Have you been noticing a refreshing change in attitude lately? I have. The word "subluxation" isn't quite the trigger word as it used to be. There was a time -- very recently in fact -- when the very mention of the word could cause controversy within our own profession. Certain chiropractic leaders actually proposed that we not use the term and a couple even went so far as to suggest the entire concept of vertebral subluxation and innate intelligence was "bulls---."

That desire to distance themselves from the basic principles of chiropractic was, for the most part, a reaction to attacks from the medical profession. Since the M.D.s didn't recognize the subluxation, it was thought that we would hurt our profession if we held onto the concept.

In the October 1986 issue of The Chiropractic Journal, we reported on the newly formed National Association for Chiropractic Medicine (NACM). Its founder and president, R.L. Slaughter, D.C., clearly stated: "What we would like to see happen is for the chiropractic profession to get away from the old philosophical concepts on which we were founded."

In fact, members had to pledge to "base their practice on the knowledge accumulated by the world body of science," and acknowledge that they "do not accept: D.D. Palmer's concepts of subluxation, or other supposed spinal problems as the cause or a major cause of disease and that chiropractors prevent or cure disease by the restoration of nerve energy; restrict their scope of practice to neuromusculoskeletal conditions..."

In more recent years, few mainstream organizations or individuals have been so foolhardy as to make such blatant statements, but many took subtle actions to accomplish the same thing.

Actually, the residue of that old embarrassment over the subluxation may have contributed to some of the problems we encountered with the Veterans Affairs health care bill, which finally became law in January. The lingering fear that we would not be accepted or taken seriously if we refused to sacrifice our unique identity almost resulted in a bill being passed that might have done what Slaughter had wanted -- limited us to neuromusculoskeletal conditions!

Granted, the World Chiropractic Alliance was something of a bulldog since it bit down on this issue and wouldn't let go, but in the end the bill passed WITH reference to subluxation correction.

We're all very proud of this achievement, and we're now proud to stand with the other major organizations in a new campaign dubbed, "Save Our Subluxation" (SOS).

Together with representatives from many other organizations, I declared the WCA's support of the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund (NCLAF) during the 50th Anniversary Parker Seminar in January.

The NCLAF was formed to fund legal actions against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, formerly HCFA) and Trigon Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

The WCA's support of the HCFA lawsuit stems from early 2001. In March of last year, I noted that, "The ACA has done an admirable job with the lawsuit and will, no doubt, prevail. When asked for our support and assistance, we were more than happy to comply."

To show my own support, I have already donated $10,000, which ACA Chairman Jim Edwards said was the largest single personal donation to the fund. I'm hope by now someone has topped it.

Several months ago, during the battle to keep the reference to subluxation in the VA bill, I explained why it was so important saying, "Medical doctors, physical therapists and osteopaths cannot claim to provide that unique service. Without reference to subluxation, the bill might have hurt rather than helped chiropractic."

This same appeal is being echoed in support of the SOS campaign. As Fabrizio Mancini, D.C., president of Parker College noted during the Parker event, "This profession cannot allow P.T.s, D.O.s, and M.D.s to steal the identification and treatment of subluxations. And we cannot permit the insurance industry to squeeze us out of the health care system with their discriminatory schemes."

During the Parker event, some $245,000 was raised for the National Chiropractic Legal Action Fund. But we'll need even more if we want to prevail.

I hope all of you will donate. Whether it's a few dollars or a few thousand dollars, your contribution can help "save our subluxation" by making sure the concept of subluxation remains an integral part of the chiropractic practice -- and the one thing that sets us apart from all other health care providers.