A small group of dedicated doctors and chiropractic supporters have demonstrated their commitment to subluxation-based chiropractic by personally funding the distribution of the newly developed Council on Chiropractic Practice (CCP) guidelines.

The mass mailing of more than 50,000 copies of the complete document soon will be mailed to licensed doctors in the United States, thanks to the generosity of:

Timothy Feuling, vice president of Chiropractic Benefit Services and vice president of the WCA;

Dr. Patrick Gentempo, co-founder and CEO of the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance;

Dr. Jay Holder, developer of the Torque Release Technique;

Dr. Christopher Kent, president of the CCP, director of research for EMG Consultants, Inc., and a co-founder of Paradigm Partners, Inc. and the Chiropractic Leadership Alliance;

Dr. C.J. Mertz, founder and head of the Waiting List Practice;

Dr. Terry A. Rondberg, founder and president of the World Chiropractic Alliance and publisher of The Chiropractic Journal; and,

Drs. Theresa and Stuart Warner, founders of Future Perfect, Inc., and Kids Day America/International.

Each agreed to make a substantial monetary contribution in order to defray the cost of mailing the booklets.

"Each of these chiropractic leaders has shown a tremendous dedication to the cause of subluxation-based chiropractic by funding this mass distribution," stated Dr. Rondberg. "I hope the profession will respond to their efforts in a positive and supportive way."

One way to extend that support, he noted, would be to patronize the businesses or organizations represented by each donor.

"In the past, doctors often felt powerless to influence the decisions of their chiropractic leaders," he said. "They didn’t see any way to show their support -- or lack of support. Today, they realize they have a tremendous economic clout which can be used to send very clear signals. They can withhold their money from those companies which do not act in the best interest of chiropractic, and they can buy from those companies which help build a strong and successful subluxation-based profession."

"Getting this document into the hands of doctors as soon as possible is worth any price," stated Mr. Feuling. "I'm confident that the information contained in its pages will not only help doctors provide even better chiropractic care, but will help them obtain their rightful compensation from insurance companies and courts of law."

The CCP was founded in 1995 to develop evidence-based guidelines, conduct research and take other actions that, in the words of its mission statement, "will enhance the practice of chiropractic for the benefit of the consumer."

The development of evidence-based guidelines was seen as the most pressing need, particularly since the profession was being severely hurt by the presence of the Mercy document.

According to CCP President Christopher Kent, "Many chiropractors have found the Mercy Guidelines to be inconsistent with the principles of chiropractic." He noted, in the October 1998 issue of The Chiropractic Journal, that 70% of ICA members surveyed said Mercy had had an adverse effect on their practices, and 63% reported that it had been used to cut insurance claims or otherwise deny reimbursement for chiropractic services.

To develop the guidelines, the CCP created a multidisciplinary panel which thoroughly analyzed available scientific evidence. Deploring the "closed room" procedures employed by the Mercy Conference, the CCP solicited input from field practitioners as well as technique developers, consumers and legal advisors.

International input from the field was obtained when the working draft guidelines document was submitted to 195 peer reviewers in 12 countries.

After incorporation of the suggestions of the reviewers, a final draft was presented to the panel for approval.