February 2006

WCA exposes Dynamic Chiropractic error

The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) issued a statement last month correcting misinformation contained in a front page article of the December 2005 issue of Dynamic Chiropractic. The article ‑‑ printed as an "open letter" from a Dr. Gordon Janssen ‑‑ erroneously stated that the WCA was still affiliated with the German chiropractic organization founded and run by Dr. Mark Styers.

Two months before the article was printed, the WCA Board of Governors convened in a special session to discuss the continuing activities of the World Chiropractic Alliance‑Deutschland (WCA‑D) and voted unanimously to revoke its status.

In the official and formal revocation, the WCA stated that the action was taken based on a determination that Styers' "actions are incongruent with the WCA's policy and practice."

Dynamic Chiropractic failed to contact the WCA prior to printing the unsubstantiated piece and did not attempt to verify any information contained in it. No inquiries were made to determine the WCA's current affiliation with the German organization or to obtain comments from WCA officials.

"The chiropractic profession is well aware by now that Dynamic Chiropractic routinely prints articles without making any attempt to verify or update information," stated Terry A. Rondberg, DC, president the WCA. "Its lack of journalistic integrity continues to undermine the credibility of the profession, and sow seeds of distrust and animosity among its members."

The WCA noted that its own investigation of the situation concluded that Styers has not violated any laws in Germany and does not train lay people to serve as doctors of chiropractic, as claimed in the article. The misunderstanding stems from the way chiropractors are licensed. In Germany, chiropractic ‑‑ called chirotherapy ‑‑ may be performed by MDs who have taken a series of supplemental courses. In addition, "lay health practitioners" ‑‑ also known as chiropractitioners or Heilpraktikers ‑‑ may provide a wide range of chiropractic or quasi‑chiropractic services. Even individuals with DC degrees from accredited chiropractic colleges in the US, Canada or Europe practice as chiropractitioners.

The World Chiropractic Alliance has supported a move to license chiropractic as a separate and unique health care field in Germany, and has worked with the World Health Organization to develop a "model" chiropractic statute that would safeguard the rights of patients to obtain subluxation correction through a recognized and trained doctor of chiropractic.

Until such a law is passed, however, the nation offers few educational opportunities that include any information on subluxation‑based chiropractic. According to Styers, the goal of his American Institute of Chiropractic was to provide such information.

The unsubstantiated accusations against Styers were typical of the continued harassment of subluxation‑centered chiropractors around the globe, stated Dr. Rondberg. "We are seeing subluxation‑based doctors of chiropractic being subjected to extreme prejudice in many nations," he explained. "Groups such as the World Federation of Chiropractic have tried repeatedly to define chiropractic as a quasi‑medical musculoskeletal treatment in these nations, and the WCA has had to vigorously defend against their actions."

He emphasized that the decision to disassociate with Styers and the WCA‑D was based on a wide range of factors, not on any proof of Styers' wrongdoing. The WCA has basic philosophical differences with the organization and serious concerns about the direction of leadership in Germany.