I just received the Journal and usually just read, as I have been retired several years. However an article by Dr. Immerman stirred me. My views of what is happening to chiropractic are probably no different than any who chose chiropractic to help others. We must understand some chose chiropractic to help others, to make money, and some have a higher call, above all: TO LEAD.

That "leadership" I speak of in this instance believes if they use authority to stifle the small voices of truth rather than use their energy to educate about chiropractic they will become something more acceptable to our sophisticated society.

Truth is they have little backbone for teaching patients as they usually have no confidence in their ability to help patients with problems. They are far better talkers than doers. Rather they many times hide behind some "medical specialty" area of practice. This gives them an avenue of approach to control regular honest, unsuspecting docs.

Too many of our leaders are not good guys who get elevated to responsible levels of being honored by peers as someone special, but by control of peers. The overbearing ones are practice failures who politic their way into dominance. Dominance is their main forte and gossip their way of life and the vehicle they use to impress and obtain unsuspecting peers support.

I believe legislators understand this far better than we. I also do not believe they have found a preventative or cure, nor will they, as most likely it is beyond man.

I believe the best approach to change this however is within our own ranks. That is to say we must make acts of the would be wrong doers obvious and easily recognizable prior to their gaining power. Those who support such dishonest folks under the guise of protection of the public etc. are keeping chiropractic from those who need natural health. When we are able to vote are we voting for a humble, mind my own business, type or a humble, confident, gossiper?

Somehow we must analyze who is running and maybe pick someone who isn't running and elect them instead. Also we all remember the law suits against the AMA etc. Could it be that powerful influences are planting seeds with board members ? Why else would anybody who became a DC do the outrageous acts boards are guilty of for the last ten years ?

Jack Love
via e-mail

I would like to express my appreciation of Dr. Veronica Gutierrez's understanding of the politics behind the CAM movement. CAM applies to the medical world. It encompasses those M.D.s, R.N.s, D.O.s, and dentists who wish to participate in the use of healing modalities, principles, and techniques that are part and parcel of the natural health care professions.

CAM is quickly becoming just another method to short change and undercut our healing philosophy and techniques. CAM is being used to feed large amounts of research dollars to medical institutions.

Dr. Gutierrez understands this and is fighting for Chiropractic. We should be more appreciative of her efforts! We are the experts in many aspects of natural health care, and yet the government ignores our skills and century of development to fund some medical school which hasn't a clue.

I've seen the course synopsis of some so called alternative medicine courses at Medical Schools. At least one school utilizes Stephen Barrett, M.D. as their expert lecturer!

What is necessary is a complete change in perspective.

Myself, I like the term CAC -- Complimentary Alternative Chiropractic -- to discuss M.D.s practicing natural health care therapies.