Read and respected by more doctors of chiropractic than any other professional publication in the world.

TCJ is all he needs

I must offer my compliments and thanks on behalf of the profession. The Chiropractic Journal is a wonderful piece of work. Monthly, I receive chiropractic lessons from the masters of this field.

Drs. Flesia and Pettibon, Gentempo and Kent, Stu and Terry Warner all make a superb cast of players. Just reading monthly cover to cover is a practice-building standard for my office. The straight line from the best in our field is like manna in the wilderness.

I have been on the front line of chiropractic for six years. I have persevered and now I am practicing and reaping the benefits. Each tip that I lifted off the pages of the Journal has been implemented and currently stands the test of time. Every chiropractor should read the Journal cover to cover and use it as a success guide.

John F. Przybylak, D.C.
Buffalo, New York

(We have indeed been fortunate to have so many talented chiropractic experts share their wisdom and advice with our readers. On behalf of all of them, I thank you for your words of praise! -- TR)

WFC's professional arrogance not unique

I read with great interest the "WFC attacks WCA" article and the WCA "Position Paper" on the WFC. I am an attorney in Scottsdale and represent individual chiropractic practitioners, national and international chiropractic organizations that are both subluxation-based and medically oriented.

I have personally experienced what I perceive to be the professional arrogance of the WFC and congratulate you on not only a fine article, but also a rock solid position paper on the matter.

The international chiropractic profession needs more focus developing what works for the human condition rather than wasting time on "intraprofessional animosity."

Here's to a "subluxation free" world...

Roger Binyon, J.D., LLM
Scottsdale, Arizona

(You're absolutely right and when all chiropractic organizations agree to work for that dream of a subluxation-free world, they'll stop worrying about the need to grab as much power as possible. -- TR)

California lament

Thank you and God bless you for your article on the grossly unfair situation here in California concerning ASHP. The situation is exactly as you described it and is an incredible source of frustration. I have lost many new patients who call my office seeking chiropractic care but then ask if I am on Health Net or some other plan that ASHP has gobbled up. Several of my established patients have quit as their plan is taken over by ASHP.

You are also correct in your article about the California Chiropractic Association being unwilling to do anything about this grossly unfair situation. After we lost five new patients in a two-day period, my wife -- who is my office manager -- finally declared that she would not pay CCA another dime until something was done.

I had been a CCA member for several years while this situation has just kept getting worse. I have applied to join ASHP but have never gotten past the first tier, even though I have been practicing 18 years, use established adjusting techniques and have never had a malpractice claim.

My personal practice goal is to help as many people with chiropractic as I can and will continue even though this situation is grossly unfair to the chiropractic patients of California who have chiropractic benefits in their health plans.

Thanks again for bringing this into the open.

Kenneth E. Lawver, D.C.
via e-mail

(I know how frustrating and difficult the situation must be for you and your California colleagues. I can only urge you to continue persevering and helping as many people as you can. The World Chiropractic Alliance will make every effort to expose and eliminate the unfair practices of these managed care groups. Hopefully, in the near future, they'll be history and you'll still have a thriving and satisfying practice. I also want to applaud you and your wife for realizing that we must not put money in the pockets of those organizations and individuals who refuse to work in our best interest. If they won't support us, we're under no obligation to support them! -- TR)

Sticking up for Sid

I admire you for defending Dr. Sid in the current issue of the WCA. I deal with people every day who think non-profit means free or no money. Non-profits run on the generosity of supporters and the people who support their cause. Those who run non-profits usually end up working for less, few or no benefits and longer hours.

The reason for this is non-profits are usually started and run by the people who feel a burden in their hearts for a cause or a cure and they take on the task of fixing or educating.

I look at Dr. Sid's salary and benefits and say it is a tribute to his ability to raise the money for chiropractic education and he deserves to be paid for his worth. As a non-profit, he has to report to the IRS based on program service expense, fundraising and administrative.

As the director and co-founder of a non-profit, I struggle every day with staffing needs and funding. We need to hire top-notch professionals to help us achieve our mission but we are simply not able to pay for them. We have to do more ourselves and hire people of lesser skills for less money.

Some day we will be able to hire the staff we need and pay them for what they are worth. That day for Dr. Sid has come. More power to him.

Kathi Williams
via the Internet

(I think jealousy accounts for some of the criticism, don't you? Of course, not every one agrees ... read on -- TR)

No defense for Dr. Sid

I recently received the latest issue of The Chiropractic Journal with a story on Sid Williams' huge salary. From all appearances, Dr. Rondberg and his crew actually support and defend what is going to be a very contentious issue in Marietta. To defend Sid's abusively high salary and the clear nepotism with his relatives on the Life payroll is unbelievable.

1) The salary is among the highest for all of school presidents, in all of the U.S. Life is supposed to be "nonprofit." It seems the ones profiting are Sid and his family.

2) What about the nasty little $19,000,000 default issue that no one likes to talk about? Sid is lining his pockets when many of his flock are defaulting. By the way, Life leads ALL schools in defaults. How can this possibly be defended?

3) Sid has gone on record to petition the CCE to lower academic standards at Life. What school leader wants to lower its standards? How can anyone align themselves with someone who continues to contribute to the dumbing down of a profession that already has the lowest standards in all of health care?

4) While Sid is pulling down $1M per annum, he commissions an 18-foot statue of his hands, rings and all, yet another great expenditure of money. Many of the classrooms are in trailers, and they are building statues of Sid's hands?

5) Life is polluting the marketplace with poorly trained and poorly qualified D.C.s.

I can go on and on, but suffice it to say that by your indefensible support for Sid and what are serious abuses in an already beleaguered profession, your organization loses all credibility with me. Your journal is a rag. I will never support any product or service you sell. There was a time when I was going to switch my insurance to CBS, but now you lost me.

It is clear also that your push for a subluxation-free world and the heavy philosophical overtones that pervade your publication, make you all look silly and unprofessional.

We have a great discipline, but our profession is completely screwed up. The more I read your emotionally laced, half baked truths, I come away with the idea that you are promoting an agenda that does not accurately depict chiropractic reality in today's health care market.

Yes, there are problems with the Mercy guidelines, but I welcome any attempt to force our profession to adhere to clinical standards and to practice with some semblance of unity in how we treat and diagnose. Lets face it, anything goes in this profession and nothing is too ridiculous. Crystals, chants, aura readings, meningeal work, you name it. And you guys will insure anyone, no matter how far out in left field they are.

Sorry, but you can't support the status quo and cry for changes at the same time.

Joshua Sinberg, D.C.
Durango, Colorado

Frankly, it's obvious that your dislike of The Chiropractic Journal, CBS, and me personally goes far deeper than the article on Sid Williams. Your statement that our "push for a subluxation-free world and the heavy philosophical overtones that pervade your publication, make you all look silly and unprofessional," shows that we are on totally opposite ends of the chiropractic spectrum. Which, considering your attitude, makes me very happy. -- TR)

Are you in alignment?

For being a non-symptomatic publication dedicated to subluxation-based care, I find your advertisements on addictionology, acupuncture needles (tei-shin) and wording of "treatment" in articles addressing diseases and health problems disturbing. Are you in alignment with what you say and do? I like your publication but it can be not only confusing but obfuscate the message you say you are trying to get across. Is it just advertising dollars or unconscious acceptance of articles and advertisements which are in direct contrast to what objective straight chiropractic is supposed to represent?

Dr. Lynn Kerew
via e-mail