief when local people, or even tourists, would see us arrive with six children and Quebec licence plates on the van. We were told on several occasions that we should write a book. We have many great stories to share about chiro- has added a new annex, which opened in Toulouse in 2007. It is an independent institution – recognized by the World Health Organization and accredited by the European Council on Chiropractic Education – which offers a six-year aca- demic program resulting in a “Doctor of Chiropractic de l’European Chiroprac- tors’ Union” title for its graduates. Rodrigue notes that, in France, the medical profession is still quite leery of chiropractic and is, in fact, prone to discouraging patients from pursuing it. Because of this, public opinion of chi- ropractic can be, at best, lukewarm, and patients who come to a chiropractor’s offi ce for the fi rst time often do so as a last resort. The Chicoine family at Machu Pichu in Peru, May 1997. practic, people, places and travel, from all over the South American continent. Over- all, we were treated warmly by the Latin American people, and we feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet them. Luckily my wife kept a daily journal of our adventure – and we have, indeed, turned it into a book. The portable adjusting table was one of the best investments I have ever made. It gave me the opportunity to make chi- ropractic available to thousands of peo- ple, and gave, to my family and me, the opportunity to learn about a part of the world, first hand. What a great profession I had the honour to represent! • “But even this mentality is changing,” says Rodrigue, “because patients want more and more to be treated ‘naturally’, without medication. “Many of these people are in a lot of pain and have been for a very long time,” says Dr. Rodrigue. “Also, they are very unsure about trying this type of treatment. But, at the same time, they look up to you as the person who might be able to heal them. It’s quite interest- ing to feel their open trust when they come to you for help. And once you have their confi dence, it’s normally a real confi dence and lasts for a long time – this trust, and knowing that we really can help them, helps us continue doing what we do.” • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | JULY/AUGUST 2008 • 19
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