The news attracted attention from health care officials, political leaders, and the media across the globe -- an American doctor of chiropractic had been invited to spend an entire year in Vladivostok, Russia.

There, he would help establish a chiropractic clinical and research center to bring chiropractic care to the Russian people. It was the type of post-cold war cooperation which has so heartened a world weary from decades of East-West tension.

For Matthew McCoy, D.C., the doctor chosen to undertake this ambitious mission, the trip to Russia was merely another leg of an exciting chiropractic journey which began when he was eight years old.

"I grew up in New York," he told The Chiropractic Journal, and was introduced to chiropractic by my brother, Dr. Bruce McCoy, who took several of my family members for our first adjustment. Bruce was always introducing us to new ideas and alternatives to traditional ways of thinking and viewing the world."

Driving around in his brother's car as a youngster, Matthew listened to taped lectures by Dr. Sid Williams and Reggie Gold, always absorbing the powerful messages they delivered about chiropractic. As a child, he was even taken, to one of Dr. Williams' D.E. meetings, where he was given an adjustment by chiropractic pioneer Dr. Pasquale Cerasolli.

A move to Florida at the age of 13 didn't stop the exposure to chiropractic. Young Matthew became a patient of Dr. Tom Pasterski and stayed with him until leaving for chiropractic college.

That's where he first felt the impact of chiropractic culture shock.

"During chiropractic college," McCoy recalls, "I was dismayed by the anti-chiropractic and anti-subluxation rhetoric that some of the teachers espoused. I remember halfway through college, my roommates and I were totally confused by all the negativity and chiropractic bashing we were hearing."

He adds, "At some point, I realized I couldn't rely on any one person to teach me chiropractic, so I set out on my own journey to discover the truth. This led me to the library, books and journals -- and, most importantly, to chiropractors of all kinds."

After working with several chiropractors with differing philosophies and practice approaches, he spent three years in the DACS (Diplomate in Applied Chiropractic Science) program. States McCoy, "I decided to focus my personal research on the subluxation itself and its impact."

The journey which began in his brother's New York chiropractic office when he was eight had brought him to a high level of expertise and respect in the profession. In 1995, he was chosen as a board member of the Council on Chiropractic Practice (CCP) and a contributing editor for The Chiropractic Journal.

But the journey didn't end. In fact, 2,000 miles from McCoy's Florida office, another chiropractor was giving an adjustment which would lead to yet another exciting phase in McCoy's career and life.

It was in the state of Washington that the other chiropractor -- coincidentally named McCoy as well -- was giving an adjustment to a Russian businessman, Valery Shegnagaev. The Russian had been persuaded to see Dr. Harold McCoy after a flare up with his chronic neck and back pain. "I was practically disabled by the pain and could not walk around," Shegnagaev explained later.

After being adjusted by Dr. McCoy, Shegnagaev was astounded by the results. He quickly brought his whole family -- and many of his friends -- to the D.C.'s office. When he witnessed the results of chiropractic care on them as well, he vowed to bring this unique health care field to his homeland.

He contacted his business partner back in Russia while McCoy set about drafting a proposal for a scientific and cultural exchange program between the two nations.

In putting together the group of American doctors who would travel to Russia, Dr. Harold McCoy included Matthew McCoy's name on the list. Matthew had been serving as a consultant to Harold's company, Myo-Logic Diagnostics and both were involved in the CCP.

The express purpose of the exchange was to begin the first of what would be an ongoing series of dialogues among spinal care experts from both countries. In addition, participants hoped to promote the development of international assessment standards with models for clinical outcome assessment protocols.

The program in Russia took place April 24-May 3 of this year, and left an indelible impression on all the Americans who took part. In addition to the two Dr. McCoys, the delegation included CCP Vice-President William R. Boone, Ph.D., D.C., as well as CCP Board Members John J. Gerhardt, M.D.; Veronica Gutierrez, D.C.; Mark Van Hemert, D.C.; and Robert H. Blanks, Ph.D., among others.

The delegation toured hospitals and clinics throughout the Primorski Region, and met with high-ranking government and health care officials there. Everywhere they turned, they were inundated with questions from Russian doctors eager to learn about chiropractic.

"What excited me the most," Dr. Matthew McCoy recalled, "was how the Russians welcomed us with open arms and were so enthusiastic to learn and share ideas. I began to realize that the future of chiropractic may not lie in the U.S. -- that the paradigm shift regarding chiropractic may get a tremendous boost from a place like Russia. It is in those parts of the world that the true changes will take place first."

Part of the reason for this, McCoy noted, was that the Russian health care community isn't divided by the political differences -- both inter- and intra-professional -- which have so hindered the growth of chiropractic in the U.S. "They are worried less about politics and more about documenting and studying what they do," he observed.

Before the U.S. delegation even left their country, the Russians had broached the possibility of having one of them return to establish a chiropractic clinic and research center within the Regional Clinical Teaching Hospital in Vladivostok.

It would be an historic step toward establishing chiropractic in Russia, and would require an American doctor of extraordinary dedication and ability. Whoever volunteered would have to leave his or her practice -- and life -- for a full year and to teach the art, science, and philosophy of chiropractic in a country which was undergoing immense internal upheaval and economic difficulties.

Dr. Matthew McCoy stepped forward without hesitation.

"If there was one person in this profession who would willingly walk through fire do spread the word of chiropractic, it's Matt McCoy," said Dr. Terry A. Rondberg, president of the World Chiropractic Alliance, who serves with him on the CCP Board.

"I don't think any of us were the least bit surprised when Matt jumped in with both feet. He's always been like that. When it comes to chiropractic," noted Rondberg, "there's nothing halfway with him. I envy the Russian doctors who will be learning from him."

One of those Russian doctors will be Dr. Vladimir Polin, a neurologist and manual therapist who hopes to become a chiropractor. Dr. Polin will work with McCoy at the chiropractic center.

Although teaching chiropractic to a neurologist would present extreme difficulties here in the U.S., McCoy found that Russian doctors do not share many of the basic prejudices of their American counterparts.

"The Russian people don't have the media, drug companies, and medical doctors pushing drugs on them 24 hours-a-day, partly because they don't have a third-party system and drug makers don't control research dollars. More importantly, as I was told over and over there, patients don't feel drugs work and they don't want them."

Instead, Russian health professionals rely more on manual therapy to care for their patients.

"They (the manual therapists) have a very deep understanding of chiropractic principles," McCoy explained. "They have a profound understanding of the role of the spine and nervous system in maintenance and improvement of health. Furthermore, they're not limiting their research to back pain -- they're doing research on the effects of manual therapy on tumor growth."

As exciting as the undertaking is, it has not been without its challenges.

"Many people have tried to insert their own agendas and greed into this project," McCoy admitted. "My intentions are purely to help the government and people of Russia by introducing them to the principles and practice of chiropractic -- chiropractic without its politics, without its divisions, without its dueling personalities. My intent is to introduce subluxation-based chiropractic as it is: a non-duplicating, separate and distinct science, philosophy, and art."

The other major challenge facing McCoy will take more than his chiropractic dedication and idealism to overcome. "At this time," he explained, "the center is established within the hospital ... but we need to equip it properly, and we could really use the help of the chiropractic profession in accomplishing this."

So far, several companies -- including Myo-Logic Diagnostics, Insight Diagnostics, SDI Systems, and Chiroslide -- have donated equipment for the center. As part of the project, Sherman College donated a scholarship for a Russian student. McCoy is still seeking a videofluoroscopy unit, as well as other items which would help make the center facilities complete.

As the time approaches for Matthew McCoy to depart for Vladivostok, his mission is receiving international notice.

After meeting with CNN President Tom Johnson, and Eason Jordan, vice president of CNN International, McCoy is hopeful that the media coverage will provide positive exposure for chiropractic both here and in Russia.

Having dealt with the political ramifications, the professional considerations, and the economic challenges, only one thing really matters to Dr. Matthew McCoy: bringing the health benefits of chiropractic to the Russian people.

"What a wonderful culture to introduce chiropractic into," he says with excitement. "I feel it will take off like wildfire."