Ireland sets the pace for chiropractic

In the past year, the Chiropractic Association of Ireland (CAI) has made major progress concerning official chiropractic policies and principles.

According to J. Zimmerman, D.C., Communication Director of the CAI and a member of the World Chiropractic Alliance International Board of Governors, CAI President Hagan McQuaid and Vice‑President Lawrence Woods -- along with the CAI executive committee -- have turned Ireland into a model of chiropractic that every organization and association around the world in chiropractic should look up too.

"Being a chiropractor in Ireland is likened to the lost valley of Shangri‑La," he commented. "It is political and professional heaven."

The CAI restructured itself and has adopted a fair and even approach to chiropractic practice, Zimmerman explained. McQuaid and Woods felt the only way to do this was to position align the organizations principles with the all‑encompassing subluxation-based approach to practice.

"After much research and debate, subluxation-based chiropractic was deemed acceptable to our membership because of its simple, but very broad-based scope of practice," said Woods. "The bottom line was that we, as chiropractors in Ireland, accepted the definition of chiropractic to include the correction of the vertebral subluxation. Whether one decides to practice in a mechanistic model, tonal model or wellness model, subluxation-based chiropractic protects our right to practice as we choose."

He continued by saying, "Patients with neck or back pain could present themselves to your practice and have their subluxations corrected or a client could choose to maintain their health by having their spine checked regularly for subluxations. If CAI chiropractors choose to be back-pain specialists, diplomates in chiropractic pediatrics, sports chiropractic practitioners, or practice in the wellness model, subluxation-based chiropractic allows them to give the best available care to practice members."

To be consistent with their stated vision, the CAI accepted the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines as legitimate and useful practice guidelines.

"We have gone through the CCP Guidelines line by line, many times. After endless review, the guidelines hold up to scrutiny," Zimmerman stated. "They represent how the average chiropractor practices. The most important part of the guidelines is that when they were drafted, they were peer reviewed and held up for debate by the entire profession before they were ever agreed on. The clincher was that the guidelines were not just a USA project. Doctors from all over the world had input, and continue to do so."

McQuaid noted, "There is a need for a strong cohesive force unifying the profession. Already many in the profession have forgotten what it was that mobilized us, what inspired us, and what held us together. There is no need to hide any part of chiropractic's science, art or philosophy. Recognition of chiropractic's unique contribution to human health and existence -- mind, body and spirit. We need no longer compromise, comply, appease, mimic, or bend to other professions any longer."

CAI officials boasted several other important accomplishments this year, including:

***  Efforts to authorize chiropractors to take x-rays, coordinated by Dr. James Cosgrove. Currently, with the help of Dr. John Fay, this project is in its final stages for complete approval.

***  The development of position papers on issues such as Stroke, Asymptomatic Patients, International Affairs, Pediatrics and Legislative Policy. Dr. Patrick Coleman and Dr. Woods drafted the papers, which were unanimously adopted by the membership.

***  Endorsement of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges Position Paper and Paradigm.

***  McQuaid's presentation to the European Chiropractic Union of the paper, "The Unique Role of Chiropractic," and his contributions to the rewriting of the ECU definition of chiropractic.

***  Legislative Officer Dr. Rory Murphy's active involvement in the ECU, which has helped the CAI make many inroads.

***  Having the CAI named the official chiropractors for the 2003 Special Olympics in Dublin. Dr. Tony Ascardi was credited with this achievement.

***  Dr. J. Zimmerman's appointment as the World Chiropractic Alliance's liaison to the World Health Organization.

***  Updating of the CAI website (www.chiropractor.ie) by Dr. Robert Finley. All positions and policies are listed on the website for review.

***  Increased membership (now in the 90 percentile), a result of efforts by the CAI membership committee.

***  Affiliation with the Chiropractic Coalition.

"The Chiropractic Association of Ireland has set the pace for chiropractic organizations world‑wide. The CAI has now presented itself as a model of chiropractic health care that all organizations should aspire to," said Zimmerman. "The hard work to reach these goals could have only been accomplished with the help of the membership of the CAI. An organization is only as strong as its membership. Thankfully the CAI is stocked with chiropractors committed to chiropractic."